As the Waistband Clings to the Waist of a Man
"'For as the waistband clings to the waist of a man, so I made the whole household of Israel and the whole household of Judah cling to Me', declares the Lord, 'that they might be for Me a people, for renown, for praise and for glory; but they did not listen.'" (Jeremiah 13:11)
Last night, as I was studying through Jeremiah, the Lord brought me to this passage in Jeremiah 13:1-11. I read it about 4 times and prayed for the Lord to show me the significance of this waistband idea. I'm not as bright as some, so it took a lot of prayer, some research into the use of a waistband in the times of Jeremiah, and rereading the passage at least 15 times before God began teaching me from this passage and opening my mind that I may understand a bit more of Him. All the times I've read the book of Jeremiah before now, I've skimmed right over this passage, too lazy to put any effort into gleaning meaning from it. Now, I just love it and am excited to share with you what God laid on my heart. So, here goes.
First, let me recap the context of the situation very briefly. God told Jeremiah to go buy a linen waistband and put it on his waist without first putting it in water. Then, God told him to take it off, to go to the River Euphrates and hide in the crevice of a rock. There he left it until God instructed him to retrieve it. After Jeremiah had abandoned it there in the dirt for a time, it was rotten and completely ruined. Then God told Jeremiah that the wicked people of Jerusalem and Judah were like the rotten waistband, totally worthless.
So what does all this mean? God told Jeremiah to buy specifically a linen waistband. In those times, waistbands were useful for holding the flowing outer garments of a man close to the body for ease of movement, but were also a showpiece of wealth, depending on the type of material from which they were made. [Side note: The waistband was also called a girdle, which is where the saying "gird up your loins" comes from. There was a girdle worn to hold both the inner garments and the flowing outer garments, the inner waistband being simple and the outer one more fancy and stylish. If the garments were not held close to the body, movement was very clumsy.] Linen was considered a fine type of cloth and would have let people know that a man had money and prestige. Often times, waistbands were even adorned with fine metals and jewels. So, the fact that Jeremiah was instructed by God to buy specifically a linen waistband is significant, I think. Then, there's the specific instruction from God not to put the waistband in water. We can't pass over these small details because they're huge in the analogy God is building in this passage. God was telling Jeremiah not to wash the waistband (not because it needed to be dry cleaned). The significance God is showing me here is that the waistband represents the Israelites of the Old Testament, who we know represent the church -- true Israel. The nation of Israel as a whole was not "washed", which is why as a nation they continually lusted after gods made of wood and stone. The fact that they weren't "washed" is why they were continually forsaking the way of the Lord and had to be disciplined by God in the exile.
Just as Jeremiah took the waistband and put it far away from his presence, in the cleft of the rock near the Euphrates River, God turned the Israelites over to their own sin and took His hand off them that they would be ruined by their sin and idolatry. He did this to show us our nature without His powerful hand holding us in His bosom. He did this also to show us that not all "Israel" is true "Israel". God clearly didn't save all the Israelites. He turned many of them over to destruction as they wallowed in the filth of their own sinful desires.
"I, the Lord, am your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt; open your mouth wide and I will fill it. But My people did not listen to My voice, and Israel did not obey Me. So I gave them over to the stubbornness of their heart, to walk in their own devices." (Psalm 81:10-11)
Had Israel been obedient and followed the ways of the Lord, they would have been "as the waistband clings to the waist of a man". In other words, they would have been an adornment showing the glory of the Lord as a waistband in Jeremiah's time showed the "glory" of a man. They would have been to God a "people for renown, for praise and for glory". But, in their hardness of heart and disobedience, the nation of Israel proved to be a rotten waistband that had been away from the presence of the Lord and buried in the dirt of their idolatry and rebellion. Though God told the Israelites over and over throughout the Old Testament that they should forsake their idols and listen to His voice, He was ultimately sovereign over their disobedience. "So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires." (Romans 9:18)
So, in light of the lessons in this passage, I thank God that He has washed the "waistband" of His chosen ones. The church is the true Israel, and has been washed by the blood of Christ! The church is a "people for renown, for praise and for glory" to the Almighty One who will one day clothe His bride in fine linen. "It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints." (Revelation 19:8) Hallelujah!
