Mend Your Ways!

                               Sunday School Lesson

                                            

Lesson: Jeremiah 7:1-15                                                                                                 
Golden Text: “And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord” (Isaiah 59:20).
I.  INTRODUCTION.  Learning from history is a challenge to any generation.  Some do pay attention to the lessons of the past, while others fail to see any lesson that applies to them.  For example, from time to time we see homes built in a floodplain being washed away by a massive flood, only to see the owner rebuild a new home in the same place.  The same thing is true in spiritual matters.  God looks for obedience from His people and chastens those who continue in sin.  However, succeeding generations fail to see the warning and commit their own sins, thinking God will surely not judge them.  It’s amazing that we sometimes think that destruction could never happen here in America, because we are a so-called Christian nation.  We tend to feel safe, even protected by the Lord.  But while He may protect us from our enemies, He may still use them to correct and discipline us when we dishonor Him by our sinful actions.  Such was the case of Judah in this week’s lesson.
II. BACKGROUND FOR THE LESSON.  The content of this week’s lesson was part of a message Jeremiah gave in Jerusalem.  However, the time of the message is not given, but the similarity of the events in chapter 7 with chapter 26 has led many scholars to believe that both passages deal with the same event (see Jeremiah 26:1-6).  If that is the case, this message was given at the beginning of Jehoiakim’s reign in Judah (see Jeremiah 26:1).  Jehoiakim came to the throne in 608 B.C., during a time of great turmoil among the empires of the Near East.  Nineveh and the Assyrian Empire had fallen in 612 B.C., and the Egyptians and the Chaldeans (Babylonians) were vying for power over western Asia.  Judah, a small nation lying between Egypt and Babylon was drawn into the struggle.  Jehoiakim himself was made king of Judah by Egypt’s Pharaoah-necho, and was forced to pay this Egyptian king a large tribute (see II Kings 23:31-36).  After the Chaldeans defeated the Egyptians, Jehoiakim became a vassal or servant to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon (see II Kings 24:1).  Therefore Judah was in a condition of political uncertainty and peril when the Lord commanded Jeremiah to speak to the people in Jerusalem (see Jeremiah 7:1-2).  This is where our lesson begins.  

III. GOD’S OFFER TO JUDAH (Jeremiah 7:1-7)

A. An assignment for Jeremiah (Jeremiah 7:1-2). 

1. (vs. 1).  In our first verse Jeremiah began his message to the people in Jerusalem saying “The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying.”  The term “word” here refers to the message that Jeremiah received “from the Lord” to give to His people.  This message was the first of Jeremiah’s ministry and is often called Jeremiah’s “temple address.”  The message came to Jeremiah directly “from the Lord” and therefore, should have been heeded and obeyed by the people.
2. (vs. 2).  In this verse God told Jeremiah to “Stand in the gate of the Lord's house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the Lord, all ye of Judah, that enter in at these gates to worship the Lord.”  The prophet was told to “Stand in the gate of the Lord's house, and proclaim there this word.”  We are not told when this sermon was to be preached; but we are told where it was preached—“in the gate of the Lord’s house,” which was an entrance through which people entered into the outer court, or the court of the people.  Having such a message as this delivered within their temple would certainly be an affront to the priests, and would also expose the prophet to their rage.  But Jeremiah didn’t fear man, because he wouldn’t be faithful to his God if he did.  We are also told to whom the message was to be preached—to “all ye of Judah, that enter in at these gates to worship the Lord.”  This was probably at one of three feasts, when all the males from all parts of the country were to appear before the Lord in the courts of his house (see Deuteronomy 16:16-17).  This would bring many people together to preach to, and that was a great time to admonish them with God’s own words.  Jeremiah challenged the people saying, “Hear the word of the Lord.”  The Hebrew word translated “hear” relates to listening intelligently.  The message of God was extremely important and His people needed to pay very close attention.

