Jeremiah 7

Jeremiah Chapter Seven Verse 1 Jeremiah 7’S TEMPLE SERMONAnother title of this chapter would be, “Repentance the Only Hope of Israel.” God commanded Jeremiah to stand in the gate, or entrance, to the Temple and to denounce the grievous sins and debaucheries of the people, probably upon one of the great festive occasions when the crowds were thronging to the temple. How strange it is that the people denounced by this address were the very people of whom it might be supposed that they were the true worshippers of God. The symbolism is dramatic. The temple itself was a stronghold of false priests, “a den of thieves and robbers,” even as Christ referred to it at a far later date. The picture is startling. Jeremiah, the true preacher of God’s Word, cannot get into the temple at all. He must stand in the gate, on the steps, at the entrance! We shall observe the following chapter divisions. First, there is a statement of the case against Judah, coupled with a reiteration of the Law of God and a ringing command for the people of God to repent of their apostasy (Jeremiah 7:1-7). Then there is a further description of the people’s apostasy and of their rejection of God’s Word (Jeremiah 7:8-12). This is followed by the announcement of God’s judgment against them (Jeremiah 7:13-15). There follows an attack against the false worship of the Queen of Heaven (Jeremiah 7:16-20). The prophet denounced their supposition that sacrifices could be substituted for true obedience to God’s Word (Jeremiah 7:21-28). The chapter concludes with a vehement condemnation of the sacrifice of children to Molech in the Valley of Hinnom, and other evil practices (Jeremiah 7:29-34). Jeremiah 7:1-3“The word that came to Jeremiah from Jehovah, saying, Stand in the gate of Jehovah’s house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of Jehovah, all ye of Judah that enter in at these gates to worship Jehovah. Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place.“Cook spoke of the date of this appeal as follows: “This prophecy was spoken in the first year of Jehoiachim, when the probation of Judah was virtually over, and it constitutes the final solemn appeal to the conscience of the people, and a protest while the new king was still young upon his throne, against the ruinous course upon which he so immediately entered."[1]Why did Judah so desperately need the stern admonition of the prophet here which, in short, demanded that they immediately and completely change their behavior! Why? They were a nation of evil doers, violating every commandment in the Deca1ogue, and yet frequenting the temple services and making the customary sacrifices, supposing that these external activities would assure their safety and protection from God, no matter what evil deeds they were guilty of. There was also a wide-spread opinion among the people that as long as the Temple stood the whole nation was guaranteed by God Himself of their safety and security. Ash noted that, “The reforms of Josiah (superficial as they were) had focused attention on the temple, and had apparently created the illusion that God would never let it be destroyed."[2] Also as Robinson observed, “The remarkable deliverance of the city from Sennacherib in 701 B.C. had contributed to the belief that Jerusalem was inviolable."[3]The correction of such erroneous opinions on the part of the populace was surely one of the purposes of Jeremiah’s address. Verse 4 “Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of Jehovah, the temple of Jehovah, the temple of Jehovah, are these. For if ye thoroughly amend your ways and your doings; if ye thoroughly execute justice between a man and his neighbor; if ye oppress not the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood, neither walk after other gods to your own hurt: then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, from of old, even forevermore.“Note the triple repetition of “The temple of Jehovah.” It appears that the people were using these words as a kind of charm or talisman to protect and bless them even in the pursuit of their wicked ways. As Matthew Henry stated it, “It was the cant of the times; it was in their mouths upon all occasions. If they received bad news, they lulled themselves to sleep again, saying, We cannot but do well, we have the temple of the Lord among us.'"[4]Jeremiah's breaking in upon that crowd of arrogant, overconfident, hypocrites with the stinging words of Jehovah, commanding them either to repent or perish must have been resented like a plague of smallpox. "Is it any wonder that this temple sermon’ caused a terrific uproar and almost cost Jeremiah his life (Jeremiah 26:7 ff)?” [5]“Shed not innocent blood in this place …” (Jeremiah 7:6). Cook and other scholars believe that the reference here is to, “The innocent blood shed there judicially. Of one such judicial murder, Jehoiachim had already been guilty (Jeremiah 26:23)."[6] There were probably many other such crimes. The particular sins mentioned here, which God through Jeremiah commanded the Jews to cease from committing, were merely a representative list; and the list will be greatly expanded in later verses. All of these sins of lustful selfishness were the result of Judah’s having first rejected their primary obligation to Jehovah as spelled out in the Mosaic covenant at Sinai. “All of their sins were the consequence of their breach of the covenant and their rejection of God’s sovereignty."