Monday
For as the loincloth clings to one’s loins, so I made the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah cling to me, says the Lord, in order that they might be for me a people, a name, a praise, and a glory. (v. 11)
Background
Jeremiah, who lived through the end days of the southern kingdom of Judah had one of the most difficult jobs of any prophet. How do you persuade a stubborn people to give up their pagan practices and social injustices and return to the God who loves them before the inevitable exile to Babylon?
No amount of pleading was working. Maybe God’s plan of adding a little drama and symbolism to the mix would get people’s attention!
The linen loincloth that God tells Jeremiah to buy (v. 1) is highly symbolic. Linen was the material from which priests' garments were made and symbolises the intimate relationship God once had with Judah. The command not to dip it in water (v. 1) illustrates Judah’s sinfulness.
Jeremiah is then told to go and hide it in the cleft of a rock by the Euphrates, the river which runs by Babylon and the site of Judah’s eventual exile. 'After many days’ (after the exile?) Jeremiah is told to go back and dig it up but by now it is ruined and good for nothing (v. 7), just as the people will feel ruined and useless after years of suffering in exile.
Just as the loincloth clings to the loins (v. 11) God’s people were intended to be bound to him in a covenant relationship designed to bring God glory. However, their pride and determination to follow their own paths has destroyed that relationship.
These are strong words of judgement. God vows to "ruin the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem" (v. 9) but can we also hear lamentation in the final verse when God speaks of his hopes for his people? (v. 11)
To Ponder:
- In what ways can your pride get in the way of your relationship with God?
- Jeremiah immediately does what is asked of him: "Go and buy yourself a loincloth" (v. 1) "So I bought a loincloth" (v. 2). How quick are you to respond to the Lord’s requests especially if they’re a bit odd?
- How can you best make your life "a praise and a glory" to God?
Prayer
Loving God, help me to live in such a way that makes every day a praise and a glory to you. Amen.