Only Fear the Lord, True Living God and the Everlasting King
Scripture Passage: Jeremiah 10:1-11 (NASB)
1 Hear the word which the Lord speaks to you, house of Israel. 2 This is what the Lord says:
“Do not learn the way of the nations,
And do not be terrified by the signs of the heavens,
Although the nations are terrified by them;
3 For the customs of the peoples are futile;
For it is wood cut from the forest,
The work of the hands of a craftsman with a cutting tool.
4 They decorate the idol with silver and gold;
They fasten it with nails and hammers
So that it will not totter.
5 They are like a scarecrow in a cucumber field,
And they cannot speak;
They must be carried,
Because they cannot walk!
Do not fear them,
For they can do no harm,
Nor can they do any good.”
6 There is none like You, Lord;
You are great, and Your name is great in might.
7 Who would not fear You, O King of the nations?
For it is Your due!
For among all the wise men of the nations
And in all their kingdoms,
There is none like You.
8 But they are altogether stupid and foolish;
The instruction from idols is nothing but wood!
9 Beaten silver is brought from Tarshish,
And gold from Uphaz,
The work of a craftsman and of the hands of a goldsmith;
Their clothing is of violet and purple;
They are all the work of skilled people.
10 But the Lord is the true God;
He is the living God and the everlasting King.
The earth quakes at His wrath,
And the nations cannot endure His indignation.
11 This is what you shall say to them: “The gods that did not make the heavens and the earth will perish from the earth and from under these heavens.”
SUMMARY
Jeremiah first delivers the word of God, telling people not to learn the ways of many countries. He explains the idols made by man cannot be compared to God. He points out that idols cannot walk or talk, and they will perish. Those idols can do no harm, nor can they do any good. The customs of people are worthless. He praises God by saying that He is a living God and the everlasting King who is working in many ways. He proclaims, “There is none like You”. All should be in awe of the true God.
MEDITATION AND REFLECTION
Jeremiah sent warnings to Israel people not to learn the ways of the countries surrounding them. He asked them not to fear the signs of heavens and not to fear the man-made idols. The instruction of the idol is nothing. It can do no harm or good. He pointed them back to fear of the true God whose wrath makes earth tremble. Reading these verses a few times made me ask myself “what is my fear?” “Is my fear driven by something man-made or triggered by signs?” Through the pandemic, God gave me a great chance to see more clearly about my fear and my reaction to it. Oftentimes my fear started from hearing or reading about others’ fear on news or social media. That fear can be very contagious when we can see the number of infected and death tolls of all nations. Among all the unknown, fear can turn one to the wrong way. The people of Israel turned to the wooden idols which did not make the heavens and earth. Jeremiah expressed Father God’s heart longing for His people to repent and return. I know God gave me these passages today to ask me to stand in awe of him. Not to fear what my mind and thoughts tempt me. Not to fear what this world presented to me. Only fear the true living God.
Verse 6 “There is none like You, Lord; You are great, and Your name is great in might.” When I meditated on this verse longer throughout the day, it was so powerful. It penetrates my heart. I spent time confessing to my Lord that there is no one else like You. You are great. Your name is great in might. There is none like You. When I confess my love to the Lord, it is such a great time I spent with God. His mercy and grace is so great. In his words, His love is so abundant. His longing for an intimate relationship with me really touches my heart today.
APPLICATION
After experiencing a blessed time to confess my love to God, I realized that I have been lacking expression of my love to my Abba Father. He desires for me to tell Him and show Him my love toward Him. Besides spending time in reading Scripture or in intercessory prayer, God reminded me to spend time in my relationship with Him to adore his goodness, love, compassion, grace and glory. I’ve been skipping praise songs before my quiet time for a while. I will resume to spend time worshipping Him every morning before I jump into Scripture.
PRAYER
Abba Father,
I love You. Abba Father. There is none like You. Thank You for meeting me here with me at my quiet time and protecting me throughout the day. I lack so much and fall short of the glory of God. Yet, You speak through the book of Jeremiah to me to repent and return to You. Help me fix my eyes on You. I love You. You are the true living God. You are great. My mighty awesome God. May Your name be lifted high. In the name of Jesus I pray.
Please share your personal meditations on this Scripture passage with the HolyWave community in the comments section below. (We reserve the right to moderate comments.)