TURNING FROM SIN Jeremiah 7:1-15 (Read)

Evil in the Land

Imagin if you went to church every Sunday to worship, study God’s word, and pray with your church family, then spent the rest of your week cheating on your taxes, disrespecting your family, and bullying the vulnerable people around you. What would your action throughout the week say about your devotion to God? In Jeremiah’s time, the temple was the most significant place for Gods people, but it was much more than a mere church building. It represented God’s throne on the earth. However, the temple had become nothing more than a superstitious symbol for most people. The temple-goers sang songs, burnt sacrifices, and prayed prayers. But their lives were filled with evil, oppressive, immoral, unjust practices. Unless they repented and made a change, the temple they loved and leaned on would be broken to bits, along with their own lives.

Jeremiah 7:1-4“The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Stand in the gate of the Lord’s house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the Lord, all you men of Judah who enter these gates to worship the Lord. 3 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Amend your ways and your deeds, and I will let you dwell in this place. 4 Do not trust in these deceptive words: ‘This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.’

(READ verse 7:2)

worship means “to cause oneself to bow down and prostate onself before one of high estate to whom allegiance is owed”

Humble yourself before the Lord (Lt go of your pride); submit yorself to God. (submit youself to the will of God)

(READ verse 7:3)

I will let you dwell in this place The Lord is saying he will dwell or live with them in this place

Where is this place (verse 7) “the land that I gave of old to your fathers forever”.

The entire land of Judah or the shrine (see verse 12)

4. “Go now to my place that was in Shiloh, where I made my name dwell at first”

5. Shiloh, where the Tabernacle and the Ark of the covenant were set up

Joshua 18:1

“Then the whole congregation of the people of Israel assembled at Shiloh and set up the tent of meeting there...”

(READ verse 7:4)

This... refers to the entire complex surrounding the temple

God promised David an eternal dynasty in the chosen city of Zion or Jerusalem

Davids royal line would continue after his death.

2 Samuel 7:12-13

“When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.”

Davids’s dynasty in the chosen city of Zion would be secure.

Psalm 132:13–14

“For the Lord has chosen Zion; he has desired it for his dwelling place: “This is my resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it.”

The people of Judah were coming to the house of the Lord, performing correct outward actions with the wrong inward attitude.

The people of Judah were living evil and crooked lives.

Rather than addressing their sin, the people doubled down with religious sounding words.

They had this beautiful temple, where they could go any time, but their chants, their songs, their rituals meant nothing to God.

As they sang, this is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.

When we are unwilling to deal with the sin in our lives, God’s house becomes nothing more than a good luck charm.

Jeremiah 7:5-11 “For if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly execute justice one with another, 6 if you do not oppress the sojourner, the fatherless, or the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other gods to your own harm, 7 then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave of old to your fathers forever. 8 “Behold, you trust in deceptive words to no avail. 9 Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known, 10 and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, ‘We are delivered!’—only to go on doing all these abominations? 11 Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, I myself have seen it, declares the Lord.”

(Read verse 7:5-8)

Repentance here calls for the pursuit of justice and an end to idolatry

(Read verse 7:9)

The peoples sins were in violation of the 8th, 6th, 7th, 9th, 1st and 2nd of the Ten Commandments.

(Read verse 7:10)

Called by my name... all that is called by Gods name is the personal property of the Lord.

The people felt no shame in breaking the moral laws of God.

And then, stand before God, in his house saying, “we are delivered”…only to go out and keep on committing these abominations.

The people believed observing temple rituals freed them to return to their detestable acts without fear of punishmentout the

(Read verse 7:11)

Gods house is for the worshipers of God almighty, Gods house is for beleivers who want to study and obey his Holy Word, Gods house is for seekers from all nations, a house of justice, mercy and kindness.

Gods house is not a den of evil doers, a stomping ground for self-rightous sinners, or a haven for haters of Gods ways.

When we participate in abominations and despicable acts throughout the week , then flee to God’s house on Sundays to take the heat off we turn Gods house into a place for sinners to come and relax.

God told these people, they were making his house a den of robbers, God sees the intentions of of their hearts.

God sent Jeremiah, to show the people his desire for them to repent, so God could forgive and restore them.

God did not send judgment immediately, that does not mean he never will.

God is patient, but he is also Holy, righteous and just.

when people reject Gods grace, they will recieve his judgment.

