Jeremiah Chapter 7 – Do Not Trust These Lying Words

Jeremiah 7 is known as the temple sermon, where God sends Jeremiah to the gate of the LORD’s house, to proclaim a message to those who came to worship God (Jeremiah 7:1-2).

What was God’s message to these who came to worship Him? 

“Amend your ways and your doings... do not trust in these lying words, saying, ‘The temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD are these.’" (Jeremiah 7:3-4)

The people of God back then led lives not aligned with the words of God. They oppressed others (Jeremiah 7:5-6), broke the commandments (Jeremiah 7:9), etc.

Yet, all of these were “small issues” in their sight. They show up to the temple to worship God, seeming to be godly and reverent. Perhaps they themselves thought that they were upright, that they were okay before the sight of God.

“And then come and stand before Me in this house which is called by My name, and say, ‘We are delivered to do all these abominations’? Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of thieves in your eyes? Behold, I, even I, have seen it,” says the LORD.” (Jeremiah 7:10-11)

But how did God view the situation?

They were abominable in His sight. 

This chapter serves as a very stern warning for us. We too are those who come to worship this same Most High God. Have we unknowingly been trusting in lying words too? 

“I’ve been baptised, I have the Holy Spirit, I come to church every week, so my salvation is guaranteed”

“These teachings from the Bible to love our enemies, see others as better than ourselves, repay evil with good, to be humble, etc. are all just an ‘ideal’, it’s okay if I cannot do it”

Just because we are members of the True Jesus Church, just because we come to church every week, it does not mean that our salvation is guaranteed! There’s more that we need to do to “work out our salvation with fear and trembling”.

Otherwise, we are no different from those being condemned in Jeremiah 7. They thought that just because they come to the house of God to ‘worship’, they are okay. They thought just because they had the temple of the Lord with them, they will never be punished by God.

And God hence reminded them about Shiloh, where in 1 Samuel 4:10-11 we read of the Israelites being defeated and the ark of God captured. The Israelites back then trusted in lying words too, thinking that they will never be defeated just because they had the ark of God with them. But what was more important to God was their obedience, or rather their lack of, and so God allowed them to be defeated.

But Jeremiah 7 also offers us the solution. 

"But this is what I commanded them, saying, Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you." (Jeremiah 7:23)

We need to pursue to obey God. In all the different things that He has commanded us, be in how we ought to worship and serve Him, how we ought to live our lives, interact with one another, etc. 

And we see this message throughout the Bible. In the Old Testament, the servants of God all exhorted the people to obey God and keep His commandments. In the New Testament, the epistles written by Peter, Paul, etc., all remind the members to keep pursuing, to discipline our bodies, to be partakers of the nature of Christ, …

The key point is, the standard of God in His words are not just an “ideal”. These are what God requires of us. These are words of life, teachings that we need to actively consider, meditate, and strive to live out. The question is, do we require of ourselves what He requires of us?

"Since the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt until this day, I have even sent to you all My servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them. Yet they did not obey Me or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck. They did worse than their fathers." (Jeremiah 7:25-25)

Since the day we have believed until today, we have heard many sermons, lessons, and teachings. God has sent many workers to remind and encourage us to live a life according to His words.

Let us no longer take lightly the exhortations and warnings that we receive in sermons. Let us have a child-like eagerness to live out the word of God in our lives.

Have we unknowingly trusted in lying words?

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