David Bahn – Reflections

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Today’s readings: Jeremiah 10-12, Psalm 60.

Jeremiah 10:1-12

Hear the word that the LORD speaks to you, O house of Israel. ² Thus says the LORD:

“Learn not the way of the nations,
    nor be dismayed at the signs of the heavens
    because the nations are dismayed at them,
³ for the customs of the peoples are vanity.
A tree from the forest is cut down
    and worked with an axe by the hands of a craftsman.
⁴ They decorate it with silver and gold;
    they fasten it with hammer and nails
    so that it cannot move.
⁵ Their idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field,
    and they cannot speak;
they have to be carried,
    for they cannot walk.
Do not be afraid of them,
    for they cannot do evil,
    neither is it in them to do good.”

⁶ There is none like you, O LORD;
    you are great, and your name is great in might.
⁷ Who would not fear you, O King of the nations?
    For this is your due;
for among all the wise ones of the nations
    and in all their kingdoms
    there is none like you.
⁸ They are both stupid and foolish;
    the instruction of idols is but wood!
⁹ Beaten silver is brought from Tarshish,
    and gold from Uphaz.
They are the work of the craftsman and of the hands of the goldsmith;
    their clothing is violet and purple;
    they are all the work of skilled men.
¹⁰ But the LORD is the true God;
    he is the living God and the everlasting King.
At his wrath the earth quakes,
    and the nations cannot endure his indignation.

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.”

¹² It is he who made the earth by his power,
    who established the world by his wisdom,
    and by his understanding stretched out the heavens.

Maybe you’ve seen the elementary school science experiment. A stalk of celery is placed in a glass of water tinted with red food coloring. Overnight, thin red lines begin to climb the stalk. Before long, even the leaves take on a reddish hue. The process is called capillary action. The celery gradually draws into itself whatever it is immersed in.

Jeremiah describes a similar spiritual phenomenon. God’s people had lived among the pagan nations for so long that they had begun to absorb their values, fears, and worship. Idolatry didn’t arrive all at once. It slowly seeped into their hearts until they began thinking and living like the nations around them.

This was even more evident in yesterday’s reading, but today’s description—belittling as it is—warns us against thinking of the LORD as merely another deity like the idols of the surrounding nations. Jeremiah mocks those who carve, chisel, and overlay wood and precious metals to create objects of worship. How foolish!

Idols and false gods have no power. They cannot even defend themselves. Remember Dagon? Twice he fell on his face before the ark of the LORD—and in his own temple at that (1 Samuel 5:1–5)! Yet people continued to worship him. I also think of the riot in Ephesus, where the crowd shouted for hours, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” (Acts 19:23–41). Much of their fervor was stirred up by craftsmen who made a handsome profit selling silver shrines of the goddess.

But before we become too judgmental, we should take a careful look at ourselves. Idolatry is hardly confined to the ancient world. We have our idols, too. Some people set their hearts on a particular car. Others long for the right shoes, handbag, golf clubs, camera equipment, or prestigious address. We often ascribe lasting value to things that cannot ultimately deliver what they promise. I’ve accumulated some fine camera equipment over the years, but you can’t buy a great photograph. You still have to see it—and make the image.

If we continually surround ourselves with people who idolize wealth, sex, celebrities, possessions, or success, we will gradually begin to value those things ourselves. Left unchecked, that desire can grow until it displaces God as our highest good.

Good news! The spiritual capillary effect works in more than one direction. If we continually immerse ourselves in God’s Word, receive his gifts, gather with his people, and live in the promises of Christ, those realities also begin to permeate our hearts and shape our lives. We increasingly become like that in which we are immersed.

So Paul urges us, “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable… think about these things” (Philippians 4:8). Ultimately, all those qualities find their fullest expression in Jesus Christ. He is the true God, the Creator of all things, our Savior, Redeemer, and Lord. Worship him—and him alone.

Follow the Word is a daily Bible reading and devotional ministry of St. John Lutheran Church, Cypress, Texas.

Click here or on the graphic below to watch the Bible Project video overview of the book of Jeremiah.