The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: Stand in the gate of the Lord’s house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the Lord, all you people of Judah, you that enter these gates to worship the Lord. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Amend your ways and your doings, and let me dwell with you in this place. Do not trust in these deceptive words: “This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.”
For if you truly amend your ways and your doings, if you truly act justly one with another, if you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, and the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other gods to your own hurt, then I will dwell with you in this place, in the land that I gave of old to your ancestors forever and ever.
Here you are, trusting in deceptive words to no avail. Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, “We are safe!”—only to go on doing all these abominations? (NRSV)
Jeremiah is saying to the people that judgment is imminent, they must repent and change their ways. If they do not repent, then judgment from the north will come,
Thus says the Lord: See, a people is coming from the land of the north, a great nation is stirring from the farthest parts of the earth. They grasp the bow and the javelin, they are cruel and have no mercy, their sound is like the roaring sea; they ride on horses, equipped like a warrior for battle, against you, O daughter Zion! (NRSV)
But it is difficult to change your ways if you do not believe what God is saying. Instead you choose to listen to those who say the things you want to hear. This is precisely what happened when Jeremiah prophesied in chapter 7. In the previous chapter, false prophets were saying, “peace, peace,” meaning that everything will be OK. In this passage the people clung to the deception that nothing will happen to them in the temple of the Lord. The repetition of the phrase, “the temple of the Lord,” three times shows the intense belief that the temple would deliver them. The belief is that the temple will ward off any evil, and protect them from the judgment prophesied by Jeremiah.
With Jeremiah’s voice prophesying doom and judgment while others were saying that everything would be fine, to whom should the people listen? How would the Israelites know who is speaking for God with the cacophony of voices around them? And these voices were coming from prophets (false) and priests. Today, the voices come from inside the church, Christian organizations, and Christian publications. Our enemy is clever and even the most devout of saints will on occasion be led astray. However, we can guard ourselves against these deceptions. As Paul writes in Ephesians 6, “our struggle is not against flesh and blood [though often it may seem this way] . . .but against spiritual forces of wickedness.”
In addition to the “armor of God” mentioned in Ephesians, there is one key that is crucial. We must walk with God daily — in humility, fear, and love. As we remain in fellowship with God, we will have ears that hear and eyes that see. We will recognize His voice and reject the voice of the enemy. Walking in humility with God keeps our spirit in tune with His Spirit, and we become sensitized to Him. Arrogance has the opposite effect as it blinds the eye and stops the ear rendering us insensitive to the Spirit. As this insensitivity continues over time, we begin to create a false narrative around us, a bubble if you will, leading to a divorce from reality. The bubble becomes impenetrable.
Over time, Judah developed a bubble which the words of the true prophets could not penetrate. Judah did not humble herself and seek God. She listened to the false prophets who promised “peace” and protection. At this point, God had to shatter this bubble in order to get through to Judah. Thus Jeremiah’s writes,
So, go to the place in Shiloh where I allowed myself to be worshiped in the early days. See what I did to it because of the wicked things my people Israel did. You also have done all these things, says the Lord, and I have spoken to you over and over again. But you have not listened! You have refused to respond when I called you to repent!So I will destroy this temple that I have claimed as my own, this temple that you are trusting to protect you. I will destroy this place that I gave to you and your ancestors, just like I destroyed Shiloh.And I will drive you out of my sight just like I drove out your relatives, the people of Israel. (NET)
We do not want to reach the point that Judah reached. Yes, the truth is sometimes difficult to accept. At its best, it’s inconvenient. However, if we become callous to the truth, then the last option for the Lord will be major surgery. It will not be pleasant.
Hallowed be Thy Name, Thy kingdom come. 