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The Scriptorium

God Great and Mighty

He is God, the only God, the great and mighty God. Jeremiah 10.1-25

Lying Words: Jeremiah 7-10 (6)

Pray Psalm 145.1-3.
I will extol You, my God, O King;
And I will bless Your name forever and ever.
Every day I will bless You,
And I will praise Your name forever and ever.
Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;
And His greatness is unsearchable.

Sing Psalm 145.1-3.
(Brother James’ Air: The Lord’s My Shepherd, I’ll Not Want)
I will extol You, God, my King, and ever praise Your Name!
I bless You, Lord, for everything each day, and e’er the same!
Great are You, Lord, my praise I bring; unsearchable Your fame!

Read and meditate on Jeremiah 10.1-25.

Prepare.
1. Why did Jeremiah mock the false gods of Judah?

2. In contrast to this, what did he say about God?

Meditate.
Jeremiah’s next message to the people of Judah and Jerusalem aims right at the source of their problem: Faithless shepherds have led them to adopt and worship false gods, made by their own hands, which are incapable of doing anything for them.

This is how the Gentiles live, said Jeremiah, in the futility of their minds (vv. 1-3; cf. Eph. 4.17-19). They cut down a tree to fashion it into an idol, then they worship it. The idols can’t speak. They can’t move about. They have to be carried. They have no power to do either good or evil (vv. 4, 5). It is foolish and futile to devote oneself to such merely material gewgaws.

God, by contrast, is great and mighty. There is none like Him (v. 6). He rules the nations, though they all worship their own man-made idols (vv. 7-9). God is true and living and able to bring indignation and wrath against all who turn to vain idols (v. 10).

Jeremiah declares that God, not idols, have made heaven and earth (vv. 11, 12). God’s voice rules all of creation (v. 13). Men are dull and foolish to worship statues they have themselves constructed; punishment form the Portion of Jacob and the Maker of all things is coming their way (vv. 14-16).

And it’s coming to Judah as well, which will be wounded, plundered, and removed from their land (vv. 17-20). And why? Because “the shepherds have become dull-hearted” (v. 21). Their leaders caused them to turn from the clear and true Word of God to follow the vain imaginations of their hearts. And now God is coming to vindicate His rule over His people.

Jeremiah pleads with God to correct His people with justice, not anger, but to pour out His fury on the Gentiles, who “have eaten up Jacob, devoured him and consumed him, and made his dwelling place desolate” (vv. 23-25). While Jeremiah’s preaching threatens the tearing down of Jerusalem, his compassionate praying reminds us of God’s mercy and love for His people.

Reflect.
1. People today devote themselves – time, effort, work, desire, and so forth – to many things other than God. Such as?

2. Why is it foolish and futile to devote ourselves thus to such things?

3. Why is God alone worthy of all our devotion and obedience?

God, who made time, cannot be in time. Again, God cannot be imperfect, for a lesser being is plainly imperfect, seeing that it lacks somewhat whereby it could be made equal to a greater. This, then, is the teaching of our faith—that God is not evil, that with God nothing is impossible, that God does not exist in time, that God is beneath no being. Ambrose of Milan (333-397), On the Christian Faith 1.2.14

Lead and fill me today, Lord, so that I will declare Your praises and walk Your path as I…

Pray Psalm 145.10-21

Praise the Lord for all His greatness, and resolve to speak His praise to someone today.

Sing Psalm 145.10-21.
Psalm 145.10-21 (Brother James’ Air: The Lord’s My Shepherd, I’ll Not Want)
Your works shall thank You; all Your saints shall bless and praise You, Lord.
Your reign we bless without restraint; Your power fills our words.
Our children we shall educate in all Your splendor, Lord.

Your Kingdom evermore shall be; You reign forever, Lord!
Your works You do so faithfully, according to Your Word.
The falling You uphold and the oppressed You rescue, Lord!

The eyes of all look up to You to meet our needs each day.
Open Your hand, provide the food we need, O Lord, we pray!
Kindness and righteousness You do, O Lord, in every way!

Be near to all who call on You; all those who fear You, bless.
Preserve all those whose love is true; save us in our distress.
Our mouths will speak with praise of You; Your holy Name we’ll bless!

T. M. Moore

Where do the prophets fit with the rest of Scripture? Our workbook, God’s Covenant, shows you how all the parts of the Bible fit together under one divine covenant. The lessons in this workbook will show you the unity of Scripture and the centrality of Jesus in all the Bible. Order your copy by clicking here.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All quotations from Church Fathers from
Ancient Christian Commentary Series, General Editor Thomas C. Oden (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006). All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (available by clicking here).

T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
Books by T. M. Moore

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