Text: Jeremiah 10:1-16 (KJV)
1 Hear ye the word which the LORD speaketh unto you, O house of Israel:
2 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.
3 For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe.
4 They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.
5 They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.
6 Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O LORD; thou art great, and thy name is great in might.
7 Who would not fear thee, O King of nations? for to thee doth it appertain: forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like unto thee.
8 But they are altogether brutish and foolish: the stock is a doctrine of vanities.
9 Silver spread into plates is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work of the workman, and of the hands of the founder: blue and purple is their clothing: they are all the work of cunning men.
10 But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation.
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.
12 He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion.
13 When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures.
14 Every man is brutish in his knowledge: every founder is confounded by the graven image: for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them.
15 They are vanity, and the work of errors: in the time of their visitation they shall perish.
16 The portion of Jacob is not like them: for he is the former of all things; and Israel is the rod of his inheritance: The LORD of hosts is his name.
Key Verse: “The portion of Jacob is not like them: for he is the former of all things; and Israel is the rod of his inheritance: The LORD of hosts is his name”(Jeremiah 10:16).
MESSAGE:
Would you choose God over fame or fortune? That is exactly what Jacob did. Isaac, having inherited the riches of Abraham, became wealthier than his father. That means the children of Isaac could afford a lavish disposition. But Jacob the son of Isaac chose God rather than the fame or fortune his father may bequeath. Going to Padanaram to become an apprentice was actually an opportunity to see God and know Him more intimately for himself (Genesis 28:10-16). Years later, Moses, imitating Jacob his ancestor, also rejected the fame and prospect of becoming the prince of Egypt. Why? Scripture says he esteemed “the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt…” (Hebrews 11:26).
Now after hundreds of years, Prophet Isaiah made an allusion to the choices made by Jacob and his brother Esau. While Jacob made God his portion, his brother and his progeny who later became heathen nations, chose the fame of golden idols and rejoiced in their personal achievements rather than in the living and true God.
Though we make our choices, our choices eventually make or mar us especially in the light of life and in eternity. There is certainly a price to pay for any good or bad choice. The price paid for choosing God may appear daunting and may lead to some hardships. But wait until you see the price paid for rejecting Him.
Choosing God rather than the glittering ephemeral or worldly laurels is still better and would pay more in this life and in the afterlife. Certainly, anyone who decides to follow and serve the King of kings never regrets such decision. He is the only Potentate, the All-wise God, a faithful Creator. He never fails those who put their trust in Him.
Thought For The Day: God is enough for those who truly trust and believe in Him.
The Bible In One Year: Job 21–25
DCLM Daily Manna was written by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.
