Jeremiah 9:23-10:25
The LORD vs. the works of men’s hands. That’s a pretty easy call, right?
Idols can’t do diddly. They can’t talk. They can’t walk. They can’t do evil. Neither can they do good. (Jer. 10:5) Idols are stupid and foolish. (Jer. 10:8) They might be shiny and all dressed up (Jer. 10:9), but they are worthless, a work of delusion. (Jer. 10:15) They are no match for the LORD God Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. (Jer. 10:6-7,10-13,16)
Yet here we are with lives that may still be filled with idols. Sure, our idols may not be quite so blatantly obvious as a chunk of wood or stone that we cover with gold or silver. We might not prostrate ourselves in worship to such graven images. But we may well have idols nonetheless: wealth, family, success, status, comfort, hobbies, security, sports, sex, entertainment, politics, leisure, art, food — you name it. We can make an idol out of it. If anything even remotely approaches standing in God’s place in our lives, our affections, our devotion, our trust, then it’s an idol that needs to be dethroned and destroyed.
So what might your idols be? What do you cling to? Or what clings to you?
Why are you keeping such things around?
See also: July 12 (2023) / Jeremiah 8:4-10:16.