Jer 13: "The taller they are, the harder they fall! Judah
prided itself in its great privileges, and ignored the responsibilities that
came with such a position in the divine reckoning. Jeremiah was commissioned to
declare the prophecy of the marked girdle (vv 1-11). The linen girdle was the
symbol of righteousness, based on faith. It was the ordinance of priests, and
thus a fit emblem for Judah, which is likened to a kingdom of priests. But the
girdle had lost its significance because of the manner of Israel's contempt for
the righteousness of Yahweh. Jeremiah took the girdle to the Euphrates, for
Yahweh would take Judah into captivity through the Babylonians. The nation had
not honoured its profession. Then came the prophecy of the wine jars (vv 12-14).
The earthenware bottles likewise represented Judah, which would be broken, and
the contents spilled, as the people would be subjected to the attacks of the
Gentile powers. Thus the prophet warned the nation against pride (vv 15-21). By
acknowledging their folly and seeking forgiveness, the people could have been
redeemed. Jehoiachin and his mother (v 18) would be involved in the captivity,
for their external marks of glory were only a facade for their real character.
So Judah would be scattered (vv 22-27). Hypocrites are seldom ready to
acknowledge their own faults and Yahweh's righteousness, so the judgment fell
heavily upon the nation, and the words of Jeremiah were confirmed"
(GEM).
Jer 13:23
"Ethiopian" = of Cush. "Leopard" = Heb "namer", ref Nimrod.
Cush was father of Nimrod -- like the leopard, a mighty hunter (Gen 10:8) (Tes
55:24).