Jeremiah Chapter 10
Jeremiah 10
Yahweh and the Idols of the Nations
Jeremiah 10:1-5, The Custom of the Decorated Tree Made an Idol
Jeremiah 10:1-5, “Hear ye the word which the LORD speaketh unto you, O house of Israel, Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs heaven, for the heathen are dismayed at them. For the customs the people are vain, for one cutteth a tree out the forest, the work the hands the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold, they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not, they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid them, for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.”
Jeremiah 10 begins with a command to hear the word that the LORD speaks. This is the continual issue in Jeremiah. Judah’s problem was not that God had been silent. Their problem was that they had refused to hear. Now God speaks to the house of Israel and commands them not to learn the way of the heathen. The covenant people were not to be disciples of the nations around them. They were not to borrow pagan religion, pagan fear, pagan customs, or pagan thinking.
The warning, “Learn not the way of the heathen,” is especially important because Judah had become like the nations. At the end of Jeremiah 9, God said Israel was uncircumcised in heart. They had the covenant sign outwardly, but inwardly they resembled the uncircumcised nations. Now the LORD calls them away from the empty customs of the Gentiles and back to covenant faithfulness.
God also tells them not to be dismayed at the signs of heaven. The heathen nations often feared eclipses, comets, meteors, and unusual heavenly signs, reading them through superstition and astrology. But Israel was not to live in pagan fear. God created the heavens. The sun, moon, stars, and heavenly bodies are not gods, nor are they independent powers governing human destiny. They serve the Creator’s purpose.
Genesis 1:14-18, “And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament the heaven to divide the day from the night, and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years, And let them be for lights in the firmament the heaven to give light upon the earth, and it was so. And God made two great lights, the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night, he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament the heaven to give light upon the earth, And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness, and God saw that it was good.”
The heavenly bodies were created by God for His appointed purposes. They were never to be worshiped or feared as divine powers. Paganism reverses the created order by worshiping created things instead of the Creator.
Jeremiah then exposes the foolishness of idol making. A man cuts a tree from the forest with an axe. A craftsman shapes it. They decorate it with silver and gold. They fasten it with nails and hammers so it will not move. The idol must be stabilized because it cannot stand by its own power. It must be carried because it cannot walk. It cannot speak. It cannot act. It cannot do evil, and it cannot do good.
The point is not merely that idols are false. The point is that idolatry is foolish. Man takes something God made, reshapes it with tools God allowed him to use, decorates it with materials God created, fastens it so it does not fall over, and then fears it as though it had divine power. Jeremiah mocks the absurdity of worshiping what must be carried by the worshiper.
Some have connected this passage with the modern Christmas tree because Jeremiah mentions a tree cut from the forest and decorated with silver and gold. The immediate context, however, concerns the making and worshiping of an idol. Jeremiah is not condemning every use of a decorated tree in later customs. He is condemning pagan idolatry, the reverence of a crafted object as a god. If any custom becomes an idol, it must be rejected. But the issue in Jeremiah is worship, fear, and religious devotion given to a powerless object.
The main command remains plain, “Be not afraid them.” Idols are powerless. They cannot harm or help. They are not rivals to the LORD. They are the lifeless products of human hands.
Jeremiah 10:6-10, The Greatness of God over All Idols
Jeremiah 10:6-10, “Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O LORD, thou art great, and thy name is great in might. Who would not fear thee, O King nations? for to thee doth it appertain, forasmuch as among all the wise men the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like unto thee. But they are altogether brutish and foolish, the stock is a doctrine vanities. Silver spread into plates is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work the workman, and the hands the founder, blue and purple is their clothing, they are all the work cunning men. 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 moves from mocking idols to exalting the LORD. “There is none like unto thee, O LORD.” This is the great contrast. Idols are many, but God is incomparable. They are made, but He is Maker. They are carried, but He upholds all things. They are decorated, but His name is great in might. They cannot speak, but His word created and governs the world.
The LORD is called “King nations.” This title is significant. Israel’s God is not a tribal deity limited to Judah. He is King over all nations. The nations may worship idols, but they still belong under the sovereign rule of the LORD. Their wise men may be considered impressive by human standards, and their kingdoms may appear powerful, but among all their wisdom and authority there is none like the LORD.
