RETIREDFAN1 Posted April 12, 2020 Share Posted April 12, 2020 Jeremiah’s Belt The Bible is filled with interesting small stories. These always are included by God to teach us something. One time God told Jeremiah to buy a linen belt to wear. Later he was told to put the linen belt in a rocky crevice near the Euphrates river. Still later he was told to retrieve the belt, but it was completely ruined. Jeremiah 13:1-7God had a point to these tasks. Jeremiah 13:8-11We have value when we cling to God. We have value when we obey God. Exodus 19:5God picked Israel to be His special people. Deuteronomy 26:18Thus Israel was near to God. Deuteronomy 4:7 We as Christians are God’s holy people today. We are also to draw near to God. James 4:8-10How do we draw near to God? Let’s look at David’s advice to Solomon. I Chronicles 28:9 David told Solomon to serve God with all his being, and to actively seek out God. He was told that if he were to forsake God, God would forsake him. Asa was told almost the same exact thing. II Chronicles 15:2 We see Asa was also told that he should actively seek God, because if he were to forsake God, God would forsake him. We have to actively choose to be close to God. Psalms 73:28God is near all who call upon Him. Psalms 145:18 We are told that being close to God means that we must give up sin. Isaiah 55:6-7Despite all of this, Israel refused to listen to God. Oh, they spoke like they wanted to get close, but it was just words. Isaiah 29:13 This passage is repeatedly quoted in the New Testament in reference to the Pharisees.God wants His people to listen to Him. Psalm 81:8-13Since Israel wouldn’t do this, God let them go. It wasn’t what He wanted. It wasn’t what was best for the people. But God did not force them to do what they did not choose to do.This goes for us today, too. God won’t prevent us from following lies if that is what we choose to do. II Thessalonians 2:9-12Thus, Jeremiah’s hiding the belt represents us going our own way. Sin damages us as it corrupts us. People are sometimes convinced that they can sin and it won’t matter to God. We are shown that sin corrupts us. Luke 14:34-35When we obeyed the Gospel, we died to sin. Romans 6:1-2We need to see that staying in sin makes us useless to God. That’s because sin breeds more sin. Isaiah 59:3-5The remedy for this is for us to return to God. If we choose to return to God, He will return to us. Zechariah 1:3Malachi quotes this and asks how does a person return to God? Malachi 3:7The answer he was given was for that person to put their trust in God’s care and give as they were required. Malachi 3:8-12 God will restore us, if we allow Him to. Hosea 6:1-2We draw near when there is hope. Hebrews 7:19 When we draw near, it should be with the full assurance of faith. Hebrews 10:22 So when we stumble, when we fail God, we shouldn’t be so hardened that we allow this state to become ours. We should always turn back to Him. How? We repent of our sin. Acts 8: 22 We confess our sin to Him in prayer and ask Him to forgive us. I John 1: 8 - 9 He will forgive us every single time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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