I love Jeremiah’s prayer in 10:23-24 “correct me Lord, but please be gentle” I am so thankful that God is both merciful and gentle, because I am so often in need of correction.Read Jeremiah 10-13 here
I think I will keep today’s devotion short, since it is mostly part of the same train of thought that has been repeated already throughout the book.
I really am not sure how to interpret 12:5 where the Lord responds to Jeremiah. Jeremiah seems to be asking God why the wicked flourish, and why he (Jeremiah) who loves the Lord is hunted and has little. God’s response seems to say “if you can’t understand the things of earth, how could you possibly understand my reply, even if I gave it?” I’m not sure that’s correct, though
Either way, the Lord warns Jeremiah not to trust even his closest relatives, as they are being kind to his face and plotting his death behind His back.
Jeremiah’s linen loincloth is a well known passage from his prophecy. Essentially it says that the people have “spoiled” or “rotted away”. It’s always sad when you go the the refrigerator looking for a snack only to find that the food has spoiled. My dad was fond of re-telling the story about how he used to find his pliers and screwdrivers out in the yard where we kids had left them. They were rusted and unusable…sort of like a person who has backslidden.
Actually, the loincloth has two meanings. The first one demonstrates how God will rot away the pride and arrogance of those who reject Him. The second one is the uselessness of the people.
How about a quick practical application? Pride and selfishness rot a person away. It doesn’t happen all at once, just like the loincloth would still be good after a day or two. The rot is more gradual, slowly discoloring our life and our personality, and eventually making us unfit for heaven.
Faithfully,
PR