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incense and sweet cane

Jeremiah 6:16-21 (JDV)

Jeremiah 6:16 This is what Yahveh says: Stand by the crossroads and look. Ask about the path of long ago, “Which is the way to the good path?” Then take it and find rest for yourselves. But they protested, “We won’t!”

Jeremiah 6:17 I appointed watchmen over you and said, “Listen to the sound of the ram’s horn.” But they protested, “We won’t listen!”

Jeremiah 6:18 Therefore listen, you nations and you witnesses, learn what the charge is against them.

Jeremiah 6:19 Listen, land! Notice I am about to bring disaster on these people, the fruit of their own plotting, because they have paid no attention to my word. They have rejected my instruction.

Jeremiah 6:20 What purpose to me is frankincense from Sheba or sweet cane from a distant land? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable; your sacrifices do not please me.

Jeremiah 6:21 Therefore, this is what Yahveh says: Notice, I am going to place stumbling blocks before these people; fathers and sons together will stumble over them; friends and neighbors will also be destroyed.

incense and sweet cane

Jeremiah’s people thought that they could ignore what God had told them to do as long as they kept up the sacrifice rituals, and spent a little on high quality supplies for the temple. But those items of worship are useless if you have broken covenant with the one you claim to worship.

Even today, people try to buy off the God they have otherwise ignored. It does not work out any better today than it did then.

Seek the Lord while he is offering himself to be found. There will come a day when you might want to follow his path, and there will be nothing but stumbling blocks in your way.

Lord, forgive us for all those times we have refused to listen. We want to follow your path – the good path.