ChosenRebel's Blog

Reading in Jeremiah 13 this morning

It must have been an interesting couple of weeks or months for Jeremiah. God gave him an illustration in three parts over a period of “many days” (vs. 6) and then, after some time, gave the interpretation. These kind of passages in the word of God require an investment of time to understand, just like they did for Jeremiah. Let’s look at the three parts.

The Ruined Loincloth

13 Thus says the Lord to me, “Go and buy a linen loincloth and put it around your waist, and do not dip it in water.” ² So I bought a loincloth according to the word of the Lord, and put it around my waist. ³ And the word of the Lord came to me a second time, ⁴ “Take the loincloth that you have bought, which is around your waist, and arise, go to the Euphrates and hide it there in a cleft of the rock.” ⁵ So I went and hid it by the Euphrates, as the Lord commanded me. ⁶ And after many days the Lord said to me, “Arise, go to the Euphrates, and take from there the loincloth that I commanded you to hide there.” ⁷ Then I went to the Euphrates, and dug, and I took the loincloth from the place where I had hidden it. And behold, the loincloth was spoiled; it was good for nothing.

⁸ Then the word of the Lord came to me: ⁹ “Thus says the Lord: Even so will I spoil the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem. ¹⁰ This evil people, who refuse to hear my words, who stubbornly follow their own heart and have gone after other gods to serve them and worship them, shall be like this loincloth, which is good for nothing. ¹¹ For as the loincloth clings to the waist of a man, so I made the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah cling to me, declares the Lord, that they might be for me a people, a name, a praise, and a glory, but they would not listen.

Three stages of God’s message:

1. Buy a loincloth (a belt) and wear it around your waist (vs. 1)
   a few days/weeks/months later . . .
2. Take the loincloth down to the Euphrates and hide it in the cleft of a rock (vs 5).
   after “many days” . . .
3. Go and dig it up (vs. 6-7)

Questions: 

• Why did God spend all this time to develop His illustration for Jeremiah (and Israel and us)?
• What was Jeremiah thinking about the things God told him to do?
• How was Jeremiah processing what God was telling him to do?
• How did the whole process help Jeremiah to understand God’s message to both himself and Israel? 

I imagine a process that may have gone something like this?

“How strange for God to be concerned about my belt! I will buy a belt that is fitting for a command from the living God: a good belt, an attractive belt, a valuable belt. Days later: I like my new belt but why did Yahweh want me to have it?” 

Days go by, perhaps weeks or months. Perhaps wearing his commanded-belt has grown into an afterthought. Now he wears it without even thinking of what bigger purpose God might have in mind for His command to buy and wear the belt. Finally, the word of God comes to Jeremiah a second time (vs. 3-4). This time the command is even more inscrutable: “Take that valuable, beautiful and useful belt that you have become accustomed to and bury it between the rocks on the Euphrates river. (vs. 5)

A third time, God word comes to Jeremiah expands his illustration. 

 ⁶ And after many days the Lord said to me, “Arise, go to the Euphrates, and take from there the loincloth that I commanded you to hide there.” ⁷ Then I went to the Euphrates, and dug, and I took the loincloth from the place where I had hidden it. And behold, the loincloth was spoiled; it was good for nothing.

Now Jeremiah is ready for what God has to say. It has taken time and a lot of meditation, but Jeremiah soul (and perhaps his readers,) has developed new eyes to understand the word from God. We know this because of the conclusion he draws at the end of verse 7 when he obeys God and goes and digs up the formerly beautiful, valuable and useful belt: “And behold, the loincloth was spoiled; it was good for nothing.”

Now God confirms Jeremiah’s conclusion and applies the point to the nation of Judah (Israel) in verses 8-11. 

America is not Judah. God never made a covenant with America. God never set America up as His special instrument to bless the world (Gen. 12:1-3). But . . . read verses 8-11 again.

Are there not a number of applications that we could legitimately draw from this passage?

Try some of these on:

1. When God blesses any nation, should not that nation respond in thankfulness and seek to honor the goodness of the Giver?
2. If such a blessed nation turns its back on God’s will and ways, should not that nation expect to be less blessed in the future? 
3. If a nation wants to be a blessing to the nations, wants to be useful to God, shouldn’t we seek to live in such a way that honors a good and gracious God?
4. What would happen if we, like Jeremiah, began to weep and cry out to God for our nation?
5. What would you add?