A study in the prophecy of Jeremiah
Lesson Thirteen (of 52): Who are you wearing?
INTRODUCTION
Thanks for joining us as we study this chapter among all the 52 chapters of Jeremiah. What does this book have to say to us as XXI century people? As we watch the TV news and worry about Russia vs Ukraine. We’re shocked but not really. Will Jeremiah, the weeping prophet of 590 BCE have anything to say about this for our comfort?
The award nights in Hollywood and Bollywood are the stuff of red carpets and glamour. Celebrities ready for days and hours ahead of their showcase appearance. They pace themselves through the traffic to arrive amidst the floodlights and the cameras. They are ushered onto that red carpet, and at least one microphone is thrust towards them. The clock on their 15 minutes of fame begins to tick. “Did you enjoy making that movie?” “What’s it like to work with so-and-so?” “How you going?” and finally, and for no apparent reason but shameless promotion, “Who are you wearing?” That’s glam-speak for “What famous designer is associated with your dress, your accessories, your shoes…” Not, “Hey, that’s a nice suit.”
As chapter 13 begins, that same question is o
n the lips of our prophet. God uses a waistband, not a belt, not a girdle, something more akin to a tight skirt, to speak to and about the people of Judah.
The chapter begins with clothing and ends with some as well. All the while, you have to wonder, what’s the point?
The prophet is told to go shopping. He buys a garment that many commentators think is an undergarment, but that doesn’t work for me. We’ll see that in verse 11. It’s decorative and might also have been functional, carrying coins or small tools. We know the garment is designed to be worn outside the cloak and is designed for beauty. Just like the cameras would snap on Hollywood & Vine. It was linen, the fabric of the priest, not the prophet. It would attract attention to themselves. Even though Jeremiah is the son of a priest and thus qualified to be a priest, he walked away from that profession, and thus away from the glam of being such a celebrity in Israel.
Here, though, the Almighty is asking him to get involved in something, and exactly what that is, we will find out soon enough.
Verse 1: go and buy the garment and don’t put it in water. Rashi said this was to allow the sweat of the long journey to cling to the garment. But I don’t think that’s it. This was an outer, not inner garment,
We have to read verse 11: “For as the waistband clings to the waist of a man, so I made the whole household of Israel and the whole household of Judah cling to Me,’ declares the LORD, ‘that they might be for Me a people, for renown, for praise and for glory; but they did not listen.’”
The garment was to represent the Jewish people. And we were designed for three things. We will see this same triad three times in the Bible. For renown (SHEM: Name), for praise (TEHILA), and for glory (TIFERET). That’s why we are there, so the waistband to represent us cannot be internal. It has to be showing! It is an object lesson.
Look at Deuteronomy 26. 19 and see the same triad.
“He will set you high above all nations which He has made, for praise (Tehila), fame (Shem), and honour (Tiferet); and that you shall be a consecrated people to the LORD your God, as He has spoken.”
That’s the purpose of the cloth. That’s the purpose of Israel! We are to be a praise, fame and honour. BUT NOT FOR OURSELVES.
The question is Who is wearing who? This is not Israel’s clothing. This is Israel AS clothing.
Where did he go?
God tells him to go to the Euphrates, but that doesn’t make sense to me. That’s 1,000 kilometres away, and won’t take him a few days. It’s months long in travel. Some commentators say (and with them I agree) that euPhRaTeS (note the three Hebrew letters as the root of the river) and PaRaTn (same root letters) are similar, and makes much more sense. He can get to Parath in a few days and then return as well. The object lesson will neither be forgotten by Jeremiah nor by the people who note his outcry.
What does he find?
The thing of beauty if now tarnished. It’s ruined. What is God trying to communicate? God is wearing us, and he longs for us to represent, but we dropped the baton. He made us for his purposes and we have failed him. Do you remember Billy Crystal’s Saturday night character Fernando who when asked would tell people they looked “Mah-velous!” Because of their hair? No, due to their clothing! That’s what God wanted. God wanted people (like the Crystal character) to say to God that he looked marvellous, due to the clothing (Israel) God was wearing! But we let him down. God wanted the nations of the world to say “God, you look marvellous!” He wants the Babylonians to say God is wonderful and looks marvellous. He wants the Assyrians to love his beauty, but we failed him. We ruined his reputation.
What you wear does say a lot about you.
But there IS hope, and there is always hope in the prophet’s voice. Look at chapter 33, verses 8-9.
