‘Loincloth’ is not something we usually shop for on Amazon but there was a time when it was the most basic undergarment for men. Under the body shirt, under the robe or cloak, there was the covering we have replaced with shorts or briefs. It was worn snug and with exertion would cling to the skin–hence, this metaphor.
God has always desired closeness and it was only our sin that created a barrier, a distance between God and Man. But the Lᴏʀᴅ was prepared for drawing us back close to Himself, to restore that closeness. Speaking toward the end of time for a fallen world, Revelation reveals this preparation began before we even needed it in time:
God’s desire for those who would be His is that they would be as close as a man’s closest garment, so close in fact that,
But Jeremiah is the Weeping Prophet, the writer of Lamentations. In spite of all the Lᴏʀᴅ’s desire for intimate closeness,
We are fortunate to have a God of second chances, the God who continues to extend His desire for relationship to us despite the generations who have ‘not listened’ to His expression of His desire for closeness. Lord, we thank you for the opportunity to respond to You, to be close to You, to be Yours. Amen.