Jeremiah

Jeremiah Chapter 13

• Jeremiah 13:1 Thus saith the LORD unto me, Go and get thee a linen girdle, and put it upon thy loins, and put it not in water.
• 2 So I got a girdle according to the word of the LORD, and put it on my loins.
• 3 And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying,
• 4 Take the girdle that thou hast got, which is upon thy loins, and arise, go to Euphrates, and hide it there in a hole of the rock.
• 5 So I went, and hid it by Euphrates, as the LORD commanded me.
• 6 And it came to pass after many days, that the LORD said unto me, Arise, go to Euphrates, and take the girdle from thence, which I commanded thee to hide there.
• 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.
• 8 Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
• 9 Thus saith the LORD, After this manner will I mar the pride of Judah, and the great pride of Jerusalem.

God uses the illustration of a marred garment to show what is to happen to Judah because of their pride.

If we ever have heard the saying, that pride goes before a fall, it is so true. We must be careful not to be lifted up in pride. Pride is the very opposite of God. The reason is that when we think too highly of ourselves we become unteachable.

God can't teach us and bring us the correction that comes by His word, if we become stubborn and lifted up in pride. Judah sinned and refused correction. They had a chance to make everything right with God if only they would repent, lose that pride and see themselves for what they are.

Although there is a time and place for making people feel better about themselves, we may be doing too much of that today. Feel good messages are not good if people are doing evil and in need to repent and get right with God.

Our nation should not be boasting of our greatness if there is even one abortion clinic in operation in this country. If people are sitting in our churches living together without being married, committing sexual immorality which is contrary to what is holy, cheating in business, and doing things against the word of God, then what have we got to be proud about.?

Judah was at this time full of pride and refusing to see themselves as sinners. God cannot save us or change us if we don't think we need saved or changed. Pride will hinder this.

• Proverbs 16:18 Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.

I remember praying at the altar in church as a small child. I was repenting of sins. Some lady came to me and commented, "What sin could you ever have done?" I was only about 7 years old at the time. She meant well but I felt the conviction of the Holy Spirit and felt that I needed God's salvation.

• Mark 10:14 But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.
• 15 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.

It is easier to get a child to receive salvation because they have not yet been lifted up in pride.

• Jeremiah 13:10 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, and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle, which is good for nothing.

The way we get to where we stop hearing the words of God is when we are caught up in everything else. We may not bow before a statue or idol but what about being obsessed with movies, games and other things that dull our senses so that we can't hear God if He was to speak.

Some of us even have allowed our children to have things that are bordering on occult teachings, witchcraft and other things that are very close to idolatry. I've even seen some Disney movies that teach evolution, reincarnation and magical spirits that are not God's spirit. Yes they have good in them and teach a good moral lesson but so does every false religion that ever existed also.

The devil knows that we are not going to accept Satanic messages of outright evil at least not at first. He causes us to compromise on the little things first. Once we begin to seek the will of God, His spirit will reveal to us what is good as opposed to what is evil. 

We can't always assume everyone else will believe what God reveals to us as truth, and we must be careful not to judge others if the word is not clear on the things we feel are wrong, but in the spirit of meekness we can share what God shows us but with love and a non judgmental attitude toward those who see things differently. 

• Jeremiah 13:11 For as the girdle cleaveth 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, saith the LORD; that they might be unto me for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory: but they would not hear.

Judah and Israel refused to cleave to the Lord and that is why they were compared to the girdle that was marred beyond any use. If we don't stay close to God, evil will come. That is why God told us to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind and being. He knows that there is a wicked one out there ready to devour all those that believe in God. We need God desperately. We need God everyday of our lives. We need to walk in His word. 

• Jeremiah 13:12 Therefore thou shalt speak unto them this word; Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Every bottle shall be filled with wine: and they shall say unto thee, Do we not certainly know that every bottle shall be filled with wine?
• 13 Then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will fill all the inhabitants of this land, even the kings that sit upon David's throne, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, with drunkenness.
• 14 And I will dash them one against another, even the fathers and the sons together, saith the LORD: I will not pity, nor spare, nor have mercy, but destroy them.

They would lose their stability and be turned over to drunkenness. When a nation has a king or president that is given over to drunkenness and other perversions, it hurts the whole nation. They cannot make righteous decisions and make sound judgment. As a result everyone suffers. This is true of pastors, priests, judges, congressmen or women. If they are full of drunkenness and their senses are dulled to what is right, it affects everyone. If God grants us a righteous president, a good pastor and fair judges, it is a blessing. If the leaders compromise and indulge in evil, so will the people they rule over. 

