19 Have you utterly rejected Judah?
Does your soul loathe Zion?
Why have you struck us down
so that there is no healing for us?
We looked for peace, but no good came;
for a time of healing, but behold, terror. 20 We acknowledge our wickedness, O Lord,
and the iniquity of our fathers,
for we have sinned against you. 21 Do not spurn us, for your name’s sake;
do not dishonour your glorious throne;
remember and do not break your covenant with us. 22 Are there any among the false gods of the nations that can bring rain?
Or can the heavens give showers?
Are you not he, O Lord our God?
We set our hope on you,
for you do all these things.
REFLECTION:
This chapter and the next chapter begin with the drought that God will send to Judah and that God will not listen to their prayers for rain, and then describe the scene of future judgment that Jeremiah prophesied. The drought is a devastating disaster that God brought to the judgment of Judah. Facing this disaster, the people of Judah did not ask God for help until they were desperate. However, they only wanted God’s help and rescue, but they still refused to repent of their sins. Jeremiah interceded for the people, asking God whether he would save the people of Judah after they repented. God said that he would not, because the people of Judah did a lot of evil and were stubborn and had no sincerity to repent. Although they know that God is willing to bless and what to do to be blessed, they just want to be blessed and don’t want to do their part. When we do something wrong, it’s easy to express regret, and it’s easier to gain benefits by superficial regret. However, the most important thing is to stop committing sins immediately. We should remember that true repentance includes two steps: “repent” and “reform”. Repentance without reform is just a fake verbal promise and will never please God. God is merciful and He forgives all those who sincerely repent. However, God is also righteous and He will severely punish hypocrites.
PRAYER:
Pray for God to mould your life so that you can have a deeper experience, not only at the level of praying for God’s blessing, but being able to deal with your sins more thoroughly. Confess to God the sins you understand in your heart but have been unwilling to confess. Resolve to God to put your repentance into action, no matter how great the cost of repentance is.
1Thus says the Lord to me, “Go and buy a linen loincloth and put it around your waist, and do not dip it in water.” 2 So I bought a loincloth according to the word of the Lord, and put it around my waist. 3 And the word of the Lord came to me a second time, 4 “Take the loincloth that you have bought, which is around your waist, and arise, go to the Euphrates and hide it there in a cleft of the rock.” 5 So I went and hid it by the Euphrates, as the Lord commanded me. 6 And after many days the Lord said to me, “Arise, go to the Euphrates, and take from there the loincloth that I commanded you to hide there.” 7 Then I went to the Euphrates, and dug, and I took the loincloth from the place where I had hidden it. And behold, the loincloth was spoiled; it was good for nothing.
8 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 9 “Thus says the Lord: Even so will I spoil the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem. 10 This evil people, who refuse to hear my words, who stubbornly follow their own heart and have gone after other gods to serve them and worship them, shall be like this loincloth, which is good for nothing. 11 For as the loincloth clings to the waist of a man, so I made the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah cling to me, declares the Lord, that they might be for me a people, a name, a praise, and a glory, but they would not listen.
REFLECTION:
Jeremiah used dramatic actions to convey God’s message according to God’s instructions, because actions give a deeper impression in people, often more than words. Jeremiah repeatedly used actions to preach the message, in order to arouse the curiosity and alertness of the people, so that they could understand his meaning better. The spoiled linen loincloth is a metaphor for the end of the Kingdom of Judah. Although those people had a close relationship with God, they were cast aside by God because of their arrogance and pride and became worthless waste. Proud people always overestimate everything about themselves and often appear pretentious, but God says that pride makes them worthless. Pride will corrupt our hearts until our lives have fallen to a point where they are of no use value in the eyes of God. Pride is one of the most serious sins of all sins. Pride can make people who have been close to God far away from God, and even resist and disobey God. The fall of the devil is due to pride. We should be vigilant and remember the image of the spoiled linen loincloth of Jeremiah in our hearts. We should always be reminded to be humble, not to give the devil a foothold, and not to let pride corrupt our soul and life to a point where we become worthless in the eyes of God.
PRAYER:
Pray that God will make you remember the spoiled linen loincloth of Jeremiah, which represents the corruption of life brought about by pride. Pray that God will examine your heart so that you can see your pride hidden in the depths of your soul. Ask God to destroy this pride no matter if it is expressed in overestimating oneself, judging others, or any other form of expression.
1Righteous are you, O Lord,
when I complain to you;
yet I would plead my case before you.
Why does the way of the wicked prosper?
Why do all who are treacherous thrive? 2 You plant them, and they take root;
they grow and produce fruit;
you are near in their mouth
and far from their heart. 3 But you, O Lord, know me;
you see me, and test my heart toward you.
Pull them out like sheep for the slaughter,
and set them apart for the day of slaughter. 4 How long will the land mourn
and the grass of every field wither?
For the evil of those who dwell in it
the beasts and the birds are swept away,
because they said, “He will not see our latter end.”
REFLECTION:
Many people, including prophets and psalmists in the Old Testament (such as the author of Psalm 73) have asked this question: “Why does the way of the wicked prosper?” Although Jeremiah knew that God would eventually demonstrate His justice, he was still full of indignation and envy when he saw the wicked gain power. He hoped that the day when God shows justice will come soon. Although Jeremiah loved God and obeyed His will, he was often persecuted. He prayed for God to relieve his suffering, but God’s response was: “If you feel unbearable now, how can you bear it when the real difficulties arise?” When we are bullied we will naturally want to seek justice. However, we must also bear in mind that if God really punishes us immediately for everything we do, then our own consequences are also worrying. Not all God’s responses to prayer are readily acceptable to us. All believers who have experienced suffering and injustice understand this deeply. Even if the situation worsens, God’s response may not bring immediate improvement, but we still have to be completely committed to Him and firmly believe that everything that God allows to happen is for our benefit. We should reflect on ourselves and see if we have offended God, and with a humble and repentant heart, we continue marching forward on a narrow, rugged road without applause or cheers.
PRAYER:
Come to God humbly, pray to God for the difficulties you are facing now. Don’t ask God to solve the problem for you right away, but ask God to let you experience His guidance and training for you in the difficult situation. If your difficulties are so great that you feel unbearable, ask God to comfort you, so that you understand that all this happens with God’s good intentions, even if you don’t understand at the moment, you are still willing to trust God, and walk with God.
