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Jeremiah, the Man Who Felt God’s Anguish
185
you heed Me carefully,’ says the Lord, ‘to bring no burden through
the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, but hallow the Sabbath
day, to do no work in it; then shall enter the gates of this city kings
and princes sitting on the throne of David, ... and this city shall
remain forever.’”
Jeremiah 17:24, 25
. If the people did not act on the
appeals to obey the God of their fathers and to hallow His Sabbath,
the city and its palaces would be utterly destroyed by fire. Only by
the firmest measures could they bring about a change for the better;
therefore the prophet worked most earnestly for the unrepentant.
“O Jerusalem, wash your heart from wickedness, that you may be
saved.”
Jeremiah 4:14
.
But the great mass of the people left the call to repentance un-
heeded. Those who ruled the nation had been untrue to their trust and
had been leading many astray. From the beginning of Jehoiakim’s
reign, Jeremiah had little hope of saving his beloved land from
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destruction and captivity. Yet he was not to remain silent while com-
plete ruin threatened the kingdom. He must encourage those loyal
to God to continue in rightdoing, and if possible he must persuade
sinners to turn from iniquity.
The Lord commanded Jeremiah to stand in the court of the temple
and speak to all who went in and out. He must not soften a word!
The prophet obeyed. He lifted his voice in warning and pleading.
“‘Hear the word of the Lord, all you of Judah who enter in at these
gates.’ ... ‘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 7:2-4
.
God’s Marvelous Loving-kindness
This account shows vividly that the Lord is unwilling to chastise.
He yearns over His erring children. In every way possible He seeks
to teach them the way of life. See
Jeremiah 9:24
. Though the
Israelites had wandered in idolatry for a long time and ignored
His warnings, yet He now declares His willingness to postpone
punishment and grant yet another opportunity to repent. He makes
plain that they could avoid the coming doom only by complete heart
reformation. Their trust in the temple and its services would be