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The Bible Breakdown
Jeremiah 10: Did God Call Them Stupid?
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The More We Dig. The More We Find.
Hello everybody, welcome back to the Bible Breakdown Podcast with your host, pastor Brandon, today, jeremiah, chapter 10, and today's title is Did God Call them Stupid? Did God Call them Stupid? I cannot tell you how many times that when you're growing up as a guy, you go through these stages where you're friends and all, but there's like a level where, even though we are friends, you just don't say certain things right. And I cannot tell you how many times that as a guy, everybody's friends, everything's going well, and all of a sudden somebody will say something the wrong way and you go excuse me, what. What did you just call me wrong way? And you go excuse me, what. What did you just call me? What did you just say? That offends me right.
Speaker 1:And as an adult, a lot of times we will do that and we will say things and sometimes, sometimes when people say things to us, it hurts our feelings and you're like excuse me, what'd you just say? And they're like, hey, listen, I love you enough to tell you that was wrong. You know what I mean. And we can see God doing that today that through his word, he is telling them listen, what you're doing is just stupid. I don't care if it hurts your feelings, I don't care, whatever, you need to know this isn't a good idea, right? And we're going to get into all that in just a moment, because sometimes God loves us enough to call us out, and he is definitely calling out the nation of Israel today. But before we do that, as always, if you like what we're doing here, make sure you like, share and subscribe to the YouTube channel and the podcast especially. Go and look at the podcast and YouTube channel today, because we are still experimenting with a new format that I really like. Just kind of got to figure out how to do it, right, and thank you so much for your patience with that. And, man, I'm telling you also, go to the Bible Breakdown discussion on Facebook, because the more we dig, the more we find, and they know exactly what they're doing. All right, well, if you have your Bibles, want to open up with me to Jeremiah chapter 10. Remember what I was telling you before. There is this idea of God is going to tell them that what they're doing is like, straight up, stupid, and he is willing to offend them in order to help them. And so let's read this together, jeremiah chapter 10, and see what God's word will say to them, and then what it says to us as well. You ready? Jeremiah, chapter 10, verse 1, says this hear the word of the Lord, that the Lord speaks to you, o Israel. This is what the Lord says. That the Lord speaks to you, o Israel. This is what the Lord says.
Speaker 1:Do not act like 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 a hammer and nails so it won't fall over. Their gods are like helpless scarecrows in the cucumber field. If you're watching me, I just tried to scroll up and I lost where I was. Hey, we're learning this together. Here we go. 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. Now pause for a second. What is he saying? I got us distracted there. What he's saying is look at how these people are making gods for themselves, and then they're worshiping them, and then they are wondering why it's not working. He's like don't do that, don't be like them, all right.
Speaker 1:Verse six Lord, there is none like you, for you are great and your name is full of power. Who would not fear you? O King of Nations, the title belongs to you alone. Among all the wise people of the earth and all the kingdoms of the world, there is none like you. 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. 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. The whole earth trembles at his anger. The nations cannot stand up to his wrath.
Speaker 1:Say this to those who worship other gods, your so-called gods, who did not make the heavens and earth they 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 and when he speaks, in the thunder, the heavens roar. With rain. He causes the clouds to rise over the earth and 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 sharp works are a fraud. These idols have no breath or power. Idols are worthless and 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. Pack your bags and prepare to leave.
Speaker 1:The siege is about to begin, for this is what the Lord says. Suddenly, I will fling out all you who live in this land. I will pour great troubles upon you and at last you will feel my anger. My wound is severe, my anger. My wound is severe and my grief is great. My sickness is incurable, but I must bear it. My home is gone and no one is left to help me to rebuild it. My children have been taken away and I will never see them again. The shepherds of my people have lost their senses. They no longer seek wisdom from the Lord. Therefore, they fall completely and their flocks are scattered. Listen, hear the terrifying roar of great armies as they roll down from the north and the towns of Judah will be destroyed and it will become like a haunt of jackals. I know, lord, that our lives are not our own. We are not able to plan our own course. So correct me, lord, but please be gentle. Do not correct me in anger, for I would die. Pour out your wrath on the nations that refuse to acknowledge you, on the peoples that do not call upon your name, for they have devoured your people, israel, and they have devoured and consumed them, making the land a desolate wilderness.
