John Calvin Commentary Jeremiah 2:27-28

"who say to a stock, Thou art my father; and to a stone, Thou hast brought me forth: for they have turned their back unto me, and not their face; but in the time of their trouble they will say, Arise, and save us. But where are thy gods that thou hast made thee? let them arise, if they can save thee in the time of thy trouble: for according to the number of thy cities are thy gods, O Judah." — Jeremiah 2:27-28 (ASV)

The Prophet here confirms what he had previously said about the perverse wickedness of the people. He shows that he had not said without reason that their sins were extremely gross and could not be excused by any evasions: for they say, he adds, to the wood, Thou art my father, and to the stone, Thou hast begotten me. By these words the Prophet shows that idolatry was so rampant among the people that they openly ascribed to their statues, made of wood or stone, the honor due to the only true God.

But the Prophet here points out what is especially to be detested in idolatry: the transferring of the honor due to God to statues, not only in the external act of bending the knee before them, but also in seeking salvation from them.

And this is what we should particularly notice: for the Papists today, though they prostrate themselves before their pictures and statues, do not acknowledge themselves guilty of idolatry when such a charge is brought against them. They say that they worship the statues, not with the honor due to God, but with such honor as a servant renders to his master.

They think that they thus exculpate themselves. But even if we grant what they allege, they still cannot deny that they address prayers and supplications to statues. Since they ask the very statues to save them, whatever sophistry they may adopt, it is altogether futile: for the prophets do not merely condemn the outward gesture—the bowing down and other so-called ceremonious acts—when they condemned idolaters.

What then? They condemned them because they said to statues, Thou art my Father; that is, because they ascribed the power, which belongs only to God, to statues made of wood or stone. It is indeed certain that the Jews never sunk into so great a depth of foolishness as to expressly profess that gods of wood and stone were equal to the true God, and they never said any such thing.

Yet the Prophet did not slander them in ascribing to them what is said here; but, as is clearly evident from other places, the Prophet regarded their thoughts rather than their words.

For the Jews professed the same thing as the Papists of today when they prostrated themselves before their statues; they said that they worshipped the only true God and sought salvation from him. And yet they thought that the power of God was inherent in the statues themselves: hence they said, Thou art my father, Thou hast begotten me.

The case is the same with the Papists today. When anyone prostrates himself before the statue of Catherine or of Christopher, he says, “Our Father.” When he justifies himself in doing this, he says that it is done in honor to the one true God.

And yet you run blindly, now to one statue, and then to another, and mutter, “Our Father.” There is not the least doubt that the superstition which now prevails under the Papacy is even grosser than that which prevailed among the Jews.

But, without saying more about the Papists, because they mutter “Our Father” before their statues, there is no doubt that when they present their prayers to statues, they consider God’s power to be in them.

So, we must now bear in mind that the Jews were condemned not only because they burned incense and offered sacrifices to idols, but also because they transferred the glory of God to their statues when they asked salvation from them. And since this was not done in express words, the Prophet here brings to light their impious thoughts; for they did not raise up their minds and thoughts to God, but turned them to their statues.

It follows next, They have turned to me the neck and not the face. In these words, God again confirms what he had previously said: that the apostasy or defection of the people was too manifest to be disguised by any excuses. He then adds, Yet (the ו is to be taken here adversatively) in the time of their affliction, they will say, Arise, and save us. God here complains that the Jews most strangely abused his kindness, for they came to him when any grievous calamity constrained them.

“What have I to do with you?” he says. “You are wholly devoted to your idols; you call them your fathers and ascribe to them the glory of your salvation when things go on peaceably with you. But when your idols in time of distress give you no aid, then you return to me and say, Arise, and save us. But since idols are your fathers, and you expect salvation from them, I will have nothing to do with you. Be contented with your idols, and trouble me no more, for I have been forsaken by you.”

And so he adds, Where are your gods? Here God mocks the false confidence by which the Jews deceived themselves: Where are your gods, which you have made for yourselves? Let them arise, let us see whether they will help you in the time of your distress.

We now understand what the Prophet means, for he shows that the people acted in a most peculiar manner: they worshipped idols when they were in safety and afterwards expected God to be bound to them, and yet they denied the true God when they fell away to idols.

He then shows that they could expect no aid from God, for they robbed him of his own power when they devised idols for themselves. But we must always remember what he said: that false gods were counted as fathers and authors of salvation by the people.

The same thing is, no doubt, done today under the Papacy. For the Papists have their patrons; and when they find that their foolish superstitions can do nothing for them, they want God to help them, and yet they leave nothing to him. After taking away all his glory and dividing it as spoil among dead saints, they then want God to be their helper. But we see what God’s answer to them is: Where are your gods? etc.

Now this truth is useful to us; and from this we learn that we are not to wait until we are truly, and in the last state of despair, compelled to acknowledge that our labors have been useless while we hoped and prayed for help from idols. Instead, we should come directly to God himself for aid in our distress.

God proceeds further with the sarcasm or derision he has employed: Where are thy gods? Let them now arise that they may help thee; that is—let them try their utmost whether they can aid you. According to the number of thy cities have been thy gods, O Judah. As the people were not satisfied with one God, every city chose a patron for itself.

“Since, then, innumerable gods are invoked by you, how is it that they do not help you?” Thus we see that the unbelief of the people is sharply reproved here, for they were not content with God alone but sought to procure for themselves countless gods.

There were many cities in the tribe of Judah, and there were as many patrons. The one true God would have been fully sufficient for them and would have brought them complete deliverance whenever needed; but the one true God they despised, and every city devised a god for itself.

“Since you trust,” he says, “in such a multitude, let them now arise, that they may succor you; for I, who am one, am despised by you.” We now understand what the Prophet also means in this part.