Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit.
Behold, trust placed in deceptive and false assurances cannot bring any real benefit, help, safety, or deliverance. The lying words were the repeated claim that the temple of the Lord was theirs, as if connection with God's house and worship there guaranteed security and deliverance while ways remained unamended. That false security was held while continuing in theft, murder and violence, adultery, false oaths and swearing falsely, idolatry including burning incense to Baal and walking after other unknown gods to their own hurt, then coming to stand in the house called by His name claiming to be delivered to do those abominations, thereby making His house a den of robbers in His sight, which He Himself has seen. Religious security separated from repentance and obedience is rejected, for what is required is thoroughly amending ways and doings, executing just judgment between neighbors, treating others justly without oppressing the stranger, the fatherless and the widow, shedding no innocent blood, rejecting idolatry and not walking after other gods, and obeying His voice, with the promise that only then would He cause His people to dwell in the land given to their fathers for ever and ever; worship did not excuse wrongdoing. The people refused this call, turning backward rather than forward.
The same rebuke falls on men in important positions of trust, including leaders, who prove unfaithful by forgetting the simplicity of the work, ignoring the principles God laid down, and neglecting those principles through selfishness and failure to practice self-denial and self-sacrifice. Their trusting in lying words is relying on their own ideas, human plans and self-directed judgment and walking after the imagination of their own perverted hearts instead of relying with heart and soul upon divine wisdom and power. Such misplaced trust cannot advance God's work.
As a present warning, such workers are called, especially men not walking in the light who hear messages sent to them yet make no response or proudly brace themselves to resist appeals to change their wrong course, to humble their hearts before God with repentance and confession rather than continue to work in their own way. God has a controversy with them and cannot prosper His people and church while such principles rule action.
Behold, trust placed in deceptive and false assurances cannot bring any real benefit, help, safety, or deliverance. The lying words were the repeated claim that the temple of the Lord was theirs, as if connection with God's house and worship there guaranteed security and deliverance while ways remained unamended. That false security was held while continuing in theft, murder and violence, adultery, false oaths and swearing falsely, idolatry including burning incense to Baal and walking after other unknown gods to their own hurt, then coming to stand in the house called by His name claiming to be delivered to do those abominations, thereby making His house a den of robbers in His sight, which He Himself has seen. Religious security separated from repentance and obedience is rejected, for what is required is thoroughly amending ways and doings, executing just judgment between neighbors, treating others justly without oppressing the stranger, the fatherless and the widow, shedding no innocent blood, rejecting idolatry and not walking after other gods, and obeying His voice, with the promise that only then would He cause His people to dwell in the land given to their fathers for ever and ever; worship did not excuse wrongdoing. The people refused this call, turning backward rather than forward.
The same rebuke falls on men in important positions of trust, including leaders, who prove unfaithful by forgetting the simplicity of the work, ignoring the principles God laid down, and neglecting those principles through selfishness and failure to practice self-denial and self-sacrifice. Their trusting in lying words is relying on their own ideas, human plans and self-directed judgment and walking after the imagination of their own perverted hearts instead of relying with heart and soul upon divine wisdom and power. Such misplaced trust cannot advance God's work.
As a present warning, such workers are called, especially men not walking in the light who hear messages sent to them yet make no response or proudly brace themselves to resist appeals to change their wrong course, to humble their hearts before God with repentance and confession rather than continue to work in their own way. God has a controversy with them and cannot prosper His people and church while such principles rule action.