What is the meaning of Jeremiah 7:21? This is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: • The speaker is the sovereign commander of heaven’s armies, stressing absolute authority (Isaiah 1:2; Jeremiah 11:3). • God’s covenant name (“LORD”) and His historic tie to Israel (“God of Israel”) highlight that He addresses His own people, not pagans; their greater privilege carries greater responsibility (Deuteronomy 7:6–8). • By prefacing with this title, God signals that what follows is not Jeremiah’s opinion but divine verdict—non-negotiable and binding (Jeremiah 25:8). Add your burnt offerings to your other sacrifices • Burnt offerings were normally entirely consumed on the altar for God alone (Leviticus 1:9). Saying “add” them lumps them with lesser fellowship offerings, flattening every sacrifice into the same category—mere meat on a grill. • The command is ironic: if hearts are rebellious, ritual precision is meaningless (1 Samuel 15:22; Hosea 6:6; Micah 6:6-8). • God is declaring, “Your meticulous worship forms cannot cover disobedience. Combine them all you wish; they carry zero weight with Me” (Amos 5:21-22). and eat the meat yourselves! • In effect, God tells them to treat every sacrifice like a common meal. If He will not accept it, they might as well have lunch. • The shock value underlines rejection: offerings intended for divine pleasure are reduced to picnic food (Leviticus 7:15; Deuteronomy 12:27). • The real requirement was never the smoke on the altar but surrendered hearts obeying His voice (Jeremiah 7:22-23; Psalm 51:16-17). When obedience is absent, worship collapses into self-indulgence. summary Jeremiah 7:21 confronts hollow religion. The Almighty tells Israel that without genuine obedience, their most sacred sacrifices are worthless; they could just grill the meat for themselves. God wants surrendered hearts, not empty rituals. |
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