[7] We consider this statement from Thompson as a profoundly accurate declaration. Many people seem to be unaware that once man’s primary obligation to Almighty God is either neglected or forsaken, all of the other sins may be expected to follow immediately. They are merely the consequences of man’s violation of that higher obligation to his Creator. “The land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever …” (Jeremiah 7:7). “This is the very strongest formula in the Hebrew tongue for a perpetual gift, meaning, from forever unto forever.' Why then do not the Jews still possess the land eternally given to them? Because God never bestows anything unconditionally."[8]The Jews received the land of Canaan under the terms of a covenant, itself called a covenant of eternity (<a href="/bible/parallel/GEN/17/7" class="green-link">Genesis 17:7</a>); but that covenant had conditions which the Jews were obligated to observe, as spelled out in the closing chapters of Deuteronomy, with the divine warning that if they rebelled against the covenant God would indeed "pluck them off the land" (<a href="/bible/parallel/DEU/28/63" class="green-link">Deuteronomy 28:63</a>). In this connection, be sure to read <a href="/bible/parallel/JER/18/5" class="green-link">Jeremiah 18:5-10</a>. Verse 8 "Behold, ye trust in lying words that cannot profit. Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods that ye have not known, and come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered; that ye may do all these abominations? Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, I, even I, have seen it, saith Jehovah."The sins enumerated here constituted violations of the Decalogue as given in Exodus and Deuteronomy. The specific commandments broken were the 1st, 2nd, 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th, with the necessary inference that the 10th also was broken, stealing and adultery both being a direct result of the covetousness forbidden in the last commandment. As Green noted, "This amounted to a near-total breach of the covenant stipulations." [9]"Here is further and conclusive evidence of Jeremiah's deep anchorage in the Mosaic faith."[10]"We are delivered ..." (<a href="/bible/parallel/JER/7/10" class="green-link">Jeremiah 7:10</a>). The Jews actually believed that merely because they frequented the temple and brought their sacrifices as usual, that, they were fully protected in the commission of every crime in the catalogue, "all of this on the mere grounds of their external presentation of themselves before God at the place called by his name."[11] They deluded themselves into thinking they were safe no matter what they did. "Behold, I, even I have seen it, saith Jehovah ..." (<a href="/bible/parallel/JER/7/11" class="green-link">Jeremiah 7:11</a>). Anchor Bible suggests a paraphrase here: "God says, Look! I'm not blind! Of course, I've seen it!"[12]"Is this house ... become a den of robbers ..." (<a href="/bible/parallel/JER/7/11" class="green-link">Jeremiah 7:11</a>)? These very words were spoken by Christ himself as a solemn indictment of the temple during his personal ministry, "Ye made it (the temple) a den of robbers" (<a href="/bible/parallel/MAT/21/13" class="green-link">Matthew 21:13</a>). This is a reference to the blasphemous manner in which the Jews used that temple. The Hebrew word here "actually means a robber's cave,’ “[13] The figure is that of a den, or cave, or some other supposedly safe and secure place to which robbers retired after each of their crimes. What a terrible misuse of holy religion was this abuse by the Jews. Verse 12 “But go ye now to my place which was in Shiloh, where I caused my name to dwell at first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel. And now, because ye have done all these works, saith Jehovah, and I spake unto you, rising up early and speaking, but ye heard not; and I called you, but ye answered not, therefore will I do unto the house which is called by name, wherein ye trust, and unto the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I did to Shiloh. And I will cast you out of my sight, as I have cast out all your brethren, even the whole seed of Ephraim.““My place which was in Shiloh …” (Jeremiah 7:12). God’s challenge to the Jews because they were trusting in the physical existence of God’s temple in their midst, was blunt and dramatic. Go to Shiloh! My name was once there; but it did not protect Israel in their wickedness; and neither will the current temple protect you. God here prophesied both (1) the destruction of the temple, just like he had destroyed Shiloh, and (2) the carrying away of Judah just as he had already deported the whole seed of Ephraim. After the conquest of Canaan, the ancient tabernacle was set up at Shiloh, “some eighteen miles north of Jerusalem,"[14] where it remained throughout practically the whole period of the Judges. In the days of Eli and Samuel, when Eli’s reprobate sons were actually committing adultery in the temple itself (Yes, there were buildings there also), God permitted the Philistines to ravage and destroy the place and capture the ark of the covenant itself. (See Joshua 18 :l; 22:12; Judges 21:19; 1 Samuel 1:9; 1 Samuel 1:24; 1 Samuel 4:1-11). The Bible has no description of the destruction of Shiloh; but archaeological discoveries during this century (1929) have concluded that it did indeed take place, “After the Battle of Ebenezer by the Philistines about 1050 B.C."