JEREMIAH LESSON 14


     We will begin this lesson in 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."

     Linen was the material the priest wore in the temple. Linen
symbolized righteousness, when it was clean and white. It appears this
garment was intended to be worn next to his body. It, perhaps, was
showing his closeness with God. It appears to me, also, that a garment
of this nature was not shared. It was private property. This is true
with the garment of righteousness the Lord Jesus furnishes for each of
us who are His. The fact that this garment might need washing
indicates that it might be soiled.

     Jeremiah 13:2 "So I got a girdle according to the word of the
LORD, and put [it] on my loins."

     This just shows his total obedience to God. Notice, he does not
ask why he is to do this, he just does it.

     Jeremiah 13:3 "And the word of the LORD came unto me the second
time, saying,"

     God speaks to obedient children. He comes to give Jeremiah
further directions here.

     Jeremiah 13:4 "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."

     In some sense, this girdle symbolizes the people of God. God had
been close to them, as an inner garment is on a person. He had clothed
them with His blessings. He had been their righteousness. This soiled
girdle, spoke of God's people who had soiled the righteousness God had
given them. They had committed spiritual adultery. They had ruined
their relationship with God. God now shows His putting them away,
through Jeremiah taking the soiled girdle, and hiding it in a hole in
a rock.  The hole in the rock symbolizes their captivity.

     Jeremiah 13:5 "So I went, and hid it by Euphrates, as the LORD
commanded me."

     Again, we see total obedience, on the part of Jeremiah. The
Euphrates was speaking of a river in the east.

     Jeremiah 13:6 "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."

     The "many days" the girdle was in the hole of the rock,
symbolized the lengthy years they would remain captive. Just as
Jeremiah would go and get the girdle, God would go and free His people
from captivity.

     Jeremiah 13:7 "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."

     This happens to show God's people just how marred they are. They
are really not worth saving. They have sinned so greatly following
after false gods, that it is hard to understand why God would even
want them back. The condition of the girdle, and the condition of
God's straying people, were the same.

     Jeremiah 13:8 "Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,"

     The Lord had not revealed to Jeremiah the whole plan all at once.
It appears that God told him step by step, as he needed to know.

     Jeremiah 13:9 "Thus saith the LORD, After this manner will I mar
the pride of Judah, and the great pride of Jerusalem."

     God is showing Jeremiah, with this girdle, what He plans to do
with Judah and Benjamin. The Jews had been a very proud people. They
had even shown their arrogance toward God, when they worshipped false
gods. Now, God is going to humble them, as this girdle was marred.
Being in captivity to another, has a way of humbling a person.

     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."

     God's people, that He loved so much, and had done so many
wonderful things for, have turned against Him. They are evil people,
and worse than that, they will not take instruction from God. They are
so proud of themselves, that they respect their own judgement over the
judgement of God. This girdle Jeremiah went and got, is good for
nothing. God's people are just as worthless, as this girdle.

     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."

     The girdle had been worn close to the wearer, just as God had
been close to His people. God is speaking of all the 12 tribes of
Israel here. The ten tribes were known as Israel and the 2 tribes were
known as Judah. God had separated them from all the people of the
world to be His peculiar people. He loved them, as a father does a
son.  They were to represent Him to all the world. They were His glory
and praise in the world. Now, they have betrayed His trust in them.
The love God had for them, meant nothing to them. They would not
listen.  They had ears to hear, but they would not hear.

     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?"  Jeremiah 13:13 "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."

     It appears that all the kings, that reigned during this terrible
time, were heavy drinkers.  Even worse than that, the priests and
prophets were, too. This could, also, be speaking of the cup of the
fury of God poured out upon them . Whatever is the case, they cannot
help themselves, much less their people.

     Jeremiah 13:14 "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."

     God is saying He is bringing about their destruction. The cup of
the LORD's fury is so great against them, they will be destroyed.

     Jeremiah 13:15  "Hear ye, and give ear; be not proud: for the
LORD hath spoken."

     God is asking them, one more time, to listen and understand,
before it is too late. It is, also, explained in this that this is not
Jeremiah speaking to them, but the LORD through the mouth of Jeremiah.
Some of them were far too proud to accept a message coming out of the
mouth of a youth, as being from God. I can just hear them saying: Who
does he think he is, telling us what to do?

     Jeremiah 13:16 "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."

     This is no time to be proud. Humble yourself and give glory to
God. We either walk in God's Light, or we walk in the darkness of the
earth. Darkness is the absence of Light. When God removes the Light,
the darkness comes. Physical darkness can cause you to stumble and
fall, but the worst darkness of all is spiritual darkness. The
darkness that God sent over Egypt, as one of the 10 plagues, was so
great you could feel the darkness. The gross darkness is so depressing
that it might even cause death. The only way to do away with this type
darkness, is repent of your sins, and pray for the Light.

