Jeremiah's message is jarring: God seems to dismiss the very sacrifices He commanded. What does this reveal about His expectations for us?
Jeremiah 7:21 throws a theological curveball. The Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, tells His people to 'Add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices, and eat the flesh.' This isn't a cancellation of the sacrificial system. Instead, it's a powerful indictment of how the people were using it.
The Problem with Their Worship
- Ritual Without Heart: The Jews were meticulously performing sacrifices, but their hearts were far from God. They were going through the motions, likely for show or to ease their consciences, while continuing in disobedience and sin.
- Sacrifices for Self: The commentary notes that while burnt offerings were consumed by fire, other sacrifices allowed for the offerer to eat. God's sarcastic command to 'eat the flesh' highlights this: they were treating worship as an opportunity for feasting rather than as a genuine act of devotion.
- The Core Command: As the passage clarifies, God's primary command from the Exodus was not about the specifics of sacrifice, but about obedience. He wanted them to 'Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people' (Jeremiah 7:23).
When outward acts of worship are divorced from an inner commitment to obey God, they become empty, even offensive, to Him.