[15] Since, after its destruction, “Shiloh was not rebuilt until about 300 B.C.,"[16] the ruins of the place were surely evident in Jeremiah’s day witnessing the destruction that took place about a half millennium earlier. Albright, Thompson, and Unger all make mention of the excavations that have disclosed the destruction of Shiloh. This destruction of Shiloh, where once God’s name was recorded, proved the wretched error of the people in their foolish faith that God was irrevocably committed to the preservation of any place regardless of the moral state of the Chosen People. “There not only existed the ancient tabernacle at Shiloh, but also substantial buildings as proved by excavations, so it is called `the temple of Jehovah’ (1 Samuel 1:9)."[17] Evidently, therefore, the Philistines who destroyed Shiloh did not consider the tabernacle valuable enough to be carried away, for it still existed in the days of David, who, when he contemplated building the temple, said, “I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth in curtains” (2 Samuel 7:2). The terrible lesson from Shiloh applies to all generations. No church, however careful to observe the outward forms of holy religion, can be acceptable to God unless the moral character of the people corresponds to their holy profession. No mere formal observances of worship and devotion can take the place of true repentance and sincere worship of God. Verse 16 “Therefore pray thou not for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me; for I will not hear thee. Seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead the dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink-offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger. Do they provoke me to anger? saith Jehovah; do they not provoke themselves, to the confusion of their own faces? Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, mine anger and my wrath shall be poured out upon this place, upon man, and upon beast, and upon the trees of the field, and upon the fruit of the ground; and it shall burn, and shall not be quenched.“The repeated prohibition of Jeremiah’s praying any more for Judah is also repeated again in Jeremiah 11:14; Jeremiah 14:11 ff; and from these repetitions, Ash concluded that. “In spite of their iniquity, Jeremiah had been praying for the people."[18] As many a heartbroken parent has discovered, it is nearly impossible to stop praying for a wayward son or daughter, no matter how wicked they might have become. The meaning of this is simply that, “Persistent idolatry of Judah could only bring upon her as a consequence the curses of the covenant; and that time had now arrived."[19]“To make cakes to the queen of heaven …” (Jeremiah 7:17-18). This pagan goddess originally was worshipped in Canaan. “The Phoenicians, called the moon Ashtoreth or Astarte, the wife of Baal or Moloch, the king of heaven. This male and female pair of deities symbolized the generative powers of nature; and, from this, came the introduction of so-called sacred prostitution into their worship.” It is impossible, nor is it necessary, to describe the shameful, licentious worship which characterized the idolatry associated with the queen of heaven. Stephen’s mention of Israel’s worshipping “the host of heaven” (Acts 7:42) is a reference to this very goddess, who was also said to be represented by the planet Venus. She was also identified as Ishtar (in Babylon) and the moon-goddess. The attractiveness of this idolatry to Israel was due primarily to the gratification of the lust of the flesh which it abundantly supplied. “Do they provoke me to anger …” (Jeremiah 7:19)? God’s answer is, “No, they were only provoking themselves.” So it still is. Men fancy that they are “breaking God’s commandments”; but in reality, they are only “breaking themselves!” As Dummelow stated it, “Their sin did not provoke God to a mere helpless anger, but to a wrath that was quick to punish and destroy them."[20]Verse 21 “Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel: add your burnt-offerings unto your sacrifices, and eat ye flesh. For I spake not unto your fathers nor commanded them, in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt-offerings or sacrifices: but this thing I commanded them, saying, Hearken unto my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people; and walk ye in all the way that I command you, that it may be well with you. But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in their own counsels and in the stubbornness of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward. Since the day that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt unto this day, I have sent unto you all my servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them: yet they hearkened not unto me, nor inclined their ear, but made their neck stiff: they did worse than their fathers.““Add your burnt-offerings to your sacrifices, and eat flesh …” (Jeremiah 7:21). “These words express God’s indignation at the sacrifices of those who were so wicked and alienated from God. God had so little pleasure in their sacrifices, that they might as well eat of the very burnt-offerings themselves."[21]Of course, the Law of Moses had forbidden the worshipper to eat of the burnt-offerings which were to be burned upon the altar; but God placed so little value upon their insincere and hypocritical sacrifices, that he here said, “Why don’t you just go ahead and eat the burnt-offerings also; they are doing you no good anyway!” We reject all of the critical assertions that God here was declaring that the commanded sacrifices were not necessary, or that it was God’s will to be worshipped with genuine purity of life instead of through offering any kind of sacrifices. What God truly desires is both (1) purity of life and (2) the offering of the sacrifices which he commanded. The effort to eliminate either originates with Satan. “The idea here is that there is no sanctity in offerings brought by unrepentant men."