Speaker 1:Wow, well, what is going on in this text? And, as you can see, there's moments when Jeremiah is praying to God and there's moments when God is saying this is what's going to happen. And the overall context of this is God is putting up a mirror in front of these people and he's saying look at what you're doing. And he's saying what you are doing is stupid. And he's saying, literally, you go out to the woods, you get a piece of wood and you carve it, and then you bow down and you worship it. It's like why would you do that? I mean, think about that right now.
Speaker 1:Imagine somebody went to McDonald's. Okay, they went to McDonald's, they got a Big Mac, they ate the Big Mac. And then they took the box that the Big Mac comes in and they set that box up on their mantle and every evening they prayed to the golden arches that the golden arches would give them everything they wanted. You know what we would do. We would tell them that's stupid. We would try not to call them stupid, but what they were doing is stupid.
Speaker 1:Now imagine that somebody, somebody, gets a job and they love that job and that job begins to make money that they're able to then turn to support their family. But at some point they begin to realize that job is supplying everything I need. So I'm going to give more time to that job and I'm going to neglect the family that I got that job to support because I want to continue to do better and do better and do better and neglect all those different things, and I turn into possibly worshiping that job because I think that job can give me what only God can provide. We would look at that person and we would say, well, that's stupid. Well, yeah, but we do it all the time.
Speaker 1:We look at people and we put them up on a pedestal and we say that that person is going to lead me to God, that person is perfect, that person does this and that person does this. We go well, that's stupid? Well, of course it is, but we do it all the time and God loves us enough to say look at what all of your drinking is doing. Look at what all of your drinking is doing, look at what all of your gambling is doing, look at what all of your pornography is doing. It is creating wounds, it is creating bitterness, it is creating brokenness inside of you, and we can see it in other people and go oh my goodness, look at what you're doing. It's out of control. Why are you doing that? But we do it all the time and God loves us enough to put a mirror in front of us so that we can see.
Speaker 1:Now, you imagine, during this time, none of these people are looking at these idols and thinking this is dumb, I shouldn't do this. They're doing it because they think it matters, even though it doesn't. And so here's my question for you today what are you doing that? If somebody else were to see it, they would say that's stupid. Are you putting something in front of God? Are you trying to get from something else what only God can provide?
Speaker 1:Has your job went from being a way for you to support your family to where now your family exists as a side note to your job? Has your career taken over? You know, when you were younger, you wanted a career so that you could help your family do better. Now you sacrifice your family on the altar of career. I'm not saying you're doing it. I'm saying are you doing that? Maybe at first you used to drink a glass of wine in the evening and take the edge off, but now you drink a glass of wine because it tells you to, not the other way around.
Speaker 1:I'm curious Is there something right now in your life that is calling the shots? It's a hard question, but God loves us enough to put the mirror in front of us and say what you're doing is stupid because it's taking away from the wholeness I want to give you. And that's one of the things I love about God's word is it's willing to offend us because it loves us. And so is there something that God wants to put a mirror up in front of you and say I love you enough to tell you something that's going to hurt, but in the end it's for your good. Let's pray together right now.
Speaker 1:God, thank you so much that we've all got a place we can grow. None of us have arrived yet, and I'm so thankful that you do not give up on us, lord. I pray that you will do that for every one of us. Today. You'll put a mirror up in front of us. Help us to see what is keeping us from knowing you more, and then give us the grace to take the next step. Today, in Jesus' name, we pray amen, amen, but don't forget. God's word says in Jeremiah 29, verse 13,. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. My hope for you is that you will find God in everything you do. I love you. I'll see you tomorrow for Jeremiah, chapter 11.
