Jeremiah 10
January 17, 2024 3;54 PM
Solitary Man
solitaryman.substack.com
20240117
(Please refer to the Preface and Introduction sections found in the Jeremiah Chapter 1 commentary for some general information about this chapter by chapter study of Jeremiah).
Chapter 10
Jer 10:1 Hear ye the word which the LORD speaketh unto you, O house of Israel:
Hear – shama – hear intelligently, with the implication of being obedient to what you hear. The first word of chapter 10 has just derailed the large majority of the church. It drives me up a wall when you’re in a service, or watching online, and someone just can’t stop saying ‘amen’ to every little thing the preacher utters. Sometimes it drives me to utter distraction. I would sure like to know if they are as zealous to obey what they are hearing. I’ve often wondered if those hyper vocal types have been sent by the devil to keep the true people of God from actually hearing what the spirit is trying to say through the man of God.
Don’t ‘amen’ anymore if your heart is not fixed once and for all that you will obey whatever God shows you to be true, regardless of whether you like it or not.
The second point is you are to give such perfect attention only to that which the Lord speaks, not man. For most, it’s usually the other way around.
Third, God is speaking to Israel. He could of addressed Judah, the house of David, the priests, or the house of David. No, he used the name that identified all the people of God. God is trying to speak to all of his church, not just those few who are reading the prophecy websites. Interesting is that Strong’s gives many nuances of meaning to the word shama spoken of above. Other possible meanings are to proclaim and publish, shew forth, witness. If you have received a true word of God that is for the church, be courageous and ask God to show you how to witness and publish it to others who need to hear.
Jer 10:2 Thus saith the LORD, Learn (or teach) not the way of the heathen (goy -Gentile), and be not dismayed (broken down in confusion and fear) at the signs (oth – mark, miracle, signal, omen) of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed (terrified) at them.
Gentiles generally did not recognize a great first cause of earthly events, but thought that many events depended upon the power of stars. Plato, the famous Greek philosopher, was one of them. People are so quick to discount the invisible hand of the creator in all things, and instead turn to the creation for answers and meaning.
Perhaps this verse serves as a warning not to be concerned about such things as blood moons?
Jer 10:3 For the customs of the people are vain (empty, without meaning): for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe.
Cutteth – karath – same word as is used to mean to cut a covenant. God cut a covenant with Abram in Gen 15:18. Jeremiah uses the same word to describe what the idol worshipper is doing when he makes a god out of a tree. God sees it as you cutting a covenant with a block of wood. Today, the people’s custom is cutting a covenant with one’s personal device. This covenant produces a far more consistent worship than those of old, as our god is almost never apart from our body. We carry our god everywhere we go. When the god calls, we instantly answer. I’ve always wondered why people today think its perfectly civil and acceptable to break off a face to face conversation with another human being in order to instantly respond to whoever or whatever is speaking to them through their hand held idol. Why can’t believers understand just how abnormal such behaviour really is? Everyone else does it, so most feel uncomfortable if they don’t act the same way. That is not a recipe for spiritual success. This custom is as vain and empty as it can possibly get. We make the idol worshipper of old seem restrained in comparison.
Jer 10:4 They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.
They buy a fancy iphone case, in their favourite color. Perhaps they buy several, to match their outfit of the day. They give themselves to a 2 or 3 year data plan, so they don’t lose service (their reception moves not).
Jer 10:5 They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne (someone must carry them around), because they cannot go (they cannot move by themselves). Be not afraid (in reverence) of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.
The difference is our idol can actually speak. It never stops speaking. We never stop listening.
No evil spirit can sovereignly do evil outside of God’s providence. Note that they want to do evil but cannot do so on their own. Additionally, they are incapable of doing good, for no good is in them. Kind of reminds us of our current political leaders today.
Jer 10:6 Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O LORD; thou art great, and thy name (position, character, authority, fame) is great in might.
In an uplifting insertion, Jeremiah seems to break through God’s dire warnings and interjects some praise and worship, extolling how much God’s character and holy name contrasts with the emptiness and uselessness of any other god that man chooses to follow.
Jer 10:7 Who would not fear thee, O King of nations (goy – Gentiles)? for to thee doth it appertain (for it is thine): forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like unto thee.
Fear – yawray – not only to reverence, but to frighten, be in dread of. It is time to put away once and for all the incorrect notion that to fear God only means to reverence, to hold him in awe. If after slowly and prayerfully reading the entire book of Jeremiah you are not in absolute dread of the anger, fury and wrath that God has clearly shown towards rebellious mankind, then there is not much more that God can do for you to make you understand what life is really all about.
