ESOCS Devotional 9 February 2025 – Don’t Be Influenced By Environmental Factors
MEMORY VERSE: “Thus saith the Lord, learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.” Jeremiah 10:2 KJV
TEXT: JEREMIAH 10:1-15
Hear the word which the Lord speaks to you, O house of Israel.
2 Thus says the Lord:
“Do not learn the way of the Gentiles;
Do not be dismayed at the signs of heaven,
For the Gentiles are dismayed at them.
3 For the customs of the peoples are futile;
For one cuts a tree from the forest,
The work of the hands of the workman, with the ax.
4 They decorate it with silver and gold;
They fasten it with nails and hammers
So that it will not topple.
5 They are upright, like a palm tree,
And they cannot speak;
They must be carried,
Because they cannot go by themselves.
Do not be afraid of them,
For they cannot do evil,
Nor can they do any good.”
6 Inasmuch as there is none like You, O Lord
(You are great, and Your name is great in might),
7 Who would not fear You, O King of the nations?
For this is Your rightful due.
For among all the wise men of the nations,
And in all their kingdoms,
There is none like You.
8 But they are altogether dull-hearted and foolish;
A wooden idol is a worthless doctrine.
9 Silver is beaten into plates;
It is brought from Tarshish,
And gold from Uphaz,
The work of the craftsman
And of the hands of the metalsmith;
Blue and purple are their clothing;
They are all the work of skillful men.
10 But the Lord is the true God;
He is the living God and the everlasting King.
At His wrath the earth will tremble,
And the nations will not be able to endure His indignation.
11 Thus you shall say to them: “The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth shall perish from the earth and from under these heavens.”
12 He has made the earth by His power,
He has established the world by His wisdom,
And has stretched out the heavens at His discretion.
13 When He utters His voice,
There is a multitude of waters in the heavens:
“And He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth.
He makes lightning for the rain,
He brings the wind out of His treasuries.”
14 Everyone is dull-hearted, without knowledge;
Every metalsmith is put to shame by an image;
For his molded image is falsehood,
And there is no breath in them.
15 They are futile, a work of errors;
In the time of their punishment they shall perish.
Read Other ESOCS Devotional Here
While in exile, it would be tempting to appease one’s captors by paying homage to their idol gods. Since Israel was taken into captivity because she did such in Israel, therefore Jeremiah encouraged them to refrain from adopting and continuing idol worship in captivity. He reminded them that paying homage to such false gods was meaningless.
Describing the foolishness of idol making, Jeremiah said they cannot speak or go anywhere, they can do nothing, and they are stupid and foolish. He said the only power of an idol, or fetish, is in the minds of those who make them. Again, Jeremiah educated them that idols are made in order to reinforce the misguided minds of those who make and honour them. Again, the people wanted to know the future too, by discerning it in horoscope – the signs of heaven.
Based on the foregoing, Jeremiah advised them not to be influenced by the customs of the people – idol worship while they are in exile for they are vain (verse 3). On the “signs of heaven” to know the future, Jeremiah said God made the stars that people consult (Jeremiah 10:12).
We see the same today whereby we are influenced by environmental factors – social, political, technology, tradition/custom of the people, and other vices. Unfortunately, parents, youths, church leaders, community leaders, politicians, etc., are all involved.
The simplest person who worships God is wiser than the wisest idol worshipper. Also, God who promises to guide us knows the future and will be with us all the time. We should trust the One who made the stars and not the stars.
CHALLENGES
- Environmental factors are seriously dictating the way of life of many believers. This should not be so.
PRAYER POINT
- Dear Holy Spirit of God, give me the power to resist factors environmental.
FURTHER READING: Psalm 115:1-11
ESOCS Devotional 9 February 2025