[22]“This thing I commanded them …” (Jeremiah 7:23). The thing stressed here is that “hearkening unto God,” and obeying his commands, were the very first things God commanded to Israel when he undertook to adopt them as his people. This was required even before the institution of the forms and sacrifices of the Mosaic covenant, and were therefore more important even than the sacrifices; but both were required. Israel’s great failure was that of substituting the lesser of two commandments instead of the greater. “They hearkened not … but walked in their own counsels … and went backward and not forward …” (Jeremiah 7:24). This rebellion had begun almost simultaneously with the crossing of the Red Sea, and also after Sinai. “Such behavior after Sinai was incredible! It stresses the prolonged rebellion of Israel, the infinite patience and longsuffering of God, and showing that disobedience was as old as the Exodus itself."[23]Verse 27 “And thou shalt speak all these words unto them; but they will not hearken to thee; thou shalt also call them, but they will not answer thee. And thou shalt say unto them, This is the nation that hath not hearkened unto the voice of Jehovah their God; nor received instruction: truth is perished, and is cut off from their mouth.“The Jews believed in salvation “by faith only”; but as Feinberg stated it, “That faith must be joined by works was lost to them; so the time of Jeremiah was a sad epilogue in Judah’s history."[24] God’s warning in these verses alerted Jeremiah to the truth that he would not have any success whatever in turning Israel into the path of righteousness. Verse 29 “Cut off thy hair, O Jerusalem, and cast it away, and take up a lamentation on the bare heights; for Jehovah hath rejected and forsaken the generation of his wrath.“Jerusalem is commanded here to go into mourning for herself. When a Nazarite was defiled by touching a corpse, he was required to cut off his hair and to re-consecrate himself; and thus the figure here is that Jerusalem is defiled, God finds no excuse for her; he announces his rejection and forsaking of the Once Chosen race. God did not execute such a terrible sentence upon Judah without grave and sufficient reasons; some of which were just cited in the matter of their worship of the queen of heaven; but there were additional reasons also. Verse 30 “For the children of Judah have done that which was evil in my sight, saith Jehovah: they have set their abominations in the house which is called by my name, to defile it. And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire; which I commanded not, neither came it into my mind.“In the New Testament, the word Gehenna, a synonym for “hell” is derived from the “valley of the son of Hinnom,” that infamous ravine south of Jerusalem where the brazen statue of Molech was situated, and which was the scene of Judah’s child-sacrifices to that pagan deity. Josiah had defiled it; but apparently Jehoiachim had rededicated it; and, as Feinberg stated it, “This passage reveals that their children were actually burned."[25]“Which I commanded not …” (Jeremiah 7:31). Of course, God disclaimed any such thing as the sacrifice of children as having any connection whatever with what he had ordained. Let it be noted here that “going beyond” what God has commanded for his worship proved a great disaster for Judah; and we do not believe that modern Protestantism in “going beyond” what God has commanded in such things as the worship of God with man-made instruments of music can possibly be pleasing to God. (See Revelation 22:18; Acts 17:25; and 2 John 1:1:9). “The have set their abominations in the house which is called by my name …” (Jeremiah 7:30). 2 Kings 21:5 records the acts of Manasseh in this desecration; but it leaves us wondering if the vulgar immorality of the pagan worship was actually perpetrated in the temple itself in connection with the pagan deities thus installed. The strong inference would appear to favor the actual practice of licentiousness in the temple itself. “Thus Israel revealed her deep degradation by introducing into the house of her God such unspeakable practices as ritual prostitution and other fertility rites."[26]The horrible practices just mentioned, along with the incredible sacrifices of their sons and daughters to Molech, shouted to high heaven for the vengeance of God against such practices. Matthew Henry commented that Judah, “Burned their children alive, killed them, killed them in the most cruel manner imaginable, to honor and appease those idols that were devils and not gods."[27]Verse 32 “Therefore the days come, saith Jehovah, it shall no more be called Tophet, nor the Valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of Slaughter: for they shall bury in Tophet till there be no place to bury. And the dead bodies of this people shall be food for the birds of the heavens, and for the beasts of the earth; and none shall frighten them away. Then will I cause to cease from the cries of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride; for the land shall become a waste.“The horrible slaughter in the valley of Hinnom doubtless took place when Jerusalem fell to Babylon. “Where once the people had butchered their children, they themselves would be butchered and exposed to the birds of prey, left unburied and exposed."[28]There are overtones here that suggest the cataclysmic Judgment of the Last Day that shall terminate the probation of Adam’s race (Revelation 18:23-24).

