Jeremiah 13:1-27

We are our own worst enemies.  When we consider the various sources of temptation in our lives: society, Satan and self; it is easy to see that “self” is the hardest for us to run away from.  Jeremiah writes to his fellow countrymen about their plight and the difficulty they will be facing because of their self-inflicted sin.  God created us to worship Him and walk in fellowship with Him.  When we refuse to fulfill this purpose God is faithful to discipline us in an effort to bring us back to Himself.  Judah had been living in rebellion against God for generations and now they are about to discover the results of this kind of living.  As a result of their sinful living the people have become:

DIRTY: God tells Jeremiah to go buy a cloth belt and then bury it by the river.  After time passes God tells him to go dig it up.  When he does so he discovers the belt is dirty, decomposed and worthless.  This is meant to be an illustration of what has happened to Judah.  God had chosen them to be His special people, to walk in close fellowship with Him and be ever at His side.  Their refusal to worship Him and then run after other God’s has made them dirty and useless to Him.  He is about to cast them off like a rotten and soiled belt.  God desires for us to walk in harmony with Him and follow His leading.  When we fail to worship Him and stray from His side, we become dirty and worthless because we are no longer fulfilling the purpose for which we have been created.

DRUNK: Jeremiah tells the people they will be like bottles of wine, full of strong drink.  The people are acting like they are drunk.  They cannot perform the most basic reason God made them to do.  They don’t understand the danger of their position.  When they do try to defend themselves from the coming attacks they will be powerless in battle and will end up hurting one another more than helping do defend one another.  Those who are drunk do not perceive the seriousness of their problems.  Their senses are dull and their ability to react is slowed greatly.  This is the result of straying from our relationship with the Lord.


DUMB: God has called them to repent and return to fellowship with Him so they can be restored and rejoice in their walk with Him.  The problem is they refuse to do so.  God has given them chance after chance but they are too dumb to listen to His voice or follow His commands.  The result of this rebellion is the coming captivity and destruction of the nation.  The king and queen will be removed and the people will be killed in battle or taken away as slaves.  All of this pain and heartache could be avoided if the people would just repent and return to the Lord but they are too dumb to take this route of relief.  Just as animals cannot change their nature or instinct, this nation refuses to change its rebellious nature.  The only way God can get our attention sometimes is through severe and painful discipline.

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