Jeremiah sincerely wonders who could possibly not fear you? How about those who have been lied to – not just by the world, but especially by the false prophets, pastors and teachers. How about all those who are lying to themselves? Those who see the plain truth all around them, yet choose to close their eyes, ears and mouth like those three monkeys and pretend all is well with their soul.
What is thine? All the kingdoms of the nations, as God here is called the king of all Gentile nations. God may have his own special tribe, but all peoples are ultimately his, to do with as he will.
Jeremiah finishes the declaration that no matter where you look in all the kingdoms of the earth, you will not find God’s equal.
Jer 10:8 But they are altogether brutish (ready to be burned as the log that it is) and foolish (silly): the stock (tree) is a doctrine (lesson or warning) of vanities (emptiness).
What the idols of old teach us is how to totally waste your life. If you want an empty life, cling to and chase after idols. I have already touched on our culture’s greatest idol. I am sure other things come to mind. Do we take the time and sincerely ask Jesus to reveal if there by any idol in our heart that will leave a harvest of emptiness at the end?
One idol Hollywood loves to promote even in g-rated shows is the idol of family. Christians generally agree with this idol. Family, especially children, are the centre of most Christians’ lives. Do we never miss a soccer practice, yet often miss our daily commune with Jesus? Do we never miss driving our kids wherever they want to go, yet often miss our daily time in the word? Family is good, but we have not cut a covenant with them at the same level of commitment that we have with God through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Let us be extremely careful in this matter, as the devil often trips us up on the good in order to prevent us from obtaining the best.
Jer 10:9 Silver spread into plates (hammered) 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.
Wherever Tarshish is found (some say Spain, some say Britian), it was famed for its precious metals. Uphaz may of been another name for Ophir, that mysterious biblical gold-rich region that no one is sure as to its location (perhaps India).
The sense of what is being said is that many people, places and resources of the world go into the worshipping of these false gods. No expense is spared, no talent is underutilized. No distance is too far to travel to appease these deities.
Jer 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 (forbear, receive) his indignation (fury, displeasure with sin).
As opposed to the tremendous wasted effort in trying to placate the god of this world, there is one who is eternal, one who is true, one who has all power and authority and dominion, and no one will be able to stand against him in the last day.
Jer 10:11 Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods (el-ah) that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens.
Here is the promise to the watchers, the fallen ones that left their first estate, that were called elohim by Yehovah (Ps 82:1), that they shall be utterly destroyed. Note how jealously God guards his title as creator. If you want to find a date on which the clock began ticking as to the end of western civilization, look no further than 1859 when Darwin published his utterly blasphemous and nonsensical work on the origins of species. Seriously, if you have even the most rudimentary knowledge of science and how things work, you would find it incomprehensible how any intelligent being could ever embrace such idiocy. I can’t use words strong enough to describe the stupidity of mankind ascribing creative powers to inanimate objects such as nature and the universe. If someone were to search high and low for the ultimate insult to our glorious father, this has to be it. And yet it is such a universally accepted truth, that the vast majority of people who self identify as Christians swallow this without a second thought. As an example of this incoherent thinking, Gallup did a survey (not sure what year) where 46% of Americans believe God created humans in their present form less than 10,000 years ago, yet only 11% belong to a religious group that totally rejects evolution. I am sure the figures are much worse in Canada and Europe.
Jer 10:12 He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established (set up, fixed, ordained) the world (globe, land) by his wisdom (khokmaw – skill), and hath stretched out (spread out, bend away) the heavens by his discretion (intelligence, understanding).
Jer 10:13 When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude (tumult, crowd, company) of waters in the heavens, and he causeth the vapours (rising mist) to ascend from the ends (extremity, uttermost part) of the earth; he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind (ruach) out of his treasures (depository).
Every once in a while you come across a passage reminding us that God, and God alone, created all things. Job, Psalms, Isaiah, as well as this passage, complement and reinforce the knowledge revealed in Genesis. God is holy. He is jealous. He will share his glory with no one. To ascribe creative powers to any other being is the greatest of blasphemies. Evolution opened the door to lying and deceit in our lands. Look where it has led us today.
I will briefly touch upon the language and the wording used in the passage above. I tried to give a comprehensive list of possible nuances of meanings of the words used. I did this for a specific purpose. Depending on which nuance you choose, you could make the case for a round earth or a flat earth. I recently witnessed one of the most revolting, embarrassing displays of un-Christ like behaviour that I had ever seen, over this very topic. A certain famous preacher invited another pastor to debate flat earth theory. After several hours, each using their favorite texts always interpreted one way (when there was more than one possible way they could of been defined), it ended up in a series of ugly name calling and anathemas for all the world to see. For some thing as so non-essential to the faith, the witness of Christ suffered a devastating blow. I don’t know if that minister can ever make up for the behaviour he displayed to the world. I certainly chose never to watch him again after that. All this to say that Christians sure love taking inflexible, unyielding, to the death stands on things that in the end have no impact on the salvation of souls, or the lifestyle of the believer. Yet when it comes to things like keeping your church open when the government tells you to close, we almost all caved in. When it comes to staying silent on sodomy and trangenderism and Islam, hardly a peep can be found. Will we ever learn?
