I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Jeremiah 51-52.

    When Jeremiah predicted the fall of Babylon it was the most powerful and wealthy city on earth. Nevertheless, Jeremiah prophesied on behalf of God that Babylon would fall. Her wealth and might would not insulate her, or her people, from the consequences of their sins. The same is true today. No matter how wealthy and/or powerful our nation may be, no matter how wealthy and powerful we may be, we will suffer the consequences of our sins.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Jeremiah 49-50.

    I am not quite sure what to write about today’s passage. The one message that runs through the predictions of doom and destruction for various nations is that all of these nations were proud and complacent. They were confident that they would withstand the attacks. Each, for their own reasons, thought that they were immune to the rising tide of violence. The lesson to be learned here is that we cannot get security from any human source. Wealth will not protect us, geography will not protect us, military might will not protect us, nor will any combination of the above. It is only the strong arm of God which can protect us from the coming calamity.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Jeremiah 45-48.

    The beginning of this passage is a message from Jeremiah to Baruch (the man who had assisted Jeremiah by transcribing onto a scroll Jeremiah’s prophesies and reading them to the people in the Temple). The timing of my reading this passage is interesting. I wrote a blog entry on Jesus parable of the three servants just yesterday. In it I commented that one of my concerns was that I identify with the third servant. In many ways, Jeremiah’s message to Baruch is God’s answer to me about my fear. Jeremiah’s message to Baruch was that he should not seek great things for himself. In light of that message I will continue to seek ways to use my talents for God’s glory, but will be content with the small audience I have on this blog for as long as God so desires.

    I am not quite sure what to make of Jeremiah’s prophesies against the nations around Judah, but I think they are important to note. They are not just examples of God predicting through His prophets what is coming. I believe they are warnings to us today that when God’s judgment comes down on one nation, those nations surrounding the judged nation will suffer as well. War and destruction are no respecters of borders. This is not just about nations either. When we see our neighbor’s (whether that be our personal or national neighbors) doing that which will bring God’s judgment, we must not just look the other way thinking it will not affect us. We must warn them of the tragedy they are inviting, and we must seek to help those who are suffering as a result of our neighbor’s sin.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Jeremiah 42-44.

    After they had chased down and killed the man who had killed the man who Nebuchadnezzar had appointed governor over Judah, the leaders of the various bands of guerilla fighters came to Jeremiah for advice on what to do next. The interesting thing about their request is that they asked Jeremiah to pray that the “Lord your God” would show them what to do. They did not ask Jeremiah to pray to the “Lord our God” or even the “Lord God.” No, they asked him to pray to the “Lord your God.” Jeremiah uses the same language in responding to them, telling them that he will ask the “Lord your God” what they should do. I think there are two elements to their word choice. First, they knew they did not deserve to have a claim on God because of their idolatry and sin, but they nevertheless felt abandoned by Him. They knew that Jeremiah had been faithful to God in the face of opposition and persecution. More importantly, the things Jeremiah had said would happen happened.

    However, I think the second element is the bigger one. They were pushing responsibility off on Jeremiah. The message would come from Jeremiah’s God, not their God. In choosing to ask Jeremiah to request an answer from “his” God rather than from “their” God, they were signaling that they were seeking confirmation for what they had already decided rather than true guidance. We discover later in the passage that the people who had come to Jeremiah for guidance from the Lord were practicing idolatry. They thought that they could worship God alongside of other gods and gain God’s favor by doing so. If we are going to worship God, and wish to rely on Him for protection and guidance, we need to seek and worship Him as “the Lord Our God,” not as someone else’s god whom we worship alongside of other gods.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Jeremiah 39-41.

    Jerusalem fell to Nebuchadnezzar just as Jeremiah had predicted. King Zedekiah, still afraid to follow the advice Jeremiah had given him, attempted to avoid the fate which Jeremiah had told him he would receive if he failed to do as Jeremiah recommended. Jeremiah had been imprisoned during the final days of the siege. Nebuchadnezzar gave orders for his release and offered for him to either stay in Judah or go to Babylon. Jeremiah chose to stay. He also sent word to the man, a court functionary, who had saved him from the cistern, that God would be with him and protect him from those he feared.

    Nebuchadnezzar appointed Gedaliah as governor over Judah. It is worth noting that Gedaliah’s grandfather was the scribe given the task of taking the scroll of the law to King Josiah (the scroll was discovered during the Temple repairs which Josiah had ordered). In addition, Gedaliah’s father saved Jeremiah’s life at one point. Gedaliah was able to convince most of the leaders of guerrilla forces opposing the Babylonians to lay down arms. Unfortunately, Gedaliah was unwilling to listen to those who warned him against the one leader who was unwilling to accept the Babylonian conquest of Judah. Gedaliah was a good man who gave everyone the benefit of the doubt.

    I am unsure what message we should take from this passage. Certainly, we learn from King Zedekiah’s actions that we cannot avoid the consequences of failing to follow God’s instructions. However, I am unsure if the story of Gedaliah is there as simply a recounting of the events that led to what happened next, or as an object lesson on not relying on our judgment of other’s character against advice we have received.