The idols are called “brutish and foolish,” and the wooden idol is called “a doctrine vanities.” This means that the instruction received from idols is as worthless as the idol itself. False gods produce false doctrine. A lifeless idol cannot teach life. A man made god cannot reveal truth. Every religion that begins in man ends in vanity.
The idols may be expensive and visually impressive. Silver comes from Tarshish. Gold comes from Uphaz. Skilled craftsmen shape them. Blue and purple cloth adorn them. But decoration cannot give life. Costliness cannot create truth. Beauty cannot make an idol divine. A well dressed false god is still false.
Then comes the great confession, “But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king.” These three statements destroy idolatry. The LORD is the true God, meaning He alone is God in reality. He is the living God, meaning He has life in Himself and gives life to all. He is the everlasting King, meaning His reign has no beginning of authority and no end of dominion.
Psalm 115:3-8, “But our God is in the heavens, he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased. Their idols are silver and gold, the work men's hands. They have mouths, but they speak not, eyes have they, but they see not, They have ears, but they hear not, noses have they, but they smell not, They have hands, but they handle not, feet have they, but they walk not, neither speak they through their throat. They that make them are like unto them, so is every one that trusteth in them.”
The living God is not like the idols. At His wrath the earth trembles. The nations cannot endure His indignation. The idols must be nailed down so they do not topple, but the LORD shakes the earth. The idols cannot move, but the nations cannot stand before God’s anger.
Jeremiah 10:11-16, The Glory of the Creator God
Jeremiah 10:11-16, “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. 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. When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude waters in the heavens, and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends the earth, he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out his treasures. 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. They are vanity, and the work errors, in the time their visitation they shall perish. The portion Jacob is not like them, for he is the former all things, and Israel is the rod his inheritance, The LORD hosts is his name.”
Jeremiah 10:11 is unique because it is written in Aramaic. It appears to function like a direct saying against the gods of the nations, “The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish.” This is the test of deity. The true God is Creator. False gods did not make the heavens and the earth, and therefore they will perish from the earth and under the heavens.
The LORD made the earth by His power, established the world by His wisdom, and stretched out the heavens by His discretion. Creation reveals not only power, but wisdom. The order, beauty, structure, and function of the world are not accidents. They display the intelligent and sovereign work of God.
Psalm 33:6-9, “By the word the LORD were the heavens made, and all the host them by the breath his mouth. He gathereth the waters the sea together as an heap, he layeth up the depth in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the LORD, let all the inhabitants the world stand in awe him. For he spake, and it was done, he commanded, and it stood fast.”
Jeremiah then describes God’s rule over weather and creation. When He utters His voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens. He causes vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth. He makes lightning with rain and brings the wind from His treasures. The same God who created the world actively governs it. Rain, clouds, lightning, wind, and the water cycle are under His command.
The idol makers are described as brutish, confounded, and without knowledge. Their images are falsehood. There is no breath in them. That phrase matters. A living creature has breath because God gives life. Idols have no breath because they are dead objects. They are vanity, the work of errors. In the time of their visitation, they will perish.
“The portion Jacob is not like them.” The LORD is Israel’s portion. He is not a dead idol, not the product of craftsmen, not a decorated object, and not a powerless symbol. He is the Former of all things. Israel is the rod of His inheritance. The covenant people belong to Him, and in a profound covenant sense, He belongs to them as their portion and inheritance.
Deuteronomy 32:9, “For the LORD'S portion is his people, Jacob is the lot his inheritance.”
The name at the end seals the contrast, “The LORD hosts is his name.” He is the LORD of armies, the sovereign commander of heaven and earth. Idols have to be carried. The LORD commands heavenly hosts.
Jeremiah 10:17-18, A Warning to Flee from the Invaders
Jeremiah 10:17-18, “Gather up thy wares out the land, O inhabitant the fortress. For thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will sling out the inhabitants the land at this once, and will distress them, that they may find it so.”
Jeremiah now turns from the contrast between God and idols to the coming invasion. The inhabitant of the fortress is told to gather up possessions. The warning is urgent. Judgment is near, and the people must prepare for displacement.