B. A command from God (Jeremiah 7:3-4).

1. (vs. 3).  In this verse, Jeremiah said “Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place.”  The prophet began his exhortation saying “Thus saith the Lord of hosts.”  At a time of great military movements by foreign nations around Judah, Jeremiah uses a military title for God.  The word “hosts” means armies.  God has armies of angels under His command ready to intervene on behalf of His people (see II Kings 6:15-17).  The people needed to know that an army of God’s angels could easily remove Judah’s enemies.  Jeremiah also referred to the Lord as “the God of Israel.”  Many centuries earlier, God had chosen to identify Himself with Israel, of which Judah was a part (see Deuteronomy 7:6-7).  However, to get God’s help, the people needed to meet His conditions which Jeremiah said was to “Amend your ways and your doings.”  The word “amend” in Hebrew means “to make right,” “good” or “beautiful.”  In this verse, “amend” has the idea of “sound” or “to make well.”  Their current ways were spiritually sick causing them to be unable to keep a relationship with God, so they needed to repent and change.   Note:  When we as believers learn from the Bible that something we are doing is not in accordance with its teachings, there are two options before us: either we repent and change or we ignore what we have learned and suffer the consequences.  The term “ways” refers to well-worn paths, and its application here refers to one’s habits of life.  “Doings” refers to specific actions that manifest one’s ways.  The term “doings” also connotes evil deeds.  Both habits and actions needed to be amended.  The Jews had become accustomed to sinful patterns of thinking and doings, so God demanded that they abandon them and establish new paths.  If His people met these conditions, the Lord said “I will cause you to dwell in this place.”  The words “this place” refers to the land of Canaan that they and their fathers had inhabited for hundreds of years.  If the people repented and changed their behavior, God would stop their expulsion from the land. 
2. (vs. 4).  The message from God to the people went on to say in this verse, “Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, are these.”   With the phrase “Trust ye not in lying words” God was telling His people to stop listening to the lying words of false prophets.  The “lying words” of false prophets had given the people a false security.  The false prophets were saying “The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, are these.”  Repeating this statement three times was a way of stressing the importance of the temple and the words “are these” refers to the various buildings and courtyards that made up the temple complex.  By using this saying, the false prophets were telling the people that Jerusalem would never become subservient to foreign invaders because God’s holy sanctuary was there.  They believed that since God would never allow heathen nations to destroy His temple, anyone who was in Jerusalem would be safe.  The people saw the temple as a kind of good-luck charm or magic object that kept them safe. 
C. A promise from God (Jeremiah 7:5-7).
1. (vs. 5).  The Lord continued to speak through Jeremiah in this verse saying “For if ye throughly amend your ways and your doings; if ye throughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbor.”  To emphasize the importance of His people amending or changing their “ways” and their “doings,” the Lord added the word “throughly” meaning “thoroughly” or “completely.”  It was necessary for the people to change their ways and doings completely.  The prophet then listed three examples of their sins and the change they needed to make: two against their fellow man and one against God, but both showed a failure to truly love God and their neighbor.  First, the people were told that they needed to “throughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbor.”  The word translated “judgment” refers to justice.  Amending their ways and doings required that God’s people maintain right, honest relationships instead of taking advantage of one another.
2. (vs. 6).  The Lord continued to say to His people “If ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your hurt.”  God’s people were to also amend or change their ways and doings by not oppressing those who were vulnerable who Jeremiah identified as “the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow.”  The law included protections for “strangers” or non-Jews who lived in Israel (see Exodus 22:21-24; Deuteronomy 10:17-19; 14:28-29).  They were not to be taken advantage of in any way.  The term “fatherless” refers to orphans.  They had a hard time because they had no parental guidance or protection.  This should have caused others to give them the care they needed instead of taking advantage of their innocence.  “Widows” had no husbands to protect them, so like the orphans they needed help instead of being taken advantage of.  The law also included protections for “the widow” and “the fatherless” (see Exodus 22:22-24: Deuteronomy 10:17-19; 14:28-29).  In addition, the people were told to “shed not innocent blood in this place.”  In other words, they were to stop murdering innocent people in the land (see II Kings 21:16; Jeremiah 2:34; 19:4).  God also commanded that they “neither walk after other gods to your hurt.”  It was bad enough for the people to disobey God by mistreating one another, but they had the gall to “walk after other gods.”  Jehovah had proven time and time again to be Israel’s God, but still the people followed idol gods, breaking the very first of God’s commandments (see Exodus 20:2-5).  The Lord added that following other gods would lead to “your hurt” meaning they would bring harm to themselves (see Deuteronomy 6:13-15; 11:26-28; 13:6-11). 

