Jeremiah 13:1-11
Monday, 17 April 2023
‘For as the sash clings to the waist of a man, so I have caused the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah to cling to Me,' says the LORD, 'that they may become My people, for renown, for praise, and for glory; but they would not hear.' -Jeremiah 13:11
Jesus talked to people often in parables when He was on the earth; but in Old Testament times God talked to His people by simple and symbolic examples, especially through the prophets. Here in the key verse is one good example which was shown to His people through the Prophet Jeremiah. Israel was chosen to cling on the LORD but they had had stubbornly deserted God and His ways and so became useless like the spoilt sash.
Position of a believer in Christ:
God's love for His people is beyond human words or imagination. He wants His people to be always in a dependant relationship with Him. If this relationship is to be realized, the position of the believer should be as near to God as possible. Without this nearness they cannot be in the godly plan and purpose. Moving away from this kind of a relationship is nothing but rottenness as we read in Jeremiah 13:1-7.
Jeremiah 13:4-7: "Take the sash that you acquired, which is around your waist, and arise, go to the Euphrates, and hide it there in a hole in the rock.". …Then I went to the Euphrates and dug, and I took the sash from the place where I had hidden it; and there was the sash, ruined. It was profitable for nothing.
In the Old Testament, Israel was brought near to God like the loincloth clinging to the waist of a man. But in the New Testament, the position for a believer is much more intimate than this. He is called to become the member of Christ's body. Also it says we are one in spirit with God Himself through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Eph.3:6 “…that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel…”
John 15:5: "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”
1Cor. 6:17: “But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.”
Privileges of a believer in Christ:
Jeremiah 13:11: “For as the sash clings to the waist of a man, so I have caused the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah to cling to Me,' says the LORD, 'that they may become My people, for renown, for praise, and for glory; ..”.
God offers a position of privilege to His people. He intends for them to be known in this world as His very own people and to be known among all, for His praise and glory. In this world and in the coming world, God wants His people to be of praise and glory. He has destined good for all who cling on to Him by faith through Jesus Christ. As we faithfully adhere to Him in total dependence, He will allow His power and glory to flow through our lives. This brings in us the transformation to make us people of renown, praise and glory. As we read in 2Cor.3:18: “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
A Word of Caution: If we don’t adhere to the LORD and walk away from Him, we will become ruined and profitable for nothing!
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