Daily Devotions
Jeremiah
"The customs of the people are futile"
Text: Jeremiah 10:3
CUSTOMS OF IDOLATRY
The Lord spoke to the house of Israel concerning what they had learned from the Gentiles! Israel ended with a fear of the idols they worshiped!
“For the customs of the peoples are futile;
For one cuts a tree from the forest,
The work of the hands of the workman, with the axe.
They decorate it with silver and gold;
They fasten it with nails and hammers
So that it will not topple.
They are upright, like a palm tree,
And they cannot speak;
They must be carried,
Because they cannot go by themselves.
Do not be afraid of them,
For they cannot do evil,
Nor can they do any good.”
Jeremiah 10:3-5
1. “For the customs of the peoples are futile; for one cuts a tree from the forest,
the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe”
a) The word is “customs”.
b) This was quite different from the “Teachings” that God gave.
c) The making of an idol:
i) A tree from the forest is selected.
ii) The lumberjack cuts down the tree.
iii) The wood is delivered to the woodcarver.
2. “They decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with nails and hammers
so that it will not topple”
a) The priests of the shrines
i) They decorate the idol with silver and gold.
ii) The idol is fastened with nails and hammers.
b) The priests would ensure that the idol does not topple down.
3. “They are upright, like a palm tree, and they cannot speak; they must be carried,
because they cannot go by themselves”
a) The idols are made to stand or sit upright.
b) But they cannot communicate.
c) Neither are they able to move on their own.
4. “Do not be afraid of them, for they cannot do evil, nor can they do any good”
a) There was a sense of fear in the hearts of the devotees.
b) The Lord urged the house of Israel not to be afraid of these idols.
i) They cannot do evil.
ii) Neither can they do any good.
The Lord had to address the problem of idolatry forthrightly with Israel and Judah! Both nations had been so caught up with idolatrous worship to their shame!