Jeremiah 10 Devotional
by Pastor Lawrence

Every now and then the Old Testament prophets seek to unveil the mystery and moronic nature of idolatry in Gentile culture.  From the very birth of Israel, God had warned them to stay away from all forms of idolatry, and yet, here again, the Lord is warning them through the prophet Jeremiah about not being conformed to the ways of the nations around them by following in their same vain customs of bowing down to idols and looking up to the sky to ascertain answers from god through the stars.

In a similar passage in Isaiah 44:9-20, the prophet points out the ludicrousness of felling a tree in the forest to use as a heat source, then as a means of cooking your daily bread, and then finally, from the rest of the material, shaping an idol and falling down before it in worship.

Here, in our text this morning, Jeremiah too is reminding God’s people of the idiocy of idol worship by reminding them of the process of how idols came to be.

It’s sort of like going behind the scenes at a fast food restaurant and observing how the food actually comes to the table.  I watched a documentary recently on the chicken sandwich—I know, exciting right? It was actually very fascinating, though, but also very disturbing to see all the hormones that they pump into thousands of little chicks to make them grow five times faster than normal.  This causes many of them to grow so quickly that their feathers can’t catch up with their bodies’ length making them look pretty pitiful until the day of slaughter, that is, if they don’t die of a heart attack first.  Then, afterward, you see the finished product, and of course, it looks much, much better, but do you still want to eat it?

In this prophecy, Jeremiah explains how some lumberjacks chop down a tree with their axes to provide the raw material for craftsmen then to shape a block of wood into the form of a beast or a bird, probably not as fast as those men who do it with chainsaws at the fairgrounds but in a similar manner.   Then that product is sent to the silversmiths or to the goldsmiths to be overlain with precious metal, and then to the clothiers to be suited with violet and purple clothing before finally being nailed to some pedestal or foundation.  The end product looks rather amazing.  These idols were often very beautiful in appearance for only the best artists and craftsmen were used in those days.  They would also be placed in a darkened room with candles lit all around them to give them an otherworldly appearance, surrounded by eccentric priests who would usher you into their presence with reverence and solemnity.

But Jeremiah turns on the lights for us and shows us the foolishness not only of the idols themselves but also of the men who have joined together in creating such a delusion.  The prophet says that the idols are like mere scarecrows in a field.  They may scare away a few birds and some timid souls, but they have no power to move even a single creature.  They cannot even move themselves for they are nailed down to a pedestal like some antique figurine.  These so-called gods can’t talk; they can’t walk; they even have to be carried like an invalid.  They are merely worthless creations concocted by the imaginations of men. Seen in this light, idolatry is both stupid and foolish.  And in the same manner, Jeremiah says, that every man who makes these idols as well as those who worship them also are stupid and foolish.

Then, in contrast, Jeremiah shines the light on the Lord, the God of Israel, and the king of all the nations of the world.  There is nothing and no one like him.  He is the one true God, the living God, the everlasting king.  He doesn’t merely scare off a few birds; at his wrath, the earth itself quakes, and all the nations can actually feel his indignation.  He is not some creation of man, but, rather, the one who formed all things out of nothing, the maker of heaven and earth who established the world in his great wisdom and might.  When he speaks, the heavens rumble and pour forth the waters of life to sustain every creature.  He is the one who brings forth the wind to bring us the air that we breathe, the clouds that provide us shelter, some relief from the heat of the sun, and the power to move us across the seas.  The Lord of Hosts is his name and he has chosen Israel as his inheritance.  How then could Israel forsake such a God and turn to blocks of wood shaped into the very creatures that God has made and blessed and protected?

Oh, how foolish we are, for we still eat chicken sandwiches…  May the Lord not only open our eyes to our own foolishness, but to the greatness and goodness of God this day that we might worship the Lord and serve Him alone.