Turning to Superstition

Do not trust in deceptive words and say, “This is the temple of the LORD , the temple of the LORD , the temple of the LORD !” Jer 7:4
   
Consider:
   
We have been looking at the folly of sin as we see it so clearly expressed in human beings.  Our verse today again comes from a prophecy that the Lord gave through Jeremiah.  There is almost a sense of modern day humour in the way it is presented. Jeremiah had been told by the Lord (v.2) to stand at the gate of the temple in Jerusalem and speak this word to the religious people who were coming there.  There was coming a double call to repentance (v.3,5) because of their sins, but here, between the calls, is a warning not to trust in deceiving words.
   
What were the people doing? Living in sin, but trusting in superstition!  Why superstition?   What does superstition mean?   A dictionary defines it as “a widely held but unjustified belief in the effects or nature of a thing.” 
   
What form did this superstition come in?  They believed that simply because the temple was there, if they went to it for ‘services’, it would be all right and it wouldn’t matter what else they did in the rest of their lives.   Wrong!  
     
Some people “go to church” out of superstition.    Some people bow down before idols out of superstition. Other people cause pain to themselves out of superstition. Others go to holy war out of superstition.
     
Remember what superstition is?  It is a widely held but unjustified belief.  There is a form of religion that says, IF I do this THEN God will have to do that.  That is superstition.   God will not be manipulated.   It’s actually a form of magic based upon fear.   It’s the sort of thing that was at the heart of pagan worship rites, sacrificing something to the gods to get them on their side (very different from the Mosaic sacrificial system that prefaced the work of Jesus Christ).   It says, If we are nice to the gods then they will be nice to us – perhaps!
    
Perhaps if you have never really understood the things that are being, and will be, covered by these Lent meditations, you have never known the security of God’s love as revealed through the work of Jesus Christ on the Cross at Calvary.  Perhaps you have so far relied upon methods of ‘appeasing’ God.  It’s a common enough thing. 
    
So many people start from the premise that somehow they have to get God ‘on their side’. Joshua did this (Josh 5:13) and was basically told, “God doesn’t take sides, He’s God!  He rules!”  Because we are tainted by Sin, our thinking has been warped and we expect God to be harsh against us, so we try to appease Him.  Instead, quite to the contrary, He has come to save us, bless us and make us His children!
    
Prayer:
   
Lord please help me to stop trying to manipulate you, help me stop trying to impress you with my good works, my prayers or whatever.  I come to you with empty hands, acknowledging my need and I put my trust in your mercy and your grace, and trust you to do what you have said you will do – save me.