Jeremiah

Jeremiah 10: The living LORD alone is King

Begin in prayer

Before we read about the idols of the nations, let us come to the living God together. Ask Him to give us undivided hearts, to be near our family, and to show us that He alone is King.

Teach me your way, Yahweh. I will walk in your truth. Make my heart undivided to fear your name.

Psalms 86:11

Father in heaven, please open our eyes as we read Your Word. Show us that You alone are the true God and the living King, and help us to turn from our sin and trust Jesus. Make us more like Jesus. And please bless our family as we worship You together. In Jesus' name, Amen.

See where we're going

The LORD warns against learning the ways of the nations and their idols of decorated wood (verses 2 to 4). Those idols cannot speak or walk, so there is no reason to fear them (verse 5). The LORD is the true God, the living God and an everlasting King, at whose wrath the earth trembles (verse 10). He made the earth by His power and established the world by His wisdom (verse 12). Every craftsman of idols is put to shame, because their images have no breath in them (verses 14 and 15). Judah’s shepherds have not sought the LORD, so its flocks are scattered (verses 20 and 21). Jeremiah asks to be corrected in measure, not in anger, and asks God to judge nations that ignore Him (verses 24 and 25).

As you read Jeremiah 10, look for the answers:

Reflect together

Key truth

The LORD alone is the living God and King, and idols made by hands cannot help.

The nations decorated their idols with silver and gold, and Judah was tempted to copy them (verses 2 to 4). Tarshish and Uphaz are named as sources of silver and gold, which shows how costly these idols’ materials could be (verse 9). Jeremiah compares an idol to a palm tree of turned wood, which cannot speak or walk, so its uselessness is plain (verse 5). The LORD is King of the nations and the true, living God, so every idol falls far short of Him (verses 7 and 10). The LORD made the earth by His power and wisdom, so idols of wood and metal are nothing (verses 12 to 15). Judah’s shepherds had not sought the LORD, and the flock was scattered (verse 21). Jesus is the Good Shepherd who gathers His people, and only He is the living King who can save.

How does Jeremiah 10 show us that the LORD alone is the living God and King, and that idols made by hands cannot help?

Idols cannot speak, move or help.

The idols are cut from a tree, decorated with gold and fastened with nails (verses 3 and 4). They cannot speak or walk, and they can do neither harm nor good (verse 5). Someone had to carry them from place to place (verse 5).

The LORD made the heavens and the earth.

He made the earth by His power and established the world by His wisdom (verse 12). He utters His voice, and the waters in the heavens respond (verse 13). The LORD stretched out the heavens by His understanding, but the idols are only a work of delusion (verses 12 and 15).

Judah’s shepherds did not seek the LORD, and the flock was scattered.

Judah’s shepherds were brutish and had not inquired of the LORD, so the flocks were scattered (verse 21). The LORD’s people need a faithful shepherd who knows them. Jesus is that Shepherd, and He calls His sheep to trust Him.

Memorize

But Yahweh is the true God; he is the living God, and an everlasting King.

Jeremiah 10:10

Looking to Jesus in my life

Ask yourself in your heart, what idol have I trusted instead of Jesus, the living God?

The LORD says, “But Yahweh is the true God; he is the living God, and an everlasting King.” The idols of the nations cannot speak, move or help. They are made of wood and metal, and the LORD calls them falsehood with no breath in them. Only the living God made the heavens and the earth, and the earth trembles at His wrath.

Jesus is the living Lord who came to save sinners. At the cross He bore the wrath that our idols and our sins deserved, and He died for His people. His death paid for sin completely, and His work is enough for all who trust Him. He rose from the grave on the third day, alive forever.

Turn from every idol you have trusted, and come to the living God through Jesus. Repent of the things you love above Him, and believe that He alone can save. Jesus forgives those who turn to Him, and He receives them in mercy.

Parent's note

Tell your children that the idols in this chapter cannot speak, move or help, so they need not fear them. Parents, you may want to explain verse 25, where Jeremiah asks God to judge the nations, in your own words. Please do not tell them they are saved just because they grew up in a Christian home. Call each child to turn from sin and trust Jesus, and pray that God would give them a new heart.

Pray together

Now please close your time together in prayer. Thank God that He alone is the living King, and bring the heart question to Him. Each child may pray a short prayer if they wish.

how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God

1 Thessalonians 1:9

Lord, You alone are the true God and the everlasting King. Forgive us for the idols we trust, and give us hearts that turn to You. Please bring each of us to Jesus, and help us to live for You this week. Amen.