The Pulpit Commentary — Jeremiah — Volume 1 — Section 276

reflection 1md effort, "Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketb," etc.-M. Vers. 1-17.-Idolatry. This section of Jeremiah's prophecy is one of the notable rmssages i_n the Scriptures concerning idolatry. It is like that in Ps. cxv., and in Isa. xl., xliv. It states or suggests much of great interest on this subject, and which deserves to be well considered by us. There is- I. THE TREMENDOUS FACT OF IDOLATRY. See: 1. The multitudes of mankind who have avowed such worship. 2. 'l'he wide extent of the world's inhabited countries over which it prevails. 3. Its permanence. It has lasted on from age to age, and has bP,en handed down unchanged from generation to generation, so that the prophet could challenge his countrymen to tell of any nation which had ever changed their gods ( cf. eh. ii. 11). And though vast portions of mankind have professedly thrown aside their idols, yet there are still more who have not even at the present day. Idolatry is the dominant religion of the world to-day, if numbers are considered, even as it was in the days of Jeremiah, and this notwithstanding- II. 1TB MANIFEST ABSURDITY. How scathing is the ridicule which the prophet pours out upon such monstrous worship! With what sarcasm he dwells upon the fact of their being mere wooden dolls, hideous as a scarecrow in a gar,len of cucumbers (cf. Exposition, ver. 5), chipped into such shape as they have by the bands of the men who worship them, decked with tawdry finery, must be nailed up lest they should tumble down, and,·" must needs be borne because they cannot go" (ver. 5), ancl are, of course, powerless either for evil or for good. And the prophet points out (ver. 8) that the absurdity is none lessened when the idols are of a more costly sort. They may bo plated with silver and adorned with gold (ver. 9), and the workmanship may be of a much more elaborate and artistic kind. But it is all the same; the idol is nothing but a piece of wood, and that which is taught about them is "a doctrine of vanities," i.e. utterly false and absurd, But though idolatry be thus manifestly absurd, yet we a.re forced to admit the fact of- III. ITS NEVERTHELESS STRANGE BUT STRONG ATTRACTIVENESS. How else can not only the multitude of its votaries be accounted for, and their fidelity to it, but also the high rank and leading position of those nations who adhered to it1 They were not mere barbarous savages who worshipped idols, but the foremost peoples of the world. The empires of Egypt, Babylon, Assyria, Greece, Rome, were all sworn upholders of idolatry (cf. Acts xvii.). And to-day it is not the mere fetish-worshippers of the South Seas and Africa who are idolaters, but people such as the Chinese and Hindoos-to say nothing of those who in Christian Churches bow down before tinsel-decked images or pictures of virgins, apostles, and saints, and, if they do not worship them, render them homage which can hardly be distinguished from worship. And a yet further proof of this attraction is that the well-instructed people of God, the seed of Israel, the possessors of the oracles of God, were for ever falling into this sin. This entire chaptor is one appeal and protest against their so doing. And we know how often in the past they had bowed down to idols. The command which stands at the head of the Decalogue, by its position there, by its fulaess of expression, and by the severity of its sanctions, shows that the attraction of the idolatry which it denounced was indeed terrible, and therefore needed to be thus solemnly forbidden. And age after age the same command had to be repeated, and its violation sternly punished, notwithstanding that (ver. 16) "the Portion of Jacob" was "not like" these wretched idols-no indeed, but was the alone true Gcd, the living GoJ, the everlasting King (ver. 10). And yet there were needed this command and appeal; yes, and the consuming fire of God's wrath which fell upon Israel in their captivity, before the taint of idolatry could be burnt out of them. Now, how was this? Note, therefore- IV. 1TB PROBABLE REASON AND 0AUSE. We cannot observe the tremendous fact of idolatry without being led to inquire into its origin. It is not sufficient to refer to the licence it gave to the sensual nature of man; if such licence wore all that was desired, why couple it with some form of worship? The explanation must lie deeper than this. And that missionary would get ou very poorly with e.ny tolerably educated heRthen if he were to assume that tho idolater worshipped the hideous idol before which he bows himself down. He would tell you that he die\ nothing of the kind,  2iG THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET JEREMIAH. [err. x. 1-26,