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..

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..

Reading for August 31st

 Read Jeremiah 20-32. In verses 20-26: In a dramatic scene, the scroll is read to the king, who cuts it up and burns it as it is being read. The kings action is a symbolic attempt to destroy the uncontrollable power of the word by making it disappear. In verses 27-32: But the prophetic word cannot be erased; Jeremiah dictates another version and adds more words to it. Jehoiakim, therefore, is responsible for the fall of the nation, for he would not listen. Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 30th

 Read Jeremiah 36.1-19. In 36.1-32: Two scrolls. This chapter has many parallels with ch. 26, including strong indictments of King Jehoiakim. Baruch, Jeremiah's scribe, continues the prophet's message by writing it and by proclaiming it. In verses 2-8: Baruch is a reliable proclaimer of Jeremiah's message of repentance, written by divine command on a scroll. In verses 9-19: Supporters of Jeremiah hear Baruch's reading of the scroll and send him and Jeremiah into hiding. Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 29th

 Read Jeremiah 35.1-19. The Rechabites, by contrast, are faithful to their traditions. Little is certain about the identity of the Rechabites. In verses 8-10: They refrained from drinking wine and owning houses or land in the tradition of their ancestor, Jonadab son of Rechab. They exemplify true obedience, as shown in 2 Kings 10.15-27, where Jonadab assists King Jehu in purging Baal worship from the land. Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 28th

 A good king and a bad community

In chs. 34-35: These two chapters contrasts the failure of the king and the people to obey God's word (ch. 34) with exemplary fidelity of a small group of people called Rechabites (ch. 35).The former group faces the dire consequences if infidelity, and the later group gains a future because of fidelity. Both stories are set during the Babylonian invasion, but the behavior they describe concerns consequences in the exilic present.

Read Jeremiah 34.1-22. Jerusalem is under attack. In verses 6-7: Only the fortress cities of Lachish and Azekah have not fallen to the Babylonians. The times are dire. In verses 8-10: Zedekiah proclaims the freedom of Judean slaves, according to the law and God's command (Deut 15.12-14). At first all the people followed, but then they changed their minds, so they will go into slavery. In verses 18-20: They will be cut up like a sacrificial animal in a covenant offering. Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 27th

 Read Jeremiah 33.1-26. In 33.1-26: Restoration. The restored relationship between God and the people illustrated here. In verse 3: God invites Jeremiah to make requests. In verse 6: God assures the people of healing and prosperity. In verses 14-16: God promises to restore the kingship and the priesthood and to reunite the peoples of Israel and Judah. Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 26th

 Read Jeremiah 32.26-42. In verses 26-42: God replies to Jeremiah that there is a future. In verse 38: The covenant will be renewed. In verse 42: The one who brought the disaster will bring a new future. Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 25th

 A changed future

Chs. 32-33: In these two narrative chapters, Jeremiah buys a field and offers prayers that signify a hopeful future for the exiles. Jeremiah purchases a field during an imprisonment that occurs while Babylon is invading Jerusalem. During an invasion, land is worthless. Helped by his companion Baruch (v. 12), Jeremiah redeems the land of his cousin as expected by law. The foolishness of that purchase stands as a promise that life will resume in the land. Jeremiah, captive like his exilic audience, is a model of obedient hopefulness in the face of tragedy.

Read 32.1-25. In verses 16-42: Jeremiah's prayer elaborates on the theme of hopefulness, asking God to see the invasion as it occurs. Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 24th

 Read Jeremiah 31.31-40. In 31.31-40: New covenant. The poems about the restored family are followed by a brief but potent claim that there will be a new way of relating within the covenant family. God will make a new covenant with them. God and Israel will live in renewed fidelity. In verse 34: Everyone from the least to the greatest will know God. In verses 35-40: The cosmos itself and the fixed order or creation will be a sign of that fidelity, and Jerusalem will be rebuilt and never overthrown. Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 23rd

 Read Jeremiah 31.15-30. In 31.15-30: Rachel's comfort. Rachel (Gen 27-35), perhaps symbolizing God's first wife (3.7-11), weeps for her lost children and receives the breathtaking news that they will return. In verses 18-20: Her son, actually her grandson, repents like the children (3.22-25), and God receives him back. In verses 21-22: God addresses wife Israel and asks how long it will be before she repents. The poem ends with a puzzling claim that God has done a new thing: a woman encompasses a man, perhaps an image of Rachel embracing her returning child. In verses 23-26: The woman maybe Jerusalem encompassing the people returning from exile. In verses 27-28: Perhaps wife Rachel encompasses a man sexually to give birth the a new generation. Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 22nd

 Read Jeremiah 31.1-14. All Israel, both north and south, will be reunited. In verses 3-4: Survivors will return, covenant will be restored, and God will take back wife Israel, now called a virgin, no loner a harlot. She will be like Miram, leading the dance (Ex 15.20-21). In verse 9: Echoing the children's return (3.2-25), God takes them back and promises to be a father to them. In verses 10-14: Everyone in the society will participate in life that will be fertile and joyous on Zion. Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 21st

 Read Jeremiah 30.18-24. In verses 18-22: God speaks to Jacob and refers also to Jerusalem, the city that will be rebuilt. Both northern and southern kingdoms are reunited in a poetic outburst concerning thanksgiving and new life. In verses 23-24: The national tragedy receives a summary interpretation. Divine wrath will one day end, and the audience will understand it in the future. Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 20th

 Read Jeremiah 30.12- 17. In a poetic movement similar to vv.5-11, this poem also moves unexpectedly from desperation to salvation, but the images shift from panic to woundedness and healing. The one addressed is daughter Zion, God's  unfaithful wife (2.1-3.25). God now pities her in her abandonment. Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 19th

 Little book of consolation

Chs. 30-33: These chapters combine poetry (chs. 30-31) and prose 9chs. (32-33) to depict a harmonious, idealized future for Israel and Judah. The placement of these chapters of hope and healing toward the center of the book is puzzling. Stories and poems of accusation and conflict surround them as if to temper the hope of these echapters create. This structure may reflect the situation of the exilic audience, for whom escape from captivity remains a distant possibility. The chapters create a vision of what lies ahead, but they do not present a program for escape. Instead, they create unimagined possibilities that may help the community to endure for a new day.

Chs. 30-31 Restoration. The poems create a vision of a future nation in which northern and southern kingdoms are restored and reunited in Jerusalem.Some poems collected address male Jacob/ Israel. Jacob is the name used for the northern kingdom of Israel, and also the name of the ancestor of all the twelve tribes (Den 29-30). Other poems address female figures representing Judah, Zion, or Rachel one of Jacob's wives and mother of a northern and southern tribe. These names bring together both northern and southern kingdoms.

Read Jeremiah 30.1-11. In verse 2: God's command that Jeremiah write these words in a book makes it possible for Jeremiah to communicate with the exiles even though he is not with them. In verses 5-7: Images of panic and pain describe the distress for Jacob. In verses 8-11: Without explanation, hope replaces terror. God will remove the yoke of servitude from them, restore relationship with them, and raise up a king for them. Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 18th

 Read Jeremiah 29.21-32. In verses 21-23: Two false prophets among the exiles, Ahab and Zedekiah, will die like Hananiah under the deuteronomistic curse (Duet 18.20). In verses 24-32; Shemaiah, one of the exiles, writes to the high priest in Jerusalem that he should silence Jeremiah. Jeremiah curses him as a false prophet like Hananiah. Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 17th

 Read Jeremiah 29.1-20. In 29.1-32: Letters. From Jerusalem, Jeremiah writes letters to the exiles and responds to a letter about him. The letters to the exiles present Jeremiah as the authority about the exiles' survival. In verse 3: Supporters of Jeremiah serve as couriers. The exiles are not to resist Babylonian rule, but to live there in normal domestic relations and to seek the welfare of the city where they are held captive. In verse 10: After 70 years, probably a symbolizing a longtime, their relationship with God will be restored, and they will return to the land. Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 16th

 Read Jeremiah 28.1-17. The conflict of prophetic messages narrows down to a conflict between two prophets of Judah, Hananiah and Jeremiah. In competing symbolic actions the two men wear yokes to enact and make concrete the prophetic messages. Jeremiah wears a wooden yoke to signify captivity by Babylon. In verse 10: Hananiah breaks Jeremiah's yoke as an attempt to say the opposite. In verses 12-14: Jeremiah returns later with an unbreakable iron yoke. In verse 17: Hananiah's death a year later indicates he was a false prophet preaching his own words, not divine revelation (Deut 18.20). Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 15th

 Read Jeremiah 27.12-22. The prophets of Judah also oppose the true word of God in a dispute about the Temple vessels. These sacred items had been deported to Babylon in 997 BCE, and the prophets expect them  to be restored to Judah quickly, implying that Babylonian rule will not last long. Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 14th

 Yokes

In chs. 27-28: Jeremiah's conflict with other prophetic groups is the subject of these two chapters. Three stories increasingly narrow the conflict from an international disagreement to a personal dispute bteween two prophets.

