Charles Spurgeon Commentary Jeremiah 10
Charles Spurgeon Commentary
Jeremiah 10
Charles Spurgeon Commentary
Jeremiah 10
"Hear ye the word which Jehovah speaketh unto you, O house of Israel: thus saith Jehovah, Learn not the way of the nations, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the nations are dismayed at them." — Jeremiah 10:1-2 (ASV)
Among pagans, if certain stars were in conjunction, it was considered unlucky; and certain days of the week were also regarded as unlucky, just as even today, there are people who think that it is very unfortunate to begin anything on a Friday. There are a great many foolish superstitions floating about this silly world, but you Christian people should never allow such follies to have any influence on you. Neither the fiends of hell, nor the stars of heaven, can ever injure those who put their trust in God.
"For the customs of the peoples are vanity; for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not." — Jeremiah 10:3-4 (ASV)
Those ancient prophets seemed to take delight in heaping scorn upon the god-making of the heathen. Even the heathen poets mocked the god-making; one of them very wisely said that it would be more reasonable to worship the workmen who made the god, than to worship the god which the workmen had made.
"They are like a palm-tree, of turned work, and speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither is it in them to do good." — Jeremiah 10:5 (ASV)
They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must necessarily be borne, because they cannot go.
Pretty gods they must be! They cannot move, and cannot even stand until they are nailed up, and cannot stir unless they are carried from place to place.
8.
Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good. Forasmuch as there is none like to you, O LORD; you are great, and your name is great in might. Who would not fear you, O King of nations? for to you it does appertain: forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like to you. But they are altogether brutish and foolish: the stock is a doctrine of vanities.
To teach people to worship mere stocks and stones, may well be called "a doctrine of vanities."
"There is silver beaten into plates, which is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work of the artificer and of the hands of the goldsmith; blue and purple for their clothing; they are all the work of skilful men." — Jeremiah 10:9 (ASV)
Step into any Roman Catholic idol-temple in England or on the Continent, or for that matter, into any Anglican idol-temple (for they are all very much alike), and you will see that the modern "gods" are no better than those on which the prophets of old poured scorn, and I think it is our duty to pour scorn on these saints, and female saints, and Madonnas, and Bambinos, and who knows what else.
"But Jehovah is the true God; he is the living God, and an everlasting King: at his wrath the earth trembleth, and the nations are not able to abide his indignation. Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, these shall perish from the earth, and from under the heavens. He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding hath he stretched out the heavens: when he uttereth his voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, and he causeth the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings for the rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasuries." — Jeremiah 10:10-13 (ASV)
To what a height of sacred imagery does Jeremiah mount! He seems to shake off his usual melancholy spirit when he comes to sing the praises of the Lord. He uses very similar language to that of Job, his fellow-sufferer.
Jump to: