Worshipping the Creator and not Created Things.

 

By:  Dale Weckbacher

 

Text:  Jeremiah 10

 

Jeremiah 10:11

Thus shall you say to them: “The gods who did not make the heavens and the earth shall perish from the earth and from under the heavens.”

(ESV)

 

God created people to worship Him, something enjoyed by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.  However, when Adam and Eve sinned, they lost their connection with God and the ability to worship face-to-face.  This situation was not acceptable to God and why he promised a Messiah that would restore God’s relationship with humanity and the worship of God (Genesis 3:15).  The Levitical law established worship of God through observance in Israel of feasts like Passover (Leviticus 23) but these did not permanently restore a relationship with God separated by sin.  The role of Israel in God’s plan to restore a relationship with God was to be the nation from which Messiah would come as well as being a people blessed by God through worship of God.  Israel has failed in its worship of God and instead decided to worship idols made by men.  Israel has traded worship of the creator for the worship of created things. 

 

Jeremiah 10 begins with a call to Israel to hear the word of the Lord (Jeremiah 10:1).  The word from the Lord is not to learn the ways of the nations they dispossessed from the land for their ways are vain (Jeremiah 10:2-3).  This vanity is their worship of idols made of wood, silver, and gold which are created by God and fashioned by men (Jeremiah 10:3-4).  Their idols or gods must be fastened with hammer and nails so they do not move and are useless like scarecrows that cannot speak, carried for they cannot walk, and incapable of doing good or evil (Jeremiah 10:5).  The Lord then contrasts these vain idols with Himself, for the name of the Lord is great in might and one the nations of the world should fear (Jeremiah 10:6-7).  The Lord calls out the stupidity and foolishness of those worshipping idols of wood, gold, and silver for they are worshipping a god made of materials created by God by the hands of men (Jeremiah 10:8-10). 

 

The second part of Jeremiah 10 is what the Lord instructed Jeremiah to say to Israel.  These words begin with a declaration of the Lord’s power, wisdom, and understanding that created the heavens (Jeremiah 10:12).  There is power in the Lord's voice with those worshipping idols made by men stupid and without knowledge (Jeremiah 10:13-14).  These idols are powerless for they are creations of a man using materials created by God and will perish (Jeremiah 10:15).  The Lord who is the portion of Jacob, and who formed all things is superior to any idol made by man.

 

The passage in Jeremiah 10 ends with Jeremiah telling the people to gather up their things because an army from the north is ready to come in and destroy the cities of Judah and drive the people into exile (Jeremiah 10:16-18, 22).  Even the prophet Jeremiah is not exempt from being affected by this invasion for his tent will be destroyed, has his cords broken, and he loses his children (Jeremiah 10:19-20).  Those shepherding Israel are stupid for they no longer inquire of the Lord. 

 

The passage ends with Jeremiah reminding Israel that the way of the Lord is not in humanity and that humanity cannot direct their steps (Jeremiah 10:23).  Jeremiah ends by asking the Lord to correct him with justice and not in anger and to pour out his wrath on those that do not call on His name (Jeremiah 10:24-25).  Israel’s sin is deciding to abandon worship of the creator God and replacing it with the worship of useless idols made by sinful men with materials created by God. 

 

The first Commandment tells God’s people to make God the only object of their worship.  However, the religious leaders or shepherds are stupid and do not inquire of the Lord (Jeremiah 10:21).  This will have consequences that were foretold in Deuteronomy 28:15-68 and are about to occur with an invasion from the north that will devastate the cities of Judah and the scattering of the people of Judah (Jeremiah 10:21-22).  However, God would later promise His people that His plans for them are for their good and not their destruction (Jeremiah 29:11) meaning that this will end once they turn from the worship of their worthless idols and return to the worship of God. 

 

The Church can fall into the trap of idolatry as it relies on its abilities, talents, programs, and high levels of theological education and loses sight of reliance on God and the need to give Him glory.  While these things are not wrong, the Church, like Israel and Judah, is to make God the object of their worship with a calling to spread the life-saving message of the Gospel and make disciples (Mark 16:15; Matthew 28:19-20).  To remain effective in carrying out this mission, the church must ensure it uses its abilities, talents, programs, and theological education to further the spread of the Gospel and make disciples. 

 

Jesus said He was the way, truth, and life (John 14:6) and the only way to eternal life is believing in Him (John 3:16).  Jesus is also God (John 1:1) who created everything on the earth, including the wood, gold, and silver used in the idols worshipped by Israel.  God also gave those in the Church their abilities, talents, which produce the programs and the mental ability to acquire an understanding of theology.  It is idolatry for one to worship these abilities, talents, programs, and levels of education and instead use them to give glory to God and further the spreading of the Gospel and the making of disciples (Mark 16:15; Matthew 28:19-20).  The Church must guard against worshipping gifts given to it by God and instead use these gifts for God’s glory.  May God bless everyone reading this post.