Jer. 33:8 ‘I will cleanse them from all their iniquity by which they have sinned against Me, and I will pardon all their iniquities by which they have sinned against Me and by which they have transgressed against Me. 9 ‘It will be to Me a name (SHEM) of joy, praise (TEHILA) and glory (TIFERET) before all the nations of the earth which will hear of all the good that I do for them, and they will fear and tremble because of all the good and all the peace that I make for it.’
The promise is that we WILL represent the Almighty, down the proverbial road. His nature is to win. He will have his way on the earth. It is coming.
My wife and I are watching a television series in season four. What would have happened if the Nazis and Japanese had won WWII is the basis of the series. It’s called The Man in the High Castle. It’s long and confusing and violent. I’m not necessarily recommending it. I enjoy being with my wife and trying to figure out what just happened! One of the characters is a salesman from California. He buys and sells antiques and relics. He is chided by another character as being “so American” by which they mean he is very optimistic.
Optimism like watching Russia invade Ukraine and say, “it’ll be over soon.” Or we look at our depleting bank account and say, “she’ll be right, mate.” We don’t really look at the warning signs; we live in Pollyanna (non)reality.
The reason I bring that up is that reading chapter 33 before we experience the rest of the prophecy is ‘optimism’ on steroids. We have to feel the pain of God’s sadnesses. Yes, God will have his way, but it’s going to cost him and us significantly.
Look at verse 12 and following: the wine is full. Your cupboard is full. It causes you to be cheerful. Joy is coming. BUT every leadership position will be filled with drunks. In other words, Israel, you have no hope. You think everything is fine—optimism—but look what’s coming. No pity, no mercy, no compassion. (We’ll see these three words again in chapter 21). Is God not pitiful and merciful and compassionate? Of course he is. But what is coming is the nation of Babylon and they are not pitiful and merciful and compassionate. They are going to ruin your life and show you no mercy etc.
Why does God say “I will have no pity…?” Because the Babylonians are coming as God’s instruments and therefore they represent in that day. Darkness is coming.
Verse 16: Again the use of the phrase “Give glory to God” before all the judgment comes. Again, this is not so that the people of God will get out of the judgment. This is like a guilty and sentenced man approaching a gallows who knows he has done wrong, and who is going to receive the penalty for his wrongdoing. He has one final chance to agree with the rendered decision and to ‘give glory to God’ and the judge/jury that sent him there. He can make peace with eternity before he enters it. That’s the phrase that Jeremiah is using. (See Joshua 7.19 and the story of Achan)
Darkness is coming; deep darkness is coming. Give glory to God, not to prevent the darkness from coming, but to enter into peace with the Almighty before the coming exile.
Weeping is coming (three times) in one verse. You cannot miss it. God and Jeremiah are in pain over the loss of Israel’s place.
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.
Tumble down (18-end of chapter)
This is a series of spiraling down conversation. We are in the final spin cycle of the dryer. There is no hope. And he mentions ‘exile’ for the first time since chapter one. (1.3) It’s even doubled (Wholly carried into exile) in verse 19.
You are leaving. You will not be here in 5 years. Your time is up. Pack up. There is nothing you can do to save yourself. This is hopeless.
If you say (verse 22) “Why?” God will answer “Because of your iniquity!” The reason is clear. Some things are fixed. You will not change.
Verse 26: I have stripped your skirts over your face. Prostitution; woe to you, Jerusalem. There are seven images in this chapter.
1) Waistcloth
2) Drunkards (prominent people)
3) Traveller
4) Flock that is captive
5) A woman in travail
6) A prostitute
7) Blown chaff
All of these represent the ruin of the Jewish people. Before we get to the promises to come, we have to experience the disappointment, the sadness, the “I wish it were different” from heaven.
God is longing to be in relationship with us. His nature is to have mercy. His overwhelming person is gentle and mercy. That’s who he is. When we say “No thanks”, and when we “don’t listen to his voice” (verse 10)
Be sure your sins will find you out. (Numbers 32.23)
CONCLUSION
God is calling each of us to know him and to walk with him, today and throughout our days. Have you received Yeshua as your messiah and Lord? Have you renounced your sin, your idolatry, your forsaking God and given him First Place in your life? If not, please, do so now, just now, as we pray together. Use your own words, if you want, but yield, surrender, to the Lord of life.
