Value of the King of Nations

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RETURN TO SYLLABUS

JEREMIAH 10
Lesson #11
THE ULTIMATE VALUE OF THE KING OF NATIONS

• Memory Verse: Jer 10:12
• In our study of the Southern Kingdom of Judah, we have learned about the pervasive idolatry that existed in Israel at that time.
  • Remember that idolatry is ANYTHING that man puts in the place of God.
    • God created man to have a desire to worship something.
    • There is not a culture in this world where man has not chosen to worship something.
      • Therefore, all cultures systematize religion in some form for the worship of something or someone.
      • Atheists claim there is no God, but they too choose something else to put in God’s place.
      • Some people say they have no religion, but still they trust in something when situations get out of control in their lives.
        • Often what they trust in is themselves.
        • In other words, they make themselves their god.
  • In Jeremiah 10 we are going to see God’s argument as to why it is foolish to worship anything other than God, the creator.
• Read Jer 10:1-25
  • “…Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven….” (2)
    • The signs of the Zodiac also pervade all cultures in the world.
      • Those that went into captivity in a foreign land are admonished not to learn the pagan ways of their captive cultures.
      • Those that are still in the land must guard against the pagan ways that have permeated their own culture.
    • Israel, too, had a Zodiac (Mazzoroth) originally given by God, for Rom 1 tells us that man knows there is a God by looking at the heavens and creation. (Rom 1:20)
      • Even though Israel had the Mazzoroth, they corrupted it to worship creation instead of the creator. For that, God outlawed all Zodiac systems.
      • Read Deu 18:9-12
    • Jeremiah says that even the pagans who believe in the Zodiac are disappointed because their predictions do not come true 100% of the time.(2)
      • How does God surpass the pagan Zodiac predictions?
        • God’s Word and His prophecies are fulfilled 100% of the time.
        • Read Deu 18:22
      • God’s Word is based on the truth of God that does not change over time.
    • In the New Testament, the believer in Jesus Christ is told the same thing.
    • Read Rom 12:2
  • The value of idols made with hands.
    • It is amazing that people think an idol they make with their own hands has supernatural power.
    • In reality man gives power to these idols. When man makes an idol, he gives that image a certain amount of power over him by his own belief in that image, for Jeremiah tells us they are powerless to do good or evil. (5)
      • Spiritually speaking, when man gives an image power over him, he is giving Satan this power over him for the idol itself has no power.
      • The Bible speaks of only two spiritual beings of power in this world, God and Satan. All other spiritual powers are either angels of God or the fallen angels of Satan.
      • Therefore, all false religions in the world are the deception of Satan and his fallen angels.
    • Verses 3 and 4 refer to a tree cut from the forest and decorated with gold and silver.
      • Jeremiah is not talking about a Christmas tree that represents a cultural tradition.
      • Jeremiah is talking about making a religious idol out of some natural material like a tree.
    • Idols are powerless to hear our prayers or to answer them.
    • Idols are a doctrine of vanities. (8)
      • In other words idols are worthless nothings. (8)
      • Idols are empty foolishness. (8)
      • Idols are temporal and not eternal. (11, 15)
      • Idols are not living beings. (14)
  • In contrast, the value of God, the King of Nations. (6)
    • Notice the likeness to the New Testament description of Jesus Christ.
      • There is no god with power like Jehovah and no god with a name that is above every other name. Every knee will eventually bow, either by choice or by force, before Jesus Christ.(Phil 2:9-10)
      • God is spoken of as the King of Nations while Christ is spoken of as the King of kings. (7) (Rev 7:14)
    • Man is foolish to worship any power less than the ultimate power in this universe.
      • The Greeks had a saying, “He that sets up to be another god ought first to make another world.”
      • Jeremiah tells us that the God, Jehovah, is the creator. (10, 12)
    • God is the ultimate wisdom in this world. (7) (1Cor 1:30)
      • Our God is the true God. (10)
      • Our God is the living God. (10)
      • Our God is the eternal God. (10)
      • Our God is the creator of the universe. (10, 12)
      • Our God is the cause of Noah’s flood. (13)
      • Our God is the Lord of Hosts. (16) He has command of the army of good angels in heaven.
    • Even in comparison between the Israelites (Jacob) and the pagans, Israel is better than the pagans. (16)
  • The duty of the religious and governmental leaders was to look after the welfare of the people, society, and the nation.
    • However, Israel’s leaders, whether religious or secular, had only one concern.
    • Their concern was to preserve their selfish power, their prideful position, and ill-gotten wealth.
      • This is the difference between a “statesman” and a “politician.
        • The Statesman has as his goal the desire to serve the people for the ultimate good of the nation.
        • The Politician has as his goal the desire to serve himself and his interests. The original Webster’s Dictionary says of the politician: “the art of contrivance whether good or bad; cunning.”
      • When God permitted the destruction of the Southern Kingdom of Judah, that destruction destroyed the power of the priesthood, the power of independence, and the wealth they had accumulated. (20-21)
      • The people and the leaders that survived the attack were reduced to slaves.
  • The end result of idols not made with hands.
    • Because idols of any kind do not have any spiritual power to answer prayer or to control your life, Jeremiah’s evaluation is that they are worthless because they too will pass away.
    • When man finally comes to the end of trusting in other gods or other things and his life lacks spiritual power, he ends up trusting in himself.
      • For even this last resort, Jeremiah has a word for you.
      • “O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: It is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.” (23)
        • In the end no man can control everything in his life all of the time.
        • When people say they don’t need God as a crutch, they simply mean that they have not come to a point in their life when they feel alone, hopeless, and powerless. Some day they will come to that point even if it is at their last breath on earth.

For Judah, that last hopeless breath was the fall of the Southern Kingdom when everything in which they trusted fell and their life changed in the blink of an eye. (18, 22)

Then they would say, “Woe is me for my hurt! My wound is grievous: but I said, Truly this is a grief, and I must bear it.” (19)

The life decision that every person makes as to what he will do about God, Jesus Christ, and eternity is a decision that has eternal consequences set in the heavens.

When his life is over, man cannot re-make that decision. He will bear forever the consequences of his decision.

• Application:
  • For you personally, make sure you have made the right decision for your eternal future.
  • If you have not made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ and invited him to take control of your life, today is the day of salvation for you!
  • If you need someone to pray with you to do this, the teacher, your pastor, or another born-again Christian can help you with your decision.

HOMEWORK
Jeremiah 11

• Application of Jer 10
  • How are you avoiding learning the ways of the heathen? (2)
  • Are you, or have you recently been involved in the Zodiac or the Horoscope?
  • Now that you know this is an abomination to God, you need to repent of it and ask God to forgive you. Then read 1John 1:9 and trust by faith that He has forgiven you. Make a commitment in prayer that you will trust in God to guide you and not in these abominations.
• Preparation for Jer 11
  • Read Jer 11:1-23
    • We do not do animal sacrifice to God today. Then, what is the best way to demonstrate your love for God?
• Memory Verse: Jeremiah 11:3 or John 14:15