Read Jeremiah 27.1-11. Jeremiah tells the nations that God has placed their lands under the control of Babylon and Nebuchadnezzar, my servant (v. 6). Their prophets have a contrary view. In verse 11: Those who refuse to serve Babylon will be put under the yoke. Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 13th

 HOW THE NATION WILL SURVIVE

In Chs. 26-52: The first book (chs. 1-25) accused Judah pf infidelity, promised destruction and exile, and defended God from accusations of injustice. The second "book" (chs. 26-52) presents stories and poems that reveal how to survive the period after the nation's fall to Babylon. No longer is repentance to avert the disaster the primary concern. The book's audience lives with the community's failure to repent. They themselves must repent and endure. Jeremiah companion Baruch also appears in this part of the book. Baruch has been traditionally been named as the writer of the stories about Jeremiah, particularity in chs. 37-45. The exilic period was a time of great conflict about how to survive. This book insists that survival requires continued submission to Babylon, repentance, and obedience as set out in the book of Jeremiah. Chs. 26-29: Prophet discord: These chapters set forth disputes about which prophetic vision of the future will ensure the nation's survival.

Read Jeremiah 26.1-24. In 26.1-24: Jeremiah on trial. This chapter shows that Jeremiah faced great conflict but that he is the true prophet and, hence, is to be heeded. In verses 1-6: This chapter refers to Jeremiah's Temple sermon (7.1-8.3) and summarizes it. What is of interest here, however, is the community's response to the sermon. Some accept it; priests, prophets and King Jehoiakim reject it. Some of the leaders put Jeremiah on trial. In verse 12: Jeremiah responds to charges by claiming that it was God who sent me. The trial concludes with a declaration of Jeremiah's innocence. In verses 17-23: Some elders present examples of other prophets who spoke judgments against Jerusalem. In verses 18-23: King Hezekiah received the message of the prophet Micah, whereas the current king Jehoiakim, rejected the words of the prophet Uriah and had him killed. In verse 24: Mysteriously, Ahikam rescues Jeremiah from death. The story blames the king for rejecting prophetic word and invites the book's readers to join Jeremiah's supporters. It presents Jeremiah as a model of fidelity who, while in the hands of captors, remains faithful and rescued from peril. Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 12th

 Read Jeremiah 25.30-38. In 25.30-38: The lion. God is a roaring lion who will devour the nations that have destroyed Judah. Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 11th

 Read Jeremiah 25.15-29. In 25.15-29: Cup of wrath. A symbolic action makes the prophecy of vv. 8-14 concrete. God  commands Jeremiah to act as a wine steward. But instead of serving a joyous feast, Jeremiah serves a cup of wrath to the kings of major nations and city-states around Judah. In verse 26; The final king to drink is the king of Babylon, here called Saheshach. all must drink of God's punishment. In the symbolic sphere, Judah and its enemies have already exchanged places. All that remains is for historical events to unfold. Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 10th

 Babylon's fall.

Ch. 25: This chapter closes off the first major division of the book by reaching back to ch. 1. At Last, Jeremiah acts as "prophet to the nations" (1.5, 10).

Read Jeremiah 25.1-14. In 25.1-14: Invaders will be punished. In verse 1: A narrator dates the chapter to the rules of the Judahite King Jehoiakim and Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar. That date, 605 BCE, indicates that Jeremiah has prophesied the fall of Judah to Babylon well in advance of events. His prophecy of the fall of Babylon will, therefore, prove equally reliable. In verses 3-7: Jeremiah summarizes his carer and the people's refusal to listen to his words. This refusal provoked divine anger. In verses 8-14: God presents the consequences of not listening. In verse 9: The tribes of the north, now identified as Babylon, will be God's agent of destruction. God call the Babylonian king my servant. As divine agents, the Babylonians will destroy life on an international scale. In verse 11: Judah will serve Babylon for 70 years. This number may simply mean "a long time," for Exile lasted only 50 years. In verse 14: After that time God will punish Babylon. Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 9th

 Read Jeremiah 24.1- 10. In 24.1-10: Figs. Jerusalem has been invaded, King Jehoiachin is in captivity, King Zedekiah has been appointed in his place. Jeremiah has a vision of two baskets of figs. One symbolizes survivors in Babylon; the other stands for those who have stayed in Judah or escaped to Egypt. The first basket is good; the second is rotten. The message for the survivors is that to survive they must cooperate with Babylon. Only then will they have a future. Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 8th

 Read Jeremiah 23-40. These prose verses continue to discredit the other prophets who have led the people astray. In verses 33-40: A play on words makes the same attack on the prophets. The word translated burden can also mean "oracle" or "prophetic poem." The prophets who ask for an oracle or message from god learn that they are God's burden. Comment of Questions..

Reading for August 7th

 Read Jeremiah 23.18-22. The true prophet is one who goes before God, in the council of the Lord. These prophets God did not send, and they did not speak God's words; they are false prophets. By implication, only Jeremiah is a true prophet. Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 6th

 Read Jeremiah 23.9-17. In 23.9-40: Prophets. As a group of leaders, the prophets fail to be true to their calling to speak the word of God. In verses 9-11: God laments over their infidelity. In verses 13-14; The prophets of the northern kingdom of Samaria were shocking in their worship of Baal, but the prophets of Judah were even worse, like two cities destroyed for their sinfulness (Gen 19). Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 5th

 Read Jeremiah 23.1-8. In 23.1-8: Restoration. In these prose verses, God promises restoration to kings, portrayed by the traditional figure of the Shepherd. If the readers of the book were already in exile, these promises of future Davidic kingship would not contradict Jeremiah's prophecy of invasion. These events would already have occurred. The audience awaits a new future promised here. The prophecies of doom explain the variety of ways why things have come to this tragic situation. Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 4th

 Read Jeremiah 22.6b-30. In 22.6b-30: Fate of kings and nation. Verse 6 connects all these poems to kings. In verses 7-9: Punishment will come upon them and the city will be destroyed. In verses 10-11: King Josiah and his son Jehoahaz, also known as Shallum, both met tragic fates. Josiah dies in battle (2 Kings 23.28-30), but sadder still is the fate of  Jehoahaz, who is exiled from the land. In verses 13-19: This poem contrasts good King Josiah with his son, the bad king Jehoiakim. Josiah is a true king because he does justice; his son exploits the people for his own benefit. In verses 20-23: These verses address an unidentified female ("you" is feminine in the Hebrew text) who is sent outside Israel to neighboring Lebanon. This location is puzzling, but the woman seems to be God's unfaithful wife, who has refused to listen. In verses 24-30: God promises to hurl into Babylonian exile King Jehoiakim's son, King Jehoiachin, here called Coniah. In verse 30: With him, kingship will end. Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 3rd

Kings and prophets

21.11-23.8: The leaders, royal and religious, receive blame for corruption, for injustice, and for turning away from God. Earlier chapters focused on failures of the whole community,but here the leaders alone fail and lead the nation to ruin. 

 Read Jeremiah 21.11-22.6a. In 21.11-22.6a: Justice. In 21.11-14: The poem addresses the kings by the house of David, referring to all the kings who occupied the Davidic throne (1 Sam 7). The role of the king is to administer justice. If the kings fail, then the fire of divine wrath will destroy them. In 22.1-6a: A prose passage elaborates on the obligations of the kings to do justice for the afflicted. Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 2nd

 THE INVASION'S AFTERMATH

CHS. 21-25: These loosely connected chapters assume that the nation has already been invaded by Babylon. So far, the book has presented captivity only in symbolic terms, but the invasion is described more realistically in 21.1-10. These chapters focus on survival in the battle's aftermath. Prose narratives offer advice to survivors (21.1-10; 24.1-10). Poems explain how the invasion happened blaming kings and prophets (21.11-23.40). National survival is promised (25.1-14) and international justice foretold (25.15-38). The voice of the narrator is more prominent than in previous chapters, and these chapters refer more directly to historical dates and persons than do earlier chapters.

Read Jeremiah 21.1-10. In 21.1-10: The attack. In verses 1-2: Jeremiah presents a prophecy to messengers sent to him by King Zedekiah of Judah. Zedekiah hopes that God will send the Babylonians and their king, Nebuchadnezzar aways as in the past (Isa 36-37). In verses 3-7: But instead of sending the Babylonians (called Chaldeans) away, God will will bring them into the city and fight against Judah. In verses 8-9: In language that appears also in Deut 30.10-11, the text urges them to "choose life." To live, they must surrender to Babylon. Comments or Questions..-

Reading for August 1st

 Read Jeremiah 20.14-18: In 20.14-18: A curse. Jeremiah curses the day of his birth, like Job (Job 3). This curse closes the section on the covenant's destruction that was begun by the curse against the nation in ch. 11. Jeremiah's curse speaks of the tragedy of his mission to announce disaster so that he wishes he had never been born. If his life represents that of the people, his captivity, the fulfillment of his word and his curse enact and bring about their captivity. Comments or Questions..

