Daily Devotions
Jeremiah
"Where are your gods that you have made for yourselves?"
Text: Jeremiah 2:28
THE MAN-MADE GODS OF JUDAH
The problem of idolatry was age-old! Prophet after prophet was sent by the Lord to address the problem of idolatry! But to little or no avail! There was only one thing left to do. Let the man-made gods of the people deliver them when they were in trouble!
“But where are your gods that you have made for yourselves?
Let them arise,
If they can save you in the time of your trouble;
For according to the number of your cities
Are your gods, O Judah.”
Jeremiah 2:28
1. “But where are your gods that you have made for yourselves?”
a) This was a valid question.
b) Judah had created so many “gods” for themselves.
c) Why would they ask the LORD “to arise and save” them?
2. “Let them arise, if they can save you in the time of your trouble”
a) The challenge to all the idolaters and the gods that were worshipped:
i) Let them arise.
ii) Let them answer the cries of the people.
iii) Let these deities save their devotees in the time of their trouble.
b) Deliverance
i) The ability to deliver their devotees would be most significant.
ii) This would confirm that the idols had real power.
iii) The sad reality was that the idols were absolutely powerless.
3. “For according to the number of your cities are your gods, O Judah”
a) How many were the cities in Judah?
That’s how many idols the inhabitants worshipped!
b) A lament that Judah worshipped so many idols.
i) Israel had fallen because of idolatry.
ii) Judah had become even worse than Israel in its idolatrous practices!
None of the hundreds of idols worshipped could deliver the nation out of its many woes!