Jeremiah

When was the last time I read through Jeremiah? I cannot remember when. This book is so depressing. It is hard to read it straight through and not start not paying attention.

Right now I'm in chapter 13. Fortunately this is one chapter a day.

Prophets tend to use illustrations. They tend to be weird and unusual.

Here God tells Jeremiah to buy a cloth girdle (or belt). Then he is told to go the Euphrates (kinda far away) and bury it. Later he goes and digs it up and finds it ruined (duh!!).

This a garment worn close to the body. God was close to his people. Yet now they are worthless, just like this garment.

Then he describes an image with many wine jugs. The jugs describe the people of Judah. Then he smashes them against each other, like he says they will have their heads smashed after they get drunk.

Can Ethiopians change the color of their skin or leopards change their spots? Can you do good when you're taught to do wrong?

God is saying they are confirmed in sin and will not repent.

Jeremiah is told to tell them their sin has been seen by God. God will not have grace this time.

Jeremiah is unrelenting in his images of the destruction that is about to happen to God's people. I guess no one took him seriously at the time. But it is hard to read.