Not Impressed

Jeremiah 7:3 “Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place.”

Have you ever tried to impress someone who just would not be impressed? No matter what you could do, the person has done it, seen it, or could do one better. That pales in comparison to our inability to impress God Almighty. You cannot impress God by what you do, like you can people.

God instructs Jeremiah to “stand in the gate of the LORD’s house, and proclaim there this word, and say. . . .” (verse 2) Jeremiah was to speak to people who were God’s chosen people, going to a good place to do a good thing (worship). But the message for the people was clear: “Amend [change] your ways and your doings.” In other words, Jeremiah was saying, “Don’t fool yourself. God cannot be impressed like a man.”

Lest they think they were exempt, God reminds them to “see what I did for the wickedness of my people Israel [at Shiloh].” He was not impressed at Shiloh, and He was not impressed presently. Without our heart, God is not impressed by what do. What we do will not substitute for what we are.

Just like in the third chapter, God calls in verse 3 for the people to “return.” If you want a good definition of backsliding, verse 24 says, “And went backward, and not forward.” It is not just about where you are-it is about where you are heading.

We learn from this passage in Jeremiah that God is not impressed by performance. You may work with buses at church, but what you do on Sunday is no alibi for living wickedly on Monday. God is not impressed by your performance-He wants your heart.

We also learn that God is not impressed by pedigree. By pedigree, I mean your family heritage, your church, or your college. I happen to have several preachers in my family, but my kids aren’t impressed by the number of preachers-they are concerned about the preacher they live with! The truth is, a great family heritage is just one generation away from complete reprobates. Being a member of a good, Bible-preaching church does not gain you privileged status with God, either. Thank God for your college, too, but none of the parts of your “pedigree” impress God one bit!

Finally, God is not impressed by position. You cannot buy your rank in God’s family. He is not impressed or bargained down by a position that you hold-God wants your heart. Before becoming President of the United States, a young Teddy Roosevelt found his family in the midst of anxiety and trouble. During the Civil War, his family sat divided-his mother a Georgian; his father a New Yorker. The story is told of how it was possible to buy your place in the Federal Army. That is exactly what his father did. He put up the money, and someone took his place in the army. But it is not so with God-you can’t buy your place in God’s family.