Jeremiah gave his first sermon in the newly rebuilt temple. He told the people to "Hear the word of the Lord, all you of Judah who enter in at these gates to worship the Lord!" And "Amend your ways and your doings, and I (the Lord) will cause you to dwell in this place."
If the people would execute justice between neighbors, care for the stranger, widows, and orphans, not shed innocent blood, or follow after other gods, than God would permit them to live in the land that He gave their fathers forever.
The people were guilty of disobeying the Ten Commandments, and He called their worship place "a den of thieves." He commanded them to go to Shiloh, where the tabernacle once stood, and see what He had caused to happen to Israel for the same disobedience; the Lord will cast them out, too.
God told Jeremiah not to pray for them (and, by the way, they will not listen to you). The Lord accused them of worshipping the "queen of heaven," which was Ishtar, the Assyrian and Babylonian goddess, the wife of Baal. Therefore, God's fury will be on them and the environment.
Yet, even still, the Lord would relent if they turned back to Him and obeyed His word and not follow "...the dictates of their evil hearts..." because they were doing worse than their fathers.
Nevertheless, this is a nation that does not obey or hear the word of God or receive correction. They built high places to burn their sons and daughters in the fire. This was a great abomination.
COMMENTARY
The first five years of Jeremiah's ministry occurred in chapters 2-6. The next four chapters include the time after the Law of God had been discovered and read in the temple, which was repaired and restored and in good use again. It was trendy to go to the temple and worship now, but it was more of an emotional response. And emotional response to the gospel is not a genuine transformation of the heart. Those kinds of revivals do not last.
The people were still worshiping idols during the week. They thought that visiting the temple on the Sabbath would suffice all they needed to be protected. But it doesn't work that way. God wants individual hearts and minds. Number growth in the house of worship is not the same as spiritual growth of the heart.
Notice that Jesus used the same term, "den of thieves" when He cleansed the temple. This is because the people were robbing from their neighbors during the week and then meeting on the Sabbath at the temple, as if they were pure and innocent. But again, God knows the heart.
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