3. (vs. 7).  If the people met the conditions God had just declared, He said “Then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, for ever and ever.”  If God’s people wanted to stay in the land, they would have to do the things that Jeremiah had just listed in verses 4-6.  This was their beloved Promised Land, promised and given to “your fathers, for ever and ever” as Jeremiah said.  If they changed their ways and doings, God said that they would continue to enjoy the land without eviction or molestation; they would not be disturbed, much less dispossessed “for ever and ever.”  Nothing but sin could throw them out.  Considering the alternative they were being warned about (removal from the land), it would be of great benefit to the nation to amend or change their ways as God had commanded.

IV. GOD’S WARNING TO JUDAH (Jeremiah 7:8-15)

A.  The people’s blatant hypocrisy (Jeremiah 7:8-10). 

1. (vs. 8).  Now in this verse the prophet said “Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit.”  The word “Behold” indicates the importance of what is to be said next.  Jeremiah repeated God’s words form verse 4 where the people were commanded not to trust in “lying words.”  But here, the implication is that they were doing just that, trusting in “lying words.”  The “lying words” again were “The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, are these” (Jeremiah 7:4).  The leaders and false prophets were lying to the people by telling them that as long as the temple was in Jerusalem and they continued to worship the Lord regardless of their heart condition, nothing would happen to them.  But God said that those lies “cannot profit.”  In other words, believing that the temple was their protection would not benefit them. 
2. (vs. 9).  In this verse, the prophet goes on to ask the people a question: “Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not.”  False prophets had been assuring the people that despite their sins, all would be well (see Jeremiah 5:12-13, 31; 6:13-14); so they continued in wickedness while engaging in hypocritical worship.  This blatant hypocrisy led the Lord to list their breaches of the law while they piously came to the temple.  The words “Will ye” conveys a sense of outraged disbelief.  We might say “How can you…”  It was difficult for the Lord to believe that they would actually practice such hypocrisy: worshipping Him while living in sin.  When the prophet said “ye steal, murder, and commit adultery” the people were breaking commandments relating to society.  To “swear falsely” profaned God’s name and bore a false witness.  To “burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods” blatantly broke the most basic command of all (see Exodus 20:2-5).  The hypocrisy is seen in that the people committed all these sins and yet continued to attend services in the temple.  Does that sound familiar?  The sad part of all this is that Jeremiah declared that the people were following and worshipping Baal and other gods “whom ye know not.”  In other words, God’s people knew Jehovah God and had experienced His power and goodness.  But they knew nothing of the abilities of the idol gods because they had none.  Therefore, it was ludicrous for Judah to exchange the Lord for Baal!  
3. (vs. 10).  In this verse, Jeremiah continued the question he began asking in the previous verse.  He said “And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations?”  The complete question Jeremiah was asking was how can they steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and worship Baal, and walk after other gods that they didn’t even know and then “come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations?”  God was pointing out the insanity of His people sinning and then coming to the temple where He had placed His name, and declared that just by being there they wouldn’t be condemned for all the “abominations” or sins they were committing. 
B. A realistic comparison (Jeremiah 7:11-12).  
1. (vs. 11).  Referring to the temple where the Lord had placed His name, in this verse Jeremiah said “Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the Lord.”  Of course, “this house, which is called by my name” refers to the temple.  But instead of treating the temple as the house of God, Jeremiah said that it had “become a den of robbers in your eyes.”  Limestone caves in Israel were used as robbers’ “dens” which were temporary refuges or hiding places for thieves until they were ready to rob again.  Therefore, Jeremiah’s comparison of the temple to a “den of robbers” was clear to his hearers.  The people felt that no matter how they lived they could find asylum or safety from their sinful deeds in the temple.  It’s as if they thought they would find protection from God in the same way robbers found protection in a cave.  But it wouldn’t work that way, for Jeremiah said “Behold, even I have seen it, saith the Lord.”  God had clearly seen what His people were doing and He was not pleased with what He saw.  It’s impossible to live sinfully without God knowing about it.  It’s just as impossible to live contrary to God’s Word and then try to cover it up by attending church.  It was this kind of inconsistency that Jesus rebuked when He cleared the temple in Jerusalem.  He quoted this verse as He drove the money changers out of the temple courts (see Matthew 21:13).
