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The Lord Talks about Idols
1-2The Lord said:
Listen to me,
you people of Israel.
Don't follow the customs
of those nations
who become frightened
when they see something strange
happen in the sky.
3Their religion is worthless!
They chop down a tree,
carve the wood into an idol,
4cover it with silver and gold,
and then nail it down
so it won't fall over.
5An idol is no better
than a scarecrow.
It can't speak,
and it has to be carried,
because it can't walk.
Why worship an idol
that can't help or harm you?
Jeremiah Praises the Lord
6Our Lord, great and powerful,
you alone are God.
7 You are King of the nations.
Everyone should worship you.
No human anywhere on earth
is wiser than you.
8Idols are worthless,
and anyone who worships them
is a fool!
9Idols are made by humans.
A carver shapes the wood.
A metalworker hammers out
a covering of gold from Uphaz
or of silver from Tarshish.
Then the idol is dressed
in blue and purple clothes.
10You, Lord, are the only true
and living God.
You will rule for all time.
When you are angry
the earth shakes,
and nations are destroyed.
11You told me to say
that idols did not create
the heavens and the earth,
and that you, the Lord,
will destroy every idol.
12With your wisdom and power
you created the earth
and spread out the heavens.
13The waters in the heavens roar
at your command.
You make clouds appear—
you send the winds
from your storehouse
and make lightning flash
in the rain.
14People who make idols
are so stupid!
They will be disappointed,
because their false gods
are not alive.
15Idols are merely a joke,
and when the time is right,
they will be destroyed.
16But you, Israel's God,
created all things,
and you chose Israel
to be your very own.
Your name is the Lord
All-Powerful.
Judah Will Be Thrown
17I said to the people of Judah,
“Gather your things;
you are surrounded.
18The Lord said these troubles
will lead to your capture,
and he will throw you
from this land
like a rock from a sling.”
19The people answered,
“We are wounded
and doomed to die.
Why did we say
we could stand the pain?
20Our homes are destroyed;
our children are dead.
No one is left
to help us find shelter.”
21But I told them,
“Our leaders were stupid failures,
because they refused
to listen to the Lord.
And so we've been scattered
like sheep.
22“Sounds of destruction
rumble from the north
like distant thunder.
Soon our towns will be ruins
where only jackals live.”
Jeremiah Prays
23I know, Lord, that we humans
are not in control
of our own lives.
24Correct me, as I deserve,
but not in your anger,
or I will be dead.
25Our enemies refuse
to admit that you are God
or to worship you.
They have wiped out our people
and left our nation
lying in ruins.
So get angry
and sweep them away!
Reflect
Are you directionally challenged? Someone in my family once took five hours to drive to the airport – usually a two-hour trip! After that incident, I managed to persuade the family member to buy a GPS!
While a GPS device helps the directionally challenged get from point A to point B, it can’t help us navigate through life. Yet, despite this reality, there are scores of people who journey through life not knowing where they’re going or how to get there.
Being directionally challenged in life can be fatal. “You may think you are on the right road and still end up dead” (Proverbs 14:12).
From God’s perspective we’re all directionally challenged and all need someone to show us the way. If we’re honest, we all know that. But will we admit it and will we ask for directions?
The people in Jeremiah’s day were as directionally challenged as we are today. How did they try to navigate through life? They made things to help them. They made idols from wood, silver and gold – senseless inanimate objects that could do no harm or good (vv 3-5, 8-9).
We’re no different from the people in Jeremiah’s time. We write self help books, listen to motivational speakers, or rely on science and technology. Our idols are crafted by philosophers, scholars, engineers, politicians and activists; yet they disappoint us (vv 14-15) because they don’t compare to the greatness of God and all he’s made (vv 6-7, 10-13).
Are you directionally challenged? To get where we should be going we must recognize that we can’t run our own lives (v 23). In short, we need God’s Positioning System. And the first step to getting God’s Positioning System is to prayerfully recognize that our lives are not our own and ask him to take charge (v 24).
Respond
Lord, forgive me for trying to find my own way through life – for not asking you for directions. I know I don’t have what it takes. So correct me Lord, as you see best. For no one is like you – only your ways are good and right. Amen.
Lawson Murray
Lawson is the President of Scripture Union Canada and the Managing Editor of theStory™. Lawson takes every opportunity to enthusiastically invite people of all ages to connect with Jesus and His Story. He says, “We have been given the greatest story ever - God's Story! Should we not, with all our might and energy immerse ourselves in it? I believe we should. For without the Story we really have nothing to offer the millions who hunger and thirst for something more. But, with God’s Story we have what everyone needs!” Publications: Bible Engagement Blog; Children’s Ministry Basics Blog, Bible Engagement Basics; Bible Beginners