Reading for July 31st

 Read Jeremiah 20.7-13. In 20.7-13: Jeremiah's fifth confession. Jeremiah blames his captivity on God, who has given him words of terror to announce. In verse 9: Jeremiah tried to withhold his message of violence, but it was like fire: He could not hold it in. Jeremiah's message is not his own but is from God alone. In verses 11-13: Jeremiah remembers God is with him and that the word will be accomplished. Comments or Questions..

Reading for July 30th

 Read Jeremiah 20.1-6.  In 20.1-6: Jeremiah's captivity. The book does not yet report the invasion of Jerusalem but instead, portrays the disaster symbolically. Jeremiah himself is captured in the Temple by the high priest. In verses 4-6: That event becomes the occasion for Jeremiah's announcement that Babylon, mentioned for the first time in the book, will invade and destroy Judah and that the high priest and his supporters will go into captivity. Comments or Questions..

Reading for July 29th

 Read Jeremiah 19.1-15. In 19.1-15: The broken pot. Jeremiah performs a symbolic action in which he breaks an earthenware jug in front of the elders and priests to represent the nation. He summarizes their idolatries, their sins, and their refusals to listen. In verse 15; Then he announces the fulfillment of the long promised disaster. Comments or Questions..

Reading for July 28th

 Read Jeremiah 18.18-23. In 18.18-23: Jeremiah's fourth confession. In verse 18: Enemies of Jeremiah speak in a prose comment that illustrates the community's failure to repent. In verses 19-20: Jeremiah reminds God of how faithful Jeremiah has been to his prophetic mission. In verses 21-23: He asks God to punish the enemies who try to kill him. The prophet's enemies are the enemies of God because they refuse to hear the divine word that the prophet claims to speak. Comments or Questions..

Reading for July 27th

 Read Jeremiah 18.13-17. In 18.13-17: God's response. God laments their idolatry and turns from them. Comments or Questions..

Reading for July 26th

 Captivity

In chs. 18-20: These chapters mark a climax in the first part of the book and are more closely woven than previous sections. In them threats of captivity and disaster come to a symbolic fulfillment. After relentless efforts by God and Jeremiah to bring the nation to repentance, punishment comes upon them. 

Read Jeremiah 18.1- 12. In 18.1-12: The potter. Prose narrative describes Jeremiah's visit to the potter. The potter makes a vessel that he dislikes, so he destroys it and starts again. In verse 11: This action becomes symbolic of God's plan for Israel and occasions a final invitation to repent. In verse 12: The people adamantly refuse to repent. Comments or Questions..

Reading for July 25th

Read Jeremiah 17.19-27. In 17.19-27: Sabbath sermon. In this prose passage, God directs Jeremiah to announce to the leadership the absolute necessity of keeping sabbath law. They are not to carry burdens or do work, and they must heed divine commands. If they fail, then Jerusalem will be destroyed by fire. This sermon explains again that the exile did not occur because God's cruelty or forgetfulness but resulted from the community's failure to be faithful. Comments or Questions.. 

Reading for July 24th

 Read Jeremiah 17.14-18. In 17.14-18: Jeremiah's third confession. Jeremiah is less accusatory of God here than in the previous confessions and asks for healing of his wound. In verse 15: He quotes his enemies, who doubt that he speaks the word of God because it has not come true. He asks God to take vengeance against them. Comments or Questions..

Reading for July 23rd

 Read Jeremiah 17.1-13. In 17.1-27: True worship. Many voices combine in this chapter. In verses 1-4: In prose accusation, God accuses the people of Judah of idolatry and promises that they will be exiled. In verses 5-8: In language reminiscent of Ps 1, God announces the cursed fate of those who trust in themselves, and the blessed condition of those who trust in God. In verses 12-13: The voice of worship addressed to God reappears and speaks about the foolishness of abandoning the fountain of living water (2.13). Comments or Questions..

Reading for July 22nd

 Read Jeremiah 16.16-21. In verses 16-18: God's punishment here may be against the enemies who have invaded the land and polluted it with idols. In verses 19-20: A worshipping voice addresses God in the style of the children's speech (3.22-25), expressing loyalty and repentance. This speech provides a model of piety for the exiles to follow. Comments or Questions,,

Reading for July 21st

 Read Jeremiah 16.10-15: In verses 10-13: God quotes the people, who ask questions at the very heart of the book. Why has this happened? Exile has happened because of their sin and infidelity. In verses 14-15: Divine promises of a hopeful future addressed to the survivors of the nation's fall interrupt announcements of exile. Comments or Questions..

Reading for July 20th

 Read Jeremiah 16.1-9. In 16.1-21: Jeremiah's celibacy. Several voices debate the meaning of exile. In verses 1-9: The first voice of God, who commands Jeremiah not to take a wife and not to beget children. Jeremiah's isolation from the community becomes even stronger. Yet his life becomes a symbolic act, a sign of what will happen to the people in exile. Normal life will be over. There will be no marriages, and that means there will be no children. Domestic life is over and the people have no future. Comments or Questions..

Reading for July 19th

 Read Jeremiah 15.10- 21. In Jeremiah 15.10-21: Jeremiah's second confession. In verse 10; Jeremiah laments his calling to announce the coming tragedy to the community. In verse 15: He addresses God directly to complain that he has been faithful, taking the divine words into himself like food. In verse 17: He stayed away from community life. In verse 18: Like people, Jeremiah's wound is incurable, for God is unreliable. In verses 19-21: God replies that Jeremiah must turn to God, just as Jeremiah has asked the people to do (4.2). Then God will be with him and rescue him. Comments or Questions..

Reading for July 18th

 Read Jeremiah 15.1-9. In 15.1-16.21: No future, yet a future. In 15.1: Jeremiah cannot intercede with God for this sinful people because their infidelity places them beyond hope. Even the great mediators of the past, Moses and Samuel, could not get God to change the divine mind. These refusals by God to hear the prophet also indicate to the exilic audience that Jeremiah did not fail to prevent the nation's fall. Rather, they had sinned and God had no choice but to punish them. In verses 2-3: Poetry moves from the mythic description of the foe of the north to a more natural description of invasion and destruction. The culprit in this verse is King Manasseh, (2 Kings 21.10-15), who was famous for his idolatry. In verses 5-9: God laments over female Jerusalem, describes the disasters ahead, and accepts full responsibility for bringing calamity upon her. But the poem indicates that God has punished her only after becoming weary of relenting (v. 6). The poem defends God from charges of cruelty. Comments or Questions..

Reading for July 17th

 Read Jeremiah 17.17-22. In verse 17: Jeremiah weeps at the woundedness of the people, portrayed as the virgin daughter, grievously wounded by a crushing blow. In verses 19-22: The people use language of worship to protest God's neglect of them and to ask why there is no healing and no rain. The people's voice probably represents the voice of the exiles, expressing repentance and hope in the same style as the children in 3.22-25. Comments or Questions..

Reading for July 16th

 Read Jeremiah 14.11-16. In this prose comment we again hear God commanding Jeremiah not to intercede on behalf of the people because their case is beyond hope. Jeremiah stands in contrast to false prophets who preach lies to the people. This conflict suggests that the audience of the book is offered competing interpretations from its religious leaders. Jeremiah is only the prophet sent by God. Comments or Questions..

Reading for July 15th

 Read Jeremiah 14.1-10. In 14.1-22: Drought and wound. This chapter contains two poems, one concerning a drought (vv. 1-10) and one concerning the wounds of war (vv. 17-22), with a prose comment (vv. 11-16) between them. Though the actual drought may be behind the first poem, it stands here as an image of the destruction of the creation caused by the nations sinfulness. In verse 3: The earth and the animals are affected by the people's idolatry as they return to empty cisterns, instead of to the "fountain of living water" (2.13). In verses 8-9: The people speak in the language of worship, asking why God has forsaken them. In verse 10: God describes again their wandering, as they turn to other gods. Comments or Questions..

Reading for July 14th

 Read Jeremiah 13.15-27. Jeremiah warns the people against their pride and urges them to listen. In verse 17: If they do not, his response will be to weep at their captivity as God weeps (9.1). In verses 18-19: The queen mother , that is the mother of the king, will be brought low because the invasion and exile are already underway. In verse 20: The enemy from the north is coming. In verses 22-27: According to the Hebrew text, God addresses Jerusalem, personified again as female, with charges that her infidelity will result in her violation. God will be the one to lift her skirts, that is, to rape her. This shocking language uses the image of rape woman to describe the invasion of the city, directed and accomplished by God. Comments or Questions..

Reading for July 13th

 Read Jeremiah 13.12-14. In a second symbolic event to occur in the future, God interprets actions to be performed by the people, not by Jeremiah. The filling of wine-jars signifies not feasting, as readers might expect, but drunkenness that is destructive of the people and the land. These verses seem to provide the punishment for the pride named in Jeremiah's symbolic action of hiding the loincloth. This wine-drinking episode points forward to 25.15-29, when all the nations drink from the cup of destruction. Comments or Questions.

