Why does the lord ask them if they will stand in his house and say, “'We are delivered!’ – only to go on doing all these abominations”?

 The words of Jeremiah 7:8–10 carry a similar message to Jeremiah 7:5–7, however, whereas Jeremiah 7:5–7 are more conditional and suggest a call to change, Jeremiah 7:8–10 are more condemning and expose deep hypocrisy in the nation. Behold, you trust in deceptive words. The people are deceived. There follows a list of more sins to be added to the charges of Jeremiah 7:5–6. The people steal, murder, commit adultery and swear falsely. Clearly, the people are breaking the commandments given at Sinai as part of the covenant.¹

 Again, the source of this failure is because they make offerings to Baal and go after other gods that you have not known. Gods that they have not known could mean gods that in former times had not been acceptable to Israel, although idolatry was always a problem for the nation. The Hebrew verb yada to know speaks of deep intimate relationship. That is the exclusive relationship the Lord had entered into with his people, and they could never find that kind of relationship with other gods, but that did not stop them from trying.²

 Despite this blatant unfaithfulness towards the Lord the people still come and stand before the Lord in the temple, which is called by my name and say, We are delivered! It is an act of supreme hypocrisy. The simple act of coming to the temple signified a willingness to submit to the Lord’s rule over them as their covenant God. But they did it without any hint of faithfulness to him in both their worship and their daily lives. They lay claim to the Lord’s protection only to go on doing all these abominations.³ The lie they believe is that the mere presence of the temple and their going to the temple to offer empty worship will guarantee their safety as a nation despite their covenant unfaithfulness. But believing the lie will be to no avail. They will not experience the Lord’s protection, but rather his judgment.