Jeremiah 10
Wooden gods and the real God
Wood makes an idol, not a god
1Israel, listen to the message the LORD has for you. 2Here’s what the LORD says:Don’t try to be like other nations.
And don’t let “signs” in the sky worry you
Like they do those nations.
First they cut down a tree.
Then an artisan shapes it with an ax.
4Next, they accessorize it with silver and gold.
And they hammer it in place with nails.
5It’s like a scarecrow guarding cucumbers.
You don’t need to fear it.
And you shouldn’t trust it.
The thing can’t even walk.
You have to carry it.
God, however, is real
6LORD, you are one of a kind.
You've built a mighty reputation for yourself.
The wisest people in every kingdom
Should give you the respect you deserve.
For you are one of a kind.
8But those wise people aren’t that smart.
They take their cues
From a block of wood.
9People play dress up with wood.
They cover it in hammered silver from Tarshish
And gold from Uphaz.
They dress it in blue and purple fabric.
Artisans make all of this,
A handmade god.
10But the LORD is the real God.
He’s alive and will be forever.
He could shake the world when he’s angry.
And the world couldn’t do a thing about it.
God’s reply to Jeremiah
11Deliver this message. Those gods didn’t make heaven or earth. But the sky will watch them fall and shatter to pieces.12
He is the force of nature
Who created the earth,
The wisdom behind
Everything that exists,
And the intelligence
To fill the heavens.
Rain roars from the sky.
Clouds blanket the earth
In flashes of lightning
Through the blasting wind.
Human Intelligence Ltd
14Humans don’t know much.
In fact, they’re dumb.
Goldsmiths who made idols should be ashamed.
The gods they made are fakes
Who can’t even suck a breath.
They’re for pretending.
When the time comes
They’ll be destroyed.
16Jacob’s God is not like them.
He created everything,
And Israel belongs to him.
His name is the LORD,
The LORD of everyone.
Say goodbye to your homes
17Pack your bags
For the siege is ending.
I’m kicking these people out of here,
Evicting them from my property.
I’ll do it now.
They’re going to feel it.
And it’s going to hurt.
Jeremiah’s misery
19Oh no! This hurts me, too.
This is a critical wound.
But I tell myself to take it:
“It’s your punishment.”
It’s supporting ropes cut.
My children are dead.
I have no family left
To repair the tent
And rebuild my home.
21Shepherds are fools
Who pay no attention to God.
That’s why they’re poor
And their flocks have scattered.
22Listen to that noise,
Chaos in the northern distance,
Coming to roll over Judah’s cities,
And give them to the jackals.
Jeremiah’s request of God
23LORD, I know this much:
We have no control over our own lives.
We have no idea where we’re headed.
Don’t hit me with the fury of your anger
Because the force of it would kill me.
25Direct your anger
To nations that don’t know you,
Or call you by name.
They destroyed us,
Jacob’s descendants.
They devoured our people
And decimated our land.
Footnotes
Many worshiped gods of the sky: stars, moon, and sun. Unusual events in the sky terrified people, especially eclipses and comets. The prophet Amos complained about this in the mid-700s BC, more than a century before Jeremiah: “You lift your idols in a procession, sky gods Sikkuth and Kiyyun, handmade by your own hands” (Amos 5:26).
Tarsis has been translated as: ships, yellow jasper, foundry, and refinery. So the word in this case might not refer to the location. It might simply describe the silver as “refined silver.” In that case, “Uphaz” might serve the same purpose, describing the gold as superior in some way. Location of Tarshish and Uphaz is unknown. But wherever Tarshish was, it was west of the Jewish homeland of Israel. Scholars often guess that it was a city in Spain or somewhere else at the opposite end of the Mediterranean Sea from the Jewish homeland. Some say it was a Phoenician colony called Tartessus, in Spain. Phoenicians were native to what is now Lebanon, but their merchant ships sailed throughout the Mediterranean Sea.
The time came in 586 BC, when Babylonian invaders from what is now Iraq overran the Israelite cities, leveled Jerusalem, and deported survivors into exile.
Jacob is considered the father of the 12 tribes of Israel, which made up the entire nation in Israel’s early history, but they split into the two nations of Israel and Judah. Descendants of Jacob’s 12 sons grew into extended families that became tribes, a bit comparable to states or provinces in countries today.
It’s unclear what Jeremiah is talking about. Theories: It’s too late for Judah to repent. Or, God’s the boss and he determines the destiny of people. Or, No human has ever been able to resist doing something he or she knows is wrong and harmful. Pick a theory.
Discussion Questions
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