"The Lord has rejected his own altar;he despises is own sanctuary.
He has given Jerusalem's palaces
to her enemies.
They shout in the Lord's Temple
as though it were a day of celebration."
Lamentations 2:7
In this passage, Jeremiah laments the destruction of Jerusalem. God had told Jeremiah of the impending destruction if the people did not repent. Jeremiah warned the people, yet they did not turn from their ways. Therefore God's judgement fell full force upon Jerusalem. God's judgement was so complete that He didn't even spare His own Temple - the very Temple that Solomon had built -that's how much contempt God had towards the rampant sin of the people.
God judged the people of Judah because they ignored God's warnings and refused to repent. They believed that they would always be safe because God's House, His Temple, was there among them. They foolishly thought their lives would continue to go on just as they always had. Never in a million years did they think God would allow foreigners destroy His Temple. However, God hated their sins. This was His chosen people...the people who were to be a testimony and witness in the world for HIM! They had been set apart by Him - not by their own doing. The people worshipped idols and sin ran rampant. Even the priesthood - the very people God chose to serve Him in the Temple and represent Him among the people - had decayed.
Therefore, God detested their burnt offerings. Their worship was a far cry from what He desired and commanded of them. Despite the beautiful Temple and the rituals they practiced, their hearts were far from God. Their lives didn't reflect what they proclaimed in their Temple worship. It was all a sham. So God sent the Babylonian army to destroy Jerusalem - and His Temple. Stone by stone, the Temple, the Palace, and the walls of Jerusalem were torn completely down. There was no building left standing. The Temple was plundered by the Babylonians, it's treasures used in the service of God were carried off.
Like the people of Judah, we may attend church every week - singing worship songs, bowing our head when someone prays, listening to the pastor, and even giving back to God. However, if we aren't living out in our daily lives, what we proclaim on Sundays, then we are no better than the people of Judah!
Does your life truly reflect what you proclaim to believe on Sunday mornings? Can people see Christ in your daily life? Are you worshipping God with your whole heart - with your whole life? Do you know without a shadow of a doubt that you love the Lord with all of your heart, with all of your mind, and with all of your soul?
The people of Judah became complacent and laxidaxical in their worship. They took God for granted. And if they, His chosen people who witnessed His miracles, took Him for granted, then we can do so just as easily.
If you feel that you've just been going through the motions but you desire more of Him, simply ask. The beauty of our Lord and God is that when we truly seek Him, He is there. Ask Him to renew your love and your devotion to Him. Worship Him wholeheartedly!
Grace and peace, friends!
In His Love, Cathy
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