Prophets are given all kinds of strange tasks by the Lord. Jeremiah, for instance, is instructed to buy and wear a linen loincloth. After some time, Jeremiah received a second message to go and hide that loincloth by the Euphrates River. Okay. Then, Jeremiah hears a third message from God to retrieve it. When Jeremiah obeys, he finds that the loincloth is ruined and good for nothing. While these commands may seem inexplicable, God is demonstrating a spiritual parallel with the nation of Judah.
"Thus says the Lord: Just so I will ruin the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem. This evil people, who refuse to hear my words, who stubbornly follow their own will and have gone after other gods to serve them and worship them, shall be like this loincloth, which is good for nothing" (vs. 9-10).
Oh! God's people were meant to be like a clean, close-fitting garment, always near to the Lord and holy. But they dirtied and polluted themselves through idolatry, going far from Him. Thus they have ruined their relationship with God and sullied their identity. Jeremiah's mission serves as an enactment of this truth. Just as a parable is "an earthly story with a heavenly meaning," the prophet is called to a series of ordinary actions with a heavenly meaning.
The rest of this chapter details the punishment of exile coming on the nation for their sinfulness. If there is any hope to be found, it is in the last half-verse: "Woe to you, O Jerusalem! How long will it be before you are made clean?" (vs. 27) The chapter starts with the dirty underwear of a loincloth and ends with a question about being made clean. To me, this implies the Lord is holding out the possibility of a return and cleansing, though He continues to be frustrated with His people.
No comments:
Post a Comment