1Jeremiah received the Lord’s word: 2 Stand near the gate of the Lord’s temple and proclaim there this message: Listen to the Lord’s word, all you of Judah who enter these gates to worship the Lord. 3 This is what the Lord of heavenly forces, the God of Israel, says: Improve your conduct and your actions, and I will dwell with you in this place. 4 Don’t trust in lies: “This is the Lord’s temple! The Lord’s temple! The Lord’s temple!” 5 No, if you truly reform your ways and your actions; if you treat each other justly; 6 if you stop taking advantage of the immigrant, orphan, or widow; if you don’t shed the blood of the innocent in this place, or go after other gods to your own ruin, 7 only then will I dwell with you in this place, in the land that I gave long ago to your ancestors for all time.
8 And yet you trust in lies that will only hurt you. 9 Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, sacrifice to Baal and go after other gods that you don’t know, 10 and then come and stand before me in this temple that bears my name, and say, “We are safe,” only to keep on doing all these detestable things? 11 Do you regard this temple, which bears my name, as a hiding place for criminals? I can see what’s going on here, declares the Lord. 12 Just go to my sanctuary in Shiloh, where I let my name dwell at first, and see what I did to it because of the evil of my people Israel. 13 And now, because you have done all these things, declares the Lord, because you haven’t listened when I spoke to you again and again or responded when I called you, 14 I will do to this temple that bears my name and on which you rely, the place that I gave to you and your ancestors, just as I did to Shiloh. 15 I will cast you out of my sight, just as I cast out the rest of your family, all the people of Ephraim.
Reflection
Today’s reflection is from the CEB Student Bible for United Methodist Confirmation. It’s a message that’s worth reflecting on for all of us.
Jeremiah 7:1-5 is a sermon that is usually considered as an interruption in the text. But it works as a theological response to the haunting and elusive poetry of chapters 2-6. It says that even the Jerusalem temple, the center of national life, won’t save Judah from disaster and divine judgement. The temple won’t provide unconditional protection and blessing. If God’s people don’t reform their ways, practice justice, and care for those in great need, God will destroy the temple and send them into exile.
Jeremiah says that there is no point in going to the temple to worship if people are not practicing honesty, compassion, justice, and peace in their daily lives. If we think about what this means for us today, we might wonder what Jeremiah would say about our worship and how we live our lives the rest of the week. How does worship relate to the rest of our lives? How do you observe the connection others make between worship and their daily lives?
For Pondering and Prayer
Compassionate and loving God, as Jeremiah proclaimed at the gate of your temple, our worship is meaningless if we are not treating each other justly, if we are not caring for the immigrant, orphan, or widow, if we do not stand up for the innocent, or if we chase after other gods. So, we pray today, that we may allow your strength, peace, joy, and love fill our spirits so that we may truly share your compassion and love for those in need and so that you may dwell with us for all of time. In the loving and compassionate name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
– Prayer by Manny Estevez
