The Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord

The Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord,

the Temple of the Lord

Jeremiah Chapters 7-10

A Den of Robbers

In these chapters, the book of Jeremiah continues to challenge our image of the “Old Testament God”. From the historical books, particularly Kings and Chronicles, we might form an image of God as one who is stern, unapproachable, and unappeasable. Armed with this image, one might think that Jesus came not only to redeem us, but to redeem God, as well. This certainly could not be the case. Jeremiah, among other Old Testament voices, provides us with a view of God in Old Testament times lovingly calling people to repentance, just as Jesus did in his day.

In Chapter 7, The Lord begins, as recorded in verses 1-11, by calling the people to true repentance. Such repentance, says the Lord, is evidenced by righteous behavior. The people believed that they could come to the temple and offer sacrifices and go away cleansed. In so doing, they made the Lord’s house a “den of robbers”, which is the same situation Jesus found upon his triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:12-13). The Lord’s answer to this view of morality is recorded in verses 22-28. At first glance, this passage is confusing in that it seems to say that the Lord gave the fleeing Israelites no instruction for the offering of sacrifice, but it is certainly true that a good deal of Old Testament law deals with the offering of sacrifice, and sacrifice is mentioned in the Exodus setting of God’s covenant through Moses (Exodus 20:24). We should note that the language used here is very similar to that of Deuteronomy (See Deuteronomy Chapter 6, for example, verses 17-18) where sacrifice is not mentioned together with the covenant account. Also, the book of Jeremiah is not alone in this sort of disdain for the practice of sacrifice. Sacrifice is also denounced in Amos (5:21-27), Isaiah (1:10-20), Micah (6:6-8), and Hosea (6:6-7). This last passage was so important to Jesus during his earthly ministry that he quoted it at least twice (Matthew 9:13 and 12:7).

There is a sense in which our conventional view of the Old Testament God is accurate. God is not approachable; God is not appeasable. When we are not right with God, no fancy words, no beautiful buildings, and no elaborate ritual will change our standing with God. God desires worship, but not vain worship. It is my opinion that God allows us the fancy dress, the beautiful buildings, the comforting ritual only so long as they bring us closer to our Lord. They can be a means of worship, but we make them the end, and when we do, they become an abomination. God wants us to worship by knowing and doing what is right.

Perpetual Backsliding

Chapter 8 has, in a latter section (verses 11-17) some repetition from previous chapters. The chapter begins and ends with dire warnings, but contains a section (verses 4-10) where the Lord contemplates the continual backsliding of the people. The imagery here is very interesting. If a man stumbles, the Lord says, he gets back up. If he takes a wrong turn, he finds his way back. Even the migratory birds, which after all have bird-brains, are smart enough to find their way home. These people, however, are too smart for their own good. Notice that the Lord does not find fault with the people because they have made mistakes, or even because they continue to make mistakes. All throughout Jeremiah it is abundantly clear that the opportunity to repent is always available. The problem with the people is that they rely on their own wisdom, which is no wisdom, and the Lord tells them it will fail.

Uncircumcised in Heart

Chapter 9 goes on to say that things are going to be very, very bad because of the way people have behaved. Notice also that this was no threat, any more than if I were to call you back from the edge of a dangerous cliff I would be threatening you with the law of gravity. The Lord was telling them what was true.

In verses 23-26, amid all the dire warnings, the cause of the people’s conflict with God is beautifully summarized. In order to understand it, we must understand that “cutting the corners of their hair” refers to some practice of shaving or cutting hair as a part of a pagan ritual, and circumcision is referred to here metaphorically as the process of dedicating one’s self to God. The Lord says that we cannot rely on ourselves, though we be wise, mighty, or rich. We can rely on the Lord to have unchanging love, justice, and righteousness, but these are not available to us if we treat the Lord as some kind of idol that requires an incantation – if we just through the motions, but are not changed at heart.

Correct Me, O Lord

Often times in Jeremiah, it is hard to tell which voice we are hearing, that of the prophet, or of the Lord speaking through the prophet. This is particularly true in Chapter 10 where, though “thus says the Lord” is repeated through the chapter, much of the text is a tribute to God as apposed to the worthless idols being worshipped by the people. The tribute nature of the words was probably added by Jeremiah, but other than the tribute form, the words are consistent with previous sections: the Lord is the sole creator, idols are completely inert, and idol worship is foolish in itself and an affront to God.

In verses 23-24, however, we certainly have Jeremiah speaking. Ordinarily, it is the role of the prophet to speak to the people on the behalf of God. Here the prophet prays to God on the behalf of the people, and his prayer is one that we are often reluctant to pray. It is a prayer for correction. Personally, I am not blest with patience. I have always been reluctant to pray for patience out of fear: fear of what it might cost me to gain patience, and fear that I might become impatient with the processes. Though the prophet has couched his request in careful terms; still it is more bold than many of us will ever be. But, if the Lord practices steadfast love, righteousness, and justice in the earth (9:24), what have we to fear?

The Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord

The temple of the Lord was a place called by the name of the Lord, and the Lord had promised the people to come to them in these places and be with them and bless them (Exodus 20:24). But, in Chapter 7, verse 4, the Lord says that the people have reduced the special dedication of the place to mere words, in the same way that their own dedication, symbolized by circumcision, has become false. Their actions may have been correct, but their hearts had strayed. The prophet bemoans the fate of the nation, and though that fate is terrible, in Chapter 7, verse 19 the Lord says something even worse. The terrible consequence of rejecting God is that we are cut off from God.

We no longer have the concept of a temple, because we have the promise that “Wherever two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20). We no longer practice sacrifice, because we worship the “Lamb that was slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8). Still, we come to our fancy buildings with our orders of worship, and there is nothing wrong in this, unless we limit God and our involvement with God to that time and place. James says (1:27) that pure religion, that is, the practice of our faith, is to help others and to keep ourselves separate from the world. This is strikingly similar to what we read in Jeremiah, where the Lord says that any other worship is a meaningless repetition of words.