Jeremiah 11:6-13: a reflection

6The LORD said to me, “Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying, ‘Hear the words of this covenant, and do them. 7For I earnestly protested to your fathers in the day that I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, even to this day, rising early and protesting, saying, “Obey my voice.” 8Yet they didn’t obey, nor turn their ear, but everyone walked in the stubbornness of their evil heart. Therefore I brought on them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, but they didn’t do them.’” 9The LORD said to me, “A conspiracy is found among the men of Judah, and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 10They have turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers, who refused to hear my words. They have gone after other gods to serve them. The house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant which I made with their fathers. 11Therefore the LORD says, ‘Behold, I will bring evil on them which they will not be able to escape; and they will cry to me, but I will not listen to them. 12Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will go and cry to the gods to which they offer incense, but they will not save them at all in the time of their trouble. 13For according to the number of your cities are your gods, Judah; and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem you have set up altars to the shameful thing, even altars to burn incense to Baal.’

God, through Jeremiah, confronts his people with their broken covenant: they have turned to other gods, and, God says pointedly, your gods have become as many as your cities, Judah; you have set up altars to shameful idols as numerous as the streets of Jerusalem. They had accumulated idols, a god for every city, an altar on every street. And God delivers the sobering verdict: when trouble comes and they cry to these many gods, they will not save them at all.

Notice the futility God exposes. The people had multiplied their idols, hedging their bets, spreading their devotion across many gods, as if more gods meant more security. But God says these many gods are worthless in the day of trouble: they cannot save. All the accumulated idols, the god for every need, the altar on every street, will prove utterly powerless when real trouble comes. The multiplied idols are multiplied nothings.

We accumulate our own idols, too, the many things we look to for security and salvation: wealth, status, relationships, achievements, our own competence, spreading our trust across them as if the sheer number gave us safety. God's word to Judah is a warning: these many idols cannot save. When real trouble comes, the things we have trusted instead of God prove unable to deliver us. Do not multiply idols, hoping their number will save you. They cannot. Only the living God saves. Abandon the many gods that will fail you in the day of trouble, and trust the one God who can actually deliver.

Lord, your people multiplied idols, a god for every city, but you warned that in the day of trouble they could not save. Show me the idols I have accumulated, the many things I look to for security and salvation instead of you, as if their number made me safe. Remind me that they cannot deliver me when real trouble comes. Help me abandon the many gods that will fail me, and trust you, the one God who actually saves. You alone are my deliverer.