Today’s Reading: Jeremiah 10, Psalm 50

“You must not have any other god but me. You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind, or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands. – Deuteronomy 5:7-10

God made His expectations clear to the people of Israel — they were not to create or worship any idol or false god. As we read through the Bible, we see one instance after another of God’s people putting something else ahead of Him. Idol worship became their go-to sin and it caused a divide between creation and its Creator. They turned their back on the God who could do anything in order to worship worthless objects that could do nothing except distract them from their created purpose.

“Do not act like the other nations,
who try to read their future in the stars.
Do not be afraid of their predictions,
even though other nations are terrified by them.
Their ways are futile and foolish.
They cut down a tree, and a craftsman carves an idol.
They decorate it with gold and silver
and then fasten it securely with hammer and nails
so it won’t fall over.
Their gods are like
helpless scarecrows in a cucumber field!
They cannot speak,
and they need to be carried because they cannot walk.
Do not be afraid of such gods,
for they can neither harm you nor do you any good.” – Jeremiah 10:2-5

It seems ridiculous to us that someone would bow down to an object made by human hands, yet how often do we make something else in our life more important than God. At times it is a relationship that we allow to draw us away from being fully devoted to God, and we have probably all been guilty of allowing a hobby or form of entertainment to consume more of our time than we spend doing what God has asked us to do. Lord, forgive us for taking our eyes off of you!

We serve an amazing God who is worthy of our full attention. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, and He loves us in ways no other person or object ever could. There is no one like Him — no one as wonderful as our God!

Lord, there is no one like you!
For you are great, and your name is full of power.
Who would not fear you, O King of nations?
That title belongs to you alone!
Among all the wise people of the earth
and in all the kingdoms of the world,
there is no one like you. — Jeremiah 10:6-7

This description accurately describes the God who wants our full submission. He knows everything about us and has promised to watch over us through every season of life. It would be ridiculous to put our trust in anything or anyone besides the God Almighty, so why do we?

People who worship idols are stupid and foolish.
The things they worship are made of wood!
They bring beaten sheets of silver from Tarshish
and gold from Uphaz,
and they give these materials to skillful craftsmen
who make their idols.
Then they dress these gods in royal blue and purple robes
made by expert tailors.
But the Lord is the only true God.
He is the living God and the everlasting King! — Jeremiah 10:8-10a

Father God, thank you for the reminder this morning that you are worthy of our worship. Not only do you desire our full attention, you require it. Show us ways in which we have allowed other things to become more important in our lives than following you. Create in us a passion for the things that come from your heart, and give us the wisdom to recognize your guidance each day. Amen.

Say this to those who worship other gods: “Your so-called gods, who did not make the heavens and earth, will vanish from the earth and from under the heavens.”
But the Lord made the earth by his power,
and he preserves it by his wisdom.
With his own understanding
he stretched out the heavens.
When he speaks in the thunder,
the heavens roar with rain.
He causes the clouds to rise over the earth.
He sends the lightning with the rain
and releases the wind from his storehouses.
The whole human race is foolish and has no knowledge!
The craftsmen are disgraced by the idols they make,
for their carefully shaped works are a fraud.
These idols have no breath or power.
Idols are worthless; they are ridiculous lies!
On the day of reckoning they will all be destroyed.
But the God of Israel is no idol!
He is the Creator of everything that exists,
including Israel, his own special possession.
The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is his name! — Jeremiah 10:11-16