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[Big Man]

Jeremiah 10:1-5 1 "Hear the word which the Lord speaks to you, O house of Israel. 2 Thus says the Lord: “Do not learn the way of the Gentiles; Do not be dismayed at the signs of heaven, For the Gentiles are dismayed at them. 3 For the customs of the peoples are futile; For one cuts a tree from the forest, The work of the hands of the workman, with the ax. 4 They decorate it with silver and gold; They fasten it with nails and hammers so that it will not topple. 5 They are upright, like a palm tree, and they cannot speak; they must be carried, because they cannot go by themselves. Do not be afraid of them, for they cannot do evil, Nor can they do any good.”

[jimwalton]

Jeremiah 10 is about the contrast between false gods and the true God. Verse 3 is about the making of idols of wood that are then covered with precious metals.

"The ways of the nations ('Gentiles')" in v. 2 doesn’t refer to their business principles or political structures, let alone the way we celebrate Christmas, but rather to where we put our trust—strategies or forces that are part of the world separated from God’s work in these strategies and choices (James 4.13-17)—along with our moral code and what defines a relationship with God.

"The signs of heaven" are the celestial gods (sun god, moon god and Venus particularly; in Babylonia, Shamash, Sin and Ishtar respectively). They provided signs by which omens were read.

Verses 3 & 4 describe the process of idol making. Verses 5 & 8-9, 11, 14 confirm it. These idols are unable to speak or walk. They can't do anything, harm or good.