Jeremiah 13 has an object lesson to begin with. Jeremiah is told by God to go buy a loincloth to put around his waste. He did that, and then God instructed him to take it and hide it along the river Euphrates. He did that. A few days later God instructs him to go retrieve the loincloth, and when he does, it has spoiled where he hid it. This was an object lesson around how God is going to treat His people. “Thus says the Lord: Even so will I spoil the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem”. Our disobedience and stubbornness will cause us to be spoiled and put aside by God.
God is serious about obedience. “I will not pity or spare or have compassion, that I should not destroy them”. God loves us all, but He can’t ignore the choices we make to sin. He can’t turn away and allow us to ‘sneak past’ being noticed. We have a responsibility – to “Give glory to the Lord your God before he brings darkness, before your feet stumble on the twilight mountains, and while you look for light he turns it into gloom and makes it deep darkness”. God expects our glory and praise. He expects and demands that we walk with Him.
So what if we don’t. It’s not good. “But if you will not listen, my soul will weep in secret for your pride; my eyes will weep bitterly and run down with tears, because the Lord’s flock has been taken captive”. We’ll be destroyed. We’ll never experience what God has in store for us. Not because He doesn’t love us and want the best for us. But because we have mad the choice to walk apart from His will and failed to follow His plan for our life. God has a plan for our welfare but we have to obey Him!
And when we fail? “I will scatter you like chaff driven by the wind from the desert. This is your lot, the portion I have measured out to you, declares the Lord, because you have forgotten me and trusted in lies”. We’re going to be tossed around and scattered to the wind. We’ll miss out on the blessing and glory from God. When we chose to walk away from God, and it is a choice, not some accident we have happen, we are giving up the goodness that He has in store. Why would we do that? Why would be walk from God and make a choice that will cause destruction? There is no good reason!
Arlin Sorensen's Thoughts on Scripture 