Reading for September 9th

 Read Jeremiah 44.1-10. In 44:1-30: Idolatry. Jeremiah delivers a final prophetic message to the Judeans living in Egypt. In verses 1-6: The fall of Judah and Jerusalem was caused by the people's failure to listen. Those who escaped to Egypt will suffer a similar fate, if they do not leave idolatry aside. Comments or Questions..

Reading for September 8th

 Read Jeremiah 43.1-13. Johanan, the hero of ch. 42, turns insolent and accuses Jeremiah of lying and Baruch of inciting him. Both are forced into Egyptian exile against their will. They escape none of the pain of the exiles in Babylon, for they too leave their homeland as captives. In verses 8-13: Jeremiah directs a symbolic action of burying stones. Nebuchadrezzar will come and set up his rule there and destroy Egyptian deities. Comments or Questions..

Reading for September 7th

 Emigration to Egypt

Chs. 42-44: Jeremiah is an ally of Babylon and an opponent of Egypt in the international power struggles that afflict Judah at this time. These chapters reflect anti-Egyptian viewpoints. They accuse survivors who go to Egypt of refusing to listen and engaging in idolatry. Paradoxically, Jeremiah and his scribe Baruch are also forced into exile. 

Read Jeremiah 42.1-22. Survivors of Ishmael's attack go to Jeremiah to make intercession on their behalf. Should they go to Egypt? They promise to obey his word. In verse 10: Jeremiah replies they must remain in Judah. Their God will rebuild them after the disaster, for which God has repented. In verses 18-22: There is no escape from Babylon. Comments or Questions..

Reading for September 6th

 Read Jeremiah 41.1-18. During a meal, Ishmael and ten men massacre Gedaliah and everyone with him, as well as pilgrims on their way to the Temple. They desecrate their bodies by dumping them into a cistern and take the remaining survivors as hostages. Johanan, one of the Judeans, gathers forces and rescues the hostages. The blood bath gives the Judeans reason to fear the Chaldeans and sets off the events narrated in the next chapters. Comments or Questions..

Reading for September 5th

Chaos

Chs. 40-41: These chapters describe events in Judah after the invasion.

 Read Jeremiah 40.1-16. In verses 1-6: The Babylonian captain allows Jeremiah to remain in the land, even though Jeremiah had described those who stayed in Judah as bad figs (ch. 24). In verses 7-12: Under Gedaliah's governance there is peace in the land, and survivors are urged to submit to Babylon. In verses 13-16: A plot against Gedaliah is reported him, but Gedaliah cannot believe that Ishmael, a member of the royal family, would be capable of such disloyalty. Comments or Questions..

Reading for September 4th

 Read Jeremiah 39.1-18. In straightforward prose, this chapter reccounts the Babylonian invasion of Jerusalem and its consequences for Zedekiah and Jeremiah. The narrative's major interest is not the siege but the king's cowardice, escape, and capture, and Jeremiah's release. In verse 3: Babylonian officials have taken possession of the city and sit at the gate to govern. In verse 9: After Zedekiah and his family meet a horrible fate, the Babylonian captain distributes occupied land to the poor, perhaps to gain their support. In verses 11-18: Jeremiah gains Babylonian favor and is released to the protection of Gedaliah, the Judean governor appointed by Babylonians to replace the king. Jeremiah's release has symbolic meaning. He is a model of obedience in captivity, and he returns home as exiles hope to do. In verse 18: Because he trusts, he  gains his life as a prize of war. Comments or Questions..

Reading for September 3rd

 Read Jeremiah 38.14-28. The king again consults with Jeremiah, who proclaims the king's capture. In this vision, the king changes places with Jeremiah: The king is stuck in the mud. Comments or Questions..