Study notes

Jeremiah 7

Introducing JeremiahWho wrote it, when, why, and what to look for as you read

2:1–12:17 Section

Jeremiah’s judgement messages explained how and why God’s people would be judged. These messages were like the judgement messages that Isaiah shared.

The work of being a prophet was very hard for Jeremiah. He wept and suffered with deep sadness and pain. Inside his own body he felt God’s anger like a burning fire. The people and leaders of the southern kingdom hadn’t been faithful to the Mount Sinai covenant. They didn’t obey the Ten Commandments. They didn’t treat others the way God taught them to in the Law of Moses. They treated needy people badly. They worshipped false gods instead of worshipping only God. They felt no shame about this. They expected God to continue blessing them. This showed that they not only spoke lies but also lived out lies. It showed that they had no sense or wisdom.

They hadn’t learnt from the example of the northern kingdom. They hadn’t learnt from times in the past when God brought judgement against them. Storks and other birds had more wisdom than God’s people did. God’s people didn’t serve him with all their heart. God described this as not being circumcised in their hearts. Their bodies were circumcised. So on the outside of their bodies they had the sign of God’s covenant. But the choices they made showed that they didn’t respect and honour God. This was true for both the people and the leaders of the southern kingdom. The kings, priests and prophets didn’t follow God’s example for rulers. They didn’t know God’s laws and didn’t lead the people in obeying God. They lied by saying that everything was going well and that the nation had peace. As a result of this, God would no longer stop the covenant curses from coming.

God longed to forgive his people. He wanted them to turn away from their sin, repent and follow him. But they refused. So God told Jeremiah to stop praying that God would have mercy on them. God would use the Babylonian army as his tool to judge the southern kingdom. The temple would be destroyed. The people would be thrown out of the land God had given them. God had warned Solomon about this judgement (1 Kings 9:6–9). Yet God promised that he wouldn’t destroy his people completely. He would always allow a few to remain alive. In this way God would remain faithful to his covenant with David.

God also gave Jeremiah messages of hope to share about a time in the future. God would live with his people and rule the world from Jerusalem as King. The northern and southern kingdoms would live together in their land as one kingdom again. God would return all nations to their own lands. Jews would teach other nations that God is the Lord who rules over all. Every nation would be invited to follow the practices God taught his people. Every people group that honoured God would become part of God’s people.

7:1–2

The people were likely at the entrance of the Lord’s Temple for an annual festival (see also Jeremiah 17:19; 26:2).

7:1–15

Jeremiah corrected the people who believed that God's Temple would ensure their safety (compare Jeremiah 26:1–6).

7:3–4

Pagans believed a symbol was the same as what it represented. In Jeremiah's time, people thought the temple was God's heavenly house. They found it absurd to think enemies could destroy it. To support this belief, they repeatedly chanted, This is the temple of the LORD. However, the Lord of Hosts did not need an earthly house (2 Samuel 7:6–7; 1 Kings 8:27). The Israelites' security from the Temple came from the Lord himself, and only on his terms (1 Kings 6:12).

7:5–7

Idol worship harmed the people in several ways. Spiritually, idols were illusions. Socially, idol worship ruined their community bonds. Politically, it made them overconfident against foreign armies. Without change, they had no future in the Promised Land (Exodus 22:21–24; Deuteronomy 4:40; 6:14–15).

7:8–10

  • steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury: The people's actions broke most of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:3–7, 13–17).

  • burn incense...follow: Israel's relationship with God did not rely on any magical or ritual connection. It depended on following the terms of his covenant. Their actions broke that relationship and disrespected the Lord's holy character.

7:12

Shiloh was a hill located between Shechem and Jerusalem. After Joshua led the conquest of Canaan, the Israelites set up the Tabernacle there (Joshua 18:1, 6–19; Judges 18:31). It served as the center of worship for the Israelite tribes until the Philistine army destroyed Shiloh around 1045 BC (see Jeremiah 26:6; Psalm 78:60).

7:12–15

God allowed the Philistines to capture the Ark of the Covenant and destroy the Tabernacle at Shiloh. The people had tried to use the Ark as a magical object (1 Samuel 4:1–11). Similarly, he would allow the Babylonians to destroy the Temple.

7:13–15

The people of the northern kingdom had acted like Judah was acting now. God sent many prophets to speak to them (2 Kings 17:22–23; 2 Chronicles 36:15–16), but they did not listen or respond. The Lord spared Jerusalem and the Temple when the Assyrians exiled the northern tribes in 722 BC. This time, the Temple would be destroyed.

7:17–18

Pagan worship became a family activity. Each family member contributed to the ritual. They worshipped Ashtoreth, the Queen of Heaven, the mother goddess of the Canaanites, along with her family of deities (see Jeremiah 44:17–19).

7:19

God's law benefits people. Those who do not follow his instructions harm themselves (compare Mark 2:27).

7:20–23

The people's offerings and sacrifices meant nothing to the Lord if they were disobedient. Their sacrifices could not force God to act against His will. Instead, these offerings showed the people's trust in God's forgiveness. When people tried to use sacrifices to manipulate God while living selfishly, it only angered Him (Isaiah 1:10216; Amos 5:21–27). Obeying God allows for a personal relationship with Him, which is the foundation for a bright future (Hosea 6:6).

7:27–29

The Lord told Jeremiah to keep sharing his messages, even though the people of Judah had completely rejected the Lord and would not listen (compare Ezekiel 2:7). Jeremiah should shave his head, mourn, and weep alone on the mountains (compare Job 1:20).

7:30–34

The valley of Ben-Hinnom started on the west side of Jerusalem and continued around the south side. This narrow, steep valley opened into the Kidron Valley and served as the city's garbage dump and graveyard. The bodies of the poor, whether murdered or dead from disease, were dumped there. Child sacrifice, a practice completely abhorrent to the Lord (see 2 Chronicles 28:3; 33:6), also took place there. The valley was known as Topheth (2 Kings 23:10; Isaiah 30:33), possibly referring to ritual drums (Hebrew top) or sacrificial fires (tap) used there.

In the New Testament, it is called Gehenna, and Jesus compared hell to the fire that burned continuously in that valley (see study note on Matthew 5:29). Soon, it would be known as the Valley of Slaughter because the siege and destruction of Jerusalem, which lasted from 588 to 586 BC, would fill the valley with the bodies of the slain.

7:30–8:3

This message announced death for the people of Judah. It came true with the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC.

Verse notes: Adapted by Mission Mutual (Aquifer Open Study Notes) from Tyndale Open Study Notes © 2023 Tyndale House Publishers. CC BY-SA 4.0. Section notes: Biblica Study Notes © 2023 Biblica, Inc. CC BY-SA 4.0, via BibleAquifer. About the sources