Jeremiah 7:1

Jeremiah 7:1. This verse tells of one of the times when the Lord called upon his prophet to “take dictation” again. (See the remarks on this thought at ch. 1: 3.)

Jeremiah 7:2

Jeremiah 7:2. Gate is from a word that is defined, “ An opening, he. door or gate,” in Strong’s lexicon. Since the passage concerns the tempte in Jerusalem the word should take the former of the two in the definition. The temple was the place where the national worship took place, hence the priests and other leading men of Judah would frequently be met at that place. It was very appropriate, therefore, that the prophet be instructed to take up his position there to declare t.he important message.

Jeremiah 7:3

Jeremiah 7:3. We do not believe there are any contradictions in the Bible, and what seems to be such may be made clear by considering all of the facts and truths involved. In this verse the people were exhorted to correct their ways and they would be permitted to dwell in the land. In other passages they were plainly told that nothing they could do would avert the captivity. The main key to this question is a distinction between the kingdom as a whole and certain individuals in it. Another thought, to consider at such a place as the present verse, is that the statement means that had they made the amends suggested at the proper time they could have saved themselves from the shame and distress of the captivity. B’ or a more extended explanation of this subject see the note and comments at 2 Kings 22:17 in Voi. 2 of this Commentary.

Jeremiah 7:4

Jeremiah 7:4. The lying words against which the people were warned were those of the false leaders who had been calming the citizens by false assurance of peace. (See eh. 6: 14.) These corrupt priests would profess to be interested in the temple of the Lord but they were not sincere. Though they entered the temple at times to officiate in the services appointed for that place, their heart’s rea] interest centered in the vain worship of false gods.

Jeremiah 7:5

Jeremiah 7:5. Thoroughly amend your waps indicates the reformation that might have avoided their downfall had they produced it at the proper time.

Jeremiah 7:6

Jeremiah 7:6. The reformation that was mentioned in general terms in the preceding verse is given specific notice in this. It requires that justice he shown all unfortunate classes of citizens, and that they discontinue the worship of false gods.

Jeremiah 7:7

Jeremiah 7:7. Cause you to dwell is explained at verse 3. For ever and ever literally means “to the end of the age” The term for ever always means “age lasting” or “ agelong.” regardless of whether the age being considered is a short or long or endless one. Had Israel been true to God her national sun would not have gone down till the end of the Jewish age or dispensation. Eut the sin of the nation in following after idolatrous practices brought upon it the calamity of the captivity which put out the light of national life. That misfortune occurred in 606 B.C. and hence that many centuries before the Jewish age or dispensation came to Its divinely appointed end.

Jeremiah 7:8-10

Jeremiah 7:8-10. This completes the line of thought pertaining to the inconsistency of the people of Judah. After committing all the abominations mentioned in the preceding verse, they had the boldness to come into the temple of the true God for worship. They were not coming for the purpose of making atonement for their many Iniquities, for that would have been very appropriate. Instead, they even declared they were delivered to do these things which means they were justified in doing them.

Jeremiah 7:11

Jeremiah 7:11. Is this house seems to be another question but it really is a direct accusation against a very corrupt nation. God charged that his house, called by his name, bad become a den of robbers. In your eyes denotes that all of the evils named were being committed under the eyes of these very people.

