1 Hear what the Lord says to you, people of Israel. 2 This is what the Lord
says: “Do not learn the ways of the nations or be terrified by signs in the
heavens, though the nations are terrified by them. 3 For the practices of the peoples are worthless; they
cut a tree out of the forest, and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel. 4 They adorn it with silver and gold; they fasten it
with hammer and nails so it will not totter. 5 Like a scarecrow in
a cucumber field, 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 book of Jeremiah is a contrast between the goodness of God and His
ways compared to rebellious response of Judah.
The people of Judah resist God by rebellion and idolatry. Jeremiah 2:13 (NIV) is a key verse: “My people have committed two
sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own
cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.”
Jeremiah criticizes Judah for their foolishness in pursuing
idolatry. He mocks the insanity of
following manmade devices that can neither talk, move, act, bless or judge.
Someone cuts down a tree, cultures it to look pleasing, dresses it with gold
and calls it a god. How foolish. “They
manufacture gods out of the trees of the forest and then cover them with silver
and with gold.”[1]
What is idolatry? We usually
think of idolatry in terms of physical acts of worship. Idolatry has no limits. Even good things can become idols. An idol is what we spend our time on, our energy
on. It takes hold of our thoughts and
imaginations. An idol is what we hold as ultimately valuable.
This is not an invective against Christmas trees and decorations. The
issue is found in the key word of Jeremiah 2:13: “forsaken”. When the ongoing daily worship of Christ, our
King, is replaced by the obsession of Christmas “things” we have forsaken the
Living Water. The choice starts before
the Season. “But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the
royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to
defile himself this way.” (Daniel 1:8, NIV).
Dear Father.
How insane it is to place such value on Christmas “stuff”. How foolish it is to replace worship with
things that “cannot hold water”. By New Year’s
we will wish we ate less, spent less and we will be worn out with trying to
keep up with the Jones’. The multitude
of gifts under the decorated tree will temporarily please our children, but
these things will soon be forgotten or broken.
You remain. We pray that we “shall have no other gods before [You].” (Exodus 20:3, NIV). The Gospel set us free to worship you. We were
“bought
at a price. Therefore [we] honor God with [our]
bodies.” (1 Corinthians 6:20, NIV). “Sin shall no
longer be [our] master . . .” (Romans 6:14, NIV) . Your promise is amazing. We can “keep [our] lives free from the love of money and be content with what [we]
have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”” (Hebrews 13:5,
NIV).
As Jeremiah wrote, “No one is like you, Lord;
you are great, and your name is mighty in power.” (Jeremiah 10:6,
NIV).
[1]
Hindson, E. E., & Kroll, W. M. (Eds.). (1994). KJV Bible
Commentary (p. 1447). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
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