Reading for July 12th

 Read Jeremiah 13.1-11. In 13.1-27: The nation's pride. In this chapter Jeremiah performs a symbolic act (vv. 1-11), interprets a symbolic event (vv. 12-14), and in poetry again announces exile (vv. 15-27). The theme of the nation's false pride runs throughout the chapter. In verses 1-11: Jeremiah receives a divine command to purchase a loincloth and hide it in a cleft of the rock (v. 4). The results of his action symbolize his prophetic message. The loincloth is ruined by its exposure to the elements. In verses 8-11: Jeremiah's words explain the action. Judah is supposed to cling to God but instead has been full of pride and has refused to listen; hence, the nation will become to ruin. Comments or Questions..

Reading for July 11th

 Read Jeremiah 12.7-17. In 12.7-17: God's lament. Using the first person pronoun, I, God laments the infidelity of the beloved of my heart. Describe as a wild lion, God's beloved heritage has provoked divine hate, so punishment will follow. In verses 14-17: A prose comment reuses language of plucking up from Jeremiah's call (1.10). God seems to address the exiles directly by promising that those who destroy God's heritage will be plucked from their land and God will pluck the people of Judah from where they are and return them home, if they listen. Comments or Questions..

Reading for July 10th

 Read Jeremiah 11.18-12.6. In 11.18-12.6: Jeremiah's first confession. In verses 18-19: Jeremiah complains that he is under attack from unidentified enemies. He quotes their plots to get rid of him. In verse 20 he appeals to God, the just judge, to take vengeance against them. In verses 21-23: In a prose comment, God promises to punish the enemies, who are identified as people from Jeremiah's own town of Anathoth. But Jeremiah then accuses the just judge of planting and nourishing wickedness. In 12.5-6: The judge replies that things will get worse, even Jeremiah's family will  turn against him. Comments or Questions..

Reading for July 9th

 COVENANT DESTROYED

Chs. 11-20: Like the previous chapters, this section of the book seeks to explain the tragedy that has befallen Judah amd to defend God from the charges of cruelty. It claims that the people brought the catastrophe upon themselves. These chapters continue the poetic accusations of chs. 2-10, but in addition, Jeremiah himself moves into the foreground as a major character in the book. Stories show Jeremiah engaged in symbolic actions (chs 13, 18, 19, 20). Symbolic actions are prophetic activities that express the prophetic message in dramatic behavior. In addition, this section also includes poems called the "confessions' or "laments" of Jeremiah. The confessions portray Jeremiah's sufferings as he tries to be faithful to his prophetic mission. The covenant sermon begins the next ten chapters with a curse whose fulfillment becomes inevitable by ch. 20. No belssings,which usually accompany curses--defeat of Judah--has already occurred and the audience is exile is asking why it happened and if it is reversibile. The sermon interprets their loss of the land as the result of their infidelity. Only obedience to God's voice through this prophetic book can set things right.

Read Jeremiah 11.1-17. In 11.1-17: The covenant curse. In this prose sermon, similar instyle to the Temple sermon (7.1-8.3), Jeremiah announces a curse upon anyone who does not heed the words of the covenant (v. 3). The covenant refers to the relationship of loyalty and love that God made with them at Mount Sinai (Ex 19). This sermon has one point that is presented with great simplicity: To possess the land, the people must obey the covenant. In verse 4: They must listen to my voice. The covenant is a two way relationship, if they obey, then so shall you be my people, and I will be your God. In verse 5: That obedience is the condition of living in the land flowing with milk and honey. In verses 6-13: Otherwise disaster will fall upon them. In verses 14-17: Once again God tells Jeremiah not to intercede for the people because they are so sinful. Comments or Questions..

Reading for July 8th

 Read Jeremiah 10.17-25. In 10.17-25: Exile. These verses shift back tot he time before the Exile, and God announces that the attack, expected throughout chs. 4-10, is about to come (vv. 17-17, 22). In verses 19-20: A second voice, probably that of Jerusalem personified as daughter Zion, laments her fate. She is abandoned and her children gone. In verses 23-25: She admits her sins and asks for divine justice in punishment of both herself and the nations who devour Jacob, another name for Israel. Comments or Questions..

Reading for July 7th

 Read Jeremiah 10.1-16. In 10.1-16: Hymn of praise. These verses contain a hymn that expresses loyalty to the one true God and makes fun of the other gods as worthless idols. The hymn, which seems to follow 9.22, serves as a model of repentance and reconciliation for the exiles surviving the nation's collapse. The poem is similar in subject and worship style to the repentance of the children from the broken family (3.22-25). In verses 2-5: The people should neither become like the nations around them nor adopt their idolatrous customs. In verse 6: Israel's God is the true king of the nations. In verses 8-11: By contrast, the gods of the nations are stupid, human creations. In verses 12-16: Only the God of Israel is the Creator whose wisdom made the world. Israel is God's special inheritance. In this hymn, creation's harmony is reestablished. Comments or Questions..

Reading for July 6th

 Read Jeremiah 9.17-25. In verse 17: Mourning women: In ancient Israel, official mourning women are called to funerals to lead the community in weeping. In verse 21: Here they are summoned to weep over the destruction of the nation, for death has come up into our windows. The funeral to which the people are invited is their own. In verses 23-26: A prose comment, which seems to continue from 9.12-16 rather than from the weeping poem, announces that God acts in justice for those who know me. Comments or Questions..

Reading for July 5th

 Read Jeremiah 9.4-16. In verses 4-8: Accusations against the people include their unfaithfulness to each other as they lie, slander, and deceive. In punishment God will refine them like silver. In verse 9: But God expresses hesitancy with a question also asked earlier (5.9, 29):  How can punishment be avoided? In verses 10-11: The command to weep indicates that the destruction of the earth and of the city of Jerusalem cannot be turned away. The poem implies the end of the world for the inhabitants of Judah. Invasion by the foe from the north will end normal life. In verses 12-16: These prose verses interpret further the tragedy about to happen but which for the audience of the book has already occurred. In verses 13-14: The people did not keep God's law nor listen to God's voice. Instead, they worshiped the Baals. Comments or Questions..

Reading for July 4th

 Read Jeremiah 8.18-9.3. In 8.18-9.26: Weeping. God, the earth, and official mourning women weep to signify the certainty of the nation's destruction. The poetry of weeping also suggests that God joins with the people and the earth in expressing vulnerability, pain, and grief over the invasion that will destroy life in the land. In 8.18-9.3: There is disagreement among scholars about the identity of the principal speaker in this poem, but it is probably God. In verse 21: The God who suffered in the story of the broken family (2.1-3.25) is in pain and dismay again over the hurt of my poor people. The Hebrew text reads "daughter of my people," to suggest that God is still lamenting over the broken family relationship. In 9.1: The divine speaker then expresses a wish: O that my head were a spring of water, and my eyes a fountain of tears, so that I might weep day and night for the slain of my poor people! Divine tears, unlike divine anger, create a brief solidarity and empathy with the people. If the audience is Israel during the Exile, divine tears suggest that God has not rejected them forever but suffers with them. In verse 2: The speaker's mood changes quickly. God desires to escape from the midst of the sinners, an unfaithful people. Comments or Questions.

Reading for July 3rd

 Read Jeremiah 8.4-17. In 8.4-17: Why the attack will come. God speaks to Jeremiah in continued perplexity about the people's failure to repent. In verses 6-7: They behave like wild animals. In verses 8-9: Their punishment will be captivity. The aftermath of military attack shows wives and fields captured by others. In verses 10-12: The refrain of accusation from 6.13-15 is repeated here to explain why the invasion must occur. Everyone is deluded and everyone sins. In verses 14-15 : The people speak in confusion and blame God for failing them. Their voice may reflect the feelings of the book's audience in exile, even though their speech is here set before the recounting of the tragedy. In verses 16-17: God replies by calling attention to the sound of the approaching battle,. Comments or Questions..

Reading forJuly 2nd

 Read Jeremiah 8.1-3. In the horrifying conclusion to the sermon, the kings, who are not only the leaders but also symbolize the nation itself, will die and their corpses will be dishonored. The sermon seeks to bring about obedience and true worship. The people must listen to the voice of God though the prophet. If the book's audience lives in exile, then the sermon makes clear that only true worship will bring about renewed life in the land. Comments or Questions.. 

Reading for July 1st

 Read Jeremiah 7.21-34. In verse 29: A poetic verse urges the people to lament, for God has rejected their worship. In verses 30-32: People offer their children in sacrifice on Topheth in the Valley of Hinnom. In verses 33-34: For these crimes the nation will be destroyed. Their corpses will be littered about, normal life in the land will cease, and the land will become a waste. Comments or Questions..