Jeremiah 7:12

Jeremiah 7:12. Shiloh was the first location of the tabernacle after the Israelites were ready to pitch their camp in the land of Canaan. (See Joshua 18:1.) The people whose headquarters were at that place committed sin in those days and received the chastisement, of God tor it. This verse refers to that history for the purpose of warning the ones living in the days of Jeremiah not to make the same mistake their fathers made and thus incur the same kind of misfortune at the hand of the Lord,

Jeremiah 7:13

Jeremiah 7:13, This verse accuses the generation in the days of Jeremiah with being guilty of the same sins as was that in the days of Shiloh. And all of it was in spite of the many admonitions from the Lord.

Jeremiah 7:14

Jeremiah 7:14. Because the men of the present days are as guilty as were those at Shiloh, God will punish them as he did the others.

Jeremiah 7:15

Jeremiah 7:15. This verse is a direct prediction of the captivity of Judah. Ephrahn was frequently named to represent the kingdom of Israel (Isaiah 7:9). That kingdom had been taken into captivity more than a Century before the time of Jeremiah and it was for the same abomination of which Judah was guilty. Now the Lord warns Judah of what is soon to be done for her.

Jeremiah 7:16

Jeremiah 7:16. There is no use to pray for something that is impossible or that has been positively denied by the Lord. He had already decreed that Judah should be sent out of the land into captivity, hence it would he vain to pray for any favors that would interfere with that decree. However, this does not mean that no prayers or other efforts should be made for any individuals in that nation, (See the note at 2 Hi. 22: 17 in Vol. 2 of this Commentary.)

Jeremiah 7:17

Jeremiah 7:17. The Lord addresses the prophet. Calling his attention to the evil practices of Judah. They were so bold as to do these things in the streets of Jerusalem which was the capital of their country.

Jeremiah 7:18

Jeremiah 7:18. All the members of the families participated in the abominable worship of idol gods, in the service of sacrifices it was necessary to have fire and that made it necessary also to obtain wood. This called for the services of the children who would not be abie for more responsible activity. The fathers were more developed In years and experience and so they could build the fire. In the service of altar performances both animals and vegetable objects were offered. The latter was In the form of cakes which brought forth the work of the women.

Queen of heaven pertains to idolalry or the worship of the planets. It has special reference to the moon as (he feminine associate of the masculine sun. The planets were worshiped as deities by the heathen and God’s people took up the practice. Smith’s Bible Dictionary says the following on the subject:“Queen of heaven, Jeremiah 7:18, Jeremiah 44:17-19; Jeremiah 44:25, is the moon, worshiped as Ashtaroth or Astarte, to whom the Hebrew women offered cakes in the streets of Jerusalem.” Drink offering means the offering of something that could have been useful for drink. When it was so used It was either poured out on the ground before some idol or poured over the larger sacrifice on an altar, and it was done as a religious performance to the god. A motive for the idolatrous practice is Indicated by the words that they may provoke me to anger.

The word provoke Is not in the original as a separate word but is taken from the same one as anger. The Hebrew word is kaac, which Strong defines, “A primitive root; to trouble; by implication to grieve, rage, be Indignant.” Moffatt renders the word as “spite,” and the context justifies the thought. The people thought they would “spite” the Lord by their worship of idols.

Jeremiah 7:19

Jeremiah 7:19. Many times a man’s acts Intended as an injury to another will rebound against himself. The Lord declared that in committing idolatry they were spiting themselves. It was like a patient who would swallow poison in order to spite the physician who had prescribed wholesome medicine. The people of Judah were told that their foolish conduct wouid result in their own confusion which referred to the shame or humiliation that the Babylonian captivity would bring upon them.

Jeremiah 7:20

Jeremiah 7:20. The preceding verse does not mean that God would not be angered by the vain worship to false gods for he was; but that anger was to react against the guilty nation and its country. The things threatened referred to the general work of desolation the Babylonian army was to produce upon its invasion of Palestine. Shall not be quenched is a prediction that nothing the people could do would cause the Lord to hold off the threatened captivity.

Jeremiah 7:21

Jeremiah 7:21. This verse means the same as if it said: “ Get all of your sacrifices together and consume them upon yourselves, for I will have nothing to do with them.” Many things the people of Judah were doing had been commanded by the Lord, but they became objectionable to him when they were performed as a mixture with so much abomination of idolatry. This thought is discussed at length in the note and comments on Isaiah 1:10 in Vol. 3 of this Commentary.

