The Sign of the Linen Girdle, vv. 1-11
A. A girdle was a sash or belt around the middle.
- Often made of leather that bedouins wore (2 Kgs 1:8; Matt 3:4).
- Finer girdle made of linen, embroidered with silk (Jer 13:1; Eze 16:10; Dan 10:5; Rev 1:13; 15:6).
- Linen girdles often worn by priests as a sign of dignity and nobility (Ex 28:4; Lev 16:4).
B. Jeremiah travels to Euphrates to hide the linen girdle.
- This was a three month journey, possibly to Babylon.
- Jeremiah hides the girdle in a hole by the Euphrates River.
- Jeremiah’s return must have caused a stir when he showed up without the priestly girdle.
C. Jeremiah returns to retrieve the linen girdle.
- The girdle was ruined, useless. It no longer represented nobility or dignity.
- God will ruin Judah and Jerusalem’s pride because:
a. They refuse to hear God’s Words.
b. They walk in the imagination of their thoughts instead of God’s Word.
c. They pursue and serve other gods.
The Sign of the Wine Bottles, vv. 12-14
A. Certain clay jars were used specifically to hold wine.
B. The clause “every bottle shall be filled with wine” was a proverb.
- It meant that “everything will fulfill its purpose.”
- “Do we not certainly know that every bottle shall be filled with wine?”
- Their response meant, “If God had planned a noble and dignified purpose for Israel, surely it would be fulfilled and good times will come!”
C. God responds:
- “I will fill all the inhabitants . . . with drunkenness,” meaning, instead of fulfilling their purpose before God in a high and noble way, God’s rebellious people are filled with stupor and stupidity.
- “I will dash them one against another,” just as drunks often get into a drunken brawl.
- Just as bottles have a purpose to be filled, they also have a destiny to be broken.
Responses to God’s Warnings, vv. 15-27
A. Humble yourselves and give glory to God, vv. 15-16.
B. Refuse and receive punishment, vv. 17-20.
- The righteous will weep.
- The leaders must lead in repentance.
- Refusal to repent results in grave punishments.
C. “Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots?” We cannot change our sinful nature with national reform, but in national repentance and reliance on God who can change the nature of man.
D. Judah will be scattered into Babylonian exile for disobedience, vv. 24-26.
E. Judah will be shamed before the world because they refused to be shamed before God.