[Faithwalker012]

Good day and an early Merry Christmas to you. I hope as we are at this time of year that all of you are healthy, happy, and enjoy a joyous and blessed holiday season with all your loved ones. I want to take a moment and recognize and in some say send along my "God blesses" to the people who have stood in Henderson, Texas in defense of a Christmas nativity display that some atheist group wants removed. Thousands of people standing, literally standing in support of this nativity scene. What courage and conviction, faith, and love these people have.

Okay then, we come to Jeremiah Chapter 10. Chapter 10 is kind of an interesting chapter in that it's not so much prophetic, though there is prophecy and future events in it. But it's really more of a statement chapter against idolatry and kind of the pointless nature of it. It holds true today even. You can not look to some "made up god" or religion to save you. Notice I said made up god. There is of course a God. He's not hard to find either. But if you go running after a bunch of nonsense, you can run after it all you want. But it's not going to help you and it certainly won't bless you or give you eternal life. So, here we go Jeremiah Chapter 10.

Jeremiah 10:1 "Hear ye the word which the Lord speaketh unto you, O house of Israel:

This tells us who this is addressed to. There is still a House of Israel today. But if you prefer to make it relevant today, even though the House of Israel is probably more relevant to many of you than you realize, just focus in on Hear ye the word which the Lord speaketh. We all need to pay attention to it, House of Israel or Gentile today. It matters not because if you believe in Yeshua Messiah, than you want to pay attention.

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."

Even today, don't get off into other people's traditions. If you really do love the Lord then He wants to bless you, but it's hard for Him to do that if you go after some other religion or neat little doctrine someone has. God told us what He expects out of us in His word and there's nothing new under the sun. The heathen, especially at that time marveled at and worshipped the heavenly bodies, such as the sun and moon. Friends, these are created things. Why worship creation when we can know the Creator and when He loves you and can help you? There are signs in the sky, and God has even written His Word in the stars. But don't get shook up by that or make that your religion. Read and study this Word, follow it, and obey His voice and you'll do just fine.
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."

What this is leading up to is someone cutting down a tree and carving the wood to make an idol. This is what God is saying don't have anything to do with. It has nothing to do with lumber workers or Christmas trees or anything. We will get to it as we move along in the chapter.


Jeremiah 10:4 "They deck it with silver and with gold they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not."

Think about this and picture it in your mind. These heathen take a tree out of the forest and carve up the wood to make it look like whatever god they want to create. They lay it out real pretty with silver and gold. The Hebrew for move is stumble. Hebrew word 6328 in a Strong's Concordance.
Original Word: פִּיק
Transliteration: puq
Phonetic Spelling: (pook)
A primitive root; to waver -- stumble, move.

I mean, they create these idols and they have to fasten them down with hammer and nails so they don't tip over. Is that something you would want to worship? Even today, people don't necessarily carve out idols, but they do carve out doctrine that won't stand on its own two feet figuratively. You can either accept it because it sounds so spiritual, or you can test it to see if it has any legs to stand on. If it doesn't, let it fall and stick with what will not waver, what can not be moved in God's true word.

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



I mean these idols or "gods" can't talk, they need to be secured or else they'll tip over, and to be transported you have to pick them up and carry them. They can't do evil or good, why not? They're not real, they're not living. God though is living, and He's the God of the living, and not the dead. People, both these heathen, and unfortunately Christians at times need to have something they can see to keep their focus where it needs to be. But what good are these things? They're a hunk of wood, they can't do anything! So let me ask you today, what do you put your faith in? Who or what do you give your time to? I'm not talking about all your time. But do you make time for God? Have you told Him you loved Him lately? Or do you put your hopes and devotion in created or imaginary things? If you do, how are things going for you? Your Father is the one who loves you and can help you.

Jeremiah 10:6 "Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O LORD; thou art great, and thy name is great in might.

You know, I can't help but think of an occasion in the bible where one of these little idols, these little hunks of wood or metal couldn't stand before the One True God. The Philistines had actually captured the Ark of the Covenant. How did something like that happen? Well there were some pretty wicked priests in Hophni and Phineas and their father Eli wasn't too successful at correcting them. So God did His own correcting. But here the Philistines had the Ark, and they set it in their temple to their little fish god Dagon. What happened to Dagon?

I Samuel 5:2 "When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon."

I Samuel 5:3 "And when they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the Lord. And they took Dagon, and set him in his place again."

Their little pretend god and their idol had fallen from its perch and was bowing face first before God. Do you think maybe that's a sign?

I Samuel 5:4 "And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him.

So they set old Dagon up again figuring probably it was just an accident or coincidence. Then the next morning there Dagon is again bowing before the mercy seat of God but his head and his hands were cut off. That's probably not much of a coincidence.

I Samuel 5:5 "Therefore neither the priests of Dagon, nor any that come into Dagon's house, tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod unto this day."

Needless to say even these heathen Philistines recognized the fact that their little fish god couldn't stand before the True God. It wouldn't be too much longer that they would want to give the Ark back to the people of Israel. God has a way of making a point to people who want to put their hope and faith in meaningless created things.

Jason