JEREMIAH LESSON 8
We will begin this lesson in Jeremiah 7:1 "The word that came to
Jeremiah from the LORD, saying," Jeremiah 7:2 "Stand in the gate of
the LORD'S house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word
of the LORD, all [ye of] Judah, that enter in at these gates to
worship the LORD."
The first thing that is apparent, here, is, this message is to
God's people, not to the world. Jeremiah was to go to the house of God
and tell God's people. The last chapter was devoted more to Benjamin's
family. This is spoken to the house of Judah. Notice, "all ye of
Judah". It appears the time that Jeremiah was to bring this, was a
time when large numbers of those of Judah would come to the temple.
This is inside the gate. As I said, this is a message for God's people
alone. It is a time now that pastors should stand on the porch of the
church and give God's message to the people of God. Notice carefully,
Jeremiah was bringing this message from God, not from Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 7:3 "Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel,
Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this
place."
Jeremiah was crying out to them in the name of the LORD to repent
of their evil ways and return to God. God wants to bless them, but He
cannot bless them when they are worshipping other gods. He is saying,
it is not too late, if you will repent.
Jeremiah 7:4 "Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of
the LORD, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, [are]
these."
They are saying, over and over, the temple. They thought, if they
came to the temple 3 times a year, that was all that was required.
They did not live their faith in God after they left the temple. There
is more to belonging to God than just attending church once in awhile.
To be in right relationship, we must always worship God.
Jeremiah 7:5 "For if ye throughly amend your ways and your
doings; if ye throughly execute judgment between a man and his
neighbour;" Jeremiah 7:6 "[If] ye oppress not the stranger, the
fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place,
neither walk after other gods to your hurt:"
We see, in these 2 Scriptures, that they were not representing
God in their day to day dealings with other people. They were
believers in name only. They lived like the rest of the world. As a
formality, they came to the temple at the required times. We see a
list of the things wrong in their lives in the verses above. God would
not accept them as His family, until they had a change of heart, and
lived every day as His representative on the earth. They must turn
from the worship of false gods, and worship only the true God, and
treat their fellowman as they would want to be treated.
Jeremiah 7:7 "Then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in
the land that I gave to your fathers, for ever and ever."
Their being able to live in the promised land peacefully and
prosperously, was conditional on them living as God would have them
live. Blessings were for those who obeyed God.
Jeremiah 7:8 "Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot
profit."
They had believed lies. They had turned from God to these false
gods. What could they possibly profit from an idol, which is a
nothing?
Jeremiah 7:9 "Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and
swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods
whom ye know not;" Jeremiah 7:10 "And come and stand before me in this
house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all
these abominations?"
They were not free to do these sins, just because they belonged
to God. This is so much like many Christians today, who believe they
can live any way they want to and not be guilty of sin, because they
have been baptized. Christianity is a day to day walk in the footsteps
Jesus left for us to walk in. We must continue in our salvation we
receive. When we receive the Lord, we are supposed to be brand new
creatures in Christ. The old sinful life should have been buried in
the watery grave of baptism. We should be walking in newness of life
in Christ. We no longer live, but Christ liveth in us. This is the
very same thing for these children of God {Judah and Benjamin}. Their
lives should reflect God within them. They should not live like the
lost world.
Jeremiah 7:11 "Is this house, which is called by my name, become
a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen [it], saith
the LORD."
The house of God is to be a holy place. God never intended it to
be a gathering place for thieves and robbers. Jesus spoke of it this
way. Matthew 21:13 "And said unto them, It is written, My house shall
be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves."
In Mark chapter 11 verse 17, and in Luke 19 verse 46, we read the same
thing. God wants His people to be holy, as He is holy. He is our
Tabernacle. He wants His people, and His house, to be holy and
separated from the world. Christians should live holy lives, because
we bear the name of Christ.
Jeremiah 7:12 "But go ye now unto my place which [was] in Shiloh,
where I set my name at the first, and see what I did to it for the
wickedness of my people Israel."
