THE VAIN CONFIDENCE OF THE DISOBEDIENT.
Jeremiah 7:9-15.
As Paul unfolded his doctrine of justification by grace through faith in his Epistle to the Romans, he uttered the phrase ‘But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound’ (cf. Romans 5:20), and he realised that he had to square up to his detractors on this point. Paul knew perfectly well how they would twist it, and both anticipated and answered their accusing sneer: ‘Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?’ (cf. Romans 6:1).
This elicited an emphatic negation from Paul, the dynamic of which is caught in various translations: ‘God forbid!’ ‘Certainly not!’ ‘By no means!’ ‘What a ghastly thought!’ ‘No way!!!’ (cf. Romans 6:2).
It is vain and presumptuous, and downright sinful for men to imagine that they might cover their sins by the appearance of worshipping the one true God (JEREMIAH 7:9-10). But these men in Jeremiah’s day basically claimed to be “delivered” in order to go on sinning! We might hide our sins from men, but God knows our hearts (cf. Psalm 44:20-21).
Three times the LORD emphasises that “this house” (i.e. the Temple in Jerusalem) “is called by my name” (JEREMIAH 7:10-11; JEREMIAH 7:14).
Among other things the LORD asks, “Will ye steal?” (JEREMIAH 7:9). Then He says, “Is this house, which is called by name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it,” saith the LORD (JEREMIAH 7:11). Jesus says, ‘My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves’ (cf. Luke 19:46).
Now the LORD points to “Shiloh, where I set my name at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel” (JEREMIAH 7:12). This was a town where the ark of the covenant had once rested (cf. Joshua 18:1). Shiloh had been destroyed by the Philistines, who also at that time removed the ark (cf. 1 Samuel 4:17; Psalm 78:58-64).
JEREMIAH 7:13. “And now because ye have done all these works, saith the LORD.” (The “works” are theft, murder, adultery, perjury, and idolatry - cf. Jeremiah 7:9.).
“And I spake unto you, rising up early and speaking” (cf. Jeremiah 7:25 - ‘I have even sent unto you all my servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them’).
“But ye heard not” – refused to listen. “And I called you, but ye answered not” (cf. Matthew 23:37).
JEREMIAH 7:14 (cf. Jeremiah 26:6). The people had a false sense of security, allegedly “trusting” in ‘the Temple of the LORD’ (cf. Jeremiah 7:4). Religious attendance is not enough. They would see the LORD do to “this house which is called by my name” - His own Temple in Jerusalem, which he had given “to you and your fathers” - exactly the same “as I have done to Shiloh.”
Not only so, but He would cast Judah out of His sight, into exile, even as He done to the rest of Israel (JEREMIAH 7:15). After all, the LORD had told His weeping prophet, ‘treacherous Judah’ was more guilty than ‘backsliding Israel’ (cf. Jeremiah 3:11).