The LORD says, “I will sling out the inhabitants the land.” This is vivid language. Judah will not merely drift into exile. God will cast them out with force, like a stone slung from a sling. The Babylonians are the visible instrument, but the LORD is the One who drives them out.
This judgment is covenantal. The land was a gift, but rebellion brought exile. Judah had filled the land with idolatry, injustice, and false worship. Therefore God would distress them so that they would experience the truth of His warning.
Leviticus 18:28, “That the land spue not you out also, when ye defile it, as it spued out the nations that were before you.”
The land was holy unto the LORD because He had set His name and promises there. Defilement would bring expulsion.
Jeremiah 10:19-20, A Prayer in the Voice of Those Under the Babylonian Invasion
Jeremiah 10:19-20, “Woe is me for my hurt! my wound is grievous, but I said, Truly this is a grief, and I must bear it. My tabernacle is spoiled, and all my cords are broken, my children are gone forth me, and they are not, there is none to stretch forth my tent any more, and to set up my curtains.”
Jeremiah now speaks in the voice of devastated Judah. “Woe is me for my hurt! my wound is grievous.” The wound of judgment is deep. The speaker recognizes that the grief must be borne. There is no escaping the consequence now that judgment has arrived.
The imagery is domestic and painful. “My tabernacle is spoiled, and all my cords are broken.” The tent represents home, stability, and family life. Broken cords mean the home has collapsed. There is no structure left.
“My children are gone forth me, and they are not.” This is the grief of loss, exile, and death. Jerusalem is pictured as a mother bereft of her children. The devastation is not merely military or political. It is personal, familial, and heartbreaking.
“There is none to stretch forth my tent any more.” The next generation is gone. The ones who should help rebuild are absent. Judgment has broken continuity, household stability, and hope.
Jeremiah 10:21-22, The Trouble that Comes from Dull Hearted Shepherds
Jeremiah 10:21-22, “For the pastors are become brutish, and have not sought the LORD, therefore they shall not prosper, and all their flocks shall be scattered. Behold, the noise the bruit is come, and a great commotion out the north country, to make the cities Judah desolate, and a den dragons.”
Jeremiah identifies a major cause of Judah’s disaster, the shepherds had become brutish and had not sought the LORD. The word pastors here means shepherds, referring to leaders, both civil and spiritual. Those responsible to guide the people had become dull hearted, foolish, and spiritually insensitive.
Their failure is stated plainly, “have not sought the LORD.” A leader who does not seek the LORD cannot lead God’s people rightly. Skill, position, personality, administration, and influence cannot replace prayerful dependence on God. When shepherds stop seeking the LORD, the flock suffers.
“Therefore they shall not prosper, and all their flocks shall be scattered.” Leadership failure brings both personal failure and corporate damage. The shepherds will not prosper, and the people will be scattered. This is exactly what would happen in the Babylonian invasion and exile.
Ezekiel 34:2-6, “Son man, prophesy against the shepherds Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds, Woe be to the shepherds Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed, but ye feed not the flock. The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost, but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them. And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd, and they became meat to all the beasts the field, when they were scattered. My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill, yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face the earth, and none did search or seek after them.”
Jeremiah hears the report from the north country. Babylon is coming. The cities of Judah will become desolate and a den of dragons, meaning jackals or wild creatures. Where there should have been worship, families, justice, and harvest, there will be ruin and wildness.
Jeremiah 10:23-25, A Humble Plea to God for Correction and Judgment upon the Invaders
Jeremiah 10:23-25, “O LORD, I know that the way man is not in himself, it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps. O LORD, correct me, but with judgment, not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing. 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 closes the chapter with a humble prayer. “O LORD, I know that the way man is not in himself.” This is one of the clearest statements in Scripture about human limitation. Man does not possess within himself the wisdom, righteousness, or authority to direct his own steps apart from God. Man was created to walk under divine truth, not autonomous self rule.
This also answers idolatry. Idols are man’s attempt to create gods he can control. But the way of man is not in himself. Human beings are not qualified to invent their own gods, morality, destiny, or salvation. We need revelation, correction, and grace from the LORD.
Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”
Man must not lean on his own understanding as final authority. The LORD must direct the path.
