Do not trust in deceptive words and say, "This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD!" – Jeremiah 7:4

Today's Scripture Reading (May 13, 2023): Jeremiah 7

Do you have a lucky charm? I know I am wading into dangerous waters, but sometimes I wonder about that lucky coin, piece of stone, or whatever we think will keep us safe. It is a question that rages even with our religious symbols, like that cross you always wear or the St. Christopher Medal that always travels wherever you go. One supporter of the medals, in a communication intended for Catholic stores, encouraging store owners to stock the medals, writes,

The Saint Christopher Medal is one of the most popular around the world because of his significance in the Catholic faith.

The Saint Christopher medal is believed to protect the wearer on his or her travels. For this reason, many people wear Saint Christopher pendants around their necks, on their wrists, and some even hang the medals in their cars (McVan Blog, July 16, 2018)!

Does it work? It doesn't seem likely. God never seemed to be someone who watches or cares about what we might wear as jewelry. He wants a life surrendered to him, not one dressed appropriately. I am also not sure that God wants to keep us safe. I think he wants to place us in some dangerous situations, places where we can make a difference. It is a prayer that I pray over my community consistently; "God, make us dangerous."

Part of the common belief in Jerusalem during the days of Jeremiah was that the city could never fall because God would protect his Temple. The Temple was the lucky charm that Jerusalem wore. And if you needed proof, the people would point back to the Assyrian siege of the city, when God miraculously stepped in and saved the city by mysteriously dispersing the Assyrian army camped around the city. That dispersing of the Assyrian army was not a temporary situation. For various reasons, the Assyrians never returned.

The people believed that what God did against the Assyrians, he would do against the Babylonians. But Jeremiah sees faulty reasoning influencing their conclusions. God saved Jerusalem against the attack of the Assyrians because of the faith of their king, Hezekiah, and the faith that Hezekiah's example had engendered among the people, not because of the presence of the Temple. Jeremiah had heard his contemporaries preach that the Temple meant that Jerusalem was safe. The Temple had become a kind of mantra to the people, a reminder of the safety of the city. But Jeremiah wants them to know that that is just not true. The city, and the nation, needed to repent, then God would help them. But as long as obedience to God was lacking, the city wasn't safe. Even the Temple wasn't safe. And in the end, we know that the Babylonians destroyed not just the city but the Temple, which the people thought was their lucky charm.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 8