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Scripture Reading: Jer. 7; Jer. 8; Jer. 9; Jer. 10
In this message on Israel's sin against Jehovah and Jehovah's punishment upon Israel, we will begin to consider Israel's hypocritical worship to Jehovah.
Israel's (actually Judah's — 7:21; 9:26) hypocritical worship to Jehovah their God was a false worship and was a worship of superstition.
In their superstitious worship, Israel trusted in the words of falsehood that said, "The temple of Jehovah, the temple of Jehovah, these buildings are the temple of Jehovah" (7:4). To them even the temple had become an idol and something of superstition. Thus, Jeremiah told them not to say these words regarding the temple of Jehovah.
On the one hand, the people of Israel worshipped God; on the other hand, they were given to stealing, murdering, committing adultery, swearing falsely, burning incense to Baal, and going after other gods. After doing such things, they would come and stand before Jehovah in the house which is called by His name and say, "We are delivered!" (vv. 9-10). By saying this they were deceiving themselves and cheating themselves.
Israel trusted in the house called by Jehovah's name, which had become a den of robbers in their eyes (vv. 11, 14; Matt. 21:13; Mark 11:17; Luke 19:46). This indicates that their worship to God had altogether become a falsehood.
Israel's worship to Jehovah was also a worship in vanity.
In their worship in vanity, Israel trusted in words of falsehood that did not benefit them (v. 8).
Jehovah charged the prophet Jeremiah not to pray for them and not to intercede with Him, for He would not hear him (v. 16).
Israel offered to Jehovah many burnt offerings and sacrifices. But since they did not hear Jehovah's voice and walk in all the way that He commanded them, He did not care for their burnt offerings and sacrifices (vv. 21-23).
As the hypocritical worshippers of God, Israel (actually Judah) committed many evils.
They oppressed the sojourner, the orphan, and the widow, and they shed innocent blood. They also went after other gods to their own ruin (v. 6).
Jeremiah 7:9 speaks of Israel's stealing, murdering, committing adultery, swearing falsely, burning incense to Baal, and going after other gods which they had not known.
In verse 18 Jehovah says, "The children gather wood, and the fathers light the fire, and the women knead the dough, to make cakes for the queen of heaven and to pour out drink offerings to other gods to provoke Me to anger." Here the queen of heaven is Nimrod's wife Semiramis; later she was known as Artemis in Ephesus (Acts 19:27). It is hard to believe that God's elect, His chosen people, could degrade to such an extent that they would make cakes for the wife of Nimrod. This was a matter of both fornication and idolatry.
"This is what I commanded them, saying, Hear My voice, and I will be your God, and you will be My people; and walk in all the way which I command you, that it may go well with you" (v. 23). However, Israel did not listen to the voice of Jehovah their God but walked in the counsels and the stubbornness of their evil hearts and went backward and not forward (v. 24).
They stiffened their neck and did more evil than their fathers (v. 26).
Israel did not listen to the voice of Jehovah their God and did not take correction. Truth perished and was cut off from their mouth (v. 28). They had given up the truth and no longer spoke about it.
Israel did that which was evil in Jehovah's sight. They set up their abominations in the house which was called by His name, to defile it (v. 30). This means that they set up idols in the house of Jehovah.
Israel even went so far as to build the high places of Topheth to burn their sons and daughters in the fire (v. 31).
Israel turned away in perpetual apostasy. They held fast to deceit and refused to turn back (8:5). Israel's apostasy was not temporary — it was perpetual.
They did not speak rightly (v. 6a), and no one repented of his wickedness, saying, "What have I done?" (v. 6b). Rather, everyone turned to his own course, like a horse rushing headlong into battle (v. 6c).
Israel did not know the ordinance (of the law) of Jehovah. They were unlike the stork, which knows its own appointed times, and the turtledove, the swallow, and the crane, which keep the time of their coming (v. 7). These birds knew the time of their coming and going, but Israel was not knowledgeable concerning the times of God's intention.
"The wise men are put to shame; / They are dismayed and are taken; / Behold, they have rejected the word of Jehovah, / And what wisdom do they have?" (v. 9). Having rejected the word of Jehovah, Israel had no wisdom.
Everyone was wresting unjust gain. From the prophet even to the priest, everyone was dealing falsely (v. 10). Both the prophets and priests had become corrupt.
The people provoked Jehovah to anger with their graven images and with strange idols (vanities — v. 19).
All of them were adulterers and an assembly of treacherous men (9:2). They bent their tongue like their bow, and falsehood, and not truth, prevailed in the land, for they proceeded from evil to evil and did not know Jehovah (v. 3). They taught their tongue to speak falsehood, and they wearied themselves committing iniquity (v. 5). Their tongue was a deadly arrow and spoke deceit (v. 8a). Each spoke peaceably to his neighbor with his mouth, but in his heart he laid an ambush for him (v. 8b).
Finally, in verse 26 Jehovah says that all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in heart.
From the verses we have covered in this message, we have seen a vivid picture of the corruption of Israel. Israel was corrupt with God and with one another; they were corrupt in every way.