Last night, as I was studying through Jeremiah, the Lord brought me to this passage in Jeremiah 13:1-11. I read it about 4 times and prayed for the Lord to show me the significance of this waistband idea. I'm not as bright as some, so it took a lot of prayer, some research into the use of a waistband in the times of Jeremiah, and rereading the passage at least 15 times before God began teaching me from this passage and opening my mind that I may understand a bit more of Him. All the times I've read the book of Jeremiah before now, I've skimmed right over this passage, too lazy to put any effort into gleaning meaning from it. Now, I just love it and am excited to share with you what God laid on my heart. So, here goes.
First, let me recap the context of the situation very briefly. God told Jeremiah to go buy a linen waistband and put it on his waist without first putting it in water. Then, God told him to take it off, to go to the River Euphrates and hide in the crevice of a rock. There he left it until God instructed him to retrieve it. After Jeremiah had abandoned it there in the dirt for a time, it was rotten and completely ruined. Then God told Jeremiah that the wicked people of Jerusalem and Judah were like the rotten waistband, totally worthless.
So what does all this mean? God told Jeremiah to buy specifically a linen waistband. In those times, waistbands were useful for holding the flowing outer garments of a man close to the body for ease of movement, but were also a showpiece of wealth, depending on the type of material from which they were made. [Side note: The waistband was also called a girdle, which is where the saying "gird up your loins" comes from. There was a girdle worn to hold both the inner garments and the flowing outer garments, the inner waistband being simple and the outer one more fancy and stylish. If the garments were not held close to the body, movement was very clumsy.] Linen was considered a fine type of cloth and would have let people know that a man had money and prestige. Often times, waistbands were even adorned with fine metals and jewels. So, the fact that Jeremiah was instructed by God to buy specifically a linen waistband is significant, I think. Then, there's the specific instruction from God not to put the waistband in water. We can't pass over these small details because they're huge in the analogy God is building in this passage. God was telling Jeremiah not to wash the waistband (not because it needed to be dry cleaned). The significance God is showing me here is that the waistband represents the Israelites of the Old Testament, who we know represent the church -- true Israel. The nation of Israel as a whole was not "washed", which is why as a nation they continually lusted after gods made of wood and stone. The fact that they weren't "washed" is why they were continually forsaking the way of the Lord and had to be disciplined by God in the exile.
Just as Jeremiah took the waistband and put it far away from his presence, in the cleft of the rock near the Euphrates River, God turned the Israelites over to their own sin and took His hand off them that they would be ruined by their sin and idolatry. He did this to show us our nature without His powerful hand holding us in His bosom. He did this also to show us that not all "Israel" is true "Israel". God clearly didn't save all the Israelites. He turned many of them over to destruction as they wallowed in the filth of their own sinful desires.
"I, the Lord, am your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt; open your mouth wide and I will fill it. But My people did not listen to My voice, and Israel did not obey Me. So I gave them over to the stubbornness of their heart, to walk in their own devices." (Psalm 81:10-11)
Had Israel been obedient and followed the ways of the Lord, they would have been "as the waistband clings to the waist of a man". In other words, they would have been an adornment showing the glory of the Lord as a waistband in Jeremiah's time showed the "glory" of a man. They would have been to God a "people for renown, for praise and for glory". But, in their hardness of heart and disobedience, the nation of Israel proved to be a rotten waistband that had been away from the presence of the Lord and buried in the dirt of their idolatry and rebellion. Though God told the Israelites over and over throughout the Old Testament that they should forsake their idols and listen to His voice, He was ultimately sovereign over their disobedience. "So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires." (Romans 9:18)
So, in light of the lessons in this passage, I thank God that He has washed the "waistband" of His chosen ones. The church is the true Israel, and has been washed by the blood of Christ! The church is a "people for renown, for praise and for glory" to the Almighty One who will one day clothe His bride in fine linen. "It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints." (Revelation 19:8) Hallelujah!
Yes, praise Jesus for washing us to be His waistband!
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wow! AWESOME!!
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