Day 222—We are in the eighth month of Bible reading: Israel’s history and Jeremiah’s prophecy.

    Day 222 – Jeremiah 10 – 13 (Idols & the Living God, Judah breaks covenant, Jeremiah & God, a loincloth)

Jeremiah 10 writes of the stupidity of fashioning your own idols of wood, silver, and gold, of dressing them up and taking them where you go. How foolish! They can neither do good or evil. Unlike the LORD.

There is NONE like Him. He is the true God, He is the living God and the everlasting King. He is the one who formed all things. The LORD of hosts is His name.

Jeremiah 11 tells again how God is righteous, caring for His own people and promising them the land of milk and honey if they would but obey His voice. And THEY did not obey or incline their ear, but everyone walked in the stubbornness of his evil heart.  And so, the LORD is bringing disaster upon them.

Again God tells Jeremiah, “Do not pray for this people, or lift up a cry or prayer on their behalf, for I will not listen when they call to me in the time of their trouble.”

Jeremiah 12. Jeremiah now argues with God about why the wicked still prosper, seeming foolish because he could not see their end and in judging God.  But God reminds him of the invaders coming, overwhelming the land like a flood.  Both the Babylonians and God’s sword of condemnation are the same.

But, God, ever so merciful, says, “After I have plucked them up, I will again have compassion on them, and I will bring them again, each to his heritage and each to his land.”   

In His compassion, God even promises the other nations, “And it shall come to pass, if they will diligently learn the ways of my people, to swear by my name, “as the LORD lives,” even as they taught my people to swear by Baal, then they shall be built up in the midst of my people.”

Jeremiah 13. God gives Jeremiah an object lesson.  He is to go buy a linen loincloth, wear it for a few days, then take it off, go to the Euphrates, and hide it there.  After many days, he was to go and dig it up. But it was spoiled and good for nothing.  God said THIS was His spoiling the “great pride” of Judah, who stubbornly followed their own heart and went after other gods. 

Since a loincloth clung close to a person’s skin, so God made the house of Judah cling to Him that they might be His people, a name, a praise, and a glory. But they would not listen. 

Then God gives the message, “Hear and give ear; be not proud, for the LORD has spoken. Give glory to the LORD your God before He brings darkness… before your feet stumble on the twilight mountains, and while you look for light, He turns it into gloom and makes it deep darkness.”