31 July 2020
The Lord said to Jeremiah,
‘… you must speak all the words I have commanded you to tell them;
do not omit one syllable.
‘Say this to them: “If you will not listen to me…
I will treat this Temple as I treated Shiloh,
and make this city a curse for all the nations of the earth.”‘
From Jeremiah 26: 1-9
To understand what is going to happen next, we need to know that Shiloh had been the first sanctuary, the “dwelling place” of the Lord, but it had been totally destroyed. And this level of destruction is what the Lord is telling Jeremiah to prophesy for Jerusalem and its Temple if the priests and the people continue to refuse to follow the Law, or to listen to the prophets he persistently sends them. It does not suggest that God wants this to happen but rather that he is trying to get the message across – that there are consequences to turning away from the way of life that God insists is right for his people.
- How might you feel if a prophet said similar things about what could happen to your church or where you live?
- Is it easier to blame God when bad things happen rather than accept some responsibility for them ourselves?
Reflect today on times when people have turned away from God and the way of life he calls us to live and the consequences that have followed. Pray for faithfulness to the way that leads to life – and for those who have a responsibility to organise society in ways that help everyone to live life to the full.
