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Daily Devotions

Jeremiah

Jeremiah 
Day 
Day 147

"He is the living God and the everlasting King"

Text: Jeremiah 10:10

THE LIVING GOD

The doctrine of God that Jeremiah proclaimed was rich and uplifting. The doctrine of idols was contrasted purposely.

“But they are altogether dull-hearted and foolish;
A wooden idol is a worthless doctrine.
Silver is beaten into plates;
It is brought from Tarshish,
And gold from Uphaz,
The work of the craftsman
And of the hands of the metalsmith;
Blue and purple are their clothing;
They are all the work of skilful men.
But the LORD is the true God;
He is the living God and the everlasting King.
At His wrath the earth will tremble,
And the nations will not be able to endure His indignation.”
Jeremiah 10:8-10

1. “But they are altogether dull-hearted and foolish; a wooden idol is a worthless doctrine”

a) The devotees of the idols were described candidly.
i) They were dull-hearted.
ii) They were also foolish.
b) The teachings adhered to by the devotees.
i) Jeremiah’s assessment: It was “a worthless doctrine”.
ii) The idol is merely made of wood!

2. A description of how people made idols

a) The work of craftsmen and silversmiths
i) Silver was imported from Tarshish.
ii) Gold was taken from Uphaz (exact location is not known).
iii) Some scholars have suggested that Uphaz was another name for Ophir (located in Africa).
b) The work of skilful craftsmen
i) There was obvious skill of these craftsmen/silversmith.
ii) They became wealthy because of their skills.
iii) They were finely dressed.
c) But their teaching remains “a worthless doctrine”.

3. “But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King.
At His wrath the earth will tremble,
And the nations will not be able to endure His indignation”

a) The doctrine that Jeremiah proclaimed about God.
i) That He, the LORD, is the true God.
ii) He is the living God (and cannot be represented by inanimate objects).
iii) He is the everlasting King.
b) The wrath of God
i) The earth trembles before His presence.
ii) The nations will not be able to stand before the Lord’s indignation.