Jeremiah 7 Commentary
Chapter 7 begins the famous temple sermon. Jeremiah is commanded to stand at the gate of the temple and preach from there.
Problem identification:
They burn incense to Baal. Verse 9. They make cakes for the queen of heaven. Verse 18. They pour drink offerings to other gods. Verse 18. They burn their sons and daughters in the fire. Verse 31.
They oppress the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow. Verse 6. They shed innocent blood. Verse 6. They steal, murder, commit adultery, and swear falsely. Verse 9.
The reader must look into these abominations and see the meaning of mass abortions, senseless wars, brothels, and countless perversions. Names and locations may change, but we have the same devil!
Two points stand out. Firstly, clean house: treat each other justly; don’t oppress the poor, the fatherless, and the widows; and don’t shed innocent blood. Secondly, don’t follow other gods to your harm.
Then comes an important verse: “Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you?”
The LORD Jesus Christ referenced this verse when He drove out businessmen and businesswomen from the temple.
Because of Israel’s wickedness, God’s dwelling place at Shiloh was destroyed. Because of wickedness, God’s dwelling at Jerusalem would be destroyed, unless men and women changed their ways.
Jeremiah makes this point, even while the temple stood and people flocked to it in numbers. But the temple was dead because of Israel’s wickedness. Israel’s confidence in the temple was all vanity.
Without the presence of the LORD God in an individual, all outward rituals – regardless of their good looks – amount to nothing. The saint is warned.
The LORD’s anger and wrath would be poured out on Jerusalem: on man and beast, on the trees, and on the crop in the field. The Book of Revelation repeats this threat for a generation in Jeremiah’s distant future.
The LORD God does intervene in human affairs. His intervention is simple: stamp out evil and perpetrators of evil. We can blame God’s generosity for the delay! Each extra minute for any mortal means a chance for salvation.
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