Jeremiah 7:1-20
Jeremiah Stands at the Lord’s House (Jeremiah 7:1-2)
Israel and Judah had a history of not obeying the Word of the Lord. They were a rebellious nation and often preferred to serve the false gods instead of the one true God of Israel. The Lord had sent many of His prophets to sound the alarm and warn them of their wicked ways. Yet, they refused to repent and honor the Lord's covenant between them and their forefathers. They did not think that God would go as far as to allow His own temple to be destroyed and that their idolatry could continue unjudged. Yet, they were sadly mistaken. Therefore, Jeremiah was told to stand before the people at the temple in this first message to deliver the Word of the Lord because He was once again warning them of the judgments that would befall them if they failed to repent. There was still time for them to turn from their wicked ways to prevent judgment from coming, but genuine repentance was a requirement.
According to Lundborn, Jeremiah was gifted with rhetorical skills equivalent to the Greeks and Romans, thus talented and able to speak persuasively, convincingly, and authoritatively.[1] This attribute is evidenced through Jeremiah's confident statement that what he had to say was a Word from the Lord. He was direct in letting the people know that he was not speaking on his own accord, but the message from the Lord had been given to him to proclaim to the people of Judah who worshiped at the Lord’s temple. It is important to understand that words from the Lord or prophecies showed not only God’s wrath but also His love and kindness should the people repent and turn from their wicked ways.[2]
Proclaims the Lord’s Word to Reform and Remain (Jeremiah 7:3-7)
Jeremiah begins his speech by telling the people that the Lord demanded a change from them, and only then would He allow them to continue to live in the land. They were not to trust in the false prophets who did not give them a genuine Word from the Lord but only pampered them in their sins with false promises of security because the Lord’s temple was in their midst.
Furthermore, Jeremiah lays out a list of charges against his fellow Judaians. God had found them guilty of not dealing justly with one another and foreigners. They murdered the innocent and worshiped false gods. They were to be an example to all the nations around. Unfortunately, they did the same and even worse things than their heathen neighbors.
Lundborn contends that repetition is the most important aspect of Hebrew writing.[3] Therefore, when one sees the phrase the temple of the Lord repeated in this section of Scripture, the reader would be wise to pay special attention because of its highlighted significance and emphasis as it entails the urgency of the prophetic word.
False Words (Jeremiah 7:8)
Jeremiah directly relayed the Lord’s message that the people had been listening to false words from those who had not stood in the Lord’s presence. He told them that the false prophets and teachers’ words were meaningless and amounted to nothing as they pertained to the Lord. They were full of lies and would not benefit them because God would not honor and fulfill the false predictions and assumptions of those who lied in His name. The people of Judah and their false prophets claimed to know and have a relationship with the Lord, but they did not know Him nor do what it took to have a genuine relationship with Him.[4]
Accumulation can be found in this text as Jeremiah repeats the deception mentioned in verse four. In verse four, Jeremiah tells the people not to listen to deception words, and once again, he parallels the warning by restating that they had been privy to deception. Therefore, according to Lundborne, one can expect to see a lot of accumulation in Jeremiah’s writing style.[5]
Mistaken Security (Jeremiah 7:9-11)
Once again, Jeremiah outlined the Lord's charges against His people in Judah. He questioned them about their misguided sense of security as they participated in debauchery, such as lies, murder, sexual immorality, and Baal worship, along with sacrifices to other gods. He emphasized their mistake in thinking they could honor God through temple attendance without actually living the part. He highlighted their spiritual ignorance regarding the Lord being merely a place for worship instead of being the God to worship. They were not one and the same but were a distorted ideology of those who rejected the Lord.
In this verse, Lunborn highlights Jeremiah’s use of asyndeton, where he outlines the charges the Lord brought against Israel. As Jeremiah outlined the charges, they are presented back-to-back to bring guilt against the nation. Therefore, Lunborn states that many authors used asyndeton to address admiration or accountability.[6]
Thrust from His Presence (Jeremiah 7:12-15)
The sanctuary had once been located in Shiloh near Shechem. It had been home to the Ark of the Covenant. However, the Lord had destroyed it, but those living in Jerusalem were under the false impression that God would not do a repeat performance by allowing the Babylonians to destroy the temple in Jerusalem. Sadly, they were mistaken, and the Lord was not affixed to a structure but desired to be affixed to their hearts. Therefore, the Lord reminded them that He had pleaded with them repeatedly to turn from their wicked ways, but they had refused to listen. Consequently, they would receive the same judgment Israel had received and be thrust from the land.
