Tuesday 22nd September
Read Jeremiah 10:6-7
“No one is like you, Lord;
you are great,
and your name is mighty in power.
7 Who should not fear you,
King of the nations?
This is your due.
Among all the wise leaders of the nations
and in all their kingdoms,
there is no one like you.” (NIVUK)
In contrast to the witless idols, nailed down on every Israelite’s mantelpiece lest they fall, there is only one God (v6). The idols claim the allegiance of those who worship them yet being entirely man-made they are not remotely worthy. There is only one God worthy of worship (v7). Israel may follow the nations and credit their greatness to their wisdom in appeasing the many idols in their midst but all are fools when compared with Yahweh (v8).
The psalm that is intermingled with the polemic against idols serves to emphasise their vanity and lift up the people’s vision to the only One worthy of worship. It is easy today to mock and ridicule that which people honour and pursue and point out the futility of such hopes. How often do we pair that with a passionate declaration of the alternative vision?
