Jeremiah - Chapter 10

Jeremiah 10.1 Hear ye the word which the LORD speaketh unto you, O house of Israel: Jeremiah 10.2 Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. Jeremiah 10.3 For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. Jeremiah 10.4 They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. Jeremiah 10.5 They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good. Jeremiah 10.6 Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O LORD; thou art great, and thy name is great in might. Jeremiah 10.7 Who would not fear thee, O King of nations? for to thee doth it appertain: forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like unto thee. Jeremiah 10.8 But they are altogether brutish and foolish: the stock is a doctrine of vanities. Jeremiah 10.9 Silver spread into plates is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work of the workman, and of the hands of the founder: blue and purple is their clothing: they are all the work of cunning men. Jeremiah 10.10 But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation. Jeremiah 10.11 Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens. Jeremiah 10.12 He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion. Jeremiah 10.13 When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures. Jeremiah 10.14 Every man is brutish in his knowledge: every founder is confounded by the graven image: for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them. Jeremiah 10.15 They are vanity, and the work of errors: in the time of their visitation they shall perish. Jeremiah 10.16 The portion of Jacob is not like them: for he is the former of all things; and Israel is the rod of his inheritance: The LORD of hosts is his name. Jeremiah 10.17 Gather up thy wares out of the land, O inhabitant of the fortress. Jeremiah 10.18 For thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will sling out the inhabitants of the land at this once, and will distress them, that they may find it so. Jeremiah 10.19 Woe is me for my hurt! my wound is grievous; but I said, Truly this is a grief, and I must bear it. Jeremiah 10.20 My tabernacle is spoiled, and all my cords are broken: my children are gone forth of me, and they are not: there is none to stretch forth my tent any more, and to set up my curtains. Jeremiah 10.21 For the pastors are become brutish, and have not sought the LORD: therefore they shall not prosper, and all their flocks shall be scattered. Jeremiah 10.22 Behold, the noise of the bruit is come, and a great commotion out of the north country, to make the cities of Judah desolate, and a den of dragons. Jeremiah 10.23 O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps. Jeremiah 10.24 O LORD, correct me, but with judgment; not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing. Jeremiah 10.25 Pour out thy fury upon the heathen that know thee not, and upon the families that call not on thy name: for they have eaten up Jacob, and devoured him, and consumed him, and have made his habitation desolate.

Jeremiah : Chapter 10

The Message of Jeremiah Chapter 10

Chapter 10 of the book of Jeremiah stands as a powerful testimony contrasting the true God with idols. This sacred text highlights crucial differences, highlighting the futility of idolatry while exalting the majesty of the Creator. Through its verses, we discover the oneness of God, the folly of idol worship, and divine sovereignty over all nations.

Chapter 10 also includes a prayer from the prophet Jeremiah, which acknowledges human dependence on God. We invite you to explore with us five biblical passages that converge around the central themes of this revealing chapter.

Isaiah 44:9-20

"All those who make images are worthless, and the things they cherish are worthless. [...] Half of the wood he burns in the fire; with this half he prepares his food, roasts meat, and eats as he pleases. [...] With the rest he makes a god, his idol; he bows down before it and worships it." This passage, like Jeremiah 10:1-16, shows the ridiculousness of idolatry.

Psalms 115:4-8

"Their idols are silver and gold, made by human hands. They have mouths but cannot speak, eyes but cannot see; ears but cannot hear, noses but cannot smell; hands but cannot feel, feet but cannot walk; and they make no sound with their throats. Let those who make them and all who trust in them become like them." This psalm, like Jeremiah 10:5, emphasizes the uselessness of idols.

Acts 17:24

"The God who created the world and everything in it is Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples made by human hands." The apostle Paul, in this verse, proclaims the true God, just like Jeremiah in 10:10-12, in contrast to idols.

Habakkuk 2:18-19

"What good is an idol if a craftsman carves it? What good is an image if a master of deception? For the one who made it trusts in his own creation, creating idols that cannot speak. Woe to him who says to wood, 'Come to life!' or to lifeless stone, 'Awake!' Can you teach anything? It is overlaid with gold and silver, but it there is no breath of life." Habakkuk, like Jeremiah in 10:14-15, ridicules idolatry and trust in idols.

1 Corinthians 8:4

"We know that an idol means nothing in this world and that there is only one God." In this verse, Paul, like Jeremiah in 10:10, affirms the oneness and reality of God, in opposition to idols.

Through these passages, we are invited to reflect on our own faith and to recognize the greatness of the living God, far from the futility of idols. May our hearts rise to Him, our only true refuge.