What is the meaning of Jeremiah 16:20? Can man make gods for himself? “Can man make gods for himself?” (Jeremiah 16:20a) • A piercing rhetorical question—one that assumes the obvious answer, “No.” Human beings may fashion objects, invent ideologies, or exalt people, yet none of these creations can ever become true deity (Psalm 115:4–8; Isaiah 44:9–20). • Jeremiah confronts Judah’s drift into idolatry. Though surrounded by tangible idols, the prophet exposes them as mere products of human hands, powerless to save (Jeremiah 10:3–5). • The question reminds us of God’s exclusive claim in the first commandment: “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3–4). God alone is self-existent; everything and everyone else is created. • In Acts 17:24–25 Paul echoes Jeremiah’s logic: “The God who made the world… is not served by human hands, as if He needed anything.” Attempting to “make” a god reverses the Creator-creature relationship and denies God’s sovereignty. Such are not gods! “Such are not gods!” (Jeremiah 16:20b) • The Lord immediately nullifies every counterfeit. Idols may have cultural prestige, emotional pull, or material beauty, yet Scripture declares, “There is no God but one” (1 Corinthians 8:4–6). • False gods cannot speak, move, or rescue. Only the living God acts in history—delivering Israel from Egypt (Deuteronomy 4:34), sending His Son into the world (John 1:14), and indwelling believers by His Spirit (Romans 8:11). • Idolatry always disappoints. It brings shame (Isaiah 42:17), bondage (Galatians 4:8–9), and judgment (Jeremiah 16:10–13). By contrast, the Lord offers life, truth, and unwavering faithfulness (Jeremiah 10:10). • The exclusivity of the one true God is not narrow but loving. He safeguards us from soul-destroying substitutes and calls us into covenant fellowship with Himself (1 John 5:20–21). summary Jeremiah 16:20 demolishes the illusion that anything humans create—whether statues, systems, or self-confidence—can ever rival the Lord. We cannot manufacture divinity; only the eternal Creator is God. All man-made idols are frauds, powerless to save, destined to perish. Therefore, worship belongs to the Lord alone, the living God who graciously reveals Himself, rescues His people, and reigns forever. |
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