PRAYER
Then please write us (admin@jewsforjesus.org.au) to tell us what you have just done, and we will send you literature and encourage you. You are part of our family; we love and appreciate you. And we want you to enjoy the presence of the Lord who calls, who knows, who blesses and builds us up.
We hope to see you again next week as we study chapter 13. Until then, Shabbat shalom!
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Barnes, Albert, Albert Barnes’ Commentary on the Old Testament,
Craigie, Peter; Kelley, Page; Drinkard, Joel. Word Biblical Commentary. Book of Jeremiah. 1991.
Henry, Matthew, Commentary.
Weirsbe, Warren. Be Decisive. David Cook Publishers, Colorado Springs 1991.
Wright, Christopher, The Message of Jeremiah, The Bible Speaks Today, Intervarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 2014.
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ACTUAL TEXT
Jer. 13:1 Thus the LORD said to me, “Go and abuy yourself a linen waistband and put it around your waist, but do not put it in water.” 2 So I bought the waistband in accordance with the aword of the LORD and put it around my waist. 3 Then the word of the LORD came to me a second time, saying, 4 “Take the waistband that you have bought, which is around your waist, and arise, go to 1the aEuphrates and hide it there in a crevice of the rock.” 5 So I went and hid it by the Euphrates, aas the LORD had commanded me. 6 After many days the LORD said to me, “Arise, go to the Euphrates and take from there the waistband which I commanded you to hide there.” 7 Then I went to the Euphrates and dug, and I took the waistband from the place where I had hidden it; and lo, the waistband was ruined, it was totally worthless.
Jer. 13:8 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 9 “Thus says the LORD, ‘Just so will I destroy the apride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem. 10 ‘This wicked people, who arefuse to listen to My words, who bwalk in the stubbornness of their hearts and have gone after other gods to serve them and to bow down to them, let them be just like this waistband which is totally worthless. 11 ‘For as the waistband clings to the waist of a man, so I made the whole household of Israel and the whole household of Judah acling to Me,’ declares the LORD, ‘that they might be for Me a people, for 1brenown, for cpraise and for glory; but they ddid not listen.’
Jer. 13:12 “Therefore you are to speak this word to them, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, “Every jug is to be filled with wine.”’ And when they say to you, ‘Do we not very well know that every jug is to be filled with wine?’ 13 then say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD, “Behold I am about to fill all the inhabitants of this land — the kings that sit for David on his throne, the priests, the prophets and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem — with adrunkenness! 14 “I will adash them against each other, both the bfathers and the sons together,” declares the LORD. “I will cnot show pity nor be sorry nor have compassion so as not to destroy them.”’”
Jer. 13:15 Listen and give heed, do not be ahaughty,
For the LORD has spoken.
16 aGive glory to the LORD your God,
Before He brings bdarkness
And before your cfeet stumble
On the dusky mountains,
And while you are hoping for light
He makes it into ddeep darkness,
And turns it into gloom.
17 But aif you will not listen to it,
My soul will bsob in secret for such pride;
And my eyes will bitterly weep
And flow down with tears,
Because the cflock of the LORD has been taken captive.
18 Say to the aking and the queen mother,
“bTake a lowly seat,
For your beautiful ccrown
Has come down from your head.”
19 The acities of the Negev have been locked up,
And there is no one to open them;
All bJudah has been carried into exile,
Wholly carried into exile.
Jer. 13:20 “Lift up your eyes and see
Those coming afrom the north.
Where is the bflock that was given you,
Your beautiful sheep?
21 “What will you say when He appoints over you —
And you yourself had taught them —
Former 1acompanions to be head over you?
Will not bpangs take hold of you
Like a woman in childbirth?
22 “If you asay in your heart,
‘bWhy have these things happened to me?’
Because of the cmagnitude of your iniquity
dYour skirts have been removed
And your heels have 1been exposed.
23 “aCan the Ethiopian change his skin
Or the leopard his spots?
Then you also can bdo good
Who are accustomed to doing evil.
24 “Therefore I will ascatter them like drifting straw
To the desert bwind.
25 “This is your alot, the portion measured to you
From Me,” declares the LORD,
“Because you have bforgotten Me
And trusted in falsehood.
26 “So I Myself have also astripped your skirts off over your face,
That your shame may be seen.
27 “As for your aadulteries and your lustful neighings,
The blewdness of your prostitution
On the chills in the field,
I have seen your abominations.
Woe to you, O Jerusalem!
dHow long will you remain unclean?”
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