Jeremiah 12:1-15:21
Jeremiah records Judah’s terrible drought that resulted from the
actions of His wicked people. “You love to wander far from Me and do not follow
in My paths. Now I will no longer accept you as My people. I will remember all
your wickedness and will punish you for your sins” (14:10).
When Jeremiah began to pray for the people, the Lord refused to let
him intercede. “Do not pray for these people anymore. When they fast, I will
pay no attention. When they present their offerings, I will not accept them. I
will give them only war, famine, and disease” (14:11, 12).
It was pretty clear that the Lord had reached the end of His patience.
“Even if Moses and Samuel stood before Me pleading for these people, I wouldn’t
help them. Away with them! Get them out of My sight! I am tired of always
giving them another chance. I will destroy My own people because they refuse to
turn back to Me from all their evil ways” (15:1, 6, 7).
To help Jeremiah understand the situation better, God gave him an
object lesson. “Go and buy a linen belt,” He said, “and put it around your
waist.” When Jeremiah did as he was instructed, the Lord said, “Take the belt
and go to the Euphrates River. Hide it there in a hole in the rocks.” Jeremiah
did it. After some time had passed, God returned to the prophet and said, “Go
back to the Euphrates and get the belt that I told you to hide there.” When
Jeremiah dug it out of the hole, it was mildewed and falling apart. The belt
was useless (12:1-7).
What was the lesson? “My people are like this belt,” God said, “good
for nothing. As a belt clings to a person’s waist, so I
created Judah and Israel to cling to Me. They were to be My people, My pride, My glory,
an honor to My name, but they would not listen” (12:10, 11).
Daily Reflection
As God’s people, you and I are “cling-ons.”
No, we are not like the humanoid Klingons of Star Trek, who have those
dreadful lobotomy scars on their foreheads. We, like the people of Judah and
Israel, were made to cling to the Lord, to represent Him on the earth, to be
His glory and to be an honor to His name.
Sadly, though, when we distance ourselves from Him and neglect our
relationship with Him, our belt loses its clinginess. We slip and fall
away from our purpose. As Jeremiah said, “A belt that no longer clings is
useless.”
How are you doing at clinging to the Lord? Are you holding to His plan
and purpose for your life or are you clinging to your own way?
What does it take to be a good cling-on, to fulfill your purpose as
God’s representative on earth?
We are Christ’s cling-ons, His ambassadors, and God is using us
to draw others to cling to Him. Be faithful to develop your personal relationship
with Him. Stay true to His cause and purpose for your life; and, in the words
of the most famous Vulcan, “Live long and prosper.”
BiAY.org | Day 221 — 144 Days to Go
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