Shiloh is an interesting word. It appears to be the name of a
place where the earliest sanctuary was located. It is the same area as
Shechem. This had, undoubtedly, been somewhat of a permanent structure
to house the Ark of the Covenant. It had been destroyed. It appears
that many of the people in, and around, Jerusalem did not believe God
would allow the Babylonians to destroy the temple in Jerusalem. This
is a reminder that the first resting place had been destroyed, and
Jerusalem would be no different. I want to mention something in
passing here. The word "Shiloh" was not just a place but was, also, a
name for the Messiah. Shiloh, the place, was destroyed, and so will
Jerusalem be destroyed by the Babylonians, because of the sin in their
lives.
Jeremiah 7:13 "And now, because ye have done all these works,
saith the LORD, and I spake unto you, rising up early and speaking,
but ye heard not; and I called you, but ye answered not;" Jeremiah
7:14 "Therefore will I do unto [this] house, which is called by my
name, wherein ye trust, and unto the place which I gave to you and to
your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh."
God had warned them of the consequenses of worshipping false
gods. He had Jeremiah telling them of their error, and telling them
the outcome, if they did not repent. It appears the warning was not
heeded. They had trusted in the temple being in Jerusalem forever. God
had given them the promised land, and had even dwelt with them in His
temple in the most holy place.
Jeremiah 7:15 "And I will cast you out of my sight, as I have
cast out all your brethren, [even] the whole seed of Ephraim."
In the near future, they will be captured {cast out} by Babylon.
Ephraim is speaking of the 10 tribes of Israel, that were captured and
{cast out} years before Babylon captured the land of Judah and
Benjamin. It had happened recently enough that they were still
familiar with it, however.
Jeremiah 7:16 "Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither
lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for
I will not hear thee."
We see, in this, that God's judgement is already set. Jeremiah is
not to pray for their deliverance, because he would be praying against
the judgement of God. We know that Abraham asked God to spare Sodom,
if they could find as many as 10 righteous. There were not 10
righteous, and God did not spare them. God told Abraham ahead of time
that He was going to destroy them, but All the prayers of Abraham
could not have stopped the judgement. This is the case here, as well.
There are certain things God has planned. To intercede in prayer in
opposition to God's plans, will not work.
Jeremiah 7:17 "Seest thou not what they do in the cities of
Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?"
God brings Jeremiah's attention to the rampant sin in the cities.
They must be punished for their sins. The punishment is to cause them
to repent and turn to God.
Jeremiah 7:18 "The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle
the fire, and the women knead [their] dough, to make cakes to the
queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that
they may provoke me to anger."
We see, from this, that even the wives and children are entering
into the false worship with the fathers. This is an abomination before
God. God is a jealous God. He will not tolerate the worship of false
gods. Deuteronomy 6:15 "(For the LORD thy God [is] a jealous God among
you) lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and
destroy thee from off the face of the earth." They not only are
worshipping false gods, but are doing it openly for all to see their
unfaithfulness. God's fury has come up in His face against them.
Jeremiah 7:19 "Do they provoke me to anger? saith the LORD: [do
they] not [provoke] themselves to the confusion of their own faces?"
The answer is, yes. They do greatly anger God. The worst thing
they have done, is now, they do not even know what they do believe.
The "confusion of their own faces" just means they are totally
confused in their worship. We had spoken earlier about their formality
of sacrificing to God still going on, but at the same time, they were
worshipping false gods. They did not know themselves what they
believed.
Jeremiah 7:20 "Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, mine
anger and my fury shall be poured out upon this place, upon man, and
upon beast, and upon the trees of the field, and upon the fruit of the
ground; and it shall burn, and shall not be quenched."
