In the days of Samuel, Israel thought that the presence of the ark containing the commandments of God would gain them the victory over the Philistines, whether or not they repented of their wicked works. Just so, in Jeremiah’s time, the Jews believed that the strict observance of the divinely appointed services of the temple would preserve them from the just punishment of their evil course. {4T 166.3}

I Samuels dage, mente Israel, at tilstedeværelsen af arken med Guds lovbud, ville give dem sejr over Filistrene, uanset om de angrede deres onde gerninger eller ej. I Jeremias' tid troede Jøderne at nøje overholdelse af den gudsbestemte tempeltjeneste ville beskytte dem fra straffen for deres onde opførsel.