#DailyDevotion Does The LORD See The Church As A Den Of Thieves?
Jer. 7:1-11 This is what the LORD told Jeremiah: 2“Stand at the gate of the LORD’s house and announce this: ‘All you men of Judah who go into these gates to worship the LORD, hear what the LORD says. 3The LORD of armies, the God of Israel, says: Live right and do good, and I will live with you in this place. 4Don’t trust those who deceive you by saying, “This is the LORD’s temple, the LORD’s temple, the LORD’s temple!” 5No, if you will really live right and do good, if you will treat one another right, 6if you will not oppress strangers, orphans, or widows, or kill innocent people in this place, or ruin yourselves by running after other gods, 7then I will live with you in this place, in the land I long ago gave your fathers to be theirs forever. 8But now you trust in lies that can’t help you. What? 9Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear to lies, sacrifice to idols, and run after other gods you don’t know, 10and then come and stand before Me in this house that bears My name and say, “We are rescued!” only to go on doing all these detestable things? 11Do you think this house that bears My name is a den of robbers? I, too, see it as that, says the LORD.
Jeremiah prophesied at the end of the House of David’s rule over Judah. They had heard and seen what the LORD did to the northern tribes of Israel for their apostasy but they had chosen to follow the ways of their sister in the north. So the LORD sends Jeremiah to warn the people of what is coming down the pike to them if they don’t repent.
It seems every age of the Church has its hypocrites within it, sometimes even completely outnumbering the number of the faithful. But the LORD always preserves a remnant. He are the Jews coming to worship in the house of the LORD, the Temple of God. This is what Jeremiah told them. The LORD wanted them to live right and do good. He calls upon them to follow the Torah, the way of life he outlined for them in Mosaic covenant. If they would do that, the LORD would remain in his Temple and be with them. He tells don’t trust people who tell them, “This is the LORD’s temple, the LORD’s temple, the LORD’s temple!” His Temple is no magic charm that will save them. It has always been the LORD who saved them.
What were these worshipers of YHWH (the LORD) doing? They weren’t treating one another right, they were oppressing strangers, orphans, and widows. They were killing innocent people (most likely the LORD’s true prophets) in the Temple. They were running after other gods. Now we are call upon the Name of the LORD Jesus Christ, do we follow in their footsteps. Do we come into the LORD’s house worshiping him yet follow the Jews in all their evil ways the LORD mentioned here? What are we doing to support the foreigner we see in trouble, or the poor, the widow, or the orphan? Are we treating one another right? Do we worship the LORD only or do we chase after wealth and happiness? Do we steal, murder, are sexually immoral, swear to lies, sacrifice our lives, families and friends to the gods of wealth and happiness? Do we only come to the LORD and call upon him when everything else has failed us rejecting him all the while before? The Jews saw the Temple as a den of thieves and the LORD agreed with him. Do we see the Church in the same way and does the LORD agree with us? Let us repent of our wicked ways, turn from them and turn to Christ for a new heart and new life living out his great love for us.
Heavenly Father, we have not lived as you would have us. Forgive us for Christ’s sake and give us heart attentive to your will and life. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Good Stuff