Reading for June 30th

 Read 7.8-20. In 7.8-8.3: The sermon mpves in a downward spiral of offenses. In 7.9: The people commit crimes and worship Baal, a storm deity, not the God of Israel. In verses 12-15: For these offenses, Jerusalem will become like Shiloh, a shrine in the northern kingdom that was destroyed by the Philistines. The Jerusalem Temple will meet the same fate if the people of Judah do not repent. In verses 16-17: Yet the sins of Judah are so great that God prohibits Jeremiah from interceding on behalf of the people. In verses 18-19: Entire families worship the astral deity called the queen of heaven. Comments or Questions..

Reading for June 29th

The Temple sermon.

Chs. 7-8: This long prose sermon presented by Jeremiah at the Temple in Jerusalem appears to interrupt the poetry of chs. 1-10. The poetry contains multiple images and voices that intrude upon each other and, in chs. 4-6, focus on the cosmic battle. The prose sermon, by contrast, contains only the voice of Jeremiah as the divine spokesperson. The sermon's subject is the hypocrisy and arrogance of the people's worship. Rather than completely changing the subject from the poetry, the Temple sermon focuses attention on one more aspect of the people's sinfulness. The people themselves, not God, should be blamed for the destruction of the nation. Judah and its capital city, Jerusalem, fell to Babylon in the sixth century BCE because their worship was false. The sermon must have been immensely shocking for its original audience. Since the time of David, the king and the Temple had been closely bound  together in the people's thinking. When David came to the throne, God promised that David's son would build the Temple and that David and his throne would be established forever (1 Sam 7.1-7). A century earlier than Jeremiah, the prophet Isaiah had interpreted the promise to David as unconditional assurance of Jerusalem's safety (Isa 36-37). By the time of Jeremiah,the people of judah seemed to think they were safe no matter what they did.

 Read Jeremiah 7.1-7. Standing at the gates of the Temple, Jeremiah tells the people that they must change their ways to dwell in this place (7.3, 7, 10,11). The "place" probably refers to the Temple, the land, and the city. To live there, they must stop their false reliance on the place itself. Instead, they must act justly toward one another. They claim God's protection in the Temple even though, by oppressing weak members of their society, they act as if they are not God's people. The threat to the nation stems notably from the invading foe but also from their own behavior Comments or Questions..

Reading for June 28th

 Read Jeremiah 6.22-30. The attacking army continues to advance against you, O daughter Zion (v. 23). In verse 26: As the symbol of the city there is nothing for her to do but to lament her fate. In verse 27: God speaks to Jeremiah to tell him his role is like one who tests the authenticity of silver. In verse 30: Judah is rejected silver. Comments or Questions..

Reading for June 27th

 Read Jeremiah 6.13-21. In verses 13-15: A refrain that will reappear in 8.10-13 charges the entire community with guilt--from the people to the leaders. everyone is greedy and leaders lie; therefore God is justified in punishing them. In verses 16-21: God assembles the nations and the earth itself as witnesses against them in the covenant lawsuit. Comments or Questions..

Reading for June 26th

Read Jeremiah 5.30-6.12. In 6.1-30: daughter Zion is attacked.  This chapter gathers images of the cosmic battle into a collection of poems from a chorus of speakers. The mythic nature of the battle increases when the text identifies daughter Zion as the object of the attack. A ferocious military nation wages war against Jerusalem, portrayed as a weaken wanton woman, defenseless in the face of her foe. In verse 1: A voice urges the children of Benjamin, one of the tribes of Judah, to flee the city for evil looms out of the north. In verses 4-7: The poem quotes the enemies' shouts as they prepare for attack. They believe they are acting under divine orders against a wicked city. In verses 10-12: Jeremiah laments the people's stubbornness. They are not even capable of hearing the prophet's warning. Comments or Questions..

Reading for June 25th

 Read Jeremiah 5.20-29. God's reluctance to punish is overcome because neither Jacob, the northern kingdom that fell to Assyria in 721 BCE, nor Judah, the southern kingdom that falls to Babylon in 587, sees, hears, or fears the Creator. Unlike the sea and the rains that stay in place and come at the proper times, the people know no boundaries in their wickedness. Comments or Questions..

Reading for June 24th

 Read Jeremiah 5.7-19. In verses 7-11: A question that will be repeated (5.29) addresses an unnamed female. She is probably daughter Zion and God's unfaithful wife (2.1-3.5). God asks if there is a way to pardon her, but she and her children have been adulterous. There is not way to avoid punishment. In verses 12-18: Further accusations of infidelity introduce another announcement of the approaching invader, a mighty nation, superhuman in it capacities. However, a prose comment promises not to completely destroy the nation. If the book's audience is the people in exile, v. 18 speaks to them directly. They are the remnant who remain after the invasion. Comments or Questions..

Reading for June 23rd

 Read Jeremiah 5.1-6. In 5.1-31: God's reluctance to send the attackers. These loosely connected poems show that God does not wish to destroy the nation. Instead, the people are at fault because they will not act justly or repent. God is neither arbitrary nor whimsical in orchestrating the attack on the nation. In verses 1-6: God will not destroy the nation if Jeremiah can find one righteous person. Though he runs up and down the streets of Jerusalem to the rich and the poor, Jeremiah's search is unsuccessful. God promises invasion by wild animals, which symbolize the invading army. Comments or Questions..

Reading for June 22nd

 Read Jeremiah 4.23- 31. In verses 23-28: Creation destroyed. The  speaker describes a terrifying vision of destruction that reverses the world's creation in the first chapter of Genesis. This picture of the earth as a divested landscape, waste and void, implies the cosmic battle somehow overturns the world. The impact of the historical invasion of Judah by Babylon meant the end of their national world, the collapse of daily life in their land. The poem describes the symbolic effects of that invasion. Judah's world has come to an end. In verses 29-31: The battle draws near as suggested by the noise of the attack and the flight of the inhabitants. this poem portrays the city of Jerusalem as a woman called daughter Zion.. She is probably God's first wife in 2.1-3.25. Portraying the city as a woman indicates how impossible defense against the advancing army is for her and creates pity in the reader. Comments or Questions..

Reading for June 21st

 The approaching enemy.

In chs. 4-6: No narrative unifies these poems, but the approaching foe looms over the chapters and gives them menacing drama. The voices of God, Jeremiah, a narrator, the people, daughter Zion, and the foe from the north--all speak and argue about God's role in the coming invasion. The battle poems use great art in portraying war. Scenes of approaching armies appeal to the senses and give the superhuman enemy from the north shape in the imagination. With few details of sight and sound, the poems place readers in the thick of the battle.

Read Jeremiah 4.5-22. The sound of the trumpet and the sight of the standard or flag of the army evoke the battle. In verses 6-7: References to the mythic foe add to the unearthly terror coming upon the nation. The enemy is a lion, magnified into a destroyer of nations. Since God is the one bringing the foe, supernatural forces are arrayed against the nation. In verses 19-22: Although God brings the enemy, God also witnesses the battle with uncontrollable anguish . Comments or Questions.

Reading for June 20th

 THE COSMIC BATTLE

In Chs. 4-10: Chapter 4 turns away from the story of the broken family to give prominence to announcements of imminent invasion by the "foe from the "north." The material in this section is largely poetic, but some prose passages as well (4.1-8.3). Although individual passages probably came from many different times, they are collected here around the theme of cosmic destruction at the hands of the mythic "foe" from the north.

Read 4.1-4. In 4.1-4: Repent. This poem reaches back to the broken marriage by repeating the invitation to "return," and it extends forward in the book by promising God's wrathful judgement against those who do not repent. Comments or Questions..

Reading for June 19th

 Read Jeremiah 3.19-24. Though still nostalgic for his wife (2.19-20), the husband/father again invites the children to "return" and promises to heal them. In verses 22-24: The children then begin to speak, addressing the father directly and repenting of their infidelity and idolatry. The family is partially restored. the account of the broken family symbolically retells the entire course of Judah's history up to the Exile. It is likely that the children symbolize the exiles who were invited to return and promised a renewed future in allegiance to their father. The story of this broken family explains the Exile symbolically. The historical destruction of Judah and Jerusalem was not God's fault but was punishment for idolatry and betrayal. That betrayal by all the people appears the more intimate and wrong because it is like betrayal by a spouse. Comments or Questions..

Reading for June 18th

 Read Jeremiah 3.6-18. In verses 6-10: Jeremiah replaces the husband as speaker and reports that the husband had previously had another wife, Israel who also betrayed him and whom he had also divorced. In the story of the family, both the northern and southern kingdoms have betrayed God and been cast off. Since the northern kingdom of Israel fell to Assyria in 721 BCE, this story explains that historical tragedy in the symbolic terms of betrayal in marriage. In verses 11-18: The divine husband sends Jeremiah to the first wife and invite her to return. The text reports no response from her. Then the invitation to return is addressed to the children (v. 14). Their father promises them restoration and reunification of the whole people in Jerusalem (vv. 15-18). Comments or Questions..

Reading for June 17th

 Read Jeremiah 3.1-5. The relationship between God and his wife, symbolizing all the people of Israel and Judah, is over. The family is broken and there appears to be no future. Comments or Questions..

