Their gods are like
    helpless scarecrows in a cucumber field!
They cannot speak,
    and they need to be carried because they cannot walk.
Do not be afraid of such gods,
    for they can neither harm you nor do you any good.”

LORD, there is no one like you!
    For you are great, and your name is full of power.
Who would not fear you, O King of nations?
    That title belongs to you alone!
Among all the wise people of the earth
    and in all the kingdoms of the world,
    there is no one like you.

Jeremiah 10:5-7

The LORD replies, “This has happened because my people have abandoned my instructions; they have refused to obey what I said. Instead, they have stubbornly followed their own desires and worshiped the images of Baal, as their ancestors taught them. So now, this is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: Look! I will feed them with bitterness and give them poison to drink. I will scatter them around the world, in places they and their ancestors never heard of, and even there I will chase them with the sword until I have destroyed them completely.”
Jeremiah 9:13-16

• Jeremiah wrote to the people of Judah (the Southern Kingdom) just before they were conquered and exiled by the Babylonian Empire.
• This passage is a powerful warning against the idolatry that was prevalent in Judah, a time when the people were adopting the religious practices of the pagan nations around them.
• The message is a sharp, desperate reminder of the absolute supremacy of the one true God over the worthless, man-made idols.
• Jeremiah warns the people not to "learn the way of the nations" or be terrified by signs in the heavens like the pagans are.
• He describes idols as human creations, crafted from wood and adorned with silver and gold.
• He highlights their complete powerlessness: they "cannot speak," "must be carried," and are "like a scarecrow in a cucumber field"—unable to do either good or harm.
• This section presents a dramatic contrast: "There is none like you, O LORD!"
• God is the true "King of the nations," the "Living God" and "everlasting King."
• He is the Creator of the universe, who "made the earth by his power" and "established the world by his wisdom."
• His power is demonstrated through creation, not through silent, lifeless objects.
• A key Aramaic verse (Jeremiah 10:11) is likely a message to be spoken to the pagan Babylonians: "The gods that did not make the heavens and the earth will perish."
• Jeremiah concludes that the idols are "a delusion" and "worthless."
• He ends with a beautiful declaration that the God of Israel is "the Portion of Jacob," a personal, living God who is their true source of strength and inheritance.
• We may not worship wooden idols, but what are our modern idols? Anything we place our trust in more than God—money, career, social media, political power, our own intelligence.
• Jeremiah's message still applies: These modern idols are ultimately powerless. They cannot provide true security, peace, or eternal life.
• The call to "not learn the way of the nations" means we must resist adopting the world's values, priorities, and sources of hope.
• The Central Truth: The one true God is the all-powerful Creator and living King.
• The Warning: Anything we put our faith in apart from God is a powerless idol and ultimately worthless.
• The Hope: God is our "Portion." Our security, identity, and hope are found not in the fleeting things of this world, but in our personal relationship with Him alone.

Do not believe the distractions, deception, or discouragements in this world. They are powerless. God is all-powerful…He is our portion.