A Story about "Underwear" in the Bible?!

 

I love reading the Bible. I always find new, unexpected treasures. Today is no exception. 

A Story about "underwear" in the Bible!

"This is what the Lord said to me: 'Go and buy a linen loincloth and put it on, but do not wash it.' So I bought the loincloth as the Lord directed me, and I put it on. Then the Lord gave me another message: 'Taken the linen loincloth you are wearing, and go to the Euphrates River. Hide it there in a hole in the rocks' So I went and hid it by the Euphrates as the Lord instructed me. 

A long time afterward the Lord said to me, 'Go back to the Euphrates and get the loincloth I told you to hide there' So I went to the Euphrates and dug it out of the hole where I had hidden it. But now it was rotting and falling apart. The loincloth was good for nothing. 

Then I received this message from the Lord: 'This is what the Lord says: This shows how I will rot away the pride of Judah and Jerusalem. These wicked people refuse to listen to me. They stubbornly follow their own desires and worship other gods. Therefore, they will become like this loincloth -- good for nothing! As a loincloth clings to a man's waist, so I created Judah and Israel to cling to me, says the Lord. They were to be my people, my pride, my glory -- and honor to my name. But they would not listen to me.'"

Yep, that is a new one to me! 

But, the illustration is amazing. The loincloth, like our own "undergarments," is our most intimate piece of clothing. Our underwear is so valuable and yet unseen. They cover the most intimate part of our bodies and are designed to fit close and comfortable. Would you even think about taking a pair of your underwear, burying them in the dirt, digging them up years later, and wearing them? 

NO!

In Jeremiah's world, Israel had been destroyed, never to be heard from again. Judah was next. Their pride, their arrogance, and their selfishness tore them away from God. A God who had chosen them to be his pride and joy, his nation. So, God sent them into exile to break that pride and arrogance, hoping they would repent and turn back to him. 

What is getting in the way of your relationship with God? The message of Jeremiah has been repeated for thousands of years. For most of us, PRIDE is our greatest barrier to a lasting relationship with our Heavenly Father. We want to do things our own way. We don't need a god, let alone the Son of God who came down to save us from ourselves. 

Bury your pride and cling to Jesus Christ. In 1 Peter 2, Peter tells us we are his chosen people. We are chosen to be royal priests. We are chosen to show others the goodness of God. He has called us out of the darkness to be a great light. Keep away from worldly desires that wage war on your souls. God wants you to throw away your filthy rags and come to HIM! With Jesus you are everything!!!!!!!!