Dirty Underwear (Jeremiah 13:1-7)
(Disclaimer: this is a bizarre illustration that I don't take credit for and not necessarily one I would have picked, but then again I wasn't asked to be part of the Bible Writing Team and therefore all ideas expressed in this note are all originally God's, which are hilarious).
God basically tells the prophet Jeremiah, "Hey, go buy some new underwear [boxers or briefs are not specified]" and then put them on, but don't wash them." (Jeremiah 13:1-2). God then directs Jeremiah to take off the dirty drawers and take them down to the river, dig a hole, and bury them. Pausing to comment, that's pretty weird. Imagine hearing God's instructions for you to take off your dirty underwear and go bury it in a very public place. Just a little embarrassing? Probably very. Jeremiah walks away from that experience shaking his head and thanking God for humbling him AGAIN and making him the laughing stock of the town. Oh but it gets better, God comes to Jeremiah a second time a while later after he's had time to recover from his humiliation and forget his troubles.
Part 2:
God: "Hey Jeremiah, you remember that time I had you bury your dirty drawers by the river?"
Jeremiah: "Uh, don't remind me."
God: "I need you to go back and dig it back up. I've got this great idea for a new sermon illustration."
Jeremiah: "You're kidding."
God: "Um, no."
The prophet then proceeds to return to the scene of the crime, and again publicly dig up his nasty, stank drawers from the hole he buried it in and carry them to the public square and deliver this message:
Sermon Title: Your Filthy Drawers
Outline
1. God says He's going to make the pride of this nation rot just like my dirty underwear (vs. 9-10)
2. Illustration: God wants you to be tighter with him than the elastic in your drawers. (vs. 11)
3. God's going to pretty much destroy all of you (vs. 12-14)
Conclusion
You better repent before it's too late, but I know you're not going to so fully expect God to about to open a can of you-know-what on you very soon. (vs. 15-27)
There's really nothing glamours about speaking for God. God rarely if ever speaks to anyone without a call to action and obedience. If He speaks encouragement it is to help us obey Him. If he speaks correction it is for the same reason. But God's methods are anything but conventional when communicating His point. I pray for the courage to speak like a true prophet of God as Jeremiah did. He could have toned down what God said but it wouldn't have worked. He could have used a different illustration but he didn't. He could have avoided it altogether but he chose to say what God told him to say and do as he was instructed despite the cost. Leave it to God to use dirty underwear or anything at his disposal to make His point. Hopefully he can use us to do the same.
God basically tells the prophet Jeremiah, "Hey, go buy some new underwear [boxers or briefs are not specified]" and then put them on, but don't wash them." (Jeremiah 13:1-2). God then directs Jeremiah to take off the dirty drawers and take them down to the river, dig a hole, and bury them. Pausing to comment, that's pretty weird. Imagine hearing God's instructions for you to take off your dirty underwear and go bury it in a very public place. Just a little embarrassing? Probably very. Jeremiah walks away from that experience shaking his head and thanking God for humbling him AGAIN and making him the laughing stock of the town. Oh but it gets better, God comes to Jeremiah a second time a while later after he's had time to recover from his humiliation and forget his troubles.
Part 2:
God: "Hey Jeremiah, you remember that time I had you bury your dirty drawers by the river?"
Jeremiah: "Uh, don't remind me."
God: "I need you to go back and dig it back up. I've got this great idea for a new sermon illustration."
Jeremiah: "You're kidding."
God: "Um, no."
The prophet then proceeds to return to the scene of the crime, and again publicly dig up his nasty, stank drawers from the hole he buried it in and carry them to the public square and deliver this message:
Sermon Title: Your Filthy Drawers
Outline
1. God says He's going to make the pride of this nation rot just like my dirty underwear (vs. 9-10)
2. Illustration: God wants you to be tighter with him than the elastic in your drawers. (vs. 11)
3. God's going to pretty much destroy all of you (vs. 12-14)
Conclusion
You better repent before it's too late, but I know you're not going to so fully expect God to about to open a can of you-know-what on you very soon. (vs. 15-27)
There's really nothing glamours about speaking for God. God rarely if ever speaks to anyone without a call to action and obedience. If He speaks encouragement it is to help us obey Him. If he speaks correction it is for the same reason. But God's methods are anything but conventional when communicating His point. I pray for the courage to speak like a true prophet of God as Jeremiah did. He could have toned down what God said but it wouldn't have worked. He could have used a different illustration but he didn't. He could have avoided it altogether but he chose to say what God told him to say and do as he was instructed despite the cost. Leave it to God to use dirty underwear or anything at his disposal to make His point. Hopefully he can use us to do the same.
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