Jeremiah 10:6-10 – A Multidimensional Declaration of Theology
From Jeremiah 10…
6
Inasmuch as there is none like You, O Lord
(You are great, and Your name is great in might),
7
Who would not fear You, O King of the nations?
For this is Your rightful due.
For among all the wise men of the nations,
And in all their kingdoms,
There is none like You.
8
But they are altogether dull-hearted and foolish;
A wooden idol is a worthless doctrine.
9
Silver is beaten into plates;
It is brought from Tarshish,
And gold from Uphaz,
The work of the craftsman
And of the hands of the metalsmith;
Blue and purple are their clothing;
They are all the work of skillful men.
10
But the Lord is the true God;
He is the living God and the everlasting King.
At His wrath the earth will tremble,
And the nations will not be able to endure His indignation.
“We would do our theology better," pronounces John Piper in his John Calvin: And His Passion for the Majesty of God, "if more was at stake in what we said.”
Jeremiah 10:6-10 helps to rattle us from our liturgical lethargy. You are great, declares the weeping prophet, now emboldened as he has doubly declared the fallacy of alternatives to the one true God. Moreover, he knows this proclamation is more than air passing from his lungs and over his vocal cords. Your name, he equates, peering behind the veil that obscures the spiritual realm, is great in might. A great deal is at stake in our theology because there is power in point of fact as we agree in heart and mind with Who the Bible says God is.
Jeremiah helps us hammer this into place by contrast. Juxtaposing opposites, Jeremiah insists even the heathen, even the dull of heart, even the foolish, know that theology drives action. They may not be able to explain their doctrine, but they live it as a testimony. They take and refine what they have, exerting themselves in heat and danger as metalsmiths to honor what they believe. They venture to the edge of the known, Mediterranean world on behalf of their beliefs. What, Jeremiah seems to be pointing out do God's people do for what we hold to be doctrinally sound?
For gods they have never seen truly act, the heathen are willing to deepen and display beauty of blue and purple. Practiced professionalism is the humble, disciplined response elicited by wrong belief. Where's the craftsmanship of word and action in what God's people testify to? Do we live out, polish, improve, and relish a conviction in our bones that there is POWER in our declaration of Who He is? Or, do worldlings display more commitment to sundry lies than we do to the Truth?
Walk with Him for a while, abide in His Word, and we will no longer be surprised how often the extension of His glory is intertwined with our good. Minds that soar and stretch to comprehend all that He is in what He has already revealed will not as readily wander to what god we can make to captivate our thoughts. Bodies straining willingly in His service won't have the leftover, unfulfilled energy which so often draws us toward idolatry for thrill and fulfillment. See the real risk in hazarding by faith for our King, and we will not undertake voyages for lesser goals simply out of a haunted sense that we are made for more than our stultifying routine.
In spite of, sums up Jeremiah 10:10 in final vindication, halfhearted awareness and practice of His excellence by His people, God will display His character. He IS the living God and everlasting King. He outlasts shams and shoddiness. The nations will either be aware of His glory THROUGH His people, or in spite of us.
6
Inasmuch as there is none like You, O Lord
(You are great, and Your name is great in might),
7
Who would not fear You, O King of the nations?
For this is Your rightful due.
For among all the wise men of the nations,
And in all their kingdoms,
There is none like You.
8
But they are altogether dull-hearted and foolish;
A wooden idol is a worthless doctrine.
9
Silver is beaten into plates;
It is brought from Tarshish,
And gold from Uphaz,
The work of the craftsman
And of the hands of the metalsmith;
Blue and purple are their clothing;
They are all the work of skillful men.
10
But the Lord is the true God;
He is the living God and the everlasting King.
At His wrath the earth will tremble,
And the nations will not be able to endure His indignation.
“We would do our theology better," pronounces John Piper in his John Calvin: And His Passion for the Majesty of God, "if more was at stake in what we said.”
Jeremiah 10:6-10 helps to rattle us from our liturgical lethargy. You are great, declares the weeping prophet, now emboldened as he has doubly declared the fallacy of alternatives to the one true God. Moreover, he knows this proclamation is more than air passing from his lungs and over his vocal cords. Your name, he equates, peering behind the veil that obscures the spiritual realm, is great in might. A great deal is at stake in our theology because there is power in point of fact as we agree in heart and mind with Who the Bible says God is.
Jeremiah helps us hammer this into place by contrast. Juxtaposing opposites, Jeremiah insists even the heathen, even the dull of heart, even the foolish, know that theology drives action. They may not be able to explain their doctrine, but they live it as a testimony. They take and refine what they have, exerting themselves in heat and danger as metalsmiths to honor what they believe. They venture to the edge of the known, Mediterranean world on behalf of their beliefs. What, Jeremiah seems to be pointing out do God's people do for what we hold to be doctrinally sound?
For gods they have never seen truly act, the heathen are willing to deepen and display beauty of blue and purple. Practiced professionalism is the humble, disciplined response elicited by wrong belief. Where's the craftsmanship of word and action in what God's people testify to? Do we live out, polish, improve, and relish a conviction in our bones that there is POWER in our declaration of Who He is? Or, do worldlings display more commitment to sundry lies than we do to the Truth?
Walk with Him for a while, abide in His Word, and we will no longer be surprised how often the extension of His glory is intertwined with our good. Minds that soar and stretch to comprehend all that He is in what He has already revealed will not as readily wander to what god we can make to captivate our thoughts. Bodies straining willingly in His service won't have the leftover, unfulfilled energy which so often draws us toward idolatry for thrill and fulfillment. See the real risk in hazarding by faith for our King, and we will not undertake voyages for lesser goals simply out of a haunted sense that we are made for more than our stultifying routine.
In spite of, sums up Jeremiah 10:10 in final vindication, halfhearted awareness and practice of His excellence by His people, God will display His character. He IS the living God and everlasting King. He outlasts shams and shoddiness. The nations will either be aware of His glory THROUGH His people, or in spite of us.
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