• Jeremiah 13:15 Hear ye, and give ear; be not proud: for the LORD hath spoken.
• 16 Give glory to the LORD your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness.

A sad picture of being without God or the light of His word is to stumble about in darkness with no hope.

• Psalms 119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

Thank God for the wonderful light of His word. God sent the light of the world to us.

• John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 
• 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 
• 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 
• 4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 
• 5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. 
• 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
• 7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.
• 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
• 9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
• 10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. 
• 11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 
• 12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
• 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 
• 14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. 
• 15 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. 
• 16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. 
• 17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

Ah beloved people, how precious is our Lord who gave us light that we should not abide in darkness and perish. Forsake pride and stubbornness and receive the one who gives everlasting life. Repent of sins and turn to Jesus Christ. He will give you His Holy Spirit to abide with you and you will walk in light and know the way of righteousness and will not abide in darkness.

• Jeremiah 13:17 But if ye 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.

Jesus gave us the only way of salvation. He was the prophet Moses wrote about that was to come. The sacrifices in the Old Testament point toward one that was to come with the supreme sacrifice that would take away and give us power over sin. Sin separates us from God. We will die in our sins if we don't accept the way God made for us to be free from sin. That way is through Jesus Christ.

• John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

The minute we humble ourselves and began to seek God seeing ourselves in need of His cleansing, His love, His ways, He begins to work in our lives and change our innermost being to love and trust in Him. It is a better way and the only way.

• Jeremiah 18 Say unto the king and to the queen, Humble yourselves, sit down: for your principalities shall come down, even the crown of your glory.
• 19 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.
• 20 Lift up your eyes, and behold them that come from the north: where is the flock that was given thee, thy beautiful flock?
• 21 What wilt thou say when he shall punish thee? for thou hast taught them to be captains, and as chief over thee: shall not sorrows take thee, as a woman in travail?
• 22 And if thou say in thine heart, Wherefore come these things upon me? For the greatness of thine iniquity are thy skirts discovered, and thy heels made bare.

Everything Jeremiah warned them of came to pass. There are those still warning today. The word of God warns today. We must listen. The prophecies in the book of Revelation will surely come to pass as these prophecies did. We have a chance now to be partaker of God and His holiness. We don't have to be lost and die in our sins only to spend eternity in hell. There is a way out and that way is Jesus Christ.

• Jeremiah 13:23 Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.
• 24 Therefore will I scatter them as the stubble that passeth away by the wind of the wilderness.
• 25 This is thy lot, the portion of thy measures from me, saith the LORD; because thou hast forgotten me, and trusted in falsehood.

It is possible to once know God and return little by little into unbelief again. Little by little we can return to falsehood and trusting in lying words. Stay in the word of God continually. Do not just trust in what a preacher preaches, or in someone who wrote a books about their experiences and certainly not in me who is writing this message. Read and study the word of God for yourself. It is your life and your soul that you have to think about. Check everything I say by the written word of God. 

Most believers in Jesus do not mean to deceive.  Some though might teach what they heard someone else teach. Instead of taking everyone's word for it, study the bible yourself.  Just because Brother so and so says it, doesn't make it true. He may have gotten it from Sister so and so. Let get back to the word of God. If you study the words of Jesus and take the whole bible instead of just a few pet scriptures you will see the false from the real. Take notice who is being addressed; Israel, an individual or all people past and present. Take the words in context. The bible was not originally written with chapter and verses. So to quote only a verse here and there out of context might have a different meaning than if you read it with the other verses and sometimes chapters before and after it.

• Jeremiah 13:26 Therefore will I discover thy skirts upon thy face, that thy shame may appear.
• 27 I have seen thine adulteries, and thy neighings, the lewdness of thy whoredom, and thine abominations on the hills in the fields. Woe unto thee, O Jerusalem! wilt thou not be made clean? when shall it once be?

This type of sexual perversion and sin follows those who forsake God. The further away from the word of God we get, the more reprobate we become. We don't have to let this happen.

We have to make a choice. No matter what my spouse does, no matter what my children think, no matter what my friends think, I have to choose the Lord God and put Him first.

It may cost you favor with all those you love but in the long run it may save them. If you compromise to gain their favor, in the long run it will hurt you and them. To love in truth is to speak the truth even at the cost of making people mad. Truth is love. Pleasing people just to make them like and approve of you may be disguised as love but it really is not love. Actually you are not loving them, you are trying to buy their love for you. DC

Study of Jeremiah 14