Thus saith the LORD unto me, Go and get thee a linen girdle, and put it upon thy loins, and put it not in water.
Chapters 12 to 24 of Jeremiah give warnings to the Jews, and this command stands within them. Chapter 13 belongs to the period of Zedekiah's reign, though it appears out of chronological order in the book. It is part of the book's striking symbols and signs and figures of speech. The linen girdle was an article of eastern dress whose fashion has never changed, and the same girdle may still be met any day in the streets of Jerusalem, witnessing to the marvelous accuracy of the word.
The command shows that God is particular about dress and takes notice of what men call small things as well as great things. Jeremiah's obtaining a linen girdle and wearing it awhile and then putting it where it would rot was one of God's dealings with His children to teach this particularity, and those who say God does not notice in what fashion dress is cut would have thought Jeremiah a fanatic for doing it. God is not changed, and He still notices such things. Its warning and appeal, with its assurance of the heavenly Father's kindness and everlasting love, applies to the present day.
Chapters 12 to 24 of Jeremiah give warnings to the Jews, and this command stands within them. Chapter 13 belongs to the period of Zedekiah's reign, though it appears out of chronological order in the book. It is part of the book's striking symbols and signs and figures of speech. The linen girdle was an article of eastern dress whose fashion has never changed, and the same girdle may still be met any day in the streets of Jerusalem, witnessing to the marvelous accuracy of the word.
The command shows that God is particular about dress and takes notice of what men call small things as well as great things. Jeremiah's obtaining a linen girdle and wearing it awhile and then putting it where it would rot was one of God's dealings with His children to teach this particularity, and those who say God does not notice in what fashion dress is cut would have thought Jeremiah a fanatic for doing it. God is not changed, and He still notices such things. Its warning and appeal, with its assurance of the heavenly Father's kindness and everlasting love, applies to the present day.