     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."

     Jeremiah is brought to weeping for the fate of these prideful
people. The sheep belong to the great Shepherd. God will allow His
people to go into captivity, to make them realize how badly they need
Him to save them.

     Jeremiah 13:18 "Say unto the king and to the queen, Humble
yourselves, sit down: for your principalities shall come down, [even]
the crown of your glory."

     In the following two Scriptures, we see that the king was very
young, and his mother was the queen, instead of him having a wife who
was queen.  Jeremiah was the prophet in the land for both kings. II
Kings 22:1 "Josiah [was] eight years old when he began to reign, and
he reigned thirty and one years in Jerusalem.  And his mother's name
[was] Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah of Boscath." II Kings 24:8  "
Jehoiachin [was] eighteen years old when he began to reign, and he
reigned in Jerusalem three months. And his mother's name [was]
Nehushta, the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem."  Jehoiachin reigned
just a short time. It was during this period that Babylon captured
them. II Kings 24:11 "And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came against
the city, and his servants did besiege it." II Kings 24:12 "And
Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he, and
his mother, and his servants, and his princes, and his officers: and
the king of Babylon took him in the eighth year of his reign."

     Jeremiah 13:19 "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."

     We know from the Scripture in 2nd Kings above, that this prophecy
was fulfilled. They were held captive in Babylon.

     Jeremiah 13:20 "Lift up your eyes, and behold them that come from
the north: where [is] the flock [that] was given thee, thy beautiful
flock?"

     This is speaking of the shepherd, who should have been watching
the flock God had intrusted to him, or her. The beautiful flock is
speaking of God's people.

     Jeremiah 13:21 "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?"

     The punishment on these people, who thought themselves above
others, will come suddenly like a woman who is having a baby.

     Jeremiah 13:22  "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."

     It is as if they had not been warned over and over. They act as
if they did not deserve such punishment from God. Their sins are now
out in the open. They cannot hide them under their skirts. They are
barefoot, because they have been exposed.

     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."

     The Ethiopian was born with black skin. The leopord is born with
spots. Man is born with a sinful nature. The natural thing for a man
to do is sin. God wants His people to be peculiar to the world. They
are no longer to be controlled by their flesh, or their nature they
are born with. Those who belong to God are of spirit, not flesh.

     Jeremiah 13:24 "Therefore will I scatter them as the stubble that
passeth away by the wind of the wilderness."

     Since their nature is to sin, and they have not risen above that
nature, God will scatter them until they call out to Him. If they are
wild, let them live in the wilderness.

     Jeremiah 13:25 "This [is] thy lot, the portion of thy measures
from me, saith the LORD; because thou hast forgotten me, and trusted
in falsehood."

     They had followed the desires of their flesh, and worshipped
false gods. God gives them exactly what they deserve. They will not be
treated as God's spirit people. They will go the way of all flesh.
They will not have God's protection any longer.

     Jeremiah 13:26 "Therefore will I discover thy skirts upon thy
face, that thy shame may appear."

     They will be red-faced with embarrassment. Their sins are made
public.

     Jeremiah 13:27 "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]?"

     Jeremiah, and God through Jeremiah, are saying to this people; "I
know all your sins, when will you repent and be saved?". It is as if
God is pleading with them to repent from their sins, and let Him
cleanse them. He offers them redemption. Why will they not accept it?














                         Jeremiah 14 Questions


1.  What did God tell Jeremiah to get and put on?
2.  What does white clean linen symbolize?
3.  What tells us it might be soiled?
4.  What does verse 2 show about Jeremiah?
5.  Where was Jeremiah to hide the girdle?
6.  In a sense, this girdle symbolized the _________ of _____.
7.  What did the fact that it was soiled show us?
8.  The hole in the rock symbolized their ______________.
9.  What was the Euprates?
10. The "many days" of verse 6, symbolize what?
11. What do we learn from Jeremiah going back to get the girdle?
12. What had happened to the girdle?
13. What was the same as the condition of the girdle?
14. What was God going to mar in verse 9?
15. The girdle was good for _________.
16. Who is God speaking to in verse 11?
17. Every bottle shall be filled with ______.
18. Who were filled with drunkenness?
19. Who was speaking to them, really?
20. Darkness is the __________ of ________.
21. What was unusual about the Egyptian plague of darkness?
22. Why does God allow them to go into captivity?
23. Why was the mother of Josiah queen?
24. In the reign of ____________, Babylon took Jerusalem.
25. Who is the flock in verse 20?
26. Can an Ethiopian change his _______?
27. Quote Jeremiah chapter 13 verse 27.