These people were symbolically God's wife. There is nothing that
makes a husband more furious than an unfaithful wife. They have been
unfaithful to the Lord God. His anger will cause them to fall in this
great battle with Babylon. Deuteronomy 4:24 "For the LORD thy God [is]
a consuming fire, [even] a jealous God." Zechariah 8:2 "Thus saith the
LORD of hosts; I was jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I was
jealous for her with great fury." This destruction will be so great
that the trees, the fruit, and in fact, everything will be destroyed.
Jeremiah 7:21 "Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel;
Put your burnt offerings unto your sacrifices, and eat flesh."
God is telling them to go ahead and cook and eat their sacrifices
that they would have made to Him, because they are unacceptable to
Him. The LORD leaves no doubt who He is here. He says, God of Israel.
Jeremiah 7:22 "For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded
them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt,
concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices:" Jeremiah 7:23 "But this
thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God,
and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have
commanded you, that it may be well unto you."
We know that God promised blessings to His people, if they obeyed
Him, and curses, if they did not. This all began with the promises to
Abraham. The ordinances and laws God gave were for the benefit of man.
The sacrifices were, also, for man to express thankfulness to God for
the provisions God had made for him. Some of the sacrifices were to
bring forgiveness for sins. All were for man's benefit. We will
understand this better, if we remember the great sacrifice that Jesus
made for us. It was not for Jesus' benefit the sacrifice was made, but
for man's benefit. If man had never fallen, there would have been no
need for sacrifice. Look, with me, at one Scripture that expresses the
same thought. I Samuel 15:22 "And Samuel said, Hath the LORD [as
great] delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the
voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey [is] better than sacrifice, [and]
to hearken than the fat of rams." To understand this more fully, study
the book of Leviticus. God will not be our God, if we have other gods,
He must be the only One, or He will not be our God at all.
Jeremiah 7:24 "But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear,
but walked in the counsels [and] in the imagination of their evil
heart, and went backward, and not forward."
Man, by nature, is sinful. The example of this that stands out to
me the best is the children of Israel headed for the promised land.
God miraculously brought them out of Egypt with the 10 plagues He
brought on Egypt. This, alone, should have convinced them that He was
truly God, and there were no others. He parted the Red Sea, and took
them over on dry land. He had Moses strike the Rock and water enough
for the millions of people sprang forth. They still did not believe.
They made the golden calf to worship. What does God have to do for
man, before man realizes who is God? It appears man is so set on
sinning, that he ignores all the evidence and follows the desires of
his flesh.
Jeremiah 7:25 "Since the day that your fathers came forth out of
the land of Egypt unto this day I have even sent unto you all my
servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending [them]:"
God heard their cry in Egypt, and sent Moses to their rescue. God
sent judges, prophets, holy men, and they would not believe. They were
so caught up in the desires of the flesh, they would not listen to the
Spirit of God.
Jeremiah 7:26 "Yet they hearkened not unto me, nor inclined their
ear, but hardened their neck: they did worse than their fathers."
It seems the sins got worse with every generation. It was almost
as if they were trying to outdo their fathers. The "hardening of their
neck" just meant they were too stubborn to learn.
Jeremiah 7:27 "Therefore thou shalt speak all these words unto
them; but they will not hearken to thee: thou shalt also call unto
them; but they will not answer thee."
I feel so sorry for Jeremiah here. He brings the message from God
to these people, and they will not listen, or believe. How
discouraging this can be. Noah had the same problem, while he was
building the ark. He preached of the coming disaster, and never had
anyone believe him and change his ways. It is not the obligation of
the messenger to make them believe, it is enough that he brings God's
message to the people. It is their obligation to believe.
Jeremiah 7:28 "But thou shalt say unto them, This [is] a nation
that obeyeth not the voice of the LORD their God, nor receiveth
correction: truth is perished, and is cut off from their mouth."
Jeremiah says exactly what God tells him to. He says, you do not
want the Truth. They have believed a lie. They do not want help.
Jeremiah 7:29 "Cut off thine hair, [O Jerusalem], and cast [it]
away, and take up a lamentation on high places; for the LORD hath
rejected and forsaken the generation of his wrath."
