Stocks and Stones (Jeremiah 2:26-27)

2022-07-06

How can life come from non-life? How can the inanimate bring forth the animate and the intelligent? The elite of ancient Judah believed this as much as the elite of the world does today:

As the thief is ashamed when he is found, so is the house of Israel ashamed; they, their kings, their princes, and their priests, and their prophets, Saying to a stock, Thou art my father; and to a stone, Thou hast brought me forth: for they have turned their back unto me, and not their face: but in the time of their trouble they will say, Arise, and save us. (Jeremiah 2:26-27)

It is not always the case, but many people who snub God for a lesser deity (including self or material good) will turn to the real God when in trouble. When I was little, I remember promising God I would do something good or stop doing something bad if He got me through such and such difficulty. Then, when I had gone through it, I would forget the time I cried to Him. After the 9/11 attacks, I even saw a pornography store have a sign up that said, “God bless America.” Trouble has a way of revealing our true beliefs about who the real power over the world is.

We are not a cosmic accident. God has created us for His glory, whether we are abased or whether we abound. He does not share His glory with another.