#1059 Jeremiah 10 Scarecrows and Cucumbers

 

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.

13 When he utters his voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens,

and he makes the mist rise from the ends of the earth.

He makes lightning for the rain,

and he brings forth the wind from his storehouses.

14 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.

15 They are worthless, a work of delusion;

at the time of their punishment they shall perish.

16 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.

17 Gather up your bundle from the ground,

O you who dwell under siege!

18 For thus says the Lord:

“Behold, I am slinging out the inhabitants of the land

at this time,

and I will bring distress on them,

that they may feel it.”

19 Woe is me because of my hurt!

My wound is grievous.

But I said, “Truly this is an affliction,

and I must bear it.”

20 My tent is destroyed,

and all my cords are broken;

my children have gone from me,

and they are not;

there is no one to spread my tent again

and to set up my curtains.

21 For the shepherds are stupid

and do not inquire of the Lord;

therefore they have not prospered,

and all their flock is scattered.

22 A voice, a rumor! Behold, it comes!—

a great commotion out of the north country

to make the cities of Judah a desolation,

a lair of jackals.

23 I know, O Lord, that the way of man is not in himself,

that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps.

24 Correct me, O Lord, but in justice;

not in your anger, lest you bring me to nothing.

25 Pour out your wrath on the nations that know you not,

and on the peoples that call not on your name,

for they have devoured Jacob;

they have devoured him and consumed him,

and have laid waste his habitation. Jeremiah 10 ESV

Jeremiah 10 Yahweh vs. the way of the nations

1-5. Learn not the way of the nations - They were superstitious and worshiped things they made with their own -. hands, yes, we get that you think, worshipping idols is stupid. 

“Why did so easy a target as idolatry need so many attacks in the Old Testament? Jeremiah 10:9 suggests one reason: the appeal of the visually impressive; but perhaps verse 2 goes deeper, in pointing to the temptation to fall into step with the majority.” (Kidner)

Do not be dismayed at the signs of the heavens - Knowing the cycles of the moon, the seasons, these were not harmful things, but they had astrologers who made stories of the celestial spheres, moving people to fear. Now, if you alone or a handful of people are the only ones that can discern these things, then people have to listen. You can control people with fear, so when there is a solar eclipse they need you to tell them the meaning of the omen, and how they can avoid certain disaster. I remember an old woman seeing aurora borealis for the first time, and immediately declaring that the end of the world was here. Now, it was a rare sighting this close to the equator, but almost 40 years has passed since then. Israel shouldn't fall for these things for two main reasons, first, the Creator has made Himself known to them, and second, He is sovereign over His creation. For those with discernment, they are no longer called astrologers today, but they still love power and control.

6-11. For this is Your due - He refers to God as the King of the nations. There was a thing in history called a tidal king, and he had vassal kings beneath him that would pay him tribute from the lands they oversaw. Men hate to admit this, but above them and the greatest kingdoms or technology that they can make with the materials and intelligence God has given them, is God Who made all things. It is insane to deny God, to fear men and their displeasure over His.

…27then He looked at wisdom and appraised it; He established it and searched it out. 28And He said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’” Job 28: 27-28

…27What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the housetops. 28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father.… Matthew 10: 27-29

…10So Pilate said to Him, “Do You refuse to speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You and authority to crucify You?” 11Jesus answered, “You would have no authority over Me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed Me over to you is guilty of greater sin.” 12From then on, Pilate tried to release Him, but the Jews kept shouting, “If you release this man, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who declares himself a king is defying Caesar.”… John 19: 10-12

12-18. And by His understanding stretched out the heavens - There it is again, a marvel to think about, a universe that we assess to be so old, that the light from some of the stars we see is only because of how old they are, for space stretches billions of light years. Yet, the Creator, He claims to have done it all in one day, stretched out the heavens, trails of light and the perfect placement of matter to sustain life.

…7He commands the sun not to shine; He seals off the stars. 8He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea. 9He is the Maker of the Bear and Orion, of the Pleiades and the constellations of the south.… Job 9: 7-9

19-21. My tent is destroyed - Jerusalem, a great walled city, set on a hill, was before considered so permanent a dwelling place. Remember, 3 times they said, called out, chanted, the temple of the Lord. They thought themselves siege ready, and that God would bless them for the sake of a building that they dishonored by calling it the house of the Lord while not confronting sin, and having it rampant in their streets.

For the shepherds are stupid - Their kings, politicians, and prophets have all promised peace, plaid down God's Holiness, justice and wrath. They are blind guides, offered a way to see, they had the book of the law, but it was enough for them to have it on their coffee table, or as a paper weight on their desk, but it had not entered their heart. 

22-25. It is not in man who walks to direct his steps - We are proud about a lot of things, things we come to understand about the world, but we utilize tools and materials made by someone else. If ever we can come to know God, we can then see providence. If we come to love His word then we can walk aware of His good will and purpose.

“Man seems to control his own progress, but the fact is that man, vitiated by sin, is incapable of achieving his own true destiny. He desperately needs God, as the wise man realized.” (Cundall)

iii. “This was Jeremiah’s consolation, ‘I do not know what Nebuchadnezzer may do; but I do know that “the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.” I know that, in God’s eternal purposes, every step of Judah’s way is mapped out, and he will make it all work for his own glory and the good of his chosen people in the end.’“ (Spurgeon)

…8Better a little with righteousness than great gain with injustice. 9A man’s heart plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps. 10A divine verdict is on the lips of a king; his mouth must not betray justice.… Proverbs 16: 8-10

…10With all my heart I have sought You; do not let me stray from Your commandments. 11I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You. 12Blessed are You, O LORD; teach me Your statutes.… Psalm 119: 10-12