Reading for June 16th

 Read Jeremiah 2.4-37. In these poems, the divine speaker alternates in addressing male Israel (2.4-16; 2.26-32) and female Judah, portrayed as God's wife (2.17-25; 2.33-3.5). The effect of this switch from male to female is to accuse both figures of infidelity and of going after other gods or lovers. Male Israel changes its gods (2.11), forsakes God, the fountain of living water (2.13), digs its own sources of water (2.13) and worships idols (2.27-28). Wife Judah also betrays God, but in more intimate ways. Though she is God's wife, she played the whore (2.20), went after other lovers (2.23-25, 33; 3.1), and would not return to her husband (3.1). Comments or Questions..

Reading for June 15th

 The broken family

In Chs. 2-3: A story of a broken family underlies and unifies the poetry and prose of this section. The account of this family functions as a summary of the whole book in symbolic form. God appears as husband and father, betrayed, brokenhearted and in search of reconciliation with his unfaithful wife and children.

Read 2.1-2: God speaks and addresses his wife, remembering how good it was during their honeymoon. Then God addresses male Israel in similar terms. Israel was holy to the Lord. Both female and male were set apart and protected. Comments or Questions..

Reading for June 14th

 Read Jeremiah 1.11-19. Jeremiah's gains substance from two visions written in prose. In verses 11-13: Jeremiah sees a branch of an almond tree, a "shaqed" in Hebrew. In a play on words, God replies, I am watching ("shoqed") over my word to perform it. What God says through Jeremiah will happen. Next Jeremiah sees a boiling pot, tilted away from the north. The boiling pot is a symbol of destruction, overflowing and burning. The north may refer to a historic enemy, but more likely the threat from the north refers to a mythic enemy, coming like a superhuman monster. Only in 20.4 will the foe from the north be identified as Baylon. In verses 14-18: The tilting pot will spill out an army of invaders who will stream upon the land. God is calling the kingdoms of the north to invade Jerusalem. Jeremiah himself should have courage throughout the terror, for God will be with him. Comments or Questions..

Reading for June 13th

 Read Jeremiah 1.1-10. Chs. 1-10: Cosmic destruction. Ch. 1: Jeremiah's call. In verses 1-3: The introductory verse tells who Jeremiah was and when he prophesied. He was from a family of priests from the town outside Jerusalem, Anaoth. His call came during the time of King Josiah and extended until the fall of Jerusalem to Babylon in 587 BCE, a 40-year period that symbolically links him with Moses' 40 years of leadership in the wilderness. Jeremiah is presented as a prophet like Moses, as promised in Deut 18.18. In verses 4-10: In a poetic conversation between God and Jeremiah, Jeremiah receives his mission. His call before birth indicates that his prophecy was not his own invention but given to him by God. His resistance on the grounds that he is only a boy and so cannot speak properly also indicates that God has sent him; he has not chosen this task for himself. God tells him not to be afraid, promises to be with him, and touches his mouth. This gesture symbolizes the divine origin of the words Jeremiah speaks and the words recorded in this book. The book claims that Jeremiah's words are from God. In verse 10: Jeremiah is a prophet to the nations and will tear down and build up. This short poem gives Jeremiah and his book authority in the face of opposition. Comments or Questions..

Reading for June 12th

 Read Philippians 4.21-23. In 4.21-23: Closing. Mutual greetings (compare 1 Cor 16.19-21; 1 Thess 5.26-27) and a blessing (compare Philemon). In verse 22: The emperor's household, the slaves of the emperor in Rome or the colonies. Comments or Questions..

Reading for June 11th

Read Philippians 4.8-20.  In 4.8-20: A call for consistency in all situations. A brief, poetic passage commends right thinking and right action (vv. 8-9) and notes the proper attitude toward changing circumstances (vv. 10-20). In verses 8-9: The whatever statements indicate a series of attitudes for living that can help the community face any difficulty. In verse 10: Revived your concern, the Philippians maintained concern for Paul even when they could not express it. In verses 10-13: Paul's attitude resembles Cynic and Stoic discussions of his time, but he does not see the source of endurance in himself. Paul challenges the Philippians to learn the value of "humiliation," shunned by conventional society but reinforced elsewhere in the letter (2.3, 8; 3.21). In verses 15-19: The community never lacked concern for him (v. 10), even though he neither needed nor sought it. Their reward is from God. In verse 16: Paul never accepted gifts from a church while he was with them (see 1 Cor 9; 1Thess 2.9; 2 Cor 8.1-5). In verse 18: On sacrifice see 2.17. Comments or Questions...

Reading for June 10th

 Read Philippians 4.2-7. In 4.2-7: Exhortations to overcome disunity and opposition. In verse 2: Be of the same mind: The point of disagreement is unknown, but a number of the letter's key expressions (same mind, struggled side by side, work of the gospel) come together here. Book of life, see Ex 32.32; Ps 69.28; Dan 12.1. In verses 4-7: Brief exhortations to develop the right attitude; guard, a military term, describes God's peace. Comments or Questions..

Reading for June 9th

 Read Philippians 3.1b-4.1. In 3.1b-4.1: The example of Paul. A transition (v. 1) and warning (v. 2) lead into Paul's renunciation of his advantages to counter any tendencies to arrogance (vv. 3-11). He commends perfection but notes, a play on words, how perfect people (relatively speaking) know they have not reached perfection (vv. 12-16). Finally, while enemies of the cross have an earthly orientation, Paul commends a heavenly citizenship in which the believers await the glorification in the future (3.17-4.1). In verse 1: To write the same things, probably about disunity; Paul positions the words he writes about his own life as a safeguard for the community's problems. In verse 2: Beware, repeated three times, or "watchout for," warns about a possibility, not what already exists. Verses 2 and 18-19 likely refer to practices of the community, rather than actual opponents, that breed disunity. Dogs in ancient writing were examples of shameless greed. In verse 3: Circumcision, metaphorically, God's people. In verse 7: Regard echoes 2.3, which commends church-members to "regard other better than themselves," and 2.6 which asserts that Jesus did not "equality with God as something exploited." In verse 10: Becoming like ("symmorphizomenos") Jesus, a link to 2.7, in which Jesus took on the "form" ("morphen") of a slave. In verses 13-14: The image is of running a race. In verse 17: Imitation, see 1 Cor.16; 11.1; 1 Thess 1.6. In verse 20: Citizenship, not political but heavenly. See Gal 4.26. Comments or Questions.. 

Reading for June 8th

 Read Philippians 2.9-3.1a. In 2.19-3.1a: Timothy and Epaphroditus: examples of unselfishness. Timothy (2.19-24) and Epaphroditus (2.25-20), examples of unselfishness concerned with the whole church. In verse 22: Timothy, see Acts 16.1-3; 1 Cor 16.10-11; 1 Thess 3.1-6> In verse 25: Epaphroditus, see 4.18; Col 1.7; Philem 23. In verses 29-30: Honor such people, Paul continues to redefine honor: Honor those who risk their lives for Christ (2.30). In 1a: Finally, a transition (aslo at 4.8). Comments or Questions..

Reading for June 7th

 Read Philippians 12-18. In 1.12-18: Applying the hymn to life. Based on the honor of being a slave who brings glory to God, Paul commends efforts that seek to please God, oriented toward the day of Christ, for God began and would continue to work among the Philippians until it was completed on that day (1.6). In verse 12: Work out or "work forth" (that is demonstrate) salvation, a work that is not yet complete. In verse 15: Crooked and perverse generation (Deut 32.5), in contrast to God's blameless children who shine like the stars. In verse 16: Labor, Paul's efforts in proclaiming the gospel, oriented to the day of Christ on which he can boast if his church holds fast. In verse 17: Being poured out as a libation over the sacrifice, Paul's present suffering for the gospel. Later, he views the Philippian's gift as a "sacrifice," That is a financial hardship on behalf of the gospel (4.18). Comments or Questions..

Reading for June 6th

 EXAMPLES OF THE GOSPEL'S RECONFIGURATION OF HONOR

In 2.1-4.7: Specific examples of Jesus (2.6-11), Timothy and Epaphroditus (2.19-3.1a) and Paul himself (3.1b-4.1a) expresses the frame of mind Paul commends before he exhorts the Philippians toward unity in the church (4.1b-7).

Read Philippians 2.1-11. In verses 1-4: The proper mind. The Philippians must seek true honor, not their own glory. In verse 1: If there is any encouragement in Christ ..., not an expression of doubt but a call for consideration. In verse 2: Make my joy complete, that is more joy than he already has despite difficult circumstances; an appeal based on the common benefits he and his audience share as believers. In verse 3: Self-centered ambition seeks to elevate one's own status (1.15, 17); conceit, "empty glorying," is an improper motive when the goal of life is the "glory" of God (1.11; see 4.20). In verses 6-11: A hymn on Jesus' unselfish disposition. It is unclear whether Paul composed this hymn himself or is quoting it. The example of Jesus is central to the message he brings the Philippians. Just as Jesus is described as a slave (v. 7), so are Paul and Timothy (1.1; 2.22). Just as Jesus submitted to the point of death (v. 8), so Epaphroditus moved "close to death" (2.30) for the sake of Christ. Voluntarily giving up privileges for the sake of others and to God's glory redefines conventional views of honor in which persons compete fiercely to gain more favor than their peers. Comments or Questions..

