(This DRAFT study has been done fairly quickly, without the further guide of commentaries. I hope to improve on it later.)
Jeremiah 10:1-4, Worthless customs, worthless idols
Hear what the LORD says to you, O house of Israel. This is what the LORD says:
"Do not learn the ways of the nations
or be terrified by signs in the sky,
though the nations are terrified by them.
For the customs of the peoples are worthless;
they cut a tree out of the forest,
and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel.
They adorn it with silver and gold;
they fasten it with hammer and nails
so it will not totter.
Like a scarecrow in a melon patch,
their idols cannot speak;
they must be carried because they cannot walk.
Do not fear them;
they can do no harm
nor can they do any good."
The idols carved out of wood cannot speak or walk, indeed, they can do no good. (And they can do no harm.)
Jeremiah 10:6-7, No one like our God
No one is like you, O LORD;
you are great,
and your name is mighty in power.
Who should not revere you,
O King of the nations?
This is your due.
Among all the wise men of the nations
and in all their kingdoms,
there is no one like you.
Jeremiah pauses to praise God and emphasize that He alone is God and He alone is king of all nations.
Jeremiah 10:8-9, Foolish followers of idols
They are all senseless and foolish;
they are taught by worthless wooden idols.
Hammered silver is brought from Tarshish
and gold from Uphaz.
What the craftsman and goldsmith have made
is then dressed in blue and purple--
all made by skilled workers.
But the other nations are foolish, worshiping things built by skilled workmen.
Jeremiah 10:10, Earth trembles
But the LORD is the true God;
he is the living God, the eternal King.
When he is angry, the earth trembles;
the nations cannot endure his wrath.
Jeremiah alternates between frustration with the culture that influences Israel and praise of the Creator who rules the earth.
Jeremiah 10:11-13, Who made the earth?
"Tell them this:
`These gods, who did not make the heavens and the earth,
will perish from the earth
and from under the heavens.'"
But God made the earth by his power;
he founded the world by his wisdom
and stretched out the heavens by his understanding.
When he thunders, the waters in the heavens roar;
he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth.
He sends lightning with the rain
and brings out the wind from his storehouses.
The fake gods, who did not make the earth, will decay and perish. But it is God who made the world and who rules the clouds, thunder, lightning and wind.
Jeremiah 10:14-15, Fraudulent goldsmiths
Everyone is senseless and without knowledge;
every goldsmith is shamed by his idols.
His images are a fraud;
they have no breath in them.
They are worthless, the objects of mockery;
when their judgment comes, they will perish.
The skilled goldsmiths should be ashamed of the idols they have made -- they are mere images he has created in his forge -- he created them, they did not create him!
Jeremiah 10:16, Maker of all things
He who is the Portion of Jacob is not like these,
for he is the Maker of all things,
including Israel, the tribe of his inheritance--
the LORD Almighty is his name.
Jeremiah continues to alternate between anger and praise. Here he praise God as the true maker of all things.
Jeremiah 10:17-18, Time to leave
Gather up your belongings to leave the land,
you who live under siege.
For this is what the LORD says:
"At this time I will hurl out those who live in this land;
I will bring distress on them
so that they may be captured."
An exile is coming, announces Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 10:19-21, Injured, destroyed
Woe to me because of my injury!
My wound is incurable!
Yet I said to myself, "This is my sickness,
and I must endure it."
My tent is destroyed;
all its ropes are snapped.
My sons are gone from me
and are no more;
no one is left now to pitch my tent
or to set up my shelter.
The shepherds are senseless
and do not inquire of the LORD;
so they do not prosper
and all their flock is scattered.
Jeremiah claims an injury, a sickness. A tent is used as a metaphor -- the tent is falling apart, its ropes broken. His sons are gone, the shepherds are useless.
Jeremiah 10:22, Haunt of jackals
Listen! The report is coming--
a great commotion from the land of the north!
It will make the towns of Judah desolate,
a haunt of jackals.
The coming invasion is from the north, the Assyrians, moving first through the northern kingdom, to eventually besiege Jerusalem.
Jeremiah 10:23-25, Correct us
I know, O LORD, that a man's life is not his own;
it is not for man to direct his steps.
Correct me, LORD, but only with justice--
not in your anger,
lest you reduce me to nothing.
Pour out your wrath on the nations
that do not acknowledge you,
on the peoples who do not call on your name.
For they have devoured Jacob;
they have devoured him completely
and destroyed his homeland.
Jeremiah calls for justice and correction -- correction for himself, justice for the nations.
Some Random Thoughts
I am fearful of justice for the nations. As C. S. Lewis points out, when we call for justice, we want it for others -- we want mercy for ourselves.
No comments:
Post a Comment