Jeremiah 7:1-34

We are usually very adept at convincing ourselves of our own righteousness.  We can easily rationalize our sins so they do not look like sins to us anymore.  This dangerous practice will lead us down a road of deception and destruction.  Jeremiah is called to show Judah the fallacy of their thinking.  Unfortunately, his message fell on deaf ears.  It is a hard thing to admit that we are wrong, but it is impossible to enter into a right relationship with God apart from the recognition of our own sinfulness.  If we think we can continue in sin and still experience the blessings of God because we go to church; we are only kidding ourselves.

JUDAH WAS DELUSIONAL IN THEIR RELIGIOSITY: Jeremiah is called to stand at the gate of the temple and deliver this powerful message.  The instructions were very clear: repent and obey the Lord and you will be able to stay in the land.  God offers multiple opportunities to repent and submit.  He promises to reward us for obedience but even still multitudes of people continue to follow their own standards.  The people had deluded themselves into believing that because of their name and the importance of the temple they would never be destroyed.  God reminds them of the destruction of the temple in Shiloh.  No amount of empty religiosity will preserve us from the wrath of God upon sin.  Repentance and worshipful faith in Him is the only means by which men can escape from the wrath of the Lord.  Deliverance does not come through rituals but through a heart submissive and responsive to the Lord.  Since the people would not respond to God’s instructions; God has decided to deliver them to destruction.


JUDAH WAS DEFIANT IN THEIR REBELLIOUSNESS: God goes so far as to tell Jeremiah not to even bother praying for the people.  They have given themselves completely over to idolatry and God will not tolerate their defiance.  They make offerings to an idol called the Queen of Heaven.  This defiant rebelliousness will soon result in the discipline of the Lord.  God is not pleased with their polluted sacrifice or impressed with their self-righteous attitudes.  Jeremiah will warn them over and over again but God assures Him that they will not even hear him, much less repent and obey the Word of the Lord.  Judah has become undisciplined and unresponsive to the Word of God.  The result of this defiance and rebelliousness will be a banquet for the vultures of that region.  They have followed the pagan practices to the point that the Word of God is no longer heard or thought to be interesting.  God will put this rebellion down and will exercise His wrath on any who seek to defy His authority.  We must recognize the reality of and prepare for the consequences of sin and the glories of heaven.

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