God is LOOKING for our ‘INWARD BEAUTY’ and ‘HOLINESS’!
August 9 Bible Reading: Jeremiah Chapters 7-9
God is LOOKING for our ‘INWARD BEAUTY’ and ‘HOLINESS’!
"Will you steal,
murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and walk after
other gods whom you do not know, and then come and stand before Me in this
house which is called by My name, and say, 'We are delivered to do all these
abominations'? Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of
thieves in your eyes? Behold, I, even I, have seen it," says the Lord.
(Jer. 7:9-11)
During the time of prophet Jeremiah, the most important place
of worship was the Temple in Jerusalem that King Josiah had repaired and
restored to its former glory (2 Chronicles 34-35). The people of Judah had
foolishly assumed that they were safe from God’s judgment because God would
never allow His temple to be destroyed. Wrong!
They were putting false confidence in the building rather than trusting the One
who dwelt there. They were hiding their
sins behind mere outward religious objects and observances (Jer. 7:8–15,
21–27).
Jeremiah’s God-given message was straightforward: the physical presence of the temple was no
guarantee that judgment would not come upon Jerusalem. This “temple sermon” in chapter 7 is a
denunciation of an unholy and corrupt standard of living by people who held
that the city of Jerusalem was indestructible because of the physical presence
of the God’s temple (v. 4). But God made it crystal clear through His prophet
that the city of Jerusalem and His temple
will be destroyed (v. 14) unless
the people repented and amended their
ways (v. 3). God’s wrath against Judah’s sin could be averted only through
a genuine repentance that would be reflected in their lives (vv. 5, 6).
In fact, the true safety of the people of Judah lay in thoroughly turning from sin and living
righteously. God looked at the sins rampant in their lives (vv. 3, 9-10)
and had strong words of condemnation about the double standards of the people. The
care of the downtrodden and oppressed of society (the widow, the orphan, the
poor, and the stranger) was of particular concern to the God of all mercies!
Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, whose views of outward
religion were in conformity to this passage, used the words of prophet Jeremiah
about the temple being “a den of thieves”
(v. 11) when He cleansed His Father’s house (Matt. 21:13; Mark 11:17; Luke
19:46). Merely formal religious attendance at God’s house was condemned through
Jesus citing this illustration. This is a good reminder for us as believers that
we should not only to practice
righteous standards in our personal lives, but also to cultivate a social
concern for others as well.
Let us never be satisfied with surface
religion. We need to
make sure that God ministers to our hearts and we obey Him from our hearts
(Eph. 6:6). If we say that we are God’s people, then we must not only “worship” Him with our rituals, but with
our day-to-day lives that is pleasing in His sight. Our external activities
should develop our relations with God,
intensify our acts of service to the less
privileged, and enable us live
differently than everyone around us. Always remember this: God is looking for our inward beauty and
holiness!