Let us meditate on the above passage as a worship to the creator, who exhibits design in all of creation, and confounds the evolutionists, who have had their minds darkened when they chose to turn away from the one who gave them life.
Jer 10:14 Every man is brutish in his knowledge: every founder (refiner) is confounded (confused, ashamed) by the graven image (idol): for his molten image is falsehood (an untruth, a sham), and there is no breath (ruach) in them.
Jer 10:15 They are vanity (empty), and the work (product) of errors (fraud): in the time of their visitation (reckoning) they shall perish (not escape).
Notice how the discourse in society is becoming more brutish, more primitive and uncivilized? When we turn away from god and start embracing something else for meaning and purpose, our understanding becomes darker and darker, and all our reasoning becomes based on fraud. There is a specific time reserved for all these things to fall under judgment. Our intercession is trying to delay the inevitable, to give more people time to repent, but we cannot stop the consequences from coming to pass.
Jer 10:16 The portion of Jacob is not like them: for he is the former (maker, moulder, fashioner) of all things; and Israel is the rod (tribe) of his inheritance: The LORD of hosts is his name.
Psalm 119:57 describes Yehovah as being Jacob’s portion. The portion is referring to God, not Jacob, ie, God is Jacob’s portion. This is borne out by the rest of the verse. God is the creator of everything. Israel is the tribe apportioned to him, by his choice. Yehovah is his name.
This verse brings up the fascinating revelation found in Dt 32:8:
Deu 32:8 When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel.
Deu 32:9 For the LORD’S portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.
The phrase ‘sons of Israel’ is rendered ‘sons of God’ in some versions of the Septuagint. This brings up the possibility that after the tower of Babel, God turned over the 70 nations to 70 watchers, or fallen ones that had somehow survived the flood. Since man was so insistently rejecting the rulership of Yahweh, God gave them over to these deities, from which the great heroes and legends of Greek (and other nations) mythologies was derived.
Note though that God reserved one tribe for himself. As Jer 10:16 describes God as Jacob’s portion, so Dt 32:9 describes Jacob as God’s portion. A true covenant indeed, one verified by scripture itself. America may of attempted to cut a covenant with God at its founding. I don’t know of any infallible proof that God reciprocated like found in the bible when he speaks of his relationship with Israel. Not that God did not honor it, we just can’t place the same level of confidence in this topic. Nevertheless, the founding fathers certainly made a vow, and God intends for us to keep our vows, even vows that are passed from one generation to the next, as we will discuss in Jer chapter 35, in the story of the Rechabites.
Jer 10:17 Gather up thy wares (your package of goods) out of the land, O inhabitant of the fortress.
Jer 10:18 For thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will sling out the inhabitants of the land at this once (at a stroke), and will distress them (oppress them, shut them up), that they may find it so (in order that they come forth).
Verse 18 can mean that they will find it very distressful, or perhaps they will find God, as the ‘is so’ is in italics. The sense is that God is telling them to grab what they can, they are going to be cast out of their inheritance. It will be sudden and sure, a great trial, and perhaps the remnant will emerge as my true people.
Jer 10:19 Woe is me for my hurt! my wound is grievous: but I said, Truly this is a grief (calamity, disease, malady), and I must bear it (carry it).
The first step is always to acknowledge the punishment of God. How far we have fallen from the truth when this utterly obvious, foundational precept cannot seem to be grasped by most. Jeremiah is not ‘naming it and claiming it’, as far as his pain goes. He is not using his authority in Christ (or in Yahweh) to bind the devil and cast him out. He is not rebuking his pain and his wound (whether physical, mental, or both). He is not calling things which be not as though they were. God is not impressed with anyone who refuses to acknowledge what God is clearly doing. You are not going to confess the judgments of God out of your life. Get real, get on your knees, and repent. God will put you back on the narrow path, and you can start making real spiritual progress in your life once again.
Jer 10:20 My tabernacle (dwelling place) is spoiled (robbed, laid waste), and all my cords (that hold my tent together) are broken: my children are gone forth of me, and they are not: there is none to stretch forth (pitch) my tent (covering) any more, and to set up my curtains.
