Reading for September 26th

 Read Jeremiah 51.45-58. Again God calls the exiles to depart and save themselves. In verse 46: They must overcome their fears, which are being caused by rumors among them. In the future God will destroy Babylon. In verses 47-48: The cosmos will participate in the celebration. In verse 50: It is urgent that the exiles should not linger but remember that God is in Jerusalem. In verses 50-58: An imaginative portrayal of the attack ends the poetry of the book. There is a cry, smashing, crashing, for the destroyer has come against Babylon. Her leaders will be drunk, asleep, never to wake. Comments or Questions..

Reading for September 25th

Read Jeremiah 51.34-44. More accusations describing Nebuchadnezzar's violence against the people of Zion accumulate. Babylon and its God, Bel, will be drunk and engorged. The superpower is ugly and out of control with its destruction of others. Comments or Questions.. 

Reading for September 24th

 Read Jeremiah 51.24-33. War preparations continue and God promises Babylon, the destroying mountain, that will be attacked. Comments or Questions..

Reading for September 23rd

 Read Jeremiah 51.15-23. In verses 15-19: A hymn, perhaps representing the voice of the exiles, praises the Creator, wise and understanding, who made the earth and maintains it natural processes. Compare to the Creator, the idols are worthless. They are lifeless gods of the gold-smith. In verses 20-23: Eight times the Creator says to his weapons or his armies, I smash with you, creating a rhythmic beat of destruction. Smashed will be the nations, peoples, animals, and rulers. Comments or Questions..

Reading for September 22nd

 Read Jeremiah 51.1-14. In 51.1-64: Flee. The opposing futures of Babylon and Israel continue to echo each other. in this chapter. However, for the first time God orders the exiles to flee from Babylon and return to Zion. God's power dominates these passages to show that God is the sovereign of history. Out of nothing God will create a future that will overturn systems of domination. In verses 1-5: Speaking in the first person, God plans the siege of Babylon. I am going to stir up a ... wind ... I will send winnowers. God is bringing about cosmic upheaval that  will destroy Babylon's power. In verse 5: Despite their guilt, God has not abandoned Israel and Judah. In verses 6-10: The exiles must flee. Urgent appeals to them to escape from the vengeance about to engulf Babylon open the poem. In verse 8: Babylon has been like a golden cup in God's hand but now has fallen. A voice calls  for healing balm, bit its too late. In verse 9: The exiles tried to heal Babylon but they could not, so flee to Zion to declare God's word. In verses 11-14: War preparations continue. God orders armies to make their weapons ready and to prepare ambushes. the Medes, an empire of the time, will destroy Babylon. Comments or Questions..

Reading for September 21st

 Read Jeremiah 50.35-46. A curse-like poem about the sword gloats over the reversal of circumstances about to take place. It is as if chanting words about the sword would activate thrusts into the heart of Babylon. Five times the poem brings the sword against some element of Babylonian society. The last verse shifts to drought. The reason for the attack is Babylon's idolatry. In verses 41-46: The people from the north approach; they are cruel, noisy, and arrayed for battle against daughter Babylon. The agent of destruction is God, coming like a lion, coming with a plan that will make the earth tremble. Comments or Questions..

Reading for September 20th

 Read Jeremiah 50.21-34. The battle preparations continue and become more vivid. In verses 23-24: Babylon, the hammer of the whole earth, will be cut down despite its great power, for the enemy of God. In verse 28: Fugitives escape from the city and run to Zion to announce the changed state of affairs. In verses 31-32: God accuses Babylon of exceeding its divine commission to punish Judah: Babylon has gone berserk in it violence. Interpretations of international events has turned upside down in this book. Here Israel and Judah are oppressed people, not guilty people. They have a future, and the enemy will be punished for excess. In verse 34: Their Redeemer will buy back the captives and give rest to the whole earth. Comments or Questions..