Trusting in the temple

Jeremiah 7: 3-7a
This is what the Lord Almight, the God of Israel, says: Reform your ways and your actions, and I will let you live in this place. Do not trust in deceptive words and say, "This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord!" If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justy.... then I will let you live in this place.

Jeremiah 7:14
Therefore, what I did to Shiloh I will now do to the house that bears my Name, the temple you trust in, the place I gave to you and your fathers.

It is hard to relate to the passages that so emphasize physical destruction of land and property and being thrust out of the land, as in the destruction of Shiloh and the many threats of physical destruction and exile that God makes here. Just like I am not accustomed to seeing the Holy Spirit miraculously heal people in today's world and culture, I am unused to the kind of physical destruction at God's hand that He keeps having Jeremiah announce. My experience with God seems more intangible than this -- more of the spirit/emotions/thoughts/beliefs/attitudes than of the body/church building/dwelling place/animal sacrifice variety. The physical things of my life have been very stable. Unemployment has so far been more of a blip than a destruction, although we are waiting on the Lord right now to see if this will still be true. I have also lived with incredible physical health and safety, not only me but most of my family and friends (not without loss, but always there was time for healing and usually the belief that those I've lost are now with the Lord). My struggles in day-to-day obedience have been all about being Christ-like in relationships, having communication with God regularly in the Word and prayer, and figuring out how to respond in obedience. What was it like for the Israelites each day? The same? Did they have seeming physical security, despite ignoring God for a long time, which led to their lack of response to Jeremiah and God's warnings of destruction? Lord, I hope I am listening to you and that I will obey you.

Jeremiah 7: 22-24
"For when I brought your forefathers out of Egypt and spoke to them, I did not just give them commands about burnt offerings and sacrifices, but I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in all the ways I command you, that it may go well with you. But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts. They went backward and not forward."

I relate to that last sentence. I have slipped subtly and silently backward for a number of years and, Lord, I do not want to keep on slipping. I want to obey you, as you command.