The Gods Who Did Not Create

Jeremiah 10:11
“Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens.”

One of the fundamental lessons we learn from Scripture is that there is only one God. There are, however, a lot of false gods. In biblical times, these would often have been idols of wood, stone, or metal. But there are idols all around us today which demand our worship. These could be anything that people have put in the place of God.

Some modern idols would, however, be recognizable to people of biblical times. These might be such objects as charms, horoscopes, or crystals. Sometimes, like the Children of Israel, Christians can be tempted by such idols.

In Jeremiah 10, we read:

Thus shall you say to them: “The gods who did not make the heavens and the earth shall perish from the earth and from under the heavens.” It is he who made the earth by his power, who established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding stretched out the heavens. (Jeremiah 10:11-12)

Our attitude to such idols needs to be to remind ourselves that these idols did not make the universe. Only God has the power to create, and the Bible reminds us that He created the whole universe in just six days about 6,000 years ago. Compared to God, the false gods and idols look so worthless. What is the test of whether or not they are true or false? The test is whether they created the heavens and the earth. Our God is the only true God, the God who really did make the heavens and the earth.

Thank You, Father, for Your Grace and for Your Power. Thank you that, even though You made this universe, You still are concerned for the likes of people like us. Amen.

Author: Paul F. Taylor

Ref: Taylor, P.F. (2008), In the Beginning, (Belfast, UK: Ambassador Publications), p. 16. Image: Public domain.