What does "worthless, a work to be mocked" reveal about false gods? Setting the Scene Jeremiah 10:15: “They are worthless, a work to be mocked. In the time of their punishment they will perish.” The Phrase in Context • Jeremiah contrasts the living God (vv.10–13) with idols fashioned by craftsmen (vv.3–9). • The indictment culminates in v.15, summing up every false god in two blunt charges: “worthless” and “a work to be mocked.” Worthless: Empty Promises of Idolatry • No life: “The idols speak lies; there is no breath in them.” (Jeremiah 10:14) • No power: “They cannot do evil, nor can they do any good.” (Jeremiah 10:5) • No permanence: “In the time of their punishment they will perish.” (Jeremiah 10:15b) • No truth: “Their molded images are a delusion.” (Isaiah 45:16) ⇒ False gods hold no value—spiritual, moral, or practical. A Work to Be Mocked: Human-Made Frauds • Crafted by human hands (Jeremiah 10:3–4)—therefore inferior to their makers. • Deserving ridicule, not reverence (1 Kings 18:27; Psalm 115:4-8). • God Himself laughs at their pretensions (Psalm 2:4). ⇒ Anything we fashion into a god invites scorn because it reverses Creator-creature order. Additional Biblical Witness • Jeremiah 51:18 repeats the exact wording, confirming God’s settled verdict. • Isaiah 44:9-20 illustrates the absurdity: one half of a tree becomes a god, the other half heats dinner. • 1 Corinthians 8:4: “We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world.” Why It Matters Today • Modern idols—wealth, status, technology—share the same traits: – Promise security yet prove powerless. – Consume devotion but can’t redeem. – Collapse under pressure (“in the time of their punishment”). • Only the Lord is “the true God; He is the living God and eternal King.” (Jeremiah 10:10) • Discipleship means trading worthless objects of trust for the incomparable worth of knowing Christ (Philippians 3:8). |
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