The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, “Stand in the gate of the Lord’s house, and proclaim there this word, and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, all you of Judah who enter in at these gates to worship the Lord!'” Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. 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.'” (Jeremiah 7:1-4)

Trusting In Lying Words

The Temple of Solomon was a beautiful edifice representing the dwelling place of God on earth. It was called the “House of the Lord,” the “House of My Glory,” “the Palace of the Lord God,” and the “Holy Mount.” It took seven and a half years to build, and after standing for more than three centuries, it was burned to the ground by the Babylonians led by Nebuchadnezzar. Before destroying the “House of the Lord,” the Babylonians stripped it of everything of value that could be taken back to Babylon. A second temple was built eighty years later and stood until the time of Jesus, who prophesied its destruction. In 70 A.D., the Roman army razed the city of Jerusalem and destroyed the temple. I will never be built again.

Solomon built the temple according to the word of the Lord. Like Moses, who was commanded to construct the Tabernacle, Solomon followed a divine pattern and plan. After the temple was built in Jerusalem, the Tabernacle was dismantled and passed to the dustbin of history. Nothing remains of the Tabernacle, including the Ark of the Covenant. After the Temple of God was built in Jerusalem, the Ark of the Covenant was placed in the Holy of Holies until it was destroyed (probably) by the Babylonians. Nothing of the Tabernacle remains today.

During the final days of the nation of Israel, men like Jeremiah and Isaiah warned the people in the trust of a false hope that as long as the Temple stood, God would take care of them. What the people did not understand was that the Temple of the Lord was not the source of their power, but rather the word of the Lord. The remnant that remained from a once powerful nation trusted in lying words that said if the Temple stood, nothing could happen to them. Many years before, the southern tribes witnessed the annihilation of their northern brethren at the hands of the Assyrians. Prophets warned the remaining tribes to take heed to themselves, or the same fate would fall upon them. They did not listen. The people trusted in a false hope in a building that would be destroyed.

Jeremiah tried to bring the hearts of the people back to the Lord. God’s people had turned their hearts away from the Lord’s word. The lingering influence of Manasseh dominated the land with wickedness and idolatry. Josiah sought to bring reforms to the nation, but after his death, Jehoiakim ruled the land with the same evil his fathers had done. There would be no respite for the people. They trusted in seeing the Temple as their salvation, but their hearts followed after all the evil of their forefathers. The problem was that they believed God would save them because the Temple stood. Their lives were out of context with true worship.

Early in Israel’s history, the people of God went to war with the Philistines. Israel was soundly defeated by the Philistines, with four thousand troops being killed. The elders of Israel were frustrated by the loss and called for the ark of the covenant to be brought from Shiloh to save them from the hand of their enemy. They brought the ark into the camp with shouts so loud the earth shook. The Philistines were afraid when they heard that the ark had come into the Israelite camp. To the dismay and surprise of the Philistines, Israel was again defeated with a great slaughter of thirty thousand foot soldiers – and the Philistines captured the ark of the covenant. The people believed in lying words that if they had the ark with them, God would protect them. What they failed to remember is that victory comes from God when the hearts of the people are faithful.

The tabernacle was captured and Solomon’s temple destroyed because the people believed the only thing they had to do was to bring the ark into the camp or see the Temple standing in Jerusalem, and God would bless them. They trusted in lying words. Some people believe that as long as they sit in a church building a few times a year, God will bless them and save them. They have their name on the church roll. Their parents and grandparents were members of the church, and through spiritual DNA passed down from one generation to another, salvation is secured because they are card-carrying members of the church of Christ. As long as they go through the five acts of worship after they follow the five steps of salvation, Heaven is assured.

Trusting in lying words is believing in things that will not save. The tabernacle was a crucial component of the Law of Moses, and the temple served as a place of worship, as instructed by the Lord. God does not dwell in temples made with hands or church buildings with names on a sign. If the heart is not serving the Lord, it doesn’t matter what building they sit in. God commanded burnt offerings and sacrifice, but what He demanded was obedience. That has not changed. God commands many things, but He still demands obedience. Do not trust in the lying words that will not save. Trust and obey.