Many of us will be familiar with the first commandment that simply says: “You shall have no other gods”.

Many of us will also be familiar with how subtly the other gods of our lives at first present, then before we know it, in effect takeover. Idolatry is the chief topic of our Old Testament reading and sermon text from

Jeremiah 2:4-13 today. “Hear the word of the Lord…” is how it starts. In it, God takes us through the charges against his people in this regard.

It drips with hurt, pathos, rejection and incredulity. We need to hear that. To hear what the Lord has done for us and how he has loved us, and therefore why our idolatry is so wrenching. To hear how idolatry makes the idolator just like the idol: worthless (Jer 2:5). But we also need to hear that God’s very address of this matter is indeed part of his deep care, commitment and concern for us… to go out of one’s way to address with your child what is the most tetchy of topics (with the risk of further rejection and hurt) shows God’s grace and commitment to us, knows no bounds, in its effort to bring us back to worship of the one true God.