The one true God

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The Wooden gods

12th & 13th November

Weekend Edition

“They cut down a tree, and a craftsman carves an idol. They decorate it with gold and silver and then fasten it securely with hammer and nails so it won’t fall over. Their gods are like scarecrows in a cucumber field! They cannot speak, and they need to be carried because they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of such gods, for they can neither harm you nor do you any good.”

Jeremiah 10:3b-5

As Jeremiah continues his relentless criticism of false gods, we begin see an almost tongue in cheek approach in his words; it’s almost as if he is making fun of the false gods. Yet what Jeremiah is really doing, is making a case to the Israelites, imploring them to see the foolishness of worshipping gods that are made by human hands. They can do nothing, as Jeremiah says, ‘they can neither harm you nor do you any good’.

When we read this passage, we too are almost encouraged, to take a fine sieve and filter through any ‘worthless idols’ in our lives, any thing that is taking the place of God, and filter it out, getting rid of it and leaving no trace of them. We are almost forced into analysing our lives by Jeremiah’s words because he makes such a clear and heart piercing conclusion about the foolishness and stupidity of putting anything else in front of the ONE TRUE GOD. In verse 11, Jeremiah comes to the crescendo of his argument, and it will be here where we leave this weekend’s devotion. As you read his words, think about what kind of a God you serve, and of how powerful and awesome He is.

“Your so-called gods, who did not make the heavens and earth, will vanish from the earth and from under the heavens. But God made the earth by His power, and He preserves it by His wisdom. With His own understanding He stretched out the heavens. When He speaks in the thunder, the heavens roar with rain. He causes the clouds to rise over the earth. He sends the lightning with the rain and releases the wind from His storehouse. . . But the God of Israel is no idol! He is the Creator of everything that exists… The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is His name!”1

1Jeremiah 10:11b-13,16

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The God Who Sees

11th November

“Hear the word that the Lord speaks to you, O Israel! This is what the Lord says: “Do not act like other nations, who try to read their future in the stars. Do not be afraid of their predictions, even though other nations are terrified by them. Their ways are futile and foolish.”

Jeremiah 10:1-3a

Jeremiah was an Old Testament prophet who just said things like it was. He heard from God and spoke. Because of his brash yet true words, he was often persecuted and maligned, yet he knew that the God he served, was by far, above every other god.

If Jeremiah was alive today, we can only wonder what he would say to those looking for God in the wrong places, or to those who are seeking ‘divine’ guidance or inspiration from the wrong sources. Yet what is astounding about most of Jeremiah’s prophetic words, is that they were directed to God’s people, his people, the very people whom God led out of Egyptian bondage, who were fed ‘divinely’ for 40 years in the wilderness and who had continually been saved from their enemies by God. Yet somehow, they had again abandoned their God and followed in the ways of foreign, unknown gods who had no power. Perhaps this was why Jeremiah was so unpopular: because the very words of truth that he prophetically spoke, were directed at his own people, his own leaders, and his own priests.

Before we too quickly judge the Israelites, maybe Jeremiah’s words are a reminder for us too, in our day and age, to not put our trust in other nations, in foolish and futile advice from people trying to be like gods. Rather, let us too put our trust back in the One true God who can alone, save, lead and guide. We have nothing to fear about the future, because we serve a God who sees and knows all, and whose ways are higher than ours. All we need to do, is put our trust in HIM! Let us not be like other nations or religions, but trust in the one TRUE GOD, and let Him lead and guide us, His children.