Reading for June 5th

 Read Philippians 1.27-30. In 1.27-30: Living worthy of the gospel. In verse 27: Live your life, literally "conduct life as a citizen" of heaven (3.20). Worthy of the gospel of Christ, that is, in a manner that does not seek one's own elevation above another (2.6-11). In verse 29: Paul suffers for the gospel to show that suffering is part of grace. In verses 27-30: A series of athletic or military images includes striving side by side (compare 4.3), struggle (the contest of defending the gospel to outsiders), and even standing firm. Comments or Questions..

Reading for June 4th

 Read Philippians 1.12-26. In 1.12-26: Suffering for the gospel. Spread (v. 12) and progress (v. 25) are the same words in Greek, unifying the two parts of the passage: Paul's joy is proclaiming Christ despite his imprisonment (1.12-18a); and his joy in the exaltation of Christ in his body whether he lives or dies (1.18b-26). Everything else--love, envy, life or death--is relative to this joy. Imprisonment (1.12-26) is an example of placing the needs of other above personal concerns. In verse 12: Spread or "progress," clearing (literally "cutting") a path for an army; see v. 25. In verse 13:Whole imperial guard: In Rome, "praetorium" is the emperor's elite soldiers: in Asia Minor, it is the provincial residence of any Roman administrator. In verse 16: Defense of the Gospel, the effort to convince outsiders of the gospel's values. In verse 20: Put to shame, made ashamed because of the paradox of good news about the shameful death of Jesus. Paul will not be ashamed because his circumstances exalt Christ. Comments or Questions..

Reading for June 3rd

 Read Philippians 1.3-11. In 1.3-11: Thanksgiving. Preview of the letter's themes. In verse 6: The work extends through life, emanating from God until consummation of the new age. The day of Jesus Christ (compare Amos 5.20; Zeph 1.15) refers to the return of Jesus (see Cor 1.8). In verse 7: Think (2.2, 5; 3.15,19; 4.2, 10), moral reasoning or correct disposition of the mind. Heart , one's inner life, not simply feelings. NRSV share is actually a noun, "partnership" between Paul and his audience. This is one of several compound words (1.17, 27; 2.2, 17-18, 25; 3.21; 4.3, 14) with a syn-prefix (meaning "with"), emphasizing unity. Confirmation, establishing the gospel in believers. In verse 8: Compassion, affection. In verse 9: Knowledge through experience of what really matters so that conduct brings glory and praise to God. In verse 11: Harvest of righteousness, apocalyptic imagery that places present-day problems in the setting of the end time. Comments or Questions..

Reading for June 2nd

 Read Philippians 1.1-2. In 1.1-2: Opening. In verse 1: Servants, literally "slaves" (douloi"), anticipates 2.7, "slave" ("douloi"), the form Jesus took in becoming a human being, and 2.22, Timothy "slaved" ("endouleusen") for the gospel. In verse 2: Bishops and deacons, leadership titles, either functions ("overseers" and "servers") or specific offices, like clergy today. Comments or Questions..

Reading for June 1st

 Read Isaiah 66.1-24. In 66.1-24: Final warnings and consolations for Jerusalem. In verses 1-5: The final chapter of the book of Isaiah sets out a fresh several basic themes that have appeared and reappeared throughout the book. Of primary importance is the demand for truth and sincerity in worship. The public performance of ritual and piety shows loyalty to God, but such outward actions must be matched by an inner spirit (see 1.12-17; 29.13). Verse 1 is not a rejection of the Temple, but rather defines its true purpose. In verses 6-11: In spite of the many conflicts and setbacks that have marred Jerusalem's history, the promises of God for the blessing of Israel as people remained valid. In verses 12-16: The message of reassurance and hope for the future of Jerusalem did not mean, however, that the wrongdoing would pass without judgment. In verse 17: Reference to the forbidden foods recalls the warning of 65.4. In verses 18-21: The return of all those who had been exiled from Judah and Israel would mark the fulfillment of God's promise for the people. In verses 22-23: The prophecies of Isaiah set a goal for all nations. All humankind (all flesh) were bound together in one world and would, therefore, ultimately share a single destiny. In verse 24: Divine judgment cannot be evaded. God's call is an imperious command, and the disobedient cannot participate in the final glory of God's kingdom. Comments or Questions.. 

Reading for May 31st

 Read Isaiah 65.17-25. In verses 17-25: God is still in control of human history. The prophet was aware of the promises earlier in Isaiah; v. 25 recalls the promise in 11.6-9. Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 30th

 Read Isaiah 65.1-16. In 65.1-25: The promise of a new heaven and a new earth. In verses 1-7: Chapters 63-66 carry forward the essential message of Isaiah's prophecies into a new age that came with the return from exile. Idolatry marked relapse into indifference to God. The strange and crude rites described in vv. 3-4 were designed to conjure up and manipulate magical power. The belief that human beings could perform symbolic rituals and eat strange food (magic potions) to make themselves holy (v. 5), and thereby gain power to harm or heal others, represented a very ancient (v. 7) and superstitious tradition. In verses 8-16: How could God punish the wrongdoers without destroying the whole community of Judah? The prophetic answer is that, for the present, both groups must coexist, but that God has reserved a future judgment to bless those who are faithful, but to punish those who are guilty (vv. 8-13). Then the very different fates allotted to  the two groups will become plain (vv. 13-16). Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 29th

 Read Isaiah 64.1-12. In 64.1-12: The silence of God. In verses 1-7: The present situation appeared as a contradiction to God's power (v.4). The reason for this lay with the sins of the present generation, which now came in penitent lamentation to confess the rebelliousness to God (vv. 6-7). In verses 8-12: Even in its failures, Israel remained God's people and confess its wrong doing and return to God. The renewed conflict and destruction (v. 11) had arisen in the wake of the rebuilding of the Temple. Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 28th

 Read Isaiah 63.1-19. In 63.1-19: The day of vengeance. In verses 1-6: In vivid and frightening imagery, human frustration and longing for the end of violence calls forth this powerful picture of God acting alone to pass judgement on the warring nations. Where no human ruler could impose justice and peace (v. 5), God had to act directly and decisively (vv. 5-6). In verses 7-14: In the past, God's presence had accompanied the people and given them victory over their enemies (v. 9). In the present, the rebelliousness of the people grieved the spirit of God, aroused the divine anger, and led to failure and defeat (v. 10). The people of Israel had learned this lesson in the past when failure humbled them (see Josh 7.1-26), and now they had to relearn it (vv. 11-14). In verses 15-19: Even after temporary success had brought about partial change in Judah's fortunes (v. 18), new threats and new oppressions had robbed the people of the justice and prosperity they sought (v. 19). Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 27th

 Read Isaiah 62.1-12. In 62.1-12: A city not forsaken. In verses 1-5: As the situation in Jerusalem failed to change after the downfall of Babylon, the prophet reassured the people of God's intense love for the city. These are presented here in terms of the intense love for the city (vv. 4-5). In verses 6-9: The wealth and food that foreigners took were prime examples of the frustrations and disappointments of the past. The people must pray that such injustice never again occurs (vv. 8-9). In verses 10-12: A note of urgency colors the prophet's insistence that God's promise will not fail. Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 26th

 Read Isaiah 61.1-11. In 61.1-11: The year of the Lord's favor. In verses 1-4: All that God had promised regarding the rebuilding and restoration of Jerusalem would shortly be fulfilled. In verses 5-9: Expectation of God's direct action to overthrow the present world order becomes a marked feature of the hope expressed throughout chs. 56-66. Where chs. 40-55 had recognized the hand of God at work in the rise of Cyrus, king of Persia, to direct the destiny of Judah, now Israel awaits a more direct divine intervention. In verses 8-11: Assurance that this transformation will take place derives from the very nature of God. Love of justice and hatred of all forms of wrongdoing are aspects of God's rule. Comments or Questions.

Reading for May 25th

 Vision of the new Jerusalem.

In chs. 60-62: After setbacks and dissensions in chs. 56-59.  60--62 recover the vision of the future central to chs. 40-55. Jerusalem will be rebuilt, a city of peace and righteousness. These chapters reflect the spiritual reawakening that came with the rebuilding and restoration of the Temple in Jerusalem in 520-516 BCE. More broadly, these chapters express a positive, if ideal, portrayal of human beings living in peace, prosperity, and harmony. They reveal a goal to strive for, not a simplistic expectation of a condition of human a happiness that will drop down as a gift from heaven. 

