Jeremiah 7:13
And now, because ye have done all these works, saith the LORD, and I spake unto you, rising up early and speaking, but ye heard not; and I called you, but ye answered not; And now, because ye have done all these works, saith the LORD, and I spake unto you, rising up early and speaking, but ye heard not; and I called you, but ye answered not;
God spoke to His people repeatedly and earnestly, rising up early to speak and to call them, but they refused to listen to Him or to answer Him. That persistent speaking and calling was met with persistent refusal to hear, see, and accept the light He sent. Their refusal to hear and answer went together with doing wicked works and continuing in wickedness.
Outward observance of the temple services would not shield Judah from punishment while sin was allowed to flourish unchecked. The people were repeating Israel's false confidence in the ark, which had not saved Israel from defeat by the Philistines, and likewise the temple could not protect Judah from judgment. Because of their wrongdoing and rejection of the light He sent, God would act in judgment against the people and the temple and house in which they trusted, as He had done to Shiloh, and cast them from His sight.
The verse illustrates the Jewish people's rejection of God's invitation, though the truth was still to be presented to them so that they could respond. The verse warns that God will fulfill His word against those who persist in refusing to hear, see, and accept the light He sends. The verse applies to unfaithful leaders and men in positions of trust who ignored God's principles and relied on their own wisdom, judgment, and power rather than divine wisdom and power.
Those unfaithful leaders followed the desires of their own hearts. Those men in trust forgot the simplicity of the work, neglected self-denial and self-sacrifice, and acted selfishly. The verse charges God's own professed people with the idolatry of selfish indulgence that absorbs money and thought and encourages selfishness, such as striving for mastery and contending over who should be greatest in bicycle racing and games, which offends God while souls near and far perish for lack of the bread of life and water of salvation. God has faithfully warned His people and called them to unselfish service in giving the last solemn warning to human beings standing on the very verge of the eternal world, and their works contradict their profession and give no evidence of genuine faith when they carry no burden for the advancement of God's work.