Are money, things, self, ego, status and ambition modern idols worshipped instead of God? Let’s look at Jeremiah 10.
Are these first few verses railing against a Christmas tree as some believe, or against idols carved from the wood of a tree?
Hear the word that the Lord speaks to you, O Israel! This is what the Lord says: “Do not act like the other nations, who try to read their future in the stars. Do not be afraid of their predictions, even though other nations are terrified by them. Their ways are futile and foolish. They cut down a tree, and a craftsman carves an idol. They decorate it with gold and silver and then fasten it securely with hammer and nails so it won’t fall over. Their gods are like helpless scarecrows in a cucumber field! They cannot speak, and they need to be carried because they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of such gods, for they can neither harm you nor do you any good.” (Jer 10:1-5 NLT)
Is there anyone like God among the nations to be feared?
There is no one like you, Yahweh. You are great, and your name is great in might. Who shouldn’t fear you, King of the nations? For it belongs to you. Because among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their royal estate, there is no one like you. (Jer 10:6-7 WEB)
Are idols foolish and silly? Are idols made from trees, mere wood made by artisans?
But they are both foolish and silly; they offer nothing because they are mere wood. Covered with silver from Tarshish and gold from Uphaz, they are the work of a craftsman and the hands of a goldsmith. Clothed in blue and purple, all of them nothing more than the work of artisans. But the Lord is the true God! He’s the living God and the everlasting king! When he’s angry, the earth quakes; the nations can’t endure his rage. (Jer 10:8-10 CEB)
Did idols create the heavens and earth or was that the Lord?
You told me to say that idols did not create the heavens and the earth, and that you, the Lord, will destroy every idol. With your wisdom and power you created the earth and spread out the heavens. The waters in the heavens roar at your command. You make clouds appear—you send the winds from your storehouse and make lightning flash in the rain. (Jer 10:11-13 CEV)
Are men stupid and without knowledge when giving credit for the existence of the universe to anything other than God?
Every man is stupid and without knowledge; every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols, for his images are false, and there is no breath in them. They are worthless, a work of delusion; at the time of their punishment they shall perish. Not like these is he who is the portion of Jacob, for he is the one who formed all things, and Israel is the tribe of his inheritance; the Lord of hosts is his name. (Jer 10:14-16 ESV)
Will those who rely on man-made fake gods lose everything and be slung out in distress?
Gather up your belongings from the ground, you who live under siege. For this is what the Lord says: Look, I am slinging out the land’s residents at this time and bringing them such distress that they will feel it. (Jer 10:17-18 HCSB)
Thinking of the coming Babylonian invasion and stupid national leaders, is Jeremiah troubled?
Woe is me because of my injury. My wound is severe. I said, “Truly this is my sickness, and I must bear it. My tent is destroyed, and all my tent cords are broken. My sons have gone away from me, they no longer live. There is no one to pitch my tent again and set up my curtains.
Because the shepherds are stupid and don’t seek the Lord, therefore, they don’t prosper, and their flock is scattered. The sound of a report, it’s coming now! There is a great commotion from a land in the north to make the towns of Judah desolate, a refuge for jackals.” (Jer 10:19-22 ISV)
Does any man know how to solve humanity’s problems on this planet?
O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps. O Lord, correct me, but with judgment; not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing. Pour out thy fury upon the heathen that know thee not, and upon the families that call not on thy name: for they have eaten up Jacob, and devoured him, and consumed him, and have made his habitation desolate. (Jer 10:23-25 KJV)
After mistaking God’s servants for pagan gods, what did Paul and Barnabas say to a crowd at Lystra about such vain things?
and saying, “Men, why are you doing these things? We are also men of the same nature as you, proclaiming the gospel to you that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. (Acts 14:15 LSB)
Are money, things, self, ego, status and ambition modern idols worshipped instead of God? You decide!
