This is what the LORD says: "Do not learn the ways of the nations or be terrified by signs in the heavens, though the nations are terrified by them. – Jeremiah 10:2

Today's Scripture Reading (May 16, 2023): Jeremiah 10

We are constantly being bombarded with the idea that rocks are hurtling through the solar system and that some of them are coming close to us. It was likely one of these rocks that ended the age of the dinosaurs and allowed the age of man to emerge. And as our technology develops, we are beginning to be able to see just how many of these potential age-ending space rocks there are whizzing by close to our blue planet. However, close is a bit of a subjective word. Astronomically, a space rock is close if it enters our neighborhood, coming close to the moon as it orbits the Earth. And while our neighborhood is indeed crowded, not many of these rocks come close enough to even come between the Earth and its only satellite.

And it is not that there has been an increase in these close calls. It is just that now our technology has advanced enough that we can find and see these rocks as they spin past our planet. But there are two things that we need to understand about these rocks. First, collisions between these rocks and the Earth are rare. It is quite possible that our moon mounts a compelling defense of the planet, both by colliding with these rocks instead of the Earth, evidenced by the moon's pockmarked surface, and by slightly changing the trajectory of these rocks so they safely pass by our planet. The second thing we need to understand is that, as of right now, we have no defense against space rocks. Science fiction loves to spin stories of nuking these rocks into oblivion, but we are not sure that that would actually work. For now, all we can do is say that we are looking for a way to stop the next dinosaur-killing rock from crashing into the planet, but we do not have a defense other than the moon; at least, not currently.

Jeremiah warns Judah not to learn the ways of the neighboring nations and not to fear what they fear. Specifically, he speaks of the signs in the heavens. But it is not astrology and the movement of the sun, moon, and stars that have grabbed Jeremiah's attention. Jeremiah is pointing at comets, meteors, and the special events we all love to watch in the stars. If he prophesied to us today, he might say, "Don't let the dinosaur-killing rocks that are speeding by the Earth terrify you. You can't change that eventuality anyway. But God can? And whenever nature throws something at us that we don't understand, know that God understands, and he is still in control."

Others might be terrified by these things, but you don't need to be. You are different and know the truth; therefore, there is no reason for fear. Whatever happens, God has not abandoned us, and he is still on the throne.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Habakkuk 1