Let's Talk About Underwear Shall We?

     Why is it that in our society we cover our bodies, but uncover our undergarments to expose them to the outside world?  It is something that has troubled me for some time, especially as I have young daughters who see this fad and wish to follow it with their brassieres.  Backless and shoulder-less shirts have been the craze for some time.  It wasn’t all that long ago when low rise pants revealed the whale-tail created from the thong that rose above the waistband or the boxers that were exposed because young men wore their pants as low as they would go.  Yes, today I will talk about underwear.

     Reading in the book of Jeremiah, I uncovered the parable of the loincloth.  This little parable is only about eleven verses long and at first reading didn’t seem to bare much content.  Okay, I couldn’t help but include a few puns to lighten the embarrassment of discussion.  Jeremiah was a young prophet when he began to share what we know as “Thus says the Lord” responses that came from his lips.  God had told Jeremiah that he would be blessed as long as he proclaimed what God told him to say.  I asked myself the poignant question this morning as I found myself reading the thirteenth through fifteenth chapters of Jeremiah, “What would it be like to be Jeremiah?”  He had a tough assignment.  He had to speak of God’s wrath, God was not going to relent, and no one would listen.  The Northern Kingdom had already fallen and were taken into exile some 100 years before the Southern Kingdom would find themselves in the same circumstances.  The fall of the Northern Kingdom (Israel) was to be the wake-up call for Judah, but they refused to listen.  They were persistently hitting the snooze button.  Several days ago, as I studied earlier chapters of Jeremiah, I summarized my reading with these words, “The faithless have shown themselves more righteous than the treacherous chosen.”  This is almost a direct quote from the Bible (read the account in Jeremiah 3:8-11).  The faithless referred to Israel and the treacherous referred to Judah.

     I won’t say that Jeremiah is an easy read.  None of the books of the prophets have been very appealing to read as the Father’s disappointment in His people is revealed.  For the sake of learning what makes God angry, we see that He finds their adulterous behavior toward other gods made of wood and metal detestable.  What might that represent today?  This might be anything that steals our attention and moves us away from God, the mindless activities that we call busyness.  Let’s take a moment to contemplate how we spend our days, when do we give God attention?  How do we define our purpose?  When do we express deep gratitude for the great gift of reconciliation we have received?  We really aren’t that much different than the Israelites, our wooden objects may be houses, and our metal objects cars.  The prophets could just as easily been sent to us as a warning, but now it is God’s Word.  How long will we ignore it?  When will opportunities escape us? 

     The parable of the loincloth is found in the first eleven verses of Jeremiah 13 where we can read God’s instructions to this prophet.  He tells him to buy a loincloth, put it on and wear it, but do not let it touch water.  In other words, do not wash it.  After wearing it for awhile, God tells Jeremiah to take it and  hide it near the Euphrates in the cleft of a rock.  Jeremiah obeys.  After only a few days, God asks Jeremiah to retrieve it.  It is then that the prophet discovers that the loincloth has been ruined and is now useless for the purpose for which it was made.  God then reveals through this visual aid that it is the same with the Judeans.  God says “Even so will I spoil the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem.  This evil people, who refuse to hear my words, who stubbornly follow their own heart and have gone after other gods to serve them and worship them, shall be like this loincloth, which is good for nothing” (Jeremiah 13;9-10).  The underwear that was used as a covering has become useless.  The chosen people of God have become useless.

     As I read through this passage, I was drawn to the word pride, so I decided as I often do to look up the current definition for this word.  According to its’ definition it is:  “a feeling of deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one’s own achievements, the achievements of those with whom one is closely associated, or from qualities or possessions that are widely admire.”¹  Does that definition flash warning signs for you?  I think of how often we use the phrase, “I’m proud of you” to our kids.  What are we teaching them with these words?  Is it okay to be proud or be prideful of one’s accomplishments?  I believe that pride causes blindness.  We become blind to the one who created our abilities to accomplish anything.  Is this where the trouble began for Israel?  They failed to recognize their Creator.

     Looking at the opposite, we find the word “shame.”  What does shame mean?  Again, relying on a dictionary definition I find, “a painful feeling of humiliation or distress caused by consequences of wrong or foolish behavior.”² In other words, this is a feeling that is the result of our actions of wrongdoing.  Shame can lead us to repentance far faster than pride will ever do.  In the case of wrongdoing, it is important that we use this emotion for the purpose it was intended.  I do not believe that shame was created for one to wallow in it.  I do believe it was created to change our hearts and move us to repentance.  Later in Jeremiah we read that God can cause one to feel shame as shown in verse 22, “And if you say in your heart, ‘Why are these things come upon me?’ it is for the greatness of your iniquity that your skirts are lifted up and you suffer violence.”  This reaffirms that shame comes consequentially. 

     It is difficult to read passages of condemnation, but the reason behind this is always disobedience.  For the past several weeks my Bible reading has pointed to the great need we have for the Word of God.  If we fail to read the instructions for how we are to conduct our lives, it is easy to drift off into disobedient activities.  The ways of the flesh are ever present before our eyes.  We need to actively seek God; otherwise what is before us will become us.  In my writing today I hope that I will encourage you to read the consequences Israel and Judah faced because they were displeasing to God.  It is there for our instruction.  It is to make us aware that God sees and knows our hearts.  Let me again repeat the lesson God gave to me this morning by sharing the verses found within the parable of the loincloth that became worthless.  “This evil people who refuse to hear my words, who stubbornly followed their own hearts . . .”  If this describes us, if we find that reading God’s word or listening to His message is a burden to us or we find no time to listen, we’re headed for trouble.  Jesus tells his disciples in John 14:23, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home.”  The converse of that is found in the next verse which reads, “whoever does not love me does not keep my words” (John 14:24).  The fifteenth chapter of John is all about abiding in Jesus.  Verses 7 and 8, the Word of God says, “if you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you.  By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.”  When we do not find ourselves abiding in God’s Word, we will follow the same path as the Israelites’ and stubbornly follow our own hearts.  What we want becomes an illusion that steals us away from God’s plan for us.  Is it time to evaluate whether we are abiding or whether we should prepare ourselves for the shameful consequences that await us by ignoring God’s instructions?

1Dictionary.com (pride)

2Dictionary.com (shame)