Jeremiah 6:20 says that God does not want offerings that come from a people who have stopped listening to him. The expensive incense and sweet cane that Judah brings to the temple cannot make up for hearts that have turned away from his law. The words are spoken by God himself, through the prophet Jeremiah, to the people of Judah in the years before Jerusalem fell to Babylon.
To what purpose does frankincense from Sheba come to me, and the sweet cane from a far country? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable, and your sacrifices are not pleasing to me.”
Jeremiah 6:20 (WEB)
What Jeremiah 6:20 Means
God begins with a question that has an obvious answer. Frankincense and sweet cane were costly spices, the kind imported from distant lands like Sheba in southern Arabia. Bringing them to the temple looked generous and devout. God asks what purpose they serve, because the spices themselves cannot please him if the one bringing them is ignoring what he has said.
The second half of the verse is more direct. Burnt offerings and sacrifices were central to Israel’s worship, commanded in the Law of Moses. Here God says they are not acceptable. The problem is not the ritual but the condition of the people performing it. The verse does not say God will never accept worship again, and it does not teach that sacrifice itself was worthless. It warns that religious action cut off from obedience and trust is hollow.
The Context of Jeremiah 6:20
The book of Jeremiah is traditionally attributed to the prophet Jeremiah, who ministered in Jerusalem roughly from 627 to 586 BC. His message was addressed to the kingdom of Judah, a people who kept the temple running and offered sacrifices while their leaders made alliances, their courts were corrupt, and they dismissed warnings from God. Chapter 6 describes an approaching enemy from the north and God’s judgment on a nation that would not hear.
The verses just before and after show what is at stake. In verse 17 God says he set watchmen over the people to sound the alarm, but they refused to listen. In verse 21 God declares that he will lay stumbling blocks before them, and in verse 22 he announces a coming invasion. Verse 20 sits in the middle of this warning, so it reads as a rebuke of people who kept up the outward forms of worship while ignoring the call to repent.
Key Phrases in Jeremiah 6:20
Micah 6:8
He has shown you, O man, what is good. What does the LORD require of you, but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?
(WEB)
Micah summarizes what God actually requires: justice, mercy, and humble walking with him. Read alongside Jeremiah 6:20, it shows that God’s concern is with the character of the worshipper, not only with the quality of the offering.
Psalm 51:17
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit. A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
(WEB)
David declares that God does not despise a broken and contrite heart. This verse complements Jeremiah 6:20 by showing what kind of offering God does welcome: a humble heart that has turned back to him in repentance.
A Short Prayer From Jeremiah 6:20
Lord, you see what is really happening in my heart, even when my actions look religious from the outside. Search me and show me any place where I have kept up the appearance of devotion while holding back obedience. Help me to listen to your word and to let it change how I live, not just how I speak about you. Let my worship be an honest response to your grace, offered from a heart that is turned toward you. Amen.
