Oct. 18, 2012
Jeremiah 13
God gives Jeremiah an unusual task.  He was to buy a brand new belt ( waistband) and put it around his waist.  Then he was to take it off and hide it in the ground in a crevice of a rock near the Euphrates river.  After a while he was sent to go dig it up and of course it was ruined.  Worthless.
This illustration was a description of Judah.  For God made His people to cling to Him, even as the belt was made to cling to the waist of a man.  But they were ruined and made worthless by their refusal to listen to His Word, walking in the stubbornness of their own hearts, and serving other gods.
They traded the privilege of being God's own people - renowned, praised, full of glory - for their own pride.  They wanted to ignore the Word of God, do whatever they felt like, and trust in lies, falsehood, and what ever idol they chose.  This resulted in them becoming worthless.
The people were so haughty and prideful that they refused to listen to the warnings even when they saw what had already happened to Israel.  They refused to change for so long that now it was impossible - even as impossible as it is for a leopard to change his spots or an Ethiopian to change his skin ( v23) . They couldn't do good because they were so accustomed to doing evil.  God compared his beloved people to wanton prostitutes. He wanted them to no longer hide their faces, but to be as ashamed as they should be.

As God's people we are also meant to cling to God firmly.  To listen to Him, walk in His ways, and serve Him alone. Here is our worthiness and worth.  He will bring us to renown, praise, and glory!
Any other course of life will bring devastation, punishment, shame.  So many in our world today want to live like Judah and Israel did.  They ignore the Bible, ignore God, do whatever they feel like and choose to believe lies.  They are proud of themselves and their "rights" to believe whatever they want. And they are headed for disaster.  They can see it happening to others around them, but they are so prideful that they can't believe it can happen to them.
I see that in the lives of my own family members. Like Jeremiah, it breaks my heart.  (v 17) " But if you will not listen to it,  my soul will sob in secret for such pride; and my eyes will bitterly weep and flow down with tears, because the flock of the Lord has been taken captive" 
 Oh God, have mercy on us.  Bring repentance!  Turn our hearts back to You.  Thank you that Jesus came to seek and to save those who are lost!  Jesus will you find my brothers, nieces and nephews, grandchildren, cousins, and bring them into the Kingdom.  Let Your Kingdom come into their lives today!  I plead with You on their behalf.
And may it be so in Your mighty Name,
Amen