Jeremiah

Jeremiah 10:1-5

The ways of the nations was idolatry; the seeking of many gods in many ways.  One of these was the worship of planets, moons and stars.  The Assyrians and Babylonians both worshiped the heavens.  The 'signs' means 'things that go on in the sky' and could be an eclipse, comets, meteors and the changing location and relationship of the sun, moon and stars.  These things struck fear in the people and they attributed these things to gods.  They believed they could create and idol and the god would come inhabit it.  Then they could gain control, coerce and manipulate the god through magic, incantations and spells. 

This passage is dripping with sarcasm and likens these gods to scarecrows in a cucumber field.  The only fear the scarecrow produces is that which the birds create.  It is a baseless fear since the scarecrow can do nothing, either good or bad.  The god can't move, speak or even keep itself from falling over.  See also Is 40:19, 41:17 and 44:9-20.

Jeremiah 10:6-7

There is no god like our God; like Yahweh.  The only purpose of even speaking of these gods and idols was to show the great contrast of Almighty God who is unique in every way.  All the false gods tend to look very similar and function and form, yet the Lord God stands alone.  

The Hebrew word for 'great' is the same as that of 'mighty'.  It is remarkable in the contrast by degree, magnitude and affect.  This elicits the rhetorical question; deep down, every human knows the answer. 

Jeremiah 10:8-10

The nations are characterized by their rebellions that make them 'senseless and foolish'.  They've become like the gods they worship; lifeless, dull, powerless.  Their appearance was probably very fine, very appealing, very rich looking; but it was all on the surface.  Yahweh is the only true, living and eternal God.  He is to be feared because His anger can be very real 

Jeremiah 10:11-13

• He made; this is ex nilo, out of nothing he created it.
• He founded: the founding was by design from God's wisdom.
• He stretched: the full length, the entire thing, as if he unrolled it and put in in place.
• He sends the rain: God is sovereign over the details of even the rain

Jeremiah 10:14-16

The 'senseless' are stupid and to compound it, they lack any ability to do anything with knowledge ('without knowledge') should they ever acquire any.  The goldsmith is shamed because he made these idols and called them god (see Is 42:17).  He perpetuates the deception that shamed him.  They have no redeeming value because they have no breath.  The 'breath' is the word ruah and is known as the 'life animating source' or spirit.  There is no life or spirit in these idols.  This makes them worthless trinkets at best.  They should be the object of mockery, yet they make a mockery of the people who worship them. 

The contrast is Yahweh. He was not made, He is the maker of all.  He has ruah and gives ruah. He gave life to Israel, His people, the people of His inheritance.

Jeremiah 10:17-18

The people were to evaluate what was important, they were leaving home.  When you pack your baggage, you pack according to where you are going and how long you will be staying.  How did you pack when it was Shinar you were going to and you weren't coming home? 

The Lord said he would 'hurl out' the people.  This was to sling them out, the sling was a military weapon.  The Lord was bringing difficult times on them. 

Jeremiah 10:19-22

Jerusalem expresses grief over her loss and her plight.  This is the city speaking as though it were a person.  We see this in the first chapter of Lamentations.  Yet, the confession was that the sickness didn't come from another; the affliction belonged to the city and it must be endured.    

The destruction of the tents and the children all being gone is imagery of the destruction.  There is no one there to put up the tent or shelter, they've all been killed or carted off to another land (See the reversal of this in Is 54:1-2).  The shepherds are the leaders of Israel.  They were the ones who should have pointed them toward Yahweh long ago.  They did not consult the Lord nor did they lead the people as they should.  This is why things went bad.  The report coming was the brewing of destruction from the north.  When it arrives, there will be desolation; the city populated only by the scavengers.  See Ezekiel 34 and Jeremiah 3:15 for more on shepherds.

Jeremiah 10:23-25

Jeremiah offers a prayer in light of this vision of disaster.  Remember the Lord instructed him not to pray on their behalf in 7:16.  He will be reminded again in 11:14.

©2018 Doug Ford