Jeremiah, chapter 13.1-14
interpretation - meaning - commentary - explanation
Jeremiah's linen belt
(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. (2) So I got a girdle according to the word of the LORD, and put it on my loins. (3) And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying, (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. (5) So I went, and hid it by Euphrates, as the LORD commanded me. (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.
(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. (8) Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, (9) Thus saith the LORD, After this manner will I mar the pride of Judah, and the great pride of Jerusalem. (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. (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.
These are prophetic words spoken before the destruction of Jerusalem by Babylon. The Jews of the time rejected God in favor of idols, adopted the pagan beliefs of the surrounding nations, and were even able to sacrifice their own children, which God categorically forbade. One interpretation recognizes that Abraham was told to sacrifice Isaac precisely to make it clear that it was forbidden.
The belt clinging to the body indicated Judea and its people. They were to be devoted to the Creator from the heart, just as the belt adheres to the body so Israel was to adhere to God. Unfortunately, however, the moral corruption of the inhabitants without a shock to life was no longer reversible. That shock was to be the invasion of the hostile army of Babylon, which lay near the Euphrates River. Some believe that the Hebrew word pointing to the Euphrates River may mean Wadi Fara, which was only a few kilometers from Jerusalem. However, it doesn't matter much, what matters is that Jeremiah warned the Judeans of destruction, but they disregarded it, like so many previous admonitions.
The belt worn by Jeremiah was new and lay close to the heart, just as God's people were close to the Almighty at certain points in their lives. The reference of the belt indicates that the hearts of the people will move away from the Lord, and thus they will be exposed to their own forces that cannot withstand the hostility of this world. Satan, whenever he can, will try to destroy our relationship with God, distancing us from the Lord. The belt was destroyed just as the morality of the Jews there was destroyed.
The reference of the belt can also mean that the people of Jerusalem will be separated from God, which is what happened when they were abducted into Babylonian captivity, and the temple of the Lord, in which they placed such faith in indestructibility, was completely destroyed. Going for the belt again indicates that God will have mercy on the exiled people and restore them to the promised land. We know from history that the Israelites' captivity in Babylon lasted 70 years, and only after that time did they gradually begin to settle their homeland, while rebuilding the city with the temple.
The parable of wine
(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? (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. (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.
The drunken intoxication in question is not literal alcoholic intoxication, but the demoralization of the people to the point that they will disregard the spoken prophecies, the predictions of disaster and the cries for repentance. Just as an alcoholic sees the world somewhat differently, the people of Judea in their malice will not heed the warnings, they will live their own sinful lives.
It may seem harsh to say that the Lord will have no mercy or pity. God always has mercy on man, and even on demons when they are destroyed after the 1000-year kingdom. We are talking here about the evil they carried with them. Notorious admonitions did not help, so God decided to destroy the evil. How sad and dramatic it must have been when we receive hatred instead of love. God's heart wept, but had He not done so, even more fallen souls would have been lost. He didn't relent, but He certainly wept over it, just as we see when our children are disobedient and sell their souls to the devil. Showing infinite mercy will never end iniquity. God sent prophets many times, but those prophets were disregarded and killed. The sons were as corrupt as the fathers. Almost the entire nation had to go into captivity, so that the evil in their hearts would be banished to some extent. A new generation of Israelites will repopulate Jerusalem after 70 years.
Helpful articles:
