Jeremiah 13:1

 Jeremiah 13:1 says, 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.  God told Jeremiah to go and put on a linen girdle. Matthew Henry says that it being unwashed would make it last longer, but that it would be stiffer.  Verse two states, So I got a girdle according to the word of the LORD, and put it on my loins.  Jeremiah said that he did what God instructed him to do, even though he may not have known why he was told to do so.  We don't have to understand everything that God tells us to do, but we only need to do it.  Verse three says, And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying, Then verse four adds, 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.  Matthew Henry says that some people believe that this was not a literal journey but a dream that Jeremiah had since it would have taken time to go to the Euphrates and Jeremiah was needed more where he was.  He also said that he had no problem with believing that it was a literal journey, and that would be my understanding as well.  The Bible usually tells us when someone is doing something in a dream, and we will never lack the time to do what God tells us to do.  Verse five says, So I went, and hid it by Euphrates, as the LORD commanded me.  Jeremiah said that he went and did as God had instructed him to do, hiding the girdle under a rock by the Euphrates.  As followers of Christ, we may not always understand why God tells us to do something, but if we know it is Him that is telling us to do it, we must simply obey His command.  Verse six states, 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.  After many days, and we are not told how many, the word of God came to Jeremiah again, telling him to go and reclaim the girdle from the Euphrates.  We are not told what Jeremiah was doing during these many days, but I don't believe that he was just sitting around idle.  Verse seven states, 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.  Jeremiah said that he went and dug up the girdle from where he had hidden it and that it was useless.  He might have really wondered why God had told him to do these things, but we find no record of that.  We should not question God but should only be obedient to what He tells us to do, even if we don't immediately understand why He has told us to do so.  Verse eight declares, Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,  Then verse nine adds, Thus saith the LORD, After this manner will I mar the pride of Judah, and the great pride of Jerusalem.  God told Jeremiah that the marred girdle was representative of the people of Judah.  They had become marred in their relationship with God and were useless to Him.  Verse ten continues, 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.  God once more stated why the people of Judah were going to be defeated.  They had started to walk after their own imagination instead of following God and were not only doing that but were worshipping other gods as well.  Like the girdle, they had become good for nothing to God.  Verse eleven concludes, 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.  God said that the people of Judah were supposed to cleave to Him, but they were not doing so.  As followers of Christ, we are to hold fast to the word of God, and if we do not, then we become worthless in our spiritual life.