God's Object Lesson

Jeremiah 13:1-11 January 16, 2022 A.M.

You folks out there who have had the opportunity to teach children KNOW that one of the best ways to really get something into their heads is to use OBJECT LESSONS. I’m 55 and I can still remember things that were taught to me as a child when an OBJECT LESSON was used. And so if you really want something to stick in a person’s mind use an OBJECT or an EXAMPLE to get their attention.

ILLUS: Years ago at the Northside Free Will Baptist Church we ran a Bus Ministry. We would cover Sperry, Turley, and some of the really rough areas on the North Side of Tulsa. I think we had 4 or 5 buses going at a time. It was a great ministry and I still know some of those BUS KIDS. I really believe we made a difference in some of those kids lives. But one of the PROMOTIONS we did was an OBJECT LESSON. We had .... “Fight the Devil Sunday.” We would dress a guy up in a devil’s suit and he would challenge one of the BUS CAPTAINS to a BOXING MATCH. We would really PROMOTE it for several weeks. He would follow the different buses around in a CONVERTIBLE CAR and shake his fist at them. He would show up at church to tell the kids how he was going whoop the BUS CAPTAIN. And finally the day would come. We had hot dogs for the kids to eat and a Boxing Ring set up. The Bus Captain would come out and tell how he was gonna whoop the Devil. The Devil would come out and talk about how he was gonna win. And then the MATCH would begin.

The Bus Captain was ALL SHOW. Jumping around acting all tough UNTIL the devil started whooping on him. The devil got him down and it looked like he was gonna win until at the LAST MINUTE he was SAVED by the BELL. Setting there in his corner before the next round started someone would show him scriptures on TRUSTING the LORD. Let the LORD fight your battles. RESIST the DEVIL and he will FLEE FROM YOU!!! They got down on their knees in the CORNER of the RING and PRAYED. And then the NEXT ROUND everything turned around and the BUS CAPTAIN WON!!! Man it was quite a PRODUCTION. A lot of work but I think it got the point across. THAT WAS LIKE 35 YEARS AGO BUT I bet you most of those kids still remember that even though they are ADULTS today. It was an OBJECT LESSON. And that’s EXACTLY what God is doing here for the Nation of Judah. SO LET’S go ahead READ GOD’S OBJECT LESSON. Jeremiah 13:1-11.

“Thus saith the Lord unto me, Go and get thee a linen girdle, and put it upon thy loins, 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.

3 And the word of the Lord came unto me the second time, saying,

4 Take the girdle that thou hast got, which is upon thy loins, and arise, go to Euphrates, and hide it there in a hole of the rock.

5 So I went, and hid it by Euphrates, as the Lord commanded me.

6 And it came to pass after many days, that the Lord said unto me, Arise, go to Euphrates, and take the girdle from thence, which I commanded thee to hide there.

7 Then I went to Euphrates, and digged, and took the girdle from the place where I had hid it: and, behold, the girdle was marred, it was profitable for nothing.

8 Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

9 Thus saith the Lord, After this manner will I mar the pride of Judah, and the great pride of Jerusalem.

10 This evil people, which refuse to hear my words, which walk in the imagination of their heart, and walk after other gods, to serve them, and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle, which is good for nothing.

11 For as the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave unto me the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah, saith the Lord; that they might be unto me for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory: but they would not hear.”

Now some have said that this was just a VISION or an EXAMPLE that God didn’t really intend for Jeremiah to carry this out but I don’t agree. Verse 1 CLEARLY tells us that Jeremiah HEARD God speak to him and I believe he DID IT. If you notice it doesn’t start out too hard but gets more difficult. I mean, how hard is it to get a GIRDLE and wear it? It might be a little embarrassing but NOT too difficult. But this turned into something that I’m sure the people NEVER FORGOT. So this morning I want us to look at this OBJECT LESSON that God had JEREMIAH PERFORM for the PEOPLE of JUDAH. But before we do let’s go to the Lord in Prayer.