Jeremiah 10 Devotional

The God No Craftsman Made

“But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God and eternal King. The earth quakes at His wrath, and the nations cannot endure His indignation.”Jeremiah 10:10 (BSB)

Jeremiah 10 sets two kinds of gods side by side. One kind is cut from a tree, covered in silver and gold, and nailed down so it will not tip over (10:3-4). Helpless as scarecrows in a garden, these idols cannot speak or walk and must be carried (10:5). The other is the LORD, the true and living God, the everlasting King (10:10), who made the earth by his power (10:12).

Idols are made by people. The LORD makes everything, including the people. He is called the Portion of Jacob (10:16), not a possession his people manage but the one they receive. Jeremiah ends by admitting that no one directs his own steps (10:23). Paul told the Athenians that the Maker of heaven and earth does not live in shrines built by human hands (Acts 17:24). Whatever you are tempted to rely on today had to be made, maintained, or propped up. The living God needs none of that, and he offers himself as your portion.

To think about: What are you relying on that you have to keep maintaining or propping up, and how does the living God compare?