JEREMIAH 13A

Jeremiah buys a linen girdle verse 1- 2

Thus says the LORD unto me
Go and get you a linen girdle – and put it upon your loins
and put it not in water
So I got a girdle according to the word of the LORD – and put it on my loins

Jeremiah buries the linen girdle verse 3- 5

And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time – saying
Take the girdle that you have got – which is upon your loins
and arise – go to the Euphrates
and hide it there in a hole of the rock
So I went and hid it by the Euphrates – as the LORD commanded me

Linen girdle good for nothing verse 6- 7

And it came to pass after many days – that the LORD said to me
Arise – go to the Euphrates – and take the girdle from thence
which I commanded you to hide there
THEN I went to Euphrates – and digged
and took the girdle from the place where I had hid it
and – BEHOLD – the girdle was marred
it was profitable for nothing

Object listen given to Jeremiah regarding Judah verse 8- 11

THEN the word of the LORD came unto me – saying – Thus says the LORD

After this manner will I mar the pride of Judah
and the great pride of Jerusalem
This evil people – which refuse to hear MY words
which walk in the imagination of their heart
and walk after other gods – to serve them
to worship them – shall even be as this girdle
which is GOOD for NOTHING
For as the girdle cleaves to the loins of a man
so have I caused to cleave unto ME the whole house of Israel
and the whole house of Judah – says the LORD
That they might be unto ME for a people – for a name – for a praise
and for a glory – BUT they would not hear

Jeremiah sent to Judah to give object lesson verse 12- 14

THEREFORE you shall speak unto them this word
            Thus says the LORD God of Israel

Every bottle shall be filled with wine
and they shall say unto you
Do we not certainly know that every bottle shall be
filled with wine?

Then shall you say unto them – Thus says the LORD

BEHOLD – I will fill all the inhabitants of this land
            even the kings that sit upon David’s throne
                        and the priests – prophets
                                    and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem
with drunkenness
AND I will dash them one against another
            even the fathers and the sons together – says the LORD
                        I will not pity – nor spare – nor have mercy
BUT destroy them

LORD asks Judah to listen or face judgment verse 15- 17

Hear you – and give ear
            be not proud – for the LORD hath spoken
Give glory to the LORD your God – BEFORE HE cause darkness
            and BEFORE your feet stumble upon the dark mountain
                        and while you look for LIGHT
                                    HE turn it into the SHADOW OF DEATH
                                                and make it gross darkness
BUT if you will NOT hear it
my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride
                        and mine eye shall weep sore – and run down with tears
                                    BECAUSE the LORD’S flock is carried away captive

LORD describes judgment verse 18- 19

Say unto the king and to the queen – Humble yourselves – sit down
            for your principalities shall come down
                        even the crown of your glory
The cities of the south shall be shut up – and none shall open them
            Judah shall be carried away captive all of it
it shall be wholly carried away captive

LORD wants Judah to open their eyes verse 20- 21

Lift up your eyes – and BEHOLD them that come from the north
            Where is the flock that was given you – your beautiful flock?
                        What will you say when HE shall punish you?
                                    for you have taught them to be captains
                                                and as chief over you
                                                            shall not sorrows take you
                                                                        as a woman in travail?

Judah has forgotten God verse 22- 27

And if you say in your heart
            Wherefore come these things upon me?
For the greatness of your iniquity are your skirts discovered
and your heels made bare
Can the Ethiopian change his skin – OR the leopard his spots?
            then may you also do good – that are accustomed to do evil
THEREFORE will I scatter them as the stubble that passes away by the
wind of the wilderness
This is your lot – the portion of your measures from ME – says the LORD
            BECAUSE you have forgotten ME – and trusted in falsehood
THEREFORE will I discover your skirts upon your face
            that your shame may appear
                        I have seen your adulteries – and your neighings
                                        the lewdness of your whoredom
                                                and your abominations on the hills in the fields
WOE unto you – O Jerusalem
            Wilt you not be made clean? When shall it once be?

COMMENTARY:

DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers

: 7 Then I went to Euphrates, and digged, and took the girdle from the place where I had hid it: and, behold, the girdle was marred,it was profitable for nothing. (7843 "marred" [shachath] means to decay, ruin, corrupt, spoiler, or waste.
DEVOTION: We have heard of people who have wasted lives. This chapter introduces us to why Jeremiah was called the weeping prophet. He had a burden for the children of Israel. His burden was so great that he was willing to cry for them.
He was given an object lesson of the linen girdle to tell Judah that they were worthless. He was instructed to buy a linen girdle and wear it without washing it. Then he was told to take it to the Euphrates River and hide it in a hole of the rock. Finally, we was to collect the wholly girdle to represent Judah. They were good for nothing because they continued to love their sin and worship their false gods.
The LORD wanted them to humble themselves. But they would not humble themselves even when they saw the enemy coming. Here is where it is recorded about an Ethiopian’s skin and the leopard’s spots. They can’t change. Neither could the children of Judah.
We know individuals who have been given an opportunity to hear the gospel but will not change. Here we find Jeremiah telling the people of God that they are profitable for nothing.
We read that some Christians just sit, soak and sour. Hopefully, no one receiving these devotions is wasting their lives. One of the traits of a spiritual Christian is that they use their gift or gifts in the local church to see the glory of God manifested through them. Every follower of Christ is given at least one gift at the point of salvation. PTL.
Another trait of the spiritual Christian is that they are filled with the Holy Spirit. The three signs of the filling of the Holy Spirit are: a singing heart, a thankful spirit and a submissive soul. If these are present in our lives, we will not waste our life for the LORD.
If we have made wrong choices in the past – leave them there and move on. Our God is willing to forgive, if we are willing to confess our sin and humble ourselves and move into a proper relationship with HIM.
There are no sins in our past that the blood of Christ cannot cover. We need to pray for one another that we will be clean in God’s sight. We don’t want to be worthless in the sight of the LORD.
Sin us part of the life of every believer. The LORD wants us to deal with our sin with confession. IF we refuse, HE will deal with us in a different manner. IF we confess, HE will restore fellowship. HE always gives hope to sinners.
CHALLENGE: Confession is necessary for restoration. Keep short accounts with the LORD. Lead an examined life.)

DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers

:15 Hear and give ear: Do not be proud, For the LORD has spoken. The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982).
Devotion:The people of Israel had always been a proud people! It has been said that pride hides a man’s faults to himself and magnifies them to everyone else. God states in His word that he hates certain things and pride is one of those items (Proverbs 6:17).
May we learn the following:
1. What little light is left in the prideful heart can be turned off at any time.“Give glory to the LORD your God Before He causes darkness” (v. 16). Whenever God chooses, He can flick the switch. “and while you are looking for light, He turns it into the shadow of death And makes it dense darkness” (v. 16). Then He says to Judah that she will be left puzzled and wondering “Why have these things come upon me?” (v. 22).
2. It grieves the heart of God and those of the Godly.Another cameo is given of the private agony of prophet and God. “My soul will weep in secret for your pride; My eyes will weep bitterly and run down with tears” (v. 17).
3. When present in its leaders, pride can cause a whole nation to fall.Verses 18 and 19 lament the brief reign of Jehoiachin who came to the throne at the age of eighteen. He and his mother, Nehushta, refused what little light was left to them. The golden crown fell and the stark humiliation of defeat pressed in upon Judah. Both they and all the skilled artisans of the nation were led captive to Babylon. “Therefore I will scatter them like stubble that passes away by the wind of the wilderness” (v. 24).
4. Pride can intensify to the point of becoming irreversible.“Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots? Then may you also do good who are accustomed to do evil” (v. 23). Jeremiah has become famous in this Western culture for this saying. The chapter ends on this striking note, “Woe to you, O Jerusalem! Will you still not be made clean?” (v. 27).
5. All that pride hides will one day be exposed.“Therefore I will uncover your skirts over your face, that your shame may appear” (v. 26). “Your skirts have been uncovered, your heels made bare” (v. 22).
6. Pride is under the constant scrutiny of God.“I have seen your adulteries and your lustful neighings, the lewdness of your harlotry, your abominations on the hills in the fields” (v. 27). In the light of all of this pride, some kind of fall is in the wings. The wicked prosper no longer. [John Guest and Lloyd J. Ogilvie, Jeremiah, Lamentations, vol. 19, The Preacher’s Commentary Series (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc, 1988), 110.] Application: Pride is a dangerous attitude to have and many times we mistake it for confidence or ability. God knows our heart better than we do as we are deceived and blinded by our sins. Find a friend or relative that will speak truth to you and ask them if there is a prideful attitude prideful attitude present in your life. Listen and watch their reactions. How they respond or what they do not say may say more than their words. Be careful of pride, like a heart attack it is a silent killer! (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)

DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers

: 23 Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? Then may ye also do good, that are accustomedto do evil. (3928 “accustomed” [limmuwd] means taught, disciple, learner, expert, or practiced.
DEVOTION: Object lessons and illustrations are part of the way the LORD communicates with HIS people. Here we have an illustration of something that will never change.
The first illustration is an individual from Ethiopia that has dark skin. There is no way that he can get rid of his skin color. We have had individuals try to use chemicals to change their appearance. They have gone to tanning booths to turn light skin into dark skin but not the other way around. The LORD is stating a fact that those with a dark skin can’t change their color. God has allowed there to be many different skin colors in our world. They are unique to a culture. It is thought that this was done at the tower of Babel when the LORD changed the language of the people. This was the first illustration.
The second dealt with the animal kingdom. There are many types of cats in the world. Each has its own unique skin characteristics. The leopard has spots. He can’t change this type of skin characteristic no matter how hard he tries.
The children of Judah were in the same condition according to the LORD. HE has offered them hope if they would change. HE had told Jeremiah that HE could stop the invasion if the people would change. HE told Jeremiah things would be different in the future.
However, we are dealing with the present condition of the children of Judah and Jerusalem. It was far from the LORD. It didn’t want anything to do with the LORD. God made this statement because HE knew that even with hope given to them they would not change.
The sad fact is that today there are nations that have been blessed by the LORD for many years that are in the same condition. Our nation has sent many missionaries out to reach other nations for the LORD. Our nation had Biblical standards in their laws. Was our nation a Christian nation? NO!! It was a nation that had many or a majority of people who wanted to serve the LORD at one time. This condition has changed in the last number of years. There are many nations who are now sending missionaries to America because we have moved away from Biblical principles.
Believers have to stay the course even when the rest of the nation is heading in the wrong direction. Change is possible only when we want to live a life that is pleasing to the LORD.
CHALLENGE: Our lives are supposed to mature as we age in the LORD. Pray for maturity. With maturity comes change.)

DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:

BODY

Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)

SOUL

Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)

SPIRIT

Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)

DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:

Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)

Word of the LORD verse 2, 3, 8

God the Father (First person of the Godhead)

LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 1- 3, 5, 6, 8, 9,
11- 17, 25
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign) verse 12, 16
LORD God of Israel verse 12
No mercy verse 14
LORD your God verse 16
LORD’S flock verse 17

God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)

Euphrates verse 4- 7
Ethiopian verse 23

Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)

Pride verse 9, 15, 17
Evil verse 10, 23
Refuse to hear verse 10, 11, 17
Walk in the imagination of their heart verse 10
Walk after other gods verse 10
Serve other gods verse 10
Worship other gods verse 10
Drunkenness verse 13
Proud verse 15
Iniquity verse 22
Forgotten God verse 25
Trusted in falsehood verse 25
Adulteries verse 27
Neighings verse 27
Lewdness verse 27
Abominations verse 27

Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)

Commanded verse 5, 6
Mercy verse 14
Hear the LORD verse 15
Give glory to the LORD verse 16
Humble verse 18
Made clean verse 27

Israel (Old Testament people of God)

Judah verse 9, 11, 19
Jerusalem verse 9, 13, 27
Israel verse 11, 12
A people verse 11
A name verse 11
A praise verse 11
A glory verse 11
Kings that sit on David’s throne verse 13
Priests verse 13
Prophets verse 13

Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)

QUOTES

13:8–11As in the other symbolic acts, the Lord then gave the interpretation. The linen undergarment represented Judah. Like a garment worn next to the body, it symbolized God clothing himself with Judah. He intended for them to cling to him as his people, but instead they clung to Baal. Because of their idolatry, they now were as useless to God as the rotted garment. Therefore God determined to spoil the pride (the temple?) of Judah and Jerusalem. Interpretations that link Jeremiah’s trips to the Euphrates as a symbol of Judah’s exile in Babylon read more into the symbolic act than is justified. Judah’s exile was not intended to show the nation was then worthless to God. It served as a time of purging and cleansing in anticipation of future restoration (see Jer 24). God intended Judah to be a people for his renown, praise, and honor; but they did not listen. Punishment was inevitable for the rebellious people. The spiritual life is like the loin cloth; left unattended it “rots.” (Huey, F. B. (1993). Jeremiah, Lamentations (Vol. 16, p. 144). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)

13:8–11. God interpreted Jeremiah’s symbolic actions. The message was one of judgment on the wicked people who refused to listen to God’s words. The belt bound around Jeremiah’s waist represented Israel and Judah. As long as it remained around his waist it occupied a position of renown and praise and honor. However, when it was removed from his waist and buried it became completely useless. So Israel and Judah had become ruined by departing from their God to serve false gods. (Dyer, C. H. (1985). Jeremiah. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 1146). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)

The marred waistcloth (vv. 1–11). This was one of Jeremiah’s “action sermons.” The waistcloth was a thigh-length undergarment worn next to the skin. God had brought the nation close to Himself, but they had defiled themselves with idols and become “good for nothing.” When the people saw Jeremiah bury his new garment under a rock in the muddy river, they knew it would ruin the garment, but they didn’t realize they were passing judgment on themselves. God would one day take Judah to Babylon, and there He would humble the Judahites and cure them of their idolatry. The city and temple that they were proud of would be ruined, just as the prophet’s garment had been ruined.
But something else was involved in this “action sermon.” For years, the leaders of Judah had turned to Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon for help, instead of turning to the Lord, and this “help” had only defiled them and made them “good for nothing” in God’s sight. Jeremiah was showing them that their “flirting” with the pagan nations was only alienating them further from the Lord and that it would ultimately end in national ruin. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Decisive (p. 64). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)

Ver. 10. This evil people, which refuse to hear my words, &c.] Sent by the prophets, to whom they turned a deaf ear; and though they pressed them, and importunately desired them to give them a hearing, they refused it; and this shewed them to be a bad people, very degenerate and wicked; and which further appears by what follows: which walk in the imagination of their heart; which was evil, stubborn, and rebellious, see ch. 7:24 and 9:14: and walk after other gods, to serve them, and to worship them; went to Egypt and Assyria to pay their adoration to those who were not by nature gods; and this was the cause of their ruin and destruction: shall even be as this girdle, which is good for nothing; as they were corrupt in their practices, and were become useless and unserviceable to God; so they would be carried captive into a foreign country, where they would be inglorious, and unprofitable, uncomfortable in themselves, and of no use to one another. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 5, p. 474). London: Mathews and Leigh.)