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 7:3-4)

Trusting In Lying Words

Solomon’s temple in Jerusalem was the symbol of the nation of Israel, their power, and their belief in the one true God. It stood for over three hundred years, serving as the central place of worship under Solomon’s reign and the kings of the south during the divided kingdom. In the days of Jeremiah, the threat of the Babylonians loomed large on the horizon. The final days of Judah were drawing to a close. Jerusalem is doomed, and it is on the shoulders of Jeremiah to prepare the nation for the coming judgment of the Lord against the rebellious nation.

The prophet Jeremiah is opposed by the religious and political leaders in Jerusalem. False prophets fill the ears of the leaders and sway the people to listen to them instead of the man of God. The destruction of Jerusalem is certain, including the destruction of the Temple. Jeremiah warns the people the Temple could not and would not save them. There was a belief that as long as the Temple stood, the Lord would protect them and never let any harm come to them. The people failed to remember the story of their fathers taking the ark of the covenant of the Lord into battle, believing it would save them, but they failed. To the shock and surprise of the Philistines, they captured the ark of the covenant. God’s people took the ark, but God was not with the ark.

Jeremiah warns the people of the failed theology of crying out to the Temple to save them. When Solomon built the Temple, he reminded the people that the Lord does not dwell within the walls of a building. Nebuchadnezzar would destroy Jerusalem and take everything out of the Temple to Babylon. They burned the house of God and broke down the walls of Jerusalem because God was no longer with the people. Judgment had come by the hand of the Lord against a rebellious and sinful people.

The sight of the Babylonians ransacking the Temple must have been a horrifying sight to the Jews. Jeremiah warned them against trusting in a building when they refused to trust in the Lord God. The Lord is not possessed because of a building. Trusting in the lying words of salvation through the Temple brought about the destruction of the nation. The people trusted in the wrong thing. They lost sight of the meaning of worship and the purpose of the Temple. God demonstrated His wrath when the Babylonians left Jerusalem and the Temple in ruins.

The words of Jeremiah ring true today when people trust in lying words. They view salvation as being something attained because they sit in a building, have a pedigree of a certain type, or grew up in a “Christian nation.” Some individuals identify with specific groups based on their religious affiliation. Jesus talked about those who said, “Lord, Lord,” and did many works in His name; yet the Lord tells them He does not know them. They trusted in the wrong things. Refusing to do the will of the Father, they find condemnation instead of salvation. Trusting in lying words can have eternal consequences. When a man trusts in the wrong things, the end is tragic.

In the days of Jeremiah, some trusted in the word of God and His will. Men like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, who devoted their lives to the Lord alone. They were taken to a foreign land, but never gave up their faith in a faithless world. Trusting in God will bring eternal joy and everlasting life. It matters who the heart trusts. Examine yourself to see if you are trusting in the right words.