They thought they were worshipping deities, but their actions were a direct war against the Almighty. And the ultimate victim was themselves.
Jeremiah 7:18-19 powerfully shifts the focus from the supposed 'gods' the people served to the actual God they were defying. Their actions had a devastating dual consequence: provoking God and ensuring their own destruction.
The Insult to God's Sovereignty
'That they may provoke me to anger,' God declares. This wasn't a passive offense; it was an active attempt to incite God's wrath. The worship of other gods, the pouring out of libations, the baking of cakes for the 'Queen of Heaven' – these were all acts of rebellion intended to insult and challenge God's authority and jealousy for His people.
Self-Inflicted Wounds
However, the commentary points out a crucial theological truth: God's question, 'Do they not provoke themselves to the confusion of their own faces?' reveals that their rebellion ultimately harmed them, not God. God is not diminished by their sin. Their actions, driven by misguided devotion and ignorance, led only to their own shame, confusion, and inevitable judgment. They were fighting a war they could not win, against a God they could not truly know through their idolatry.