They were to cut their hair in mourning. It was a custom of the
people, when they took a Nazarite vow, to grow their hair long and
then cut it, and sacrifice it at the temple. This is saying, go ahead
and take that hair to the high places, because God will not accept it
in sacrifice to Him. God has rejected them and forsaken them. He wants
no sacrifice to Him from them anymore.
Jeremiah 7:30 "For the children of Judah have done evil in my
sight, saith the LORD: they have set their abominations in the house
which is called by my name, to pollute it."
It appears Manasseh had built altars for all the host of heaven.
The very first commandment is, Thou shalt have no other gods before
me. This is an abomination, a revolting sin, in God's sight.
Jeremiah 7:31 "And they have built the high places of Tophet,
which [is] in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and
their daughters in the fire; which I commanded [them] not, neither
came it into my heart."
This is the worship of Molech which was strictly forbidden. They
practiced human sacrificing of their children to this false god.
Jeremiah 7:32 "Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD,
that it shall no more be called Tophet, nor the valley of the son of
Hinnom, but the valley of slaughter: for they shall bury in Tophet,
till there be no place."
We realize from this, that this was a common thing and many
children were killed. It would be correct to name it the valley of
slaughter.
Jeremiah 7:33 "And the carcases of this people shall be meat for
the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth; and none
shall fray [them] away."
In the 28th chapter of Deuteronomy, beginning with the 25th
verse, we read of this very thing.
Jeremiah 7:34 "Then will I cause to cease from the cities of
Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of mirth, and the
voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the
bride: for the land shall be desolate."
The only thing we need to be reminded of here, is that this
punishment comes from God. Babylon may be the instrument that God uses
to carry this out, but the judgement is from God. This is the curse
God brings on His children, who do not obey Him, and who go after
strange gods. This is speaking of total destruction. There would be no
happiness at all, only desolation.
Jeremiah 8 Questions
1. The word that came to Jeremiah from the __________.
2. What did God tell Jeremiah to do in verse 2?
3. Who was the message for?
4. Why had God chosen this particular place to speak to the people?
5. What would they have to do for God to cause them to dwell in this
place?
6. What are they really saying, when they say, the temple of the
LORD?
7. What were some of the things mentioned they must change?
8. They were believers in ________ only.
9. Blessings were for those who _________ God.
10. Name some of the sins verse 9 mentions.
11. What was the wrong idea they had about their sins?
12. What does water baptism symbolize?
13. I no longer live, but _________ liveth in me.
14. What did God say, they thought His house had become?
15. Quote Matthew chapter 21 verse 13.
16. Where are two other places {in the Bible} you can read the same
thing?
17. Why should Christians live holy lives?
18. Where was Shiloh located?
19. What happened to the place the Ark had been housed {at Shiloh}?
20. The word "Shiloh" was not just a place, but was, also, a name for
___________.
21. What does verse 14 say, God will do to His house He had given
them?
22. Who had God cast out of His sight, previously?
23. Who is Ephraim, in verse 15, speaking of?
24. Why was Jeremiah not to intercede for them?
25. What did God bring Jeremiah's attention to in verse 17?
26. Who were involved in this false worship of the queen of heaven?
27. Who will God pour His fury out on?
28. What makes a man more furious than anything else?
29. Quote Deuteronomy chapter 4 verse 24.
30. What is God telling them to do with their sacrifices?
31. What was more important to God than their sacrifices?
32. How did they respond to God's warnings?
33. What does God have to do, before man will recognize Him as God?
34. Who had God sent to them to warn them?
35. What did He mean by "hardened their neck"?
36. Why does the author feel sorry for Jeremiah?
37. What is the obligation of the messenger?
38. In verse 29, what are they to do with their hair they cut off?
39. What had Manasseh done that was spoken of in verse 30?
40. What was the valley of Tophet changed to?
41. The sacrificing of their children was the worship of the false god
_________.
42. What is the only thing we need to be reminded of in verse 34?
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