The seventh chapter of Jeremiah begins with this: "The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: 'Stand in the gate of the LORD's house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the LORD, all you men of Judah who enter these gates to worship the LORD. Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Amend your ways and your deeds, and I will let you dwell in this place. Do not trust in these deceptive words: 'This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD'."
The point of Jeremiah's words above was that Israel's reasoning was that...."the Lord would never bring calamity on His own temple"....this as John MacArthur phrases it in his study bible. We in the church today are reasoning in the same way that Judah and Jerusalem did....for we think that God would never bring calamity to us....but read through Jeremiah....(we in America should be in that book often anyway).....and see how God's own people could so deceive themselves.
Chapter 9 verses 23, 24 tells us this...."Thus says the LORD: 'Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches. But let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight,' declares the LORD."
And we might keep close Paul's words from 2 Corinthians 2: 17, 18 ...."Let the one who boasts, boasts in the LORD. For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends."
