Jump Start # 3572
Jeremiah 2:27 “Who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,’ and to a stone, ‘ You gave me birth.’ For they have turned their back to Me, and not their face; but in time of their trouble they will say, ‘Arise and save us.’”
There seems to be no end to which some will fall. The lunacy and ridiculousness of what some claim is beyond laughable. It ought to be embarrassing and shocking. Here, long ago, in the days of Jeremiah, the rebellious people of God had turned their faces to idols. They gave up on God. Their idols were what they wanted. And, in the free falling away from God, they redesigned their purpose and rewrote history. They claimed that they came from nature. The tree was their father and a rock was their mother. How that came about lacks science, reason, and common sense. How can something non-living, such as a rock, give birth? What does mama rock call her little son, “Gravel”
Just how would a conversation go with someone who believed his parents were trees? “You rather look like your dad. Was he a cedar or a maple?” Jeremiah must have wondered how dumb can these people be. Lest we think we are so much brighter today, the LGBTQ community is being forced to add yet another letter to their descriptive genders. “Gender-season” is the new kid on the block. This is a person whose gender is connected to and can change depending upon the season. One person described as dressing more masculine in the summer and more feminine in the winter. This “gender fluidity” defines a person who feels as though their gender can change over time, even day-to-day. The seasons determine the gender.
Who say to a tree, you are my father. What can we learn from this:
First, some people are really mixed up. Removing God from our lives, there is no limit to how far out some think. More and more people are believing in aliens than they do in God. There are many strands of issues in all of this. From a lack of substantial faith, to mental illness, to being deceived by progressive theology, what a mixed up and crazy world we live in. My college career started in the field of forestry. I suppose in Jeremiah’s day, some wouldn’t want to cut down trees because one might be destroying a person’s family. I’ve been to India, where many there believe in reincarnation. Water buffalos roamed the streets because they may have been someone’s uncle or cousin. Some people are really mixed up.
Second, as our verse ends, “Arise and save us,” that is not directed towards the rocks and trees, but towards God. The next verse says, “But where are your gods which you made for yourself? Let them arise, if they can save you in the time of your trouble.” Believing in rocks and trees and idols and all the other cotton candy of today’s modern church seems so sweet and fun, until real trouble comes. Trees aren’t going to help you. Rocks can’t do anything. Feelings of faith, fade. You want something real. You want someone who cares. You want God. In trouble, they turn to God. The Lord wasn’t having it. Let your idols come. Let your trees and rocks save you.
Why is it when someone dies, they call around different churches to find someone, anyone, to preach mama’s funeral. No one knows what to do. No one has a connection to a church. So, they just start dialing up church after church. In times of trouble, we don’t want our idols. We want God.
Third, we must be careful to not be insensitive and heartless when talking to those who truly believe that their gender changes, or that their god is a rock. It’s hard not to laugh. It’s hard not to say, “That’s the dumbest thing I ever heard.” Our job is to shine the light in such a way that God is glorified. That expression, “such a way,” is important. Give a flashlight to a five-year-old and he’ll shine the light right in your eyes. That’s not the right way. Working through the complex mase of confused minds takes time. Self-righteousness never converted anyone.
Fourth, there comes a time when one must kindly and gently say, “You are wrong.” A person is not a dog or a cat. A person is not the wind or the rain. A person is not fall or spring. A person is not a tree or a rock. We are made in the image of the Almighty God of Heaven and Earth. He has placed eternity within our hearts. We had a God-shaped hole within us that only He can fill. Going along with stupidity only enables the person and keeps them believing the lies that they have embraced. I have heard that some schools put liter boxes in the bathrooms for students who believe that they are cats. Come on! Do they eat cat food in the cafeteria? If they are sick, does the school nurse “put them down?” The kids are deceived because the parents are. There comes a time to simply say, “You are wrong.”
People have been confused, deluded and lost for a long, long time. The answer is getting people into a deep Bible study. The answer is understanding what the Psalmist declared, “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained; what is man that You take thought of him, and the son of man that You care for him?” (Ps 8:3-4). Do you notice how many references there are to God in those verses? It is God’s heavens. It is the stars that God ordained. It is man that God thinks about. It is man that God cares for.
If you want to believe that a rock is your mom, go ask her for some money. Ask mama rock what’s for dinner? We don’t have to wonder where we came from. The Lord has declared. What an honor it is to be loved, protected and cared for by our merciful God in Heaven.
Roger