In modern times, one may view Jeremiah’s speech as having tropes or metaphors uncommon to the people of those times. For example, Jeremiah told the people that the Lord called, but they did not answer. When one thinks of someone calling them in modern times, it would be through the use of a landline or cell phone. However, this was not the type of calling that Jeremiah was referring to, but that the Lord had spoken through His prophets to the people for them to return to Him, only to be rejected. According to Lunbom, prophets and oracles often used tropes to embellish their messages.[7]
Do Not Intercede (Jeremiah 7:16)
It was not uncommon for God’s servants to pray and intercede on behalf of His people when they were in sin. Moses did this when it was in God’s mind to destroy Israel after they had worshiped the golden calf (Exodus 32:30-32; Deuternonomy 9:13-14). Moses intercession caused the Lord to change His mind and have mercy on Israel. Unfortunately, this was not to be the case for Judah this time. Judah’s rebellion angered the Lord, and He did not want to hear any intercession from Jeremiah on their behalf. He would not even listen to Jeremiah if he attempted to do so. When the Lord turns a deaf ear to someone, it is a dangerous state for that person, group, or place to be in. Therefore, Jeremiah was not to pray for their deliverance, safety, or pardon from God. Judah would not be granted a stay of execution.
God’s prophets often warned the people about sin, repentance, and returning to Him because of His love and grace towards them. Yet, they refused to listen and ignored His constant urging for a drastic change. They did not want to repent. They did not want to change. They did not want to honor the Lord with their lives.[8]
Charges Against Judah (Jeremiah 7:17-20)
The Lord brings attention to the sins of Judah once again as He questions Jeremiah about their noticeable abominations. The children and parents were accused of preparing and gathering supplies to present food offerings to the Queen of Heaven and other gods. The Lord, however, made it known that they were not harming Him but themselves and everything around, including man, beast, and field would suffer because of their blatant rebellion. The Lord’s blessings outlined within His covenant with Israel had been conditional and based on their obedience. Therefore, they had broken their contract with the Lord.
In these verses, the Lord posed rhetorical questions to Jeremiah. Lunbom states that rhetorical questions were not expected to be answered but were actually statements where the answers were already implied. Lunbom further suggests that Jeremiah’s rhetorical questions were not mechanically inclined but were connected to the subject matter at hand, which in this case, dealt with Judah’s defiance of the Lord.[9]
Conclusion
Jeremiah was one of the four major prophets in the Bible. It was not about importance but these books were lengthier than the other prophetic books. Prophetic literature can be a challenge for many to understand, and yet, the figures of speech used within these prophetic writings allow the reader to understand the relationship the Lord desired to have with His people and the painful rejection He experienced.[10] These prophetic books also help the reader to understand the future suffering Jesus would experience by a people who would reject Him as they did God the Father and His servants.[11] While many churches disregard these Old Testament books, it would be unwise to disregard them because the same mistakes Israel and Judah made by rejecting the Lord are taking place in modern times with similar dire judgments to come.
[1] Jack R. Lundbom, The Hebrew Prophets: An Introduction (Augsburg Fortress Publishing, 2010), 167.
[2] D. B. Sandy, Plowshares & Pruning Hooks: Rethinking the Language of Biblical Prophecy and Apocalyptic (Downers Grove: IVP, 2002), 20.
[3] Lundbom, The Hebrew Prophets, 168.
[4] William S. Sor et al., Old Testament Survey: The Message, Form, and Background of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1996), 328-331.
[5] Ibid., 179.
[6] Lundbom, The Hebrew Prophets, 178-179.
[7] Lundbom, The Hebrew Prophets, 180-181.
[8] Gary V. Smith, Interpreting the Prophetic Books: An Exegetical Handbook (Grand Rapids: Kregel Academic & Professional, 2014), 23.
[9] Lundbom, The Hebrew Prophets, 191-192.
[10] J. S. Duvall and J. D. Hays, Grasping God's Word: A Hands-on Approach to Reading, Interpreting, and Applying the Bible (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Academic, 2012), 399-400.
[11] Smith, Interpreting the Prophetic Books, 23.
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