Jeremiah 7:1-5
Summary for Jer 7:1-15: 7:1-15 a Jeremiah disabused the people of their belief that God’s Temple would guarantee their safety (cp. 26:1-6 b).Summary for Jer 7:1-2: 7:1-2 c The people were probably at the entrance of the Lord’s Temple for one of the annual festivals (see also 17:19 d; 26:2 e).
Summary for Jer 7:3-4: 7:3-4 f Pagans believed that a symbol was identical with what it represented, so in the paganized worship of Jeremiah’s day, the Temple was God’s heavenly house. It would be ridiculous to think that enemies could destroy it. To reinforce that idea, the people vigorously repeated a chant, The Lord’s Temple is here. However, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies needed no earthly house (2 Sam 7:6-7 g; 1 Kgs 8:27 h); whatever security the Israelites obtained from the Temple came from the Lord himself, and only on his terms (1 Kgs 6:12 i).
Summary for Jer 7:5-7: 7:5-7 j Idol worship had harmed the people—spiritually, because idols were delusions; socially, because their behavior destroyed fellowship; and politically, because they did not think foreign armies could conquer them. Unless the people changed, they had no future in the Promised Land (Exod 22:21-24 k; Deut 4:40 l; 6:14-15 m).
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