The Vanity of Outward Religion.[2] 

        An immediate result of Jehoiakim’s accession was the rapid re-introduction of the evil practices that Josiah had cleared away. We find fewer mentions of idolatry than earlier in 2:1-4:4, for God made it clear to Jeremiah that the re-intro­duction of idolatry was the beginning of a no-longer-post-ponable end (7:16-20) so there was little point in rebuking it. This thought that the renewed idolatry had put them beyond the power of intercessory prayer is repeated in 11:9-14 and 14:10-12 (cf. also in a slightly different context 15:1).

        Even worse for Jeremiah was the re-introduction into Jehovah worship of the abominations of heathenism. 7:31 makes it clear that the children were offered to Jehovah (“…which I commanded not, neither came it into my mind”) cf. also 19:3-9. In 8:7 Jeremiah uses a remarkable picture from nature to illustrate the unnatural conduct of Judah; it reminds us of Isaiah 1:3, but is stronger.

        It would seem, however, that in these early years of Jehoia­kim’s reign, Jeremiah’s main concern was with the subtly false rather than the grossly false in religion. No prophet goes further in his rejection of all outward religion, but, in order to obtain a balanced interpretation we must not forget that Jeremiah knew for certain that the temple and all its cere­monial were doomed to destruction in a few years’ time.

        His most striking utterance on sacrifices is in 7:21-26. He begins by mockingly calling on his hearers to break the funda­mental laws of sacrifice (ver. 21). The “sacrifices” are the peace offerings, which were in large measure eaten by the worshippers; Jeremiah tells them to treat the burnt-offerings, wnere not even the sacrificing priest had a share (Lev. 1; 6:8-11). in exactly the same way — Jehovah did not care. He had not put details of sacrifices first when He made known His will after the exodus. In the fundamental covenant (Exod. 20-23) the Decalogue takes pride of place, and details of sacrificial ritual have only a few passing references, mainly the prohibition of certain Canaanite practices.

        In older critical works, this verse is used as a proof that the Priestly Code is post-exilic, but since the Ras Shamra excavations the argument has been dropped. The English “concerning burnt-offerings” is too weak; the Hebrew should be translated “concerning details of...,” cf. A.V. nig.

        The same thought is taken up in 11:1-8. The popular concept was that the fundamental part of the covenant was sacrifice. Jeremiah insists that it is obedience (cf. ISam. 15:22).

        In 14:12 the formal fast is rejected and in 9:25f the physical fact of circumcision. This passage points to the little-known fact that circumcision was not confined to Israel, or even to descendants of Abraham (For details see article Circumcision in HDB and ISBE. The excav­ations at Ras Shamra have shown that it was also a Canaanite custom-was the Philistine who in and near Palestine was uncircumcised). The R.V. should be con­sulted here. “Circumcised in their uncircumcision” (R.V). means there is no circumcised heart to match the circumcised body.

        Jeremiah goes further still. In 3:16 (probably from the reign of Zedekiah) he says that the vanished Ark will neither be missed nor made again (R.V. mg.), because that which it symbolized, the Throne of Jehovah (ver. 17), will have become a reality in Jerusalem. He thus enunciates the principle that all outward helps to religion have purely a symbolic, not an objective, value.

        Even the written Scriptures come under his condemnation (8:8f, see R.V.). The scribes and the wise men were rejecting the prophetic message (“the word of Jehovah” ver. 9) by appealing to the written Law of the Lord. But wherever blind or perverse interpretation of Scripture makes the reader insensible to the Word of the Lord, then the Scriptures have become a falsehood. They need the inner power of the Spirit for their right use as much as any other physical aspect of religion, otherwise they will only lead astray.

        That Jeremiah was not objecting to the externals of re­ligion as such may be seen by his commendation of Sabbath observance (as a proof of obedience!) in 17:19-27, and his clear emphasis that there would be sacrifices after the res­toration (17:26; 31:14; 33:18).