Wednesday
Jeremiah is calling for the Israelites to recognize that they are following God on their terms and not on Gods. They want to be able to do whatever they want, “oppress the alien, the fatherless or the widow, shed innocent blood and follow other gods” They are trusting in “deceptive words that are worthless.” The people were doing all these detestable things and at the same time, still thinking that God would watch over them and protect them from their enemies.
Jeremiah likens their use of the temple as a “den of robbers.” Does that phrase sound familiar to you? Yep, Jesus says this very same thing when he enters in the temple and finds the moneychangers. He says you have taken this house of prayer and turned it into a den of robbers.
I wonder if when we come to worship on Sundays, if we come thinking as the Israelites did, that I can do whatever I want all week long, and God will still bless me. When we come to worship, we should come with humble hearts asking for forgiveness for our actions, asking the Holy Spirit to help us to guide our thoughts and actions.
It would have gone so much better for the Israelites if they would have done that. It will go so much better for us if we would listen to Jeremiah as if he were delivering God’s message to us – as indeed he truly is.
Shalom
Pastor Kathy