God's Loincloth

Our God loves to use graphic illustrations of His relationship to us and in the case of the Old Testament, to illustrate how the people of Israel have sinned against Him. Jeremiah 13 contains one of those illustrations and yet has profound implications for our relationship to God today. The chapter begins with God telling Jeremiah to go and buy a brand new linen loincloth. Jeremiah is told not to put the loincloth into water but instead is to wear it. Then, after a period of time, God tells Jeremiah to take the loincloth and hide it underground near a river. In verse 6, Jeremiah recalls that after many days, the LORD told him to retrieve the loincloth from it's hiding place. Of course, by that time, the new loincloth is ruined and not good for anything. The purpose of this charade is to illustrate how the sins of Israel and Judah have ruined those nations and just like the loincloth, they are no longer good for anything.

But in verse 11, we are told something so profound and potentially life changing, we must be careful not to miss it. God tells Jeremiah that He had made Israel to cling to Him, just as the loincloth clings to a man. What is astounding is the article of clothing that God has chosen to illustrate man's relationship to Him. God could have chosen another piece of clothing such as the outer robe which is so critical in keeping people warm at night, protecting them from the cold. But God purposely chose the loincloth, the most intimate article of clothing we wear. It is the equivalent of our underwear. It is the article of clothing that covers the most intimate part of our body. God tells Jeremiah that He made Israel to cling to Him like a loincloth!

What is God telling us through this illustration? I believe He is letting us know just how intimate a relationship He desires to have with us. He chose the MOST intimate piece of clothing to describe how He made Israel and Judah to be to Him. In the New Testament, He uses the most intimate human relationship to describe how He wants to relate to us by telling us that we are the bride of Christ. There is no more intimate relationship than husband and wife.

I know that I have very little idea of just how intimate God wants to be with me, but I suspect that it is far more intimate than anything I could imagine. He is waiting for me to respond to that invitation...He is waiting for all of us to respond to that invitation...