- Jeremiah 13 (Contemporary English Version)
- The LORD told me, "Go and buy a pair of linen shorts. Wear them for a while, but don't wash them."
- So I bought a pair of shorts and put them on.
- Then the LORD said,
- "Take off the shorts. Go to Parah and hide the shorts in a crack between some large rocks."
- And that's what I did.
- Some time later the LORD said, "Go back and get the shorts."
- I went back and dug the shorts out of their hiding place, but the cloth had rotted, and the shorts were ruined.
- Then the LORD said:
- Jeremiah, I will use Babylonia to destroy the pride of the people of Judah and Jerusalem.
- The people of Judah are evil and stubborn. So instead of listening to me, they do whatever they want and even worship other gods. When I am finished with these people, they will be good for nothing, just like this pair of shorts.
- These shorts were tight around your waist, and that's how tightly I held onto the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. I wanted them to be my people. I wanted to make them famous, so that other nations would praise and honor me, but they refused to obey me.
- Jeremiah, tell the people of Judah, "The LORD God of Israel orders you to fill your wine jars with wine." They will answer, "Of course we fill our wine jars with wine! Why are you telling us something we already know?"
- Then say to them: I am the LORD, and what I'm going to do will make everyone in Judah and Jerusalem appear to be full of wine. And the worst ones will be the kings of David's family and the priests and the prophets.
- Then I will smash them against each other like jars. I will have no pity on the young or the old, and they will all be destroyed. I, the LORD, have spoken.
- People of Judah, don't be too proud to listen to what the LORD has said.
- You hope for light, but God is sending darkness. Evening shadows already deepen in the hills. So return to God and confess your sins to him before you trip and fall.
- If you are too proud to listen, I will weep alone. Tears will stream from my eyes when the LORD's people are taken away as prisoners.
- The LORD told me to tell you that your king and his mother must surrender their thrones and remove their crowns.
- The cities in the Southern Desert are surrounded; no one can get in or out. Everyone in Judah will be taken away.
- Jerusalem, you were so proud of ruling the people of Judah. But where are they now? Look north, and you will see your enemies approaching.
- You once trusted them to help, but now I'll let them rule you. What do you say about that? You will be in pain like a woman giving birth.
- Do you know why your clothes were torn off and you were abused? It was because of your terrible sins.
- Can you ever change and do what's right? Can people change the color of their skin, or can a leopard remove its spots? If so, then maybe you can change and learn to do right.
- I will scatter you, just as the desert wind blows husks from grain tossed in the air.
- I won't change my mind. I, the LORD, have spoken. You rejected me and worshiped false gods. *
- You were married to me, but you were unfaithful. You even became a prostitute by worshiping disgusting gods on hilltops and in fields.
- So I'll rip off your clothes and leave you naked and ashamed for everyone to see. You are doomed! Will you ever be worthy to worship me again?
Jeremiah was instructed to illustrate to Judah the significance of their situation. God told him to buy a linen article of clothing. The article is variously translated as: underwear, belt, girdle, shorts. Whatever the article of clothing was specifically, it was worn about the waist. It was a rather intimate article of clothing signifying the intimate relationship Judah and Israel were intended to have with God. The fact that it was linen, the material used for the priestly garments, signified the priestly role Judah was intended to have to all people. As God told them during their exodus from Egypt, "you will be My kingdom of priests and My holy nation." (Exodus 19:6) This was the picture Jeremiah was to portray through the symbolism of this linen garment he bought.
But then Jeremiah was to take this garment to a river location. Some say the Euphrates, which was a trip of about 700 miles round trip, and others say the Parah, which was close by in Judah. Both names are the same in Hebrew. At the river, Jeremiah was to hide the garment in a rocky crevice. Then he was to return a long time later and retrieve it. When he retrieved it, it was ruined - "of no use whatsoever." (13:7) As a garment worn around a person's waist, it held a position of renown and honor, but once removed and buried it became completely useless. So it was with Judah. As God's priestly nation, she held a position of renown and honor, but once she left God to serve false gods, her usefulness, her purpose, was gone. She may as well be discarded as was the case with the linen garment.
Judah, having become useless because she had turned to other gods, would be discarded as was the linen garment. "All of Judah has been taken into exile, taken completely into exile." (13:19) If Judah were to repent and turn back to God, she would avoid this exile, but she was so ingrained in her sin that repenting was for her about as likely as a leopard changing its spots. (13:23) It would not happen and so neither would the exile be avoided. It is a sobering thought that should give us pause before taking a step away from God and toward any form of sin. As mentioned before, it is addictive like a drug, and will not turn us loose easily. Thus we will find ourselves powerless to turn from the sin and back to God. Furthermore, it causes us to lose perspective, becoming unable to recognize truth any longer. No longer do we grasp the significance of right and wrong or good and bad. God defines all of life for us, including what is right or wrong or just or unjust. Without Him there is no standard other than one person's opinion over another's. Remove God from a society and that society is headed for chaos.
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