Is God’s curse our destiny?

Is God’s curse our destiny? (Part II in a series)

In our time of personal confusion, national disenchantment, political correctness and societal disgust and shame; it is said that good is evil and evil is good, the study of Jeremiah could be a good indicator of where our county is heading.

Jeremiah 13:1-2

 ¹Thus saith the Lord unto me, Go and get thee a linen girdle, and put it upon thy loins (waist), and put it not in water.² So I got a girdle according to the word of the Lord, and put it on my loins (waist).

In that day, a girdle was a waistband worn to bind up the flowing garments to ready oneself for service.  The girdle was a sign of service.  Jesus spoke of His servants having their waist girded up:

Luke 12:35  “Let your waist be girded and your lights be burning,”

Actions speak louder than words.  Jeremiah often used vivid object lessons to arouse the people’s curiosity and get his point across.  The lesson of the linen belt illustrated Judah’s destiny.  Could it also illustrate our destiny?

Jeremiah 13:3-27

³ The word of the Lord came to me the second time, saying, ⁴ “Take the waistband that you have, which is upon your loins, and arise, go to the Euphrates and hide it there in a hole of the rock.” ⁵ So I went and hid it by the Euphrates, as the Lord had commanded me. ⁶ After many days the Lord said to me, “Arise, go to the Euphrates and take the waistband from there, which I commanded you to hide there.” ⁷ Then I went to the Euphrates, and dug, and took the waistband from the place where I had hidden it. But the waistband was destroyed. It was profitable for nothing.

Jeremiah was to wear the girdle and not wash it but let it get dirtier and dirtier.  I think it finally got so dirty that he couldn’t bear to wear it anymore.  Then God told him to bury it.  When he returned, and dug it up, he found it was useless.

The girdle was Judah and because of their sins being buried in their lifestyle, when exposed to the light of God’s presence, they were useless to Him.  Just as many of our  lifestyles and beliefs are sinful in God’s eyes we are no longer useful to Him. 

⁸ Then the word of the Lord came to me: ⁹ Thus says the Lord: After this manner I will destroy the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem.

God is saying that because the people of Judah are continually sinking into iniquity they will reach the place where there is no hope for them.  He is going to send them into Babylonian captivity.  Just as our nation is continually sinking into the darkness of sin we stand the chance of God’s judgment being as harsh as it was for Judah, if not worse.  We should have learned from Judah’s experience and not turn away from God and His Son, Jesus Christ.

¹⁰ This evil people, who refuse to hear My words, who walk in the imagination of their hearts, and walk after other gods, to serve them, and to worship them, shall be even as this waistband which is good for nothing. ¹¹ For as the waistband cleaves to the loins of a man, so I have caused the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah to cleave to Me, says the Lord, so that they might be to Me a people for renown, and for a praise, and for a glory; but they would not listen.

Although the people of Judah had once been close to God, just as we were up until the last 50 or 60 years, their pride had made them useless to God.  Proud people may look important, but God says their pride make them good for nothing.  Pride rots our hearts until we lose our usefulness to God.

God never promised to bestow blessings on mankind while they persist in willful disobedience.  Pardon and acceptance are promised freely to all believers; but no man can be saved who does not obey the command of God to repent, to believe in Christ, to separate from sin and the world, to choose self-denial and newness of life.  In general, men will hearken to those who speak of doctrines, promises, and privileges; but when obedience is mentioned, they will not listen. They will follow the least path of resistance…sin.

Our once great nation is on the brink of following the path and punishment of Judah.  Let Judah’s destiny not be our destiny. Turn back to God, turn to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Matthew 10:32-33

“Whoever will confess Me before men, him will I confess also before My Father who is in heaven. ³³ But whoever will deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father who is in heaven.”