SCRIPTURE: JEREMIAH 7
MEMORY VERSE:
“If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly, If you do not oppress the alien, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm, then I will let you live in this place, in the land I gave your forefathers forever and ever.” (Jeremiah 7:6-8)
FALSE RELIGION WORTHLESS (vs. 1-29)
God told Jeremiah to stand at the gate of His temple and tell the people to reform their ways and actions. They oppressed the fatherless and widows, shed innocent blood, steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn wine to Baal and follow other gods. False prophets assured them of safety because they were offering sacrifices to the Lord. But their sacrifices could not please God without their sincere devotion to Him. The people were hiding their sins behind religion. Their renewals was merely a surface reformation. It did not change their hearts.
THE VALLEY OF SLAUGHTER (vs. 30-34)
EVIL THINGS DONE BY THE PEOPLE OF JUDAH:
- They set up their detestable idols in the house that bears God’s Name. (v. 30)
- They built the high places of Topheth in the Valley of Ben Hinnom to burn their sons and daughters in the fire. (v. 31)
CONSEQUENCES OF THEIR WICKEDNESS:
- Topheth will be called the Valley of Slaughter and the dead will be buried there. (v. 32)
- The carcasses of the people will become food for the birds and beasts of the earth. (v. 33)
- The sound of joy and gladness will end and the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem will become desolate. (v. 34)
THOUGHTS:
The people followed a worship ritual but maintained a sinful lifestyle. It was religion without personal commitment to God. If you attend church services, partake communion, sing in the choir or teach Sunday School, all are empty exercises if your heart is not doing them for the Lord.
The people of Judah did not make the temple part of their daily living. They considered the temple as their sanctuary. For them, the nice image of the temple was more important than the substance of faith. Today, church members go to church without taking in the presence of God. They consider the church as a place of belonging to a group and use religion affiliation as a hideout for protection.
The purpose of sacrifice required by God in the Old Testament was to encourage the people to recognize their sins and refocus in obeying Him. But the people faithfully made the sacrifices forgetting the reasons of offering them. In the same manner, doing all religious ritual and giving offerings are meaningless if we are not prepared to obey God and live for Him.