Jeremiah then prays, “O LORD, correct me, but with judgment, not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing.” He does not deny that correction is needed. Judah deserves discipline. The prayer is not, “Do not correct me.” It is, “Correct me with justice and measured discipline, not consuming wrath.” This is the cry of a man who knows both God’s holiness and God’s mercy.
This prayer is appropriate for every believer. A wise man does not despise correction. He asks that God’s correction be fatherly, righteous, and merciful.
Hebrews 12:5-6, “And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked him, For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.”
Jeremiah finally asks God to pour out fury upon the heathen who do not know Him and upon the families who do not call on His name. Babylon would be used as God’s instrument against Judah, but Babylon was not righteous. The invading nations had devoured Jacob and made his habitation desolate. Therefore Jeremiah asks God to judge them also.
This is not personal vengeance. It is an appeal to divine justice. God may use a wicked nation to discipline His people, but that wicked nation remains accountable for its own cruelty, pride, and idolatry. Babylon would later be judged by God.
Jeremiah 50:18, “Therefore thus saith the LORD hosts, the God Israel, Behold, I will punish the king Babylon and his land, as I have punished the king Assyria.”
Doctrinal and Practical Notes
Jeremiah 10 teaches that God’s people must not learn the way of the heathen. The covenant people are not to become disciples of pagan fear, pagan worship, pagan superstition, or pagan customs. Separation from idolatry is not optional.
Jeremiah 10 teaches that astrology and fear of heavenly signs belong to pagan thinking. The heavens are created by God. They serve His purposes. They are not independent powers to be feared or worshiped.
Jeremiah 10 teaches that idols are powerless because they are man made. They must be cut, shaped, decorated, fastened, and carried. They cannot speak, move, harm, help, save, or judge.
Jeremiah 10 teaches that external beauty cannot make false religion true. Silver, gold, blue, purple, and craftsmanship may impress the eye, but they cannot give life to an idol.
Jeremiah 10 teaches that the LORD is incomparable. He is the true God, the living God, the everlasting King, the Maker of the earth, the establisher of the world, and the One who stretches out the heavens.
Jeremiah 10 teaches that the test between the true God and false gods is creation. The gods that did not make the heavens and the earth will perish. The LORD made all things by His power, wisdom, and discretion.
Jeremiah 10 teaches that leadership failure devastates the flock. The pastors had become brutish and had not sought the LORD, therefore they did not prosper, and their flocks were scattered. Leaders who do not seek God cannot faithfully shepherd God’s people.
Jeremiah 10 teaches that man cannot direct his own steps apart from God. Human autonomy is a lie. Man needs the LORD to direct, correct, guide, and govern him.
Jeremiah 10 teaches that discipline should be received humbly. Jeremiah does not reject correction. He asks God to correct with judgment and not in consuming anger.
Jeremiah 10 teaches that God’s instruments of judgment are still accountable to God. Babylon would be used to discipline Judah, but Babylon would also be judged for devouring Jacob and making his habitation desolate.
Summary
Jeremiah 10 contrasts the living LORD with the idols of the nations. Judah is commanded not to learn the way of the heathen and not to fear the signs of heaven. Pagan customs are vain. A man cuts down a tree, shapes it, decorates it with silver and gold, fastens it with nails so it will not fall, and then treats it as a god. Such idols cannot speak, walk, harm, or help.
The LORD is utterly different. There is none like Him. He is great, His name is great in might, and He is King of the nations. Idols are made by craftsmen, but the LORD made the craftsmen. Idols are decorated with costly materials, but the LORD is the true God, the living God, and the everlasting King.
The gods that did not make the heavens and earth will perish, but the LORD made the earth by His power, established the world by His wisdom, and stretched out the heavens by His discretion. He governs waters, vapors, lightning, rain, and wind. The idols are falsehood and vanity, but the Portion of Jacob is the Maker of all things, and the LORD of hosts is His name.
The chapter then warns Judah that God will sling the inhabitants out of the land through the coming Babylonian invasion. Jeremiah speaks in the voice of the wounded nation, grieving over a plundered tent, broken cords, and lost children. The shepherds are condemned because they did not seek the LORD, and their flocks are scattered. The chapter closes with Jeremiah’s humble prayer, confessing that man cannot direct his own steps, asking God for merciful correction, and pleading for judgment upon the heathen who devoured Jacob.
