The Idolatry of Scarecrows
Jeremiah 10
Introduction: In Isaiah, the Lord made many arguments to the people about the foolishness of idolatry. One hundred years later and a new generation, he heightens his description of the foolishness of humans and their idols.
Of course, the bad news is, our problem with idols is greater than their problem. You might say, “What are you talking about? We don’t have golden calves and female Ashtorath.” Yes, and that is what makes our idolatry worse. We love to deny we have a problem and that makes it a bigger problem. Consider a few passages:
- 1 Corinthians 5:11, “But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or covetousness, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one.”
- Colossians 3:5 “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”
- Luke 12:15 “And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” In the followup parable of the Rich Fool, Jesus said the covetous man was not “rich toward God.” Simply building bigger barns was not the problem. His eyes and heart were on taking his ease and thinking his happiness would be attained through having a wealthy retirement.
- In 1 Timothy 6:6-11 contrasts the love of money to being content with food and clothing. When we are not content, it is evidence of idolatry.
- These passages are not to suggest that specifically coveting money is the primary problem with Christians. Most Christians are very liberal with their giving. Coveting is more subtle than that.
- Paul speaks of “all manner of covetousness” in Romans 7. In the most basic sense, idolatry is “inordinate desire.” It is desire that places anything above service to God or what should be given and dedicated to God.
- These desires do not even have to be literally fulfilled in order to be idolatrous. Jesus said that the lust of the heart was enough to commit the sin (Matthew 5:21ff).
- When lives are lived this way, what makes it idolatry is we are trying to fill an inner void with something other than God. Israel’s idols were in addition to what they believed they couldn’t or might not get from God, especially in a timely fashion.
- “Learn Not the Way of the Nations” (10:1-16)
- 10:2 In other words, do not think the way our culture thinks. Do not be influenced by what influences people today. What could that be?
- Present cultural idols:
- Money & pleasure
- An automobile. And idol? Always has been. Remember how you felt with your first car? The commercials prove it. You can pretend you live like the rich and famous. Just sign up for a $700/month payment and you can ride in luxury and appear amazing. But you actually have made yourself poor and turned your eyes away from the living God (v. 10) who can give you true riches.
- Job/career/economy
- Marriage/Family/Children
- Sexuality (a major idol! Always has been, and especially today)
- A life of ease. [desires for retirement: travel, rest, enjoyment, live for self, but what are the plans for more effort in God’s kingdom? “Rich toward God.”
- Politics/Leaders/President/Congress (how we worry and are anxious, but they are human and not God. They may do a “little” good or a “little” bad in comparison to the King of kings, but our anxiousness proves our idolatry.
- 10:3-5
- 10:5 “…they cannot do evil, neither is it in them to do good.” They ultimately have no real power. Ecclesiastes 1:3-11 — the same things keep happening over and over. Obviously, whatever we think these “gods” are doing, they are not doing. All is vanity—just a breath. (Vs. 3: same word as in Ecclesiastes)
- “Like scarecrows in a field”— Consider the scarecrow. What does it do? It pretends to be a real person; it pretends to be a threat to birds and anything else that could eat the crops of a farmer’s field. But it isn’t real. It can’t do anything. A bird could land on it and do things birds do when the land on something, but the scarecrow knows nothing about it. The scarecrow is a fraud. It has nothing to do with reality.
- What is a scarecrow made of? Wood and other things that God has made. What are our idols made of? Only things that God has made. And we take what God has made and we form it and prop it up in our minds as if it has power and intelligence, and can fill our inner desires. But it doesn’t. If fact, our desires are always greater than the reality of having.
- “Fasten it with hammers!”
- Instead of simply being content with what God gives us and enjoying it for the day, we think it is something to be grasped, something that has importance to satisfy out lives. But it is not the source of life. They are frauds.
- Verses 8-9, “They are both stupid and foolish; the instruction of idols is but wood…beaten silver…gold…clothing violet and purple…all the work of skilled men.” In other words, our idols are glamorous. That is what draws us to them (Eve and the Tree).
- 10:10-11 “The Lord is the true God; he is the living God and the everlasting King.” No one replaces God after four years. It is pleasing God that should be our concern, because his wrath can make the earth quake and nations fall. Only the living God can truly affect the life we live!
- Remember the first place you lived? Little apartment or old rundown house that was cheap enough for you to make ends meet? Would it really make that much difference if you had to go back to that? If God is your hope and dreams, not a bit!
- Why would we be so foolish as to be anxious about all these idols around us and what they could do for us? These gods did not make the heavens or earth!
- Notice verses 12-13. He made the earth by his power, wisdom, and understanding. Simply by uttering his voice—he just speaks—and storms and rain appear. Now where is our trust? In the wisdom of this world? No, we must “wait for the Lord.” He has the wisdom. We can pray and trust what he will do. That is true comfort!
- 10:14-15 When we serve an idol or these idols, we have made ourselves as fools. NLT, “The whole human race is foolish and has no knowledge! The craftsmen are disgraced by the idols they make, for their carefully shaped works are a fraud. These idols have no breath or power. Idols are worthless; they are ridiculous lies! On the day of reckoning they will all be destroyed.” Humans have become like their idols—worthless!
- The Remedy of Idolatry: Prayer of Jeremiah, 10:23-25
- Summation of 17-22: Gather up your belongings; you are about to be slung (Heb. “Hurl a stone from a sling”) out of the land! Your idols have failed you. You sowed to the wind and you will now reap the whirlwind (Hosea 8:7).
- Verse 23: Jeremiah’s acknowledgment, this is not my life.
- Oh how we want to choose the way our life should go and how it should be lived! In that case, the greatest idol of our life is ourself.
- How interesting that God did not create us to govern ourselves successfully. That may seem odd at first, but it is not odd. God created us to attain our greatest possibilities in and through him. That is true because their is nothing greater than him!
- Idolatry, pure and simple, is when we think we can direct our own steps.
- Verse 24: Since we cannot direct our own steps, we always need God’s correction (Hebrews 12). His correction can come many different ways, but it must be listened to if we are to be pleasing to him. None of us like correction, but it is a mark of humility. Jeremiah’s request is that God corrects “only in due measure” (NIV) and not in God’s anger, as had to be done to Judah.
- Verse 25: This verse may offend the sensibilities of some, but we should rejoice when the nations who devour and consume others by wickedness are finally destroyed. Only then can righteousness prevail and the gospel spread freely.
Conclusion: Let’s ask ourselves, “How serious is idolatry? How serious is it in our own lives?” The letter of 1 John says nothing about idolatry until John offers a final admonition of love to his brethren in the verse last verse: “Little children, keep yourself from idols.”
Berry Kercheville
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