In Jeremiah 13:1-11, may mababasa tayo tungkol sa isang soiled underwear. Medyo kakaiba pero punong-puno ng spiritual insight.
There was a time when the Lord told Jeremiah “Buy a linen loincloth and put it around your waist, and do not dip it in water.”
In the Old Testament, linen is usually used for priestly garments. Simbulo ito ng pagiging priests ng Israel sa harapan ng Diyos. Sa Bible, kapag sinabing fine linen, usually ito ang mga sinusuot ng mga royalty, mayayamang tao, at mga priests nung panahong yun. Linen may also refer to “whiteness” or shesh in Hebrew. Sheeeesh!
Loincloth, basically, is an underwear. Hindi ito ine-expose, ito ay isang damit panloob. Loincloth directly touches the skin of its wearer. It covers what “needs” to be covered, and it prevents the outer garments from being soiled by bodily substances. Tsaka para less friction na din sa balat.
This linen loincloth, or pure, white underwear is not to be dipped in water. Bawal labhan before at after gamitin.
After sometime, inutusan ulit ni Lord si Jeremiah na dalhin yung loincloth sa Euphrates at itago sa crack ng isang bato. I wonder, gaano kaya katagal yung interval mula nung sinuot ni Jeremiah yung underwear hanggang sa inutusan siya na itago yun? Haha!
Lumipas ulit ang mga araw, pinapunta ulit ni Lord si Jeremiah sa lugar kung saan niya tinago yung linen loincloth. Hinanap niya ito at nang matagpuan sira-sira na yung underwear at di na mapapakinabangan.
“Ganyan ko sisirain ang pride ng Judah at ang sobrang pagmamataas ng Jerusalem,” ang sabi ni Lord sa Pinoy Version. The spoiled loincloth is a symbol of how the Lord will spoil the pride of Judah and Jerusalem.
Pero ano ang relasyon ng pride ng Jerusalem at Judah sa isang soiled underwear?
“For as the loincloth clings to the waist of a man, so I made the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah cling to me…”
This loincloth is a symbol of intimacy between the Lord and His people. Ito yung dapat ine-enjoy ng mga anak ng Diyos. Kung paanong nakakapit ang underwear sa taong may suot nito, ganun din dapat ang pagkakakapit ng relasyon natin sa Diyos. It was supposed to be our source of pride, because we are “to be for [Him] a people, a name, a praise, and a glory.”
Kung paanong nakakapit ang underwear sa taong may suot nito, ganun din dapat ang pagkakakapit ng relasyon natin sa Diyos. It was supposed to be our source of pride, because we are “to be for [Him] a people, a name, a praise, and a… Share on XAng ganda sana no? But His people “would not listen.”
Instead, ang naging source ng pride nila ay yung pagsunod sa gusto nila at paglilingkod at pagsamba sa mga false gods sa paligid nila. They would rather live a life apart from the Lord than cling to Him and enjoy His fullness. This is a misplaced source of pride.
At ito nga ang mangyayari… kung paanong nagkasira-sira at naging soiled yung underwear ni Jeremiah, ganun din na-spoil ang relasyon ng Diyos at ng kanyang mga anak. Wala nang mapapakinabangan pa sa sira-sirang underwear. Nagkalasog-lasog na. Sayang.
This account in the Bible is interesting because it somehow reflects the way we treat the Lord. The Lord longs for intimacy. He wants to be as close to us as possible. Gusto niya tayong tawaging “kanya”. But is this what we want from Him? Is He still the source of our pride and satisfaction? O yung supposed intimacy natin sa kanya ay tinatago natin somewhere, hinahayaan lang natin masira, mabulok, at di na mapakinabangan?
The Lord longs for intimacy. He wants to be as close to us as possible. Gusto niya tayong tawaging “kanya”. But is this what we want from Him? Is He still the source of our pride and satisfaction? Share on XMabuti na lang at hindi pa sinasarado ng Panginoon ang kanyang alok na intimacy sa atin. We can always choose to return to Him and enjoy His love and affection. Through Jesus’ death on the cross, ang relasyon natin sa kanya na naging “ruined loincloths” na dahil sa ating kasalanan ay maaaring maging maayos uli. Maaari ulit tayong tawaging mga anak niya. We just have to come to him.
“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name he gave the right to become children of God.” – John 1:12
References:
bb********@ao*.com. “Jeremiah and the Parable of the Dirty Underwear | The Georgia Wasp,” March 18, 2015. http://georgiawasp.com/?p=4.
Bible Study Tools. “Shesh Meaning – Hebrew Lexicon | Old Testament (NAS),” n.d. https://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/hebrew/nas/shesh.html.
“Linen – Encyclopedia of the Bible – Bible Gateway,” n.d. https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/encyclopedia-of-the-bible/Linen.
StudyLight.org. “Jeremiah 13 – Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible – Bible Commentaries – StudyLight.Org,” n.d. https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/bcc/jeremiah-13.html.
Image:
IGNITUM TODAY. “Hidden Faith Will Turn into Ruins,” August 14, 2018. https://ignitumtoday.com/2018/08/20/hidden-faith-will-turn-into-ruins/.
