Tuesday 29^th January

Jeremiah 10

This wonderful story found in the book of Jeremiah is one of both promise and security knowing that the God we serve is the creator of the ends of the earth whose very breath will never end. The prophet and priest Jeremiah, foresees the imminent destruction of Israel into the hands of the Babylonians. He tries on numerous occasions, through the prophetic word of God, to warn his countrymen but they refuse to listen and the inevitable happens.

God, through Jeremiah, in His mercy, warns the future captives not to forget Him in a foreign land where idols and pagan gods would be worshipped. In various places in the book of Jeremiah, this warning is also given so that the Israelites may remember God’s faithfulness to them and they may know His goodness. Jeremiah in verse 3 until the end of verse 5, describes the sheer calamity of serving such an idol. They are worthless. He describes their starting point as trees cut from the forest. Then with the axe they are fashioned into idols, adorned with silver and gold and nailed to a support so they will not topple over. Jeremiah continues telling his kinsman that they are so helpless and worthless that they need to be carried because they can’t walk. Upon reading this you almost feel sorry for those who would worship such gods.

Jeremiah then compares these idols with the one true God, Yahweh. Verse 10 boldly states that the Lord God is an everlasting God, an everlasting King. The earth trembles at His wrath and by His Power and Voice the earth was made. He commands the lighting, wind and waters above the earth. His very breath is power yet the false idols have no breath in them at all. For He, (the everlasting King), is the maker of all things (v16).

The case is clear. The evidence is overwhelming. There is only one true God. The pagan gods are all false, breathless and worthless. Yahweh is the maker of all things by His very words. His prize possession, His inheritance, the people He has chosen to lavish his covenantal (hesed) love on, is the people of Israel. The Lord God did not only make the world and all it’s inhabitants, but here whilst His prized possession had abandoned Him with rebellious living and facing the consequences of their actions, reminds them of His love and how He views His chosen people.

Take comfort today in knowing that we too can live in God’s promise as sons and daughters, being heirs of His Kingdom and having eternal life as our inheritance. No matter where we find ourselves in our lives, nothing can compare to God’s greatness. Whatever worthless idols we put up or even worship in our lives, nothing, absolutely nothing can compare to the Lord God Almighty. He is the creator of all and sustains all. No matter how far you have gone from God, His faithfulness will always bring you home. Just as the Israelites were warned, when facing imminent captivity and judgement, to not forget their God and His power over worthless idols, so we too are reminded that when we are in a place of hardship, to not forget Gods gracious love, power and mercy towards us.