Do
not trust in these lying words, saying, 'The temple of the LORD, the temple of
the LORD, the temple of the LORD are these.' "For if you thoroughly amend
your ways and your doings, if you thoroughly execute judgment between a man and
his neighbour, if you do not oppress the stranger, the fatherless, and the
widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, or walk after other gods
to your hurt, then I will cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I
gave to your fathers forever and ever. – Jeremiah 7.4-7
These
people in Jeremiah’s day were in all kinds of trouble. They were religious;
there can be no doubt about that. They went to the temple. They talked about it
properly. They knew how to play the game.
But.
They
were unfair in their judgement. The oppressed the strangers in their midst and
the fatherless and the widows. They shed innocent blood. They followed other
gods. So they said one thing and did another.
Even
then God reached out to them. ‘Instead of those lying word you need to do the
right things in your lives.’
Anyone
can say the right ‘praise the Lord’ words – how many of us back those words up with
our actions? Be a peacemaker, take care
of strangers and the fatherless and the widows, stop the violence, get rid of
all the false gods that have crept in. Then, God says, we can dwell in peace
with Him.
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