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..

Reading for September 2nd

 Read Jeremiah 38.1-13. This story does not flow smoothly from the previous chapter. There Jeremiah was in prison, but here he is preaching freely to the people. In verses 1-6: He urges the people to surrender to Babylon to save their lives as the prize of war (v. 2). The king again allows Jeremiah's imprisonment because he will not offer a hopeful message. Jeremiah sinks into the mud. In verses 7-13: An African, Ebed-melech, whose name means "servant of the king," dramatically rescues Jeremiah from death. In contrast to the king and his advisers, Ebed-melech shows true obedience. Comments or Questions..

Reading for September 1st

 BARUCH'S ACCOUNT

In chs. 37-45: Baruch is described as the author of these stories about Jeremiah and other survivors of the Babylonian invasion (45.1). Perhaps these chapter represent the additional words of the second scroll (36.32). The chapters show the exilic audience how to survive suffering brought on by invasion and its aftermath. They describe how the prophetic word was rejected, was fulfilled, and how it created conflict among survivors. Jeremiah himself appears as an example of fidelity. He is imprisoned and rescued twice, escapes with his life, and becomes a model of faithful survival.

Prison and release

Chs. 37-39: These chapters are all set during the reign of Zedekiah, who is as unaccepting of the prophetic word as his predecessor Jehoiakim.

Read Jeremiah 37.1-21. In ch. 37, the king consults with Jeremiah twice, at the beginning and the end of the chapter. The consultations frame Jeremiah's imprisonment. This arrangement suggests that the king is attempting to squeeze a favorable word from Jeremiah. In 37.3-10: Zedekiah's hope that the power struggles between Egypt and Pharaoh will reduce Babylonian power and avert disaster. Jeremiah says no. In verses 11-16: In a series of abusive acts toward the prophet, officials imprison him, as if they could imprison the word. In verses 17-21: Secretly, the king tries to persuade Jeremiah to give him hope, but the prophet faithfully repeats his message of doom and escapes with his life. Comments or Question..