Today’s passage: Jeremiah 7:1-27
Helpful thoughts:
- The people of Judah had come to use their ritualistic worship in Jerusalem as justification for sin.
- Jesus called the Temple a den of thieves again in Matthew 21:12-13.
- God had allowed the Philistines to defeat Israel at Shiloh in 1 Samuel 4. The same was about to happen to Jerusalem.
- The “Queen of Heaven” was called Ishtar, Ashtoreth, or Astarte by different nations. She was supposed to be the wife of Baal or Molech. Worship of this false goddess consisted of prostitution.
- Yet, Jeremiah shows this worship to be done as a family affair (Verses 18-19).
Questions to consider:
- Where did Jeremiah preach this message? What did it sound like the Jews were doing in the Temple? What were they doing at home? Is the Christian life just for the church house? How much of your life does the Lord of Hosts own?
- How are sins passed down from generation to generation? Do we teach our kids certain sins with instruction or by example? What can parents learn from this? Who is our hope for our children’s rescue?
- False gods were always created and revered because they gave people what they wanted. Is that how the true God works? Is it possible to worship the true God falsely? Why do you worship God? Do you come to him because He agrees with you or do you come to Him to learn from Him and learn to agree with Him?