Jeremiah 7:16  "As for you, do not pray for this people, and do not lift up cry or prayer for them, and do not intercede with Me; for I do not hear you."   This must have brought Jeremiah to tears.. a command to not pray for those he loved, in spite of their stubborn rebellion.  It would bring me to tears if God told me to no longer pray for unsaved loved ones..  But, these people had gone too far.. 

"Do you not see what they are doing... The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead dough to make cakes for the queen of heaven; and they pour out libations to other gods in order to spite Me.  'Do they spite Me?' declares the Lord. 'Is it not themselves they spite, to their own shame?'"   Not only that but "they set their detestable things in the house which is called by My name, to defile it. And they have built the high places of Topheth, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, which I did not command, and it did not come into MY mind." (v17-19; 30-31) 

The people of Judah were counting on their sacrifices to false gods.. and for good measure they brought in the burnt offerings to the Temple.  God reminds them that His very first and most important commandment was not about sacrifices, but, "Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you will be My people; and you will walk in all the way which I command you, that it may be well with you." (v23)

They broke this first command by walking in their own ways, with "stubbornness of their evil heart".  They went "backward and not forward".  They would not listen to God's prophets. They would not listen to God at all.. "but stiffened their neck" and did even more evil.  "This is a nation that did not obey the voice of the Lord their God or accept correction; truth has perished and has been cut off from their mouth." (v28)

God would cause their valley of Hinnom, right outside Jerusalem,  to become the "Valley of Slaughter".  This place is also called Gehenna.  A place of judgement.  A place likened to Hell.  Where dead bodies would become food for the birds and the beasts because there would be too many to bury. 

God would also "make to cease from the cities of Judah and from the streets of Jerusalem the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and voice of the bride; for the land will become a ruin."

There is an awful price that one must pay when they ignore or reject the Lord. Stubborn hearts insist on living their own way and doing their own form of "religion".  But there is only One True God and One way that is right.. and we must choose to surrender to His will and ways.. to obey His Word.. to believe in His Son... 

Father in heaven, we hallow Your Name.. for You are God alone. You are righteous and holy. You are Sovereign and a consuming fire.  We yield to Your Rule and reign.  We surrender our own ways and turn to Jesus.. to follow Him as He leads us in Your paths and makes straight our ways.  Fill us with Your Spirit that our hearts will be sanctified and blameless before You.. Change stubborn hearts and bring repentance to those who are moving the wrong direction.. deliver them from evil, we pray.  In Jesus' name. Amen!