Read Jeremiah 10
God and Idols
10 Hear what the Lord says to you, people of Israel. 2 This is what the Lord says:
“Do not learn the ways of the nations
or be terrified by signs in the heavens,
though the nations are terrified by them.
3 For the practices of the peoples are worthless;
they cut a tree out of the forest,
and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel.
4 They adorn it with silver and gold;
they fasten it with hammer and nails
so it will not totter.
5 Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field,
their idols cannot speak;
they must be carried
because they cannot walk.
Do not fear them;
they can do no harm
nor can they do any good.”
6 No one is like you, Lord;
you are great,
and your name is mighty in power.
7 Who should not fear you,
King of the nations?
This is your due.
Among all the wise leaders of the nations
and in all their kingdoms,
there is no one like you.
8 They are all senseless and foolish;
they are taught by worthless wooden idols.
9 Hammered silver is brought from Tarshish
and gold from Uphaz.
What the craftsman and goldsmith have made
is then dressed in blue and purple—
all made by skilled workers.
10 But the Lord is the true God;
he is the living God, the eternal King.
When he is angry, the earth trembles;
the nations cannot endure his wrath.
11 “Tell them this: ‘These gods, who did not make the heavens and the earth, will perish from the earth and from under the heavens.’”
12 But God made the earth by his power;
he founded the world by his wisdom
and stretched out the heavens by his understanding.
13 When he thunders, the waters in the heavens roar;
he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth.
He sends lightning with the rain
and brings out the wind from his storehouses.
14 Everyone is senseless and without knowledge;
every goldsmith is shamed by his idols.
The images he makes are a fraud;
they have no breath in them.
15 They are worthless, the objects of mockery;
when their judgment comes, they will perish.
16 He who is the Portion of Jacob is not like these,
for he is the Maker of all things,
including Israel, the people of his inheritance—
the Lord Almighty is his name.
Coming Destruction
17 Gather up your belongings to leave the land,
you who live under siege.
18 For this is what the Lord says:
“At this time I will hurl out
those who live in this land;
I will bring distress on them
so that they may be captured.”
19 Woe to me because of my injury!
My wound is incurable!
Yet I said to myself,
“This is my sickness, and I must endure it.”
20 My tent is destroyed;
all its ropes are snapped.
My children are gone from me and are no more;
no one is left now to pitch my tent
or to set up my shelter.
21 The shepherds are senseless
and do not inquire of the Lord;
so they do not prosper
and all their flock is scattered.
22 Listen! The report is coming—
a great commotion from the land of the north!
It will make the towns of Judah desolate,
a haunt of jackals.
Jeremiah’s Prayer
23 Lord, I know that people’s lives are not their own;
it is not for them to direct their steps.
24 Discipline me, Lord, but only in due measure—
not in your anger,
or you will reduce me to nothing.
25 Pour out your wrath on the nations
that do not acknowledge you,
on the peoples who do not call on your name.
For they have devoured Jacob;
they have devoured him completely
and destroyed his homeland.
Go Deeper
We have all heard the phrase “when in Rome, do as the Romans do”. The people of Judah sure took that to heart. The people had been warned by God not to follow the practices of those around them, but they just could not resist.
The beginning of this chapter tells how the people of Judah had begun to practice worshiping man made idols. These idols were made of wood and adorned with gold and silver. But through the prophet Jeremiah, God tells His people these idols will fade away. Nothing good will come from devotion to something that is made by man. This can seem really foreign to some in today’s world, but remember an idol is simply something we put as a higher priority than God.
Paul reminds us in Romans 12:2 “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind”. As we can see, idol worship is nothing new, but in today’s world it is very important that we are transformed daily. If we choose to follow the patterns of this world, then we will ultimately end up with the consequences of this world. Those consequences often lead us down a path that goes away from God and not toward our loving Father.
The good news is that by the end of Jeremiah 10, God again shows us the path that leads straight to Himself. Jeremiah begins a prayer in verses 23-25. In this prayer we see Jeremiah ask for 2 things. First he asks God to direct, and secondly he asks God to correct. Jeremiah is bold in this difficult prayer. Proverbs 3:5-6 reminds us to trust in the Lord and He will direct our paths. Yes, even if we are on the wrong path, once we Trust God he will direct us straight back to Himself. The second part of the prayer might be the most difficult because Jeremiah asks God for correction. We know that God only corrects those that he loves (Hebrews 12:5-6), but asking for that correction is very difficult.
Questions
- Are there things in your life that you are putting before God?
- How is God currently directing your life?
- What area of your life needs to be “transformed by the renewing of your mind?”
A Quote
“If my ruling disposition is self-interest, I perceive that everything that happens to me is always for or against my self-interest; if, on the other hand, my ruling disposition is obedience to God, I perceive Him to be at work for my perfecting in everything that happens to me.”
Oswald Chambers
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7 thoughts on “Jeremiah 10”
These moments for Jeremiah must have been torturous. Knowing that all “hell” is about to break loose over people he loves and tells them about it but they do not listen. BUT GOD gives him comfort in knowing that he, Jeremiah, is being obedient. Can I be steady and obedient in what He has called me to do? Get rid of idols, things that suck time away from pray, or doing the work of God. I gave up facebook for lent but I have decided to just delete it all together. I looked at it yesterday to respond to birthday wishes and told all my people goodbye. Just going on for that took me an hour of time that was not productive for me. I am not saying it could not be used as a good tool. I shared many times about HC but it is not beneficial for me at this time.
Psalm 136 1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords :His love endures forever.
4 to him who alone does great wonders, His love endures forever.
5 who by his understanding made the heavens, His love endures forever
And there are 11 more verses BUT GOD even when we do what He said not to do, His Grace, His Mercy, His love endures forever!!!!!!
God thank You for You being the God of Grace. Thank You for Your love that endures forever!!!!! In Exodus 6 God You proclaim that You are “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet You do not leave the guilty unpunished. God thank You for being slow to anger. God show me where my idols are. Guide me in Your truth and light to be all that You desire for me today in these minutes, for such a time as this, to Glorify You in all I say and do in Jesus name amen
WOOHOO!!!!!!
I always look forward to reading the comments by you Ella. You have been a huge contribution to my devotional growth too. Thank you for sharing.
In Christ,
Kay from Wisconsin 🙂
Kay, may you continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ as you intentionally pursue him. Blessings from Texas!
The word I adopted for 2024 is “transformation” paired with Romans 12:2, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind”. Bit by bit God has revealed what needs transforming, and as I’ve cooperated with the process much peace has come. It’s things I’ve needed to lay down and step away from to find my greatest delight in him. It’s opening my clenched fists and living openhanded to receive a better way to live that truly honors him. While some things may have seemed minor others are causing a major shift like stepping away from my teaching career. I’ve felt his sweet presence much like Psalm 91:4 describes, “He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.” I can say with Jeremiah that my life is not my own and God is far better at directing my path than I am.
You are absolutely correct, I did not know you had stopped teaching …that had to be a huge step for you.
Prayers God had made the path for the next steps in life for you and your family….Amen
Such an inspiring comment. “Transformation” is a great word for this year! Unclenched fist and open hands is how to approach each day! I’ll retire after teaching 34 years and it’s bittersweet but I know God has a plan. Psalm 91:4 is a sweet verse to lean on:)
I’ve been convicted that I have many ‘idols’ as such!
Even if doing a good thing becomes bigger than God in my life…it turns into an idol seemingly quite easily! Oh, the importance of prayer and renewing the mind and not being conformed to the world…only then can my ‘being’ In Him and acknowledging him in all my steps…bring the life I’m meant to live and be satisfied by! 🙏