Jeremiah 7:12-15 “Go now to my place that was in Shiloh, where I made 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, and when I spoke to you persistently you did not listen, and when I called you, you did not answer, 14 therefore I will do to the house that is called by my name, and in which you trust, and to the place that I gave to you and to your fathers, as I did to Shiloh. 15 And I will cast you out of my sight, as I cast out all your kinsmen, all the offspring of Ephraim.”

(Read 7:12-14)

God reminds the people, consider the fate of Shiloh,

Further warning, that the temple was not exempt from Gods wrath.

Shiloh…where the Tabernacle and the Ark of the covnant were set up, after the conquest of Canaan.

Shiloh…was destroyed by the Philistines in 1050 BC

Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

Psalm 78:56–64

“Yet they tested and rebelled against the Most High God and did not keep his testimonies, but turned away and acted treacherously like their fathers; they twisted like a deceitful bow. For they provoked him to anger with their high places; they moved him to jealousy with their idols. When God heard, he was full of wrath, and he utterly rejected Israel. He forsook his dwelling at Shiloh, the tent where he dwelt among mankind, and delivered his power to captivity, his glory to the hand of the foe. He gave his people over to the sword and vented his wrath on his heritage. Fire devoured their young men, and their young women had no marriage song. Their priests fell by the sword, and their widows made no lamentation.”

1 Samuel 4:1-11

The Philistines Capture the Ark

“ And the word of Samuel came to all Israel.

Now Israel went out to battle against the Philistines. They encamped at Ebenezer, and the Philistines encamped at Aphek. 2 The Philistines drew up in line against Israel, and when the battle spread, Israel was defeated before the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men on the field of battle. 3 And when the people came to the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has the Lord defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord here from Shiloh, that it may come among us and save us from the power of our enemies.” 4 So the people sent to Shiloh and brought from there the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts, who is enthroned on the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.

5 As soon as the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel gave a mighty shout, so that the earth resounded. 6 And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shouting, they said, “What does this great shouting in the camp of the Hebrews mean?” And when they learned that the ark of the Lord had come to the camp, 7 the Philistines were afraid, for they said, “A god has come into the camp.” And they said, “Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before. 8 Woe to us! Who can deliver us from the power of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with every sort of plague in the wilderness. 9 Take courage, and be men, O Philistines, lest you become slaves to the Hebrews as they have been to you; be men and fight.”

10 So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and they fled, every man to his home. And there was a very great slaughter, for thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel fell. 11 And the ark of God was captured, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.”

If God would destroy the city where the Tabernacle and the Ark were located, because of Israels sin, How could Jerusalem expect to escape a similar fate?

(Read 7:13)

I spoke to you persistently…Jeremiah used this description repeatedly

“From the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt to this day, I have persistently sent all my servants the prophets to them, day after day.” ( Jeremiah 7:25 )

“For I solemnly warned your fathers when I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, warning them persistently, even to this day, saying, Obey my voice.” ( Jeremiah 11:7)

“For twenty-three years, from the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, to this day, the word of the Lord has come to me, and I have spoken persistently to you, but you have not listened. You have neither listened nor inclined your ears to hear, although the Lord persistently sent to you all his servants the prophets,” (Jeremiah 25:3–4)

“and to listen to the words of my servants the prophets whom I send to you urgently, though you have not listened, then I will make this house like Shiloh, and I will make this city a curse for all the nations of the earth.’ ””( Jeremiah 26:5–6)

“because they did not pay attention to my words, declares the Lord, that I persistently sent to you by my servants the prophets, but you would not listen, declares the Lord.’”( Jeremiah 29:19)

“They have turned to me their back and not their face. And though I have taught them persistently, they have not listened to receive instruction.”( Jeremiah 32:33)

“Yet I persistently sent to you all my servants the prophets, saying, ‘Oh, do not do this abomination that I hate!’ But they did not listen or incline their ear, to turn from their evil and make no offerings to other gods. Therefore my wrath and my anger were poured out and kindled in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, and they became a waste and a desolation, as at this day.” (Jeremiah 44:4–6)

This draws a picture of the Lord rising up early and speaking.

This draws a picture of Gods mercy.

Again and again God gave his people the opportunity to turn back to him.

(Read 7:15)

To “Banish” or to “Throw away”

“I will cast you out of my sight”

The temple was meant to be the most special place to experience Gods amazing presence.

The people had made gods house a hideout and a hangout for evil doers.

Through Jeremiah, God spoke the most terrifying words we could ever imagine hearing…”I will banish you from my presence”