Stand at the gate of the LORD’s house and there proclaim this message … - Jeremiah 7:2

Today’s Scripture Reading (April 1, 2020): Jeremiah 7

A few years ago, I had the privilege of speaking on a fairly regular basis with a couple who were divided on the concept of religion. She was a Christian, although likely not as plugged into the Christian community as she might have once been. He professed to be an adherent of a different faith but didn’t seem to know much about the belief that he confessed. The critical element that appeared to have attracted him to his belief system seemed to be that it was “not Christianity.” And while the different spiritual outlooks had once not been all that important, it was becoming more critical. And part of the problem was becoming how they could communicate essential messages to each other when they both experienced the world so very differently.   

Jerusalem, and specifically the Temple, was built with the idea of religious and spiritual separation in mind. The outermost court of the Temple was where anyone could gather. It didn’t matter who you were or what you believed; here, you were welcome. The next court was the Court of Women, a place where Jewish women could gather. The next court was the Court of Israel, where the men of Israel could gather. The innermost part of the Temple was a place only the priests could go and minister before God and on behalf of the nation.

As a priest, Jeremiah could have proclaimed his message in the innermost part of the Temple, empowering the priests to repent and carry the message to the people. But that is not what God orders Jeremiah to do. God tells him to go to the gate of the Temple, go to the place where all of the people were permitted to be, both those entering into the Temple and those who were just passing by so that everyone can hear the message that God was giving to his prophet.

It seems likely that this command was given to Jeremiah during one of the great festivals of Judaism; Passover, Pentecost, or the Feast of Tabernacles. It was then that Judah came to Jerusalem. At such times, the city would be filled with people from every corner of the nation, and everyone could hear the message from God spoken through Jeremiah.

But just because the people heard Jeremiah’s voice, that did not mean that they were internalizing the message and genuinely listening to Jeremiah’s warning. The message was heard physically, but it did not change the behavior of the people, and that was a problem.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 8