Jeremiah 13: Spoiled Bond
FIRM COMMITMENTS ARE an important part of our lives. The bank you borrow money from wants to know your credit record and your assets to see if you can keep your commitment to repay your loan. And be careful about your business partners. Can they keep a commitment? You sign a binding contract with someone who has a history of breaking them at your peril. Think long and hard about the commitment marriage involves. Marry someone who has series of former partners and the chances are good that you will end up with a broken heart.
God especially doesn't like those who make commitments of convenience. He has high standards for us and for himself. When he makes a commitment, he stakes his life on it. Jesus Christ is the evidence. He expects the same sort of fidelity in return. Just as there are painful consequences when a business contract is broken or when a marriage partner cheats, so there are painful consequences when we default on our commitments to God.
Warming Up to God
What were the consequences of someone failing to keep their commitment to you? How did you feel?
Read Jeremiah 13. »
Discovering the Word
- Describe the task that God gave to Jeremiah in verses 1-11.
- What is the point of this object lesson (vv. 9-11)?
- A linen belt was more than functional; it was an ornament of dignity and pride. How might Israel and Judah have been a source of pride to God?
- Jeremiah's message in verses 12-17 is directed at the leaders. In what ways is pride and arrogance a problem in these verses?
- What could be the remedy for the coming judgment (vv. 15-17, 20, 23, 25)?
Applying the Word
- One purpose of a belt was to tie things together. What things might come apart in your life if you were no longer bound to the Lord?
- God wants to take pride in a relationship with his people. How can this insight enrich your relationship with him?
- How can God's Word strengthen our bonds and commitments?
Responding in Prayer
Giving glory to God puts the focus back on him and puts us in our proper place. Give glory to God for yourself, your family, your work and your whole course of life.
For Further Study
The Cost of Commitment by John White