Jeremiah 13 - 11.4.25
SCRIPTURE: JEREMIAH 13:1-11
1 This is what the Lord said to me: “Go and buy a linen belt and put it around your waist, but do not let it touch water.” 2 So I bought a belt, as the Lord directed, and put it around my waist.
3 Then the word of the Lord came to me a second time: 4 “Take the belt you bought and are wearing around your waist, and go now to Perath[a] and hide it there in a crevice in the rocks.” 5 So I went and hid it at Perath, as the Lord told me.
6 Many days later the Lord said to me, “Go now to Perath and get the belt I told you to hide there.” 7 So I went to Perath and dug up the belt and took it from the place where I had hidden it, but now it was ruined and completely useless.
8 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 9 “This is what the Lord says: ‘In the same way I will ruin the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem. 10 These wicked people, who refuse to listen to my words, who follow the stubbornness of their hearts and go after other gods to serve and worship them, will be like this belt—completely useless! 11 For as a belt is bound around the waist, so I bound all the people of Israel and all the people of Judah to me,’ declares the Lord, ‘to be my people for my renown and praise and honor. But they have not listened.’
OBSERVATION
The Lord is providing a visual story to reflect several things. One is that it shows how their pride has caused them to become useless in the big picture of what God wants from His people. The other part is the belt, a personal and important part of clothing, is used to show how close God wants to be to His people. Unfortunately, Israel and Judah have stubborn hearts, are prideful, wicked, refuse to listen, and worship idols which caused them to be useless.
Even though Judah and Israel had turned their back on God, verse 11 shows He still wants to be bound to them, to be “my people” seeking their praise and worship. He could have said “that’s it, I’ve had enough!” – just like most of us would say in His situation. Now don’t get me wrong, God is also about judgment and Judah and Israel will soon see the results of their disobedience, but how can God still want to be bound to them when they’re full of pride? Sometimes It’s hard to fathom the depth of God’s love. He is so patient, full of love, and forgiving. This reminds me of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross:
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8
APPLICATION
We see in this Scripture how pride has infected the hearts of the people of Israel and Judah and turned them away from their purpose in God. A prideful heart leads to all the things mentioned in Jeremiah: refuse to listen, are stubborn, and worship other gods.
Pride is a topic that is covered in many ways in Scripture:
”Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” Proverbs 16:18
“In his pride the wicked man does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.” Psalm 10:4
“When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.” Proverbs 11:2
“Where there is strife, there is pride, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.” Proverbs 13:10
A prideful heart turns to “self” and not to God. This was so true of my teenage years when I thought “I don’t need God.” For about 5 years, I led a very sinful, prideful, and destructive lifestyle. Those years were also the loneliest, and I felt so distant from God. I can remember the day I fell to my knees crying out to God to forgive me and bring me back to relationship with Him. I knew that doing “life” on my own was impossible and I desperately needed God back in my life.
Do you ever feel “I can do this on my own”? Maybe you’re going along in life without God’s direction. Do you feel there is any pride in your life? You’ll need to first remove your “self” from the throne of your life, and humbly come before His throne because you need and want Him in your life. Just like Judah and Israel, God wants to be bound to you in an intimate and special relationship where His love can flourish in your life.
PRAYER
Lord, I come before your throne asking forgiveness for any time where pride caused me to think I don’t need you. God, I need you more now than ever! I can’t live without you in my life and only want to be bound to you. My heart craves to know you more, to seek your face, and to hear your voice. Help me when the busyness of life gets in the way of spending more time with you. In Jesus name. Amen
- Mary Oberg
