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“He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion. When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures. Every man is brutish in his knowledge: every founder is confounded by the graven image: for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them. They are vanity, and the work of errors: in the time of their visitation they shall perish. The portion of Jacob is not like them: for he is the former of all things; and Israel is the rod of his inheritance: The LORD of hosts is his name” (Jeremiah 10:12-16)
The God of Jacob, the LORD of hosts, is the Creator and sustainer of earth’s life support systems.
In this prophecy the water cycle or hydrological cycle is emphasized.
The “multitude of waters in the heavens” refers to the clouds which hold great volumes of water. Clouds are composed of water vapor (a gas) that has liquified (solidified) into tiny water droplets by the process of condensation. It is caused by water vapor coming into contact with the cooler temperature inside the cloud. This is what makes a cloud visible. “A giant thunderhead may contain more than two billion pounds of water, but even a modest-sized cloud may contain the mass of a 747 jet (400,000 pounds)” (“How Much Water Is in a Cloud?” Smithsonian magazine, April 2013).
The “vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth” refers to the condensation and evaporation and evapotranspiration processes where water is carried aloft from the earth.
The “lightnings” are an essential part of the hydrological system, though only dimly understood by modern science. Lightning is an element of the electrification of the cloud system whereby “the storm clouds are charged like giant capacitors in the sky”; lightning strikes the earth about 100 times per second; it contains up to one billion volts of electricity, can be five times hotter than the sun, and can travel at 200 million mph.
The words “with rain” refer to the return of water to the earth by precipitation.
The “wind” controls the movement of the clouds and affects precipitation in many ways.
At the heart of the great hydrological system is the mysterious and marvelous element of water itself, which is capable of changing states between liquid, vapor, and ice. Water is the only element capable of changing states under earth’s normal temperature range.
Jeremiah says that not only did God create these marvelous things, He is in control of them. “He uttereth ... he causeth ... he maketh .. he bringeth forth.” These processes are not “natural” in the sense of having evolved or having a life of their own. The Creator is not an absentee God. He upholds all things (Heb. 1:3). By him all things consist (Col. 1:17).
God is the portion of Jacob (Jer. 10:16). He has revealed Himself in Israel. He is Israel’s portion, and what a portion! Jacob was chosen to be the father of the 12 tribes, and his name was changed to Israel. The nation Israel alone was chosen to know the true God through the prophets and to reveal Him to mankind.
The New Testament believer can also say that his portion is God. The believer is an adopted son and joint heir with Christ. See Romans 8:17; 1 Corinthians 3:21-23; Revelation 21:7.
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