Jeremiah 26:4
And thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD; If ye will not hearken to me, to walk in my law, which I have set before you, And thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD; If ye will not hearken to me, to walk in my law, which I have set before you,
The warning was spoken to Judah after Josiah had fallen in battle and could no longer intercede for them, when the sins of the nation had left the time for intercession all but past. Even then it stood as an invitation of mercy and part of an effort to give His people another chance to repent and turn from evil before judgment fell. If they would not hearken and walk in and live by the law set before them, judgment would fall and they would face the punishment they deserved.
The hearkening required included hearkening to the words of His prophets and appointed messengers sent early and repeatedly, and disregarding their correction would not avert judgment. The threatened outcome for such refusal was that the temple would be made like Shiloh, even destroyed, and the city would be made a curse among all the nations of the earth. Shiloh recalled Israel's defeat by the Philistines, the capture of the ark, and the deaths of Eli, his sons, and many Israelites. The judgments so threatened were those that had already fallen on the northern kingdom of Israel more than a century before.
Reverence for God's law or observance of religious services cannot protect people who refuse to repent and obey. Those who profess to keep God's law must turn from iniquity and accept reproof, and neglecting repentance and obedience brings serious consequences. Eli's failure to restrain his sons shows that treating sin lightly can bring calamity, so those responsible for the church must faithfully remove wrongs that dishonor its cause.