The Lord gave another message to Jeremiah. He said, “Go to the entrance of the Lord’s Temple, and give this message to the people: ‘O Judah, listen to this message from the Lord! Listen to it, all of you who worship here! This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says:
“‘Even now, if you quit your evil ways, I will let you stay in your own land. But don’t be fooled by those who promise you safety simply because the Lord’s Temple is here. They chant, “The Lord’s Temple is here! The Lord’s Temple is here!” But I will be merciful only if you stop your evil thoughts and deeds and start treating each other with justice; only if you stop exploiting foreigners, orphans, and widows; only if you stop your murdering; and only if you stop harming yourselves by worshiping idols. Then I will let you stay in this land that I gave to your ancestors to keep forever.
“‘Don’t be fooled into thinking that you will never suffer because the Temple is here. It’s a lie! (NLT)
In older times, many church buildings were official places of sanctuary. Civil authorities’ power didn’t extend to such buildings. In the times of Jeremiah, it seems that the people of Judah figured that having the temple in their midst would ensure God’s favour. They would be immune from judgement.
They were wrong. Later on the temple was destroyed. That physical building did not prevent God acting against them. It is clear from this passage that the problem was a reliance on religious ritual and tradition, a failure to connect words of faith with works of faith.
We who have no physical temples can make the same mistake and even suffer the same consequences. We can mistakenly believe that our bible knowledge, our church involvement, our family religious traditions will ensure God’s favour. Like the people of Judah we would be mistaken.
God wants not just words of faith but works of faith. He wants to see some evidence of our faith, which here is described in very practical terms of caring for the needy and treating others justly. Our witness to a watching world is fatally compromised if our deeds don’t keep up with our doctrine.
God grants us entry into his family by trust in the mercy of his Son, Jesus. Any other security is false security. Best for us to move from the gloomy shadows of useless religion into the broad sunlight of life-giving Christianity.
Blessings
David
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