Jeremiah 7:22

Jeremiah 7:22, The rites and ceremonies of the Mosaic system were not mentioned to the Israelites when they first were told to flee from Egypt; the Lord was not ready for that form of service yet.

Jeremiah 7:23

Jeremiah 7:23. Outward or physical acts are the visible signs of the faith that is supposed to be in the heart of the performer. A man’s service to God (in whatever dispensation he lives) begins with faith in Him. (Hebrews 11:6.) If that faith exists and will become active, then the man possessing it will prove it by performing what the Lord commands, whether that consist of animal sacrifices, burning of incense, baptism in water, or prayer and song, or any other act commanded through inspired teaching. So this verse holds out the Idea that had the Israelites been true to the faith they professed they would never have stooped to the adornnable worship of idols.

Jeremiah 7:24

Jeremiah 7:24. Inclined not their ear indicates not only failure to observe the commands of the Lord, but it shows they were not even interested to the extent of listening to see what was expected of them. Walked in the counsels means they followed the opinions of their own hearts regardless of the divine law. The popular theory of man is that the inventions he has produced in religion indicates progress forward, but the people are told here that the evil productions of man are a backsliding instead of a move in the right direction.

Jeremiah 7:25

Jeremiah 7:25. The record of unfaithfulness in the nation goes back to the beginning of its existence, for it had its start when Moses led them out from Egyptian bondage. Through ail of the centuries God was patient and watchful over his people. The prophets whom He sent to his people were the inspired men in general, not only those who made predictions. It was the duty of these men t.o admonish and instruct the people and try to influence them into the proper way of life.

Jeremiah 7:26

Jeremiah 7:26. For comments on hearkened and inclined see those on verse 24. Hardened their neck is a figure of speech and refers to the stubbornness of the people.

Jeremiah 7:27

Verse 27. Jeremiah was told to speak to the people and yet he was warned that his words would not be received. Tills apparent contradiction has been explained a number of times. The reader will find the original note on the subject with comments at 2 Kings 22:17 in Vol. 3 of this Commentary.

Jeremiah 7:28

Jeremiah 7:28. After offering the law of God to the people it will be fair to chide them for their rejection of it. This conclusion is true even though the prophet had been told beforehand that such would be the outcome. Again I request the reader to see the note referred to in the preceding verse as to the apparent contradiction.

Jeremiah 7:29

Jeremiah 7:29. Jerusalem has been referred to in the figure of a woman and the comparisons would hence be made from that viewpoint, A woman’s hair is one of her main adornments (1 Corinthians 11:15) and the absence of it, especially if it has been removed by or because of an enemy, would indicate a situation of shame. (See Isaiah 50:6.) That is why Jerusalem was told to cut off the hair and throw it away; it was a token of the humiliation that the Lord was going to impose on the unfaithful city.

Jeremiah 7:30

Jeremiah 7:30. Sometimes Judah and at others Jerusalem is named in the passages, and that is because the latter was the capital of the former. In the phrase, children of Judah, the last word means the kingdom and the first is the citizens. They not only committed idolatry but introduced its tokens into the temple that had been honored by being called by the name of the Lord.

Jeremiah 7:31

Jeremiah 7:31. Tophet was a spot in the famous valley of Hinnom near Jerusalem, This place had been used as a disposal plant for the waste materials of the city and for that reason there were fires kept continually burning. The idolatrous worshipers were using the place for their adominable practices until Josiah defiled it in his great reformative work (2 Kings 23:10). The people of Judah went so far as to use their children as sacrifices to the false gods that were represented in this valley.

Jeremiah 7:32

Jeremiah 7:32. No more be called Tophet does not mean the name will be forgotten, but the place will not be referred to merely as one that was known by such a name. But the great work of the Lord in destroying the enemies of righteousness who assembled in that place will be so outstanding that it will be remembered and mentioned because of such a great slaughter.

Jeremiah 7:33

Jeremiah 7:33. Ttie idolaters who were slain and cast down in this place will not receive any honorable burial. When the fowls and beasts come to devour the decaying bodies the Lord will see that no one will be allowed to fray (oppose) them away from their gruesome feast.

Jeremiah 7:34

Jeremiah 7:34. This verse is a literal prediction of the carrying away of Judah into the Babylonian captivity. After that, was done the natural result was that the land shall be desolate. The Biblical fulfillment of this prediction is in 2 Kings 24, 25.