This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: “‘Even now, if you quit your evil ways, I will let you stay in your own land. But don’t be fooled by those who promise you safety simply because the LORD’s Temple is here. They chant, “The LORD’s Temple is here! The LORD’s Temple is here!” But I will be merciful only if you stop your evil thoughts and deeds and start treating each other with justice; only if you stop exploiting foreigners, orphans, and widows; only if you stop your murdering; and only if you stop harming yourselves by worshiping idols. Then I will let you stay in this land that I gave to your ancestors to keep forever. “‘Don’t be fooled into thinking that you will never suffer because the Temple is here. It’s a lie! Do you really think you can steal, murder, commit adultery, lie, and burn incense to Baal and all those other new gods of yours, and then come here and stand before me in my Temple and chant, “We are safe!”—only to go right back to all those evils again? Don’t you yourselves admit that this Temple, which bears my name, has become a den of thieves? Surely I see all the evil going on there. I, the LORD, have spoken! [Jeremiah 7.3-11 bold added]
Wow. Just wow.
God's people today proclaim, "We are the Church! We are the Church!" But they will not enjoy God's distinct power until they are distinguished as God's people...
Among all the other sinful things God's people continued to do in Jeremiah's day, they continued to worship idols. And, God said, those idols only brought harm to the people. It is no different today among those who chant, "We are the Church! We are the Church!" Unchecked sin, traceable to gross idolatry, exists in the very Church we claim to be. The Church embraces all the same idols of the world - man's self-made idols of finance, insurance, medicine and technology - idols that involve inordinate amounts of money - idols men trust instead of, or in addition to, God.
Should we not wonder why Jesus quoted this passage found in Jeremiah?
Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out all the people buying and selling animals for sacrifice. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves. He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves!” The blind and the lame came to him in the Temple, and he healed them. [Matthew 21.12-14 bold added]
I cannot even grasp all the thoughts that come to mind comparing Matthew 21.12-14 with Jeremiah 7.3-11! The money exchanged in the Temple caused Jesus to quote Jeremiah whose context was about idolatry!
THINK! If Jesus went ballistic over the money-changers in the Temple for marketing sacrificial animals (supposedly for 'man's good'), how much more angry does it make Him today for the Church's unashamed embrace of finance, insurance, medicine and technology that also are for man's good? These industries of man are SUBSTITUTES (like the sacrifices) for the miracle-working power of God Jesus displayed and demanded of His followers!
The Church should, based on God's Word, only engage God in fully-trusting prayer for its own good!
Prayer to God is man's refusal to act on his own behalf!
Dependence on idols (and the exchange of money involved with them) is everything God's Temple today (the hearts of believing men - the Church) should stand AGAINST! And still, God's people today come to God saturated with their idol substitutes bought with money declaring, "We are the Church! We are the Church!" not realizing that their idols are actually harming them. They don't see that God has abandoned them to their idols. They don't see their own powerlessness because they believe their substitutes are 'God's way' when, in fact, they are 'the way of man '...which should give alarming meaning to Jesus' demand:
If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24 (also, Mark 8.34 & Luke 9.23)]
Understand that Jesus' "den of thieves" quote from Jeremiah brings crystal clarity to why Jesus was so passionate (angry - jealous!) over the exchange of money-for-substitutes in the very place where distinguishing faith-filled prayer in God ALONE should be occurring. It was at this time and place that Jesus physically re-directed all of history to His authority as God to fulfill the Old Covenant with the New. Religion had transformed the Holy Old Covenant way into the 'way of man' evidenced by the money-changers setting up in the Temple. Sadly today, religion embraces the way of man evidenced by the exchange of money for substitutes for God's all-encompassing provisions.
Our substitutes - our idols - are only harming us. By virtue of our trust in them, the mighty miracle-working power of God's Holy Spirit within us is handicapped. God is not handicapped - but we are when we insist on our idol substitutes - man's way - the idol industries of finance, insurance, medicine and technology (and there may well be more). As long as God's people hold to these idols, there is no distinction between them and the world. And so, God's name - the name of Jesus - is not revered HOLY in the lives and prayers of His people because they refuse to give up their own way, take up their cross, and follow Him.
Wow. Just wow.
Father, Your Word is true. May we see the connection between Jeremiah 7.3-11 and Jesus' cleansing of the Temple. May we see 'the way of man' in our exchange of money for substitute provision, protection, health and convenience that all Your Word says we should depend only on You for. May we give up our own way, take up our cross, and follow Jesus. So be it.
