QT 19/05/2025 Mon. Jeremiah 7. The call to authentic faith and repentance. 对真实信仰和悔改的呼召。

QT 19/05/2025 Mon. Jeremiah 7. The call to authentic faith and repentance.
READ http://www.esv.org/jer7

Jeremiah challenged his contemporaries by situating himself at the temple entrance with the message of true worship and true obedience.

Scripture: Jeremiah 7:3–4 [3] Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Amend your ways and your deeds, and I will let you dwell in this place. [4] Do not trust in these deceptive words: ‘This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD.’ (ESV)

Background: Jeremiah's contemporaries were still attending temple services, offering sacrifices, and going through the motions of worship, but their hearts were far from God. They wrongly assumed that their religious rituals would protect them from judgment, even while they persisted in idolatry, injustice, and hypocrisy.

Lesson 1: God Desires Obedience, Not Rituals
In verses 4–11, God exposes the people’s false confidence in their repeat of the phrase "the temple of the Lord!" thrice (v. 4). They thought the temple building itself was a guarantee of safety. But God was not interested in empty worship. He wanted changed hearts and righteous actions. This echoes the New Testament truth in James 1:22 — “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”

Lesson 2:  Repentance Must Be Real
In verses 5–7, God gives a clear call: “If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly… then I will let you live in this place.” Repentance is not just feeling sorry — it’s turning around. It means treating others justly, ceasing from idolatry, and aligning our lives with God's Word. God offers mercy, but not to those who cling to sin while pretending to be righteous. God's checklist of whether you have really lived out His Word with justice relates to how you treat the sojourners (others who have no connections and are at the mercy of the locals), orphans and widows:-

Jeremiah 7:5–7 [5] “For if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly execute justice one with another, [6] if you do not oppress the sojourner, the fatherless, or the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other gods to your own harm, [7] then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave of old to your fathers forever. (ESV)

Lesson 3: Don't Turn God's House Into a Den of Robbers
In verse 11, God says: “Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you?” Jesus later quotes this verse in Matthew 21:13 when He cleanses the temple. Both Jeremiah and Jesus confronted the same problem: people using religion as a cover for sin. Worship without repentance becomes offensive to God.

Lesson 4: The Danger of Hardened Hearts

Verse 24 says: “But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts.” This is a warning. Continual rejection of God’s voice leads to a hardened heart. God patiently sent prophets, but the people refused to listen — and judgment followed.

Application for Today:
(1) Are we relying on religious habits while ignoring God’s commands?

(2) Do we treat church attendance as a shield while we indulge in sin?

(3) Are our lives marked by justice, mercy, humility, and obedience?

Prayer: Lord, forgive us for the times we have gone through the motions without true repentance. Teach us to worship You in spirit and in truth. Help us to live lives that reflect Your holiness and love. Give us ears to hear and hearts that obey. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

QT 19/05/2025 星期一. 耶利米书 7. 对真实信仰和悔改的呼召
阅读 http://m.bbintl.org/bible/ncv/Jer/7/

耶利米将自己安置在圣殿入口处，传达真正敬拜和真正顺服的信息，以此挑战他同时代的人。

经文 耶利米书 7:3-4 [3]  万军之耶和华以色列的　神这样说：“你们要改正自己的所作所为，我就让你们在这地方居住。4 你们不要倚靠虚谎的话，说：‘这是耶和华的殿，是耶和华的殿，是耶和华的殿。’

背景： 与耶利米同时代的人仍在参加圣殿礼拜，献祭，按部就班地敬拜，但他们的心却远离了神。他们错误地认为，他们的宗教仪式可以保护他们免受审判，即使他们坚持拜偶像、不公正和虚伪。

第一课：神所要求的是顺服，而不只是仪式
在第 4-11 节中，上帝揭露了人们错误的信心： 他们重复“耶和华的殿” 三次（第4节）。 他们以为圣殿建筑本身就是安全的保证。但上帝对空洞的敬拜不感兴趣。祂要的是改变的心和公义的行为。这与《新约-雅各书》1:22 中的真理不谋而合--"你们应该作行道的人，不要单作听道的人，自己欺骗自己”。

第二课：悔改必须真实
在第5-7节中，上帝发出了明确的呼吁 “如果你们真的改变你们的方式和行为，公正地对待彼此......我就会让你们住在这个地方”。悔改不仅仅是感到抱歉，而是要回转。它意味着公正地对待他人，停止偶像崇拜，让我们的生活与上帝的话语保持一致。上帝会施以怜悯，但不会怜悯那些固守罪恶却假装公义的人。神衡量你是否真正以公义践行了祂的话语的清单，与你如何对待寄居者（没有任何关系、任凭当地人摆布的外人）、孤儿和寡妇有关：--

耶利米书 7：5-7 [5]  如果你们实在改正自己的所作所为，人与人之间认真施行公正；6 如果你们不欺压寄居的，不欺压孤儿寡妇，不在这地方流无辜人的血，也不跟从别的神，自招祸患； 7 我就让你们在赐给你们列祖直到永远的这地方居住。

第三课：不要把神的家变成强盗窝
在第 11 节中，上帝说："这称为我名下的殿，难道在你们眼中看为贼窝吗？..." 耶稣后来在马太福音 21：13 中洁净圣殿时引用了这节经文。耶利米和耶稣都面临着同样的问题：人们用宗教来掩盖罪恶。不思悔改的崇拜会冒犯上帝。

第 四 课：心肠刚硬的危险
第 24 节说：“但他们不听，也不注意，反而随从他们邪恶心中的顽固倾向”。这是一个警告。持续拒绝上帝的声音会导致心肠刚硬。上帝耐心地派遣先知，但人们却拒绝聆听--于是审判随之而来。

今天的应用：
(1) 我们是否依赖于宗教习惯而忽视了上帝的命令？

(2) 我们是否把参加教会活动当作挡箭牌，而自己却沉溺于罪中？

(3) 我们的生活是否以公义、怜悯、谦卑和顺服为标志？

祷告： 主啊，饶恕我们曾经没有真正悔改而走过场。教导我们用心灵和诚实敬拜你。帮助我们在生活中体现你的圣洁和爱。赐给我们聆听的耳朵和顺从的心。奉主耶稣的名祷告。阿门。