How many ways are we being robbed of our children? The robbery did not begin in 2020 with the injections, it began when we began to chase the American dream after world war two. People had fought 2 global conflicts in a short period of time, at a tremendous sacrifice and a tremendous cost. After the second war, we turned our attention to building lives of prosperity and self fulfillment for ourselves, after years of war, drought, economic collapse, and the like. We took our eyes off our children but the devil never took his eyes off them. He gave them sex, drugs and rock and roll in the 50’s and 60’s. Then he gave them the lies of socialism and climate calamities in the schools. We in turn gave them tv preachers, mega churches, hyper grace, the prosperity gospel, and every sort of strange doctrinal idea and aberration that we could think of. The children were not impressed.
Then the internet came and changed everything. Suddenly, here was something that was worthy of all our time and attention. Society changed overnight. We had a mediator between man and man, the computer. No longer could we approach each other directly, but rather through one who moderated our thoughts and actions. Between false terror attacks and financial panics, we were ready for 2020.
With it came death. Death, disease and destruction. Our children started to get sick. Get sick and die. Then our wives became sterile, or miscarried in unfathomable totals. This was one fulfillment of the verse.
The other was the indoctrination our children were undergoing. Media had been moulding their minds for quite some time. Now the schools turned up the heat, exposing our children to unbelievable levels of pornography and sexual deviancy. Then your biological sex was up for grabs. Parents were kept in the dark. Our children couldn’t of been more effectively demonized if Moloch himself appeared on the scene in the flesh. Woe, woe, woe unto us!
Our spiritual homes have been broken into and laid waste by the wicked one. Our coverings have been shattered. Pastors have compromised, and apostatized. Sheep have been scattered. Our tents are torn and broken.
Jer 10:21 For the pastors (shepherds) are become brutish (consume as as if by fire, they eat us up), and have not sought (followed) the LORD: therefore they shall not prosper, and all their flocks shall be scattered (dashed in pieces).
What an indictment for those entrusted with the eternal souls of Jesus’ flock! Jeremiah had the exact same problem as we do. Where do we find the true man of God that we can trust? That will feed us real food, and not crickets and bugs, like some psychopaths want us to eat? Who is willing to rapidly rearrange their theology that they were taught, embrace the real truth of scripture that has been long lost, and take their place of leadership in truly laying down their lives for the sheep as Jesus commanded?
Jer 10:22 Behold, the noise of the bruit (rumour) is come, and a great commotion (confused noises, uproar) out of the north country, to make the cities of Judah desolate, and a den of dragons.
Judah hears the rumours that Babylon is coming, is getting close. They have heard rumours of what they do to those they conquer. So we have heard many rumours, many reports of what the globalists are doing and are about to do. There is much confusion, and speculation. Where shall we turn to find the truth? How shall we find a way to live in such a way that our thoughts don’t overwhelm us?
Jer 10:23 O LORD, I know that the way (road, course of life) of man (adam) is not in himself: it is not in man (eesh – a man) that walketh to direct his steps (pace).
Jeremiah acknowledges the sovereignty of God. The rebellious think that they are charting their own course. They think that they can create their own destiny, apart from God. God laughs at such hubris. They may create a destiny of eternal torment for themselves that thwart’s Gods’ will for their personal lives, but God’s overall plans and purposes for mankind can never be stopped, even if every rich man and fallen being in all of creation gather together and plan a great, total war against him, which is what we are living in today.
Jer 10:24 O LORD, correct (chastise, reprove, reform) me, but with judgment (mishpat); not in thine anger (wrath), lest thou bring me to nothing (decrease me to insignificance).
We plead that God does not sentence us by emotion, as man is wont to do. Since Jeremiah understands that God’s ways are judgments, he is not afraid to ask that God brings him under the eternal principle of mishpat, God’s righteous decrees, verdicts, decisions made upon sober, measured reflection, and not done in haste, in the emotion of the moment. Jeremiah is confident that if God fairly weighs him in the balance, he will find something worth saving, because he knows he has been obedient to his holy commands for his life. Can we confidently say the same thing?
Jer 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.
It is good to remind God that the wicked are doing far worse things, and are destroying God’s people. How many more innocent believers need to be slaughtered by the demon possessed Muslims before God rises up and puts an end to this bloodshed? By the globalists? The Communists? By all those who reject the one true God of the bible?
While we sincerely repent, it is not wrong to ask God to avenge the innocent blood being spilt, as he has reserved vengeance under his domain.
Rev 6:9-10 give us a glimpse of something that is going on in heaven night and day. Martyred saints asking God how long will it be until they are avenged? If this a perfectly acceptable prayer to pray in heaven, then let it be on earth as it is in heaven.
Solitary Man
https://solitaryman.substack.com/
Photos courtesy Depositphotos