Read Isaiah 60.1-22. In 60.1-22: Arise, shine for your light has come. In verses 1-7: The expected return had not occurred. At best, only token numbers of the former population had come back. The vision of a great return was still a distant dream. A new pattern of Jewish life emerged that established rules of conduct for living as peaceably as possible in alien lands. In verses 8-14; The high point of the great vision of 45.22-23, that foreigners too would share in the coming salvation and prosperity, is here sharply reduced to granting them the role of being servants and suppliers to the restored Israel. In verses 15-22: Hope for the future Jerusalem as a city of wealth, learning, and authority contrasts with the revelations of conflict and violence that 59.1-8 has revealed. The need to restore a vision of God's intentions for Jerusalem became urgent as a counterweight to the current difficulties. The Temple was restored and a new focus provided for those who worshipped the Lord in every land. Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 24th

 Read Isaiah 59.9-21. In verses 9-15a: The Lack of an effective administration of justice allowed violence and corruption to flourish. Those who had won power under foreign masters were now unwilling to relinquish control and to empower a new order of religious leaders. It was not until the work of Ezra and Nehemiah, in the middle of the fifth century BCE, that the situation began to be put right. In verses 15b-21: Without protection that God alone can bring,the helplessness described so vividly in vv. 10-11 must continue. The assurance in v. 21 that God's word will prove effective indicates that Chs. 56-59, at one time, formed a separate collection to which this section was a conclusion. Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 23rd

 Read Isaiah 59.1-8. In 9.1-21: Why God's face is hidden. In verses 1-8: God's salvation has not come, not because God is weak and powerless, but because the people's wrongdoing creates barrier between themselves and God (vv. 1-2). The rebukes (vv. 3-8) condemn violence, injustice and brigandage, whether arising from lack of any recognized authority to implement justice, or whether because those who weld power in Jerusalem are themselves the chief culprits. Comments or Questions...

Reading for May 22nd

 Read Isaiah 58.1-14. In 58.1-14: The fast acceptable to God.  In verses 1-10: A fresh problem concerns those who maintain a bold public display of piety, but whose actions and way of life flout the basic requirements of justice and goodness. The central issue is fasting, self-denial aimed at concentrating mind and body on prayer, which was publicly declared by wearing sackcloth (a rough garment) and smearing the face and hands with ashes (symbol of mortality) (v. 5). Yet such deeds unaccompanied by compassion and concern for those less fortunate were meaningless to God (vv. 6-9). In verses 11-14: The efforts to restore Jerusalem had focused on externals--restoring ancient buildings and replanting neglected fields--instead of the inner recovery of spiritual health and wholeness. Only a renewal of this inner direction of life could bring about the true rebuilding of the city. Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 21st

 Read Isaiah 57.1-21. In 57.1-21: No peace for the wicked. In verses 1-10: The sense of disunity within Jerusalem reveals that the end of the captivity had not brought an end to its troubles. It had simply given rise to new ones. There was injustice and false and immoral worship, tolerated under foreign rule (vv. 5-7). Old customs of gods worshipped for centuries throughout the region (v. 9) had ben revived while the Temple of the Lord lay in ruins. Molech is probably one of the titles of Baal, a god especially linked with child sacrifice. In verses 11-21: The sharp prophetic critique of wrongdoing within the community that characterizes earlier prophecies reappears here with added vigor (see 5.11-25). The warning of 48.22 that there would be no peace for the wicked receives a dismal confirmation in the vain efforts of those who try to secure it (vv. 19-21). There is note of both lamentation and despair in the repetition of God's call to build and be patient (vv. 14-19) and the response of vv. 20-21, affirming that the wicked are incapable of creating peace. Comment or Questions.. 

Reading for May 20th

 Read Isaiah 56.1- 12. In 56.1-12: Soon my salvation will come. In verses 1-8: The call to rebuild Jerusalem had been an open invitation (especially 55.6-7). This openness, however, did not take into account strong traditional rules, concerning who belonged in God's family (see Deut 23.1-8). Now these rules were being used to exclude those, such as foreigners and eunuchs, who were treated as outcasts (v. 3), even though this mocked the Temple as a house of prayer (v. 7). In verses 9-12: This sharp rebuke addressed to the blind and silent dogs reflects the bitter divisions that had emerged within the community. Most likely the presence of returned exiles contributed to this bitterness with those already holding positions of power in Jerusalem reluctant to give it up. Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 19th

 Read Isaiah 55.6- 13. The concluding unit (vv. 6-13) makes a rich and memorable appeal concerning the power of the divine word given through the prophet and the certainty that will accomplish its purpose. What appeared impossible to the human mind was possible with God (vv. 8-9). As rain and snow made the earth fertile and productive, so would God's word prove equally effective in achieving its intended purpose (v. 10). The promise of v. 13 summarizes in pictorial language the message of hope for the future by insisting that the ruination of the vineyard of God (Israel) by briers and thorns would be a feature of the past (see 5.6). Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 18th

 Read Isaiah 55.1-5. In 55.1-13: Seek the Lord while he may be found. Although this chapter concludes of the prophet of the return, chs. 54 and 55 form a bridge to 56-66. Two separate units are in the present chapter. In verses 1-5 The first unit concerns God's promise to the royal dynasty of David (2 Sam 7.1-7), an everlasting covenant (v. 3). This covenant is an act of God's love, an unmerited gift. Along with the promises set out in 11.1-5 and 32.1-8, it affirms that God will hold fast to the unqualified promise that, through the authority entrusted to this royal dynasty of kings, Israel will exercise leadership over the nations (v. 5). This can mean either that, although the royal family itself would not return to the throne, leadership among the nations would be shared throughout the servant-nation, or that the restoration of the Davidic monarchy is promised here. The course of the events in the following half-century reveals that such an expectation remained alive and exercised a strong political influence, even though it failed to reach fruition. In later years, a larger "messianic" interpretation concerning the coming of a divinely sent savior was built on this, and the other royal prophecies, of the book of Isaiah and Psalms. Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 17th

 Read Isaiah 54.1-17. In 54.1-17: Consolation for the new Jerusalem. In verses 1-8: The city must put behind it the memory of its past, forgetting its shame and disappointments. It must instead make plans for enlargement and growth (vv. 2-3). Using the peaceful imagery of widowhood, the prophet looks ahead to the prosperous and bustling future that awaits (vv. 6-7). In verses 9-17: Another lesson from the traditions of the past is the lesson of Noah, who after ending the great Deluge was the recipient of a divine promise that never again would such a catastrophe overtake humankind (see Gen 9.8-17). So God would ensure that Jerusalem's citizens were taught the divine way (v. 13), and those who brought strife (v. 15), or made war against the city, would fail in their purpose (v. 17). Comments and Questions..

Reading for May 16th

 Read Isaiah 52.13-53.12. In 52.13-53.12: The suffering servant. One of the most remarkable passages in all prophetic literature, this is the fourth of the distinctive Servant passages, or Songs, which describe the fate of Israel as the servant of God. The servant will suffer as a result of his commitment to the task (50.4-9). Now what the suffering entails is spelled out in all its horrifying detail. This enigmatic passage seems to combine many experiences. Even if the references in 53.8-9 are not actual death but to an extreme of suffering, the prophet himself cannot have written it. It is not the death and torture of one person alone is being being reported here. The servant mission is divisive in its challenge. Not all the prophet's hearers respond to his demands, and many have already shown themselves to be rebellious and unresponsive. It is those who have identified themselves with this servant task, who have bore rebukes, reproaches, and wounds of their fellow, whose fate is described here. So the prophet has woven into one tapestry of suffering the terrifying experiences that many had undergone. It is a mission portrait of servanthood. There is a positive and reassuring outlook that sees beyond the immediate pain to the rich reward of such endurance (53.12). It is not a resurrection of an individual that is described in he shall see his offspring, and shall prolong his days (53.10-11). Rather it is the fruit that will be borne by those who assume the servant's task and find that for all its pain, it gains a portion with the great (v. 12). Moreover, a remarkable sensitivity to the way in which the righteous often suffer at the hands of wrongdoers leads to a new perception of the meaning of suffering. The righteous individual may bear the sin of the many who are guilty. Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 15th

 Read Isiah 52.1-12. In 52.1-12: Put on your beautiful garments. In verses 1-2: The uncircumcised and unclean are the foreigners who ruled over Jerusalem. Once God's people had returned to take control of their beloved city, then this hated foreign rule would be ended. In verses 3-6: This short prose digression summarizes Israel's sufferings at the hands of foreigners. It looks ahead to the time when the promises and assurances of chs. 40-55 will have been fulfilled. In verses 7-10: In this prophetic image watchmen on the city walls see a messenger bringing news of Israel's deliverance (from the power of Babylon). When God's people return to Zion, then God will return to be with them (v. 8). In verses 11-12: The command to depart is a reference to the many places of exile to which Jerusalem's citizens had been driven. In contrast to the departure of Israel's forbearers from Egypt--the event that marked the beginning of the nation's history--this departure would not be in haste (see Ex 12.39); now it wouldn't include the plundering of their captors (v. 11; see Ex 12.35-36). Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 14th

 Read Isaiah 51.9-23. In verses 9-16: Cut Rahