Jeremiah 7
“‘Hear the word of the LORD, all you people of Judah who come through these gates to worship the LORD. This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Reform your ways and your actions, and I will let you live in this place. 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!” If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly, if you do not oppress the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm, then I will let you live in this place, in the land I gave your ancestors for ever and ever. But look, you are trusting in deceptive words that are worthless. (v1-8 NIV)
Jeremiah was sent as a messenger to warn the people, just as Isaiah was. The joy spoken of in both books was very much about joy that was lost because the people did not obey God.
For many Christians, this is what is happening. True joy just isn’t there. Sometimes that is because times are hard and you are struggling just to stay afloat. You lean on God, you trust Him and you rely on Him. For you Joy will come, even if only for brief moments during your struggle.
But what about those who behave like the people of Jeremiah? These people went out and did not follow God’s commands. They saw foreigners as something to despise, ill treat and take advantage of. They saw the orphan and the widow as people to take advantage of or ignore rather than people to care for as God had commanded. They killed the innocent because it was expedient. They allowed people to die because they did not step in to support them when they needed food or shelter. They worshipped money, position, possessions. You name it they pursued it. They even hedged their bets by following other gods. They listened to the lies of the Pharisees and did not follow God’s commands.
So they were no different to us.
We all fall short of God’s commands. But here God’s focus is on His love and concern for all people. Social Justice. It was here that the people were failing the most.
So we are not that different to them.
When we fail to live as God commanded, we struggle to find God. If we struggle to find Him, then we struggle to find His Joy.
It is that simple.
This is a call to all of us to care about the foreigner, the asylum seeker, the child growing up in poverty, the single parent struggling to make ends meet and provide food for their children, the innocent who need our help, the homeless who need food and shelter.
If we do not care for those God has asked us to care for, how can we expect to experience God’s joy?