Prophecy To The Religious Community

The Lord urged the religious community of Jerusalem not to trust in the religious building they had built. He wanted to see inward changes in them. To treat one another justly! To stop oppressing foreigners, the fatherless, and widows! To stop from shedding innocent blood (killing babies)! To forsake false gods! If they obeyed Him, He would save them from becoming refugees. [1]

The problem was that they were stealing, murdering, committing adultery, lying, worshiping false gods, coming into God’s house, and saying that He saved them so that they could keep on sinning. The Lord asked them, “Is this house, which is called by My Name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? [2] They were using God’s house as a safe house. They assumed that they could keep committing crimes as long as they attended religious gatherings.

The Lord told them to go to Shiloh where His presence once dwelt and see what happened to it. If they continued to do evil, their land would be destroyed just as Shiloh was. [3]

The Lord’s message to the religious community of Jeremiah’s day was to obey His voice, and He would be their God, and they would be His people. He commanded them to walk in His ways and it would be well with them. [4]

The Lord lamented over them, saying, “The stork in the heaven knows her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming; but My people know not the judgment of the Lord.” [5] Birds recognize and take action when seasons change, but His people were too blind to notice that it was time to change.

Their prophets and priest said “Peace… peace” when there was no peace. [6] They did not want to be bothered with social injustice. The people said. “We looked for peace, but no good came; and for a time of health and behold trouble!” [7] The messages of their false prophets and backslidden priests sounded good but did not add up in the real world.

The people concluded, “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.” [8] The Lord’s response was, “For the hurt of the daughter of My people am I hurt; I am black; astonishment has taken hold on Me.” [9] God wept over the religious people’s futile ways. He knew that they would suffer dearly if they did not change directions, and they did.

[1] Jeremiah 7:4-7
[2] Jeremiah 7:9-11
[3] Jeremiah 7:12-14
[4] Jeremiah 7:23
[5] Jeremiah 8:7
[6] Jeremiah 8:10-11
[7] Jeremiah 8:15
[8] Jeremiah 8:20
[9] Jeremiah 8:21