What is the meaning of Jeremiah 7:27? When you tell them all these things, they will not listen to you “ ‘When you speak all these words to them, they will not listen to you…’ ” (Jeremiah 7:27) • God commands Jeremiah to proclaim the temple sermon (Jeremiah 7:1-15) even though Judah has already hardened its heart. Like 2 Chronicles 36:15-16, this shows a pattern: the LORD keeps sending messengers, yet His people “mocked His prophets.” • The refusal is not intellectual but moral. Jeremiah 6:10 says their ears are “uncircumcised,” echoing Exodus 32:9 and Deuteronomy 31:27 where Israel is called “stiff-necked.” • God’s foreknowledge does not cancel Jeremiah’s duty; it highlights it. Ezekiel 2:5 speaks of a “rebellious house,” yet the prophet must speak “whether they listen or refuse.” Faithfulness in ministry is measured by obedience, not by results (1 Corinthians 4:2). • The statement exposes Judah’s false security in outward religion. They think the temple guarantees safety (Jeremiah 7:4), but ignoring God’s word voids that assurance—just as Jesus later warns in Matthew 7:24-27. • The hardness of the audience underlines the coming judgment: captivity is not capricious; it is the just consequence of sustained deafness to divine truth (Jeremiah 25:3-11). When you call to them, they will not answer “…When you call to them, they will not answer.” (Jeremiah 7:27) • “Call” personalizes the prophetic appeal—more than information, it is an invitation to relationship. Isaiah 55:6-7 embodies this open call: “Seek the LORD while He may be found.” • Their silence is deliberate. Jeremiah 11:8 says, “They did not obey or incline their ear.” Rejection is so entrenched that even direct confrontation elicits no response, paralleling Zechariah 7:11-13 where they “stopped their ears” and “made their hearts like flint.” • The principle is reciprocal. Because they refuse to answer God, the time will come when He will refuse to answer them (Proverbs 1:24-28; Micah 3:4). Jeremiah 11:11 affirms, “though they cry out to Me, I will not listen.” • This silence foreshadows covenant curses in Deuteronomy 28:23-24, where heaven becomes brass. Persistent unbelief turns dialogue into monologue; eventually, even that monologue ceases (Amos 8:11-12). • Yet the call itself shows God’s mercy: He warns before He judges (2 Peter 3:9). Jeremiah’s tears (Jeremiah 9:1) mirror the heart of God who “takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked” (Ezekiel 33:11). summary Jeremiah 7:27 reveals the tragic climax of Judah’s rebellion: God knows His message will be ignored, yet He still sends it, proving both His justice and His mercy. The verse teaches that: • Persistent deafness to God’s word is a moral choice that invites judgment. • God values the faithfulness of His servants over the visible success of their ministry. • Refusing to answer God today risks a future in which God no longer answers us. The passage urges every generation to keep tender ears and responsive hearts, lest we repeat Judah’s fatal silence. |
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