# Jeremiah 7:16



## Scott Bushey (Oct 16, 2006)

Jeremiah 7:1-16 NKJ Jeremiah 7:1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, 2 "Stand in the gate of the LORD's house, and proclaim there this word, and say, 'Hear the word of the LORD, all you of Judah who enter in at these gates to worship the LORD!' " 3 Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: "Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. 4 "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.' 5 "For if you thoroughly amend your ways and your doings, if you thoroughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbor, 6 "if you do not oppress the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, or walk after other gods to your hurt, 7 "then I will cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever. 8 " Behold, you trust in lying words that cannot profit. 9 "Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and walk after other gods whom you do not know, 10 "and then come and stand before Me in this house which is called by My name, and say, 'We are delivered to do all these abominations'? 11 "Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of thieves in your eyes? Behold, I, even I, have seen it," says the LORD. 12 " But go now to My place which was in Shiloh, where I set My name at the first, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of My people Israel. 13 "And now, because you have done all these works," says the LORD, "and I spoke to you, rising up early and speaking, but you did not hear, and I called you, but you did not answer, 14 "therefore I will do to the house which is called by My name, in which you trust, and to this place which I gave to you and your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh. 15 "And I will cast you out of My sight, as I have cast out all your brethren -- the whole posterity of Ephraim. 16 " *Therefore do not pray for this people, nor lift up a cry or prayer for them, nor make intercession to Me; for I will not hear you.*

In light of harmoniously pulling this doctrine out of scripture, what exactly is Jeremiah saying here about prayer?

Jesus says:



> Matthew 5:44-45 44 "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 "that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.



Do you think this was particular to this individual situation?

[Edited on 10-16-2006 by Scott Bushey]


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## JKLeoPCA (Oct 17, 2006)

I'll try a stab at this and answer that it was for the use of stirring in him the severity of God and his situation. 

Not to shift the grounds, but this reminds me of the sort of questions that surround 2 Kings 13:18. 

I believe that Calvin states in places that commands of God prick at the heart of the Christian to stir and encourage motion and to keep them from sloth.


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## Contra_Mundum (Oct 17, 2006)

Jeremiah's situation was unique. His command is specific, "Do not pray for _this_ people, _now_. The command of Christ is general.

An analogous situation would be "thou shalt not kill" (general) and the invasion of Canaan (specific).


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