2. (vs. 12).  In this verse, God said to the people “But go ye now unto my place which was in Shiloh, where I set my name at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel.”  Not only did the Lord compare His house to a den of thieves in the eyes of His people, He also compared it to “Shiloh.”  If the people doubted Jeremiah’s message that the temple would be destroyed and they would be deported to Babylon, God said all they had to do was “go ye now unto my place which was in Shiloh, where I set my name at the first.”  God reminded them of what had happened at Shiloh.  After the Israelites conquered the Promised Land under Joshua’s leadership, the tabernacle that had been built first at Mount Sinai was located at Shiloh (see Joshua 18:1) and was the main sanctuary of worship for the Israelites during the period of the judges (see Joshua 18:31). This was long before David conquered Jerusalem and made it the capital city of the land and long before Solomon built the temple.  “Shiloh” was the first place of worship for Israel in Canaan.  The Lord also said “and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel.”  God said for them to consider the consequences of the sin at Shiloh, the former place of worship (see Jeremiah 26:6).The reason Shiloh had been abandoned was because of “the wickedness of my people Israel.”  Just as the wickedness of the people caused Shiloh to be destroyed, and abandoned years earlier (see I Samuel chapter 4) God could do the same thing to Jerusalem.
C. A certain disaster (Jeremiah 7:13-14).
1. (vs. 13).  Now Jeremiah says “And now, because ye have done all these works, saith the Lord, and I spake unto you, rising up early and speaking, but ye heard not; and I called you, but ye answered not.”  God reminded His people why He was going to judge them.  It was “because ye have done all these works, saith the Lord.”  The Lord was about to judge His people because of their sinfulness, but not without having given them continuous warnings.  God said “I spake unto you, rising up early and speaking, but ye heard not.”  The phrase “rising up early and speaking” is an anthropomorphism (using human terms to describe deity) picturing God as getting up early in the morning in order to get His message to His people as soon as possible.  The Lord had been consistent with His warnings giving them over and over again, but His people “heard not” meaning that Judah refused to listen and obey.  God also said “and I called you, but ye answered not.”  In other words, the people never responded to God’s many warnings.
2. (vs. 14).  In this verse God said to the people “Therefore will I do unto this house, which is called by my name, wherein ye trust, and unto the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh.”  Since the people of Judah refused to heed any of God’s numerous warnings to repent and amend their ways and doings, He said the temple in Jerusalem where they had placed their trust, and the land that He gave to them and their ancestors would suffer the same judgment as “Shiloh.”  Because the people were trusting in the presence of the temple to save them (see Jeremiah 7:4), God spoke directly against the temple.  Their security needed to be in Him, but for that to happen they needed to obey His words.  That’s just as true for us today.  God wants sincere obedience from us, not just going through the motions of worship (see I Samuel 15:22). 
D. A similar disappearance (Jeremiah 7:15).  Finally in our last verse, God said “And I will cast you out of my sight, as I have cast out all your brethren, even the whole seed of Ephraim.”  God was tired of Judah’s sinfulness and had taken all He could take from His disobedient people.  Therefore God declared that “I will cast you out of my sight.”  The Hebrew word for “cast” means to “throw out, down or away.”  The Lord was going to throw His people away out of His sight or His presence.  Note:  God was so serious about this that in verse 16 which is not part of our lesson, He told Jeremiah “Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee.”  God said that He would cast the people of Judah out just like “I have cast out all your brethren, even the whole seed of Ephraim.”  The Lord had already cast the people of the northern kingdom of Israel out of the land, and now He would do the same thing to those in Judah, the southern kingdom.  The words “all your brethren” refers to the Jews who had lived in the northern kingdom of Israel which had been taken captive by Assyria.  The Lord also identified their “brethren” as “even the whole seed of Ephraim.”  This also refers to the nation of Israel, the northern kingdom.  After the united kingdom of Israel split into the northern and southern kingdoms, the name “Ephraim” became a synonym for the northern kingdom of Israel because the leading tribe of that nation was Ephraim. 
V. Conclusion.  If we think that we are serving God while living in disobedience, we are deceiving ourselves.  The one thing we can take away from this week’s lesson is that there are consequences to disobedience.  God has promised to bless us when we obey Him, but when we disobey, there are dire consequences, and we shouldn’t even think that we can get away from God at such times.  Scripture warns us that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (see Hebrews 10:31).  For sure, constant vigilance is required in the Christian life.  The Lord has provided us with His Word, His Holy Spirit, and others in the church to encourage us, to help us, and to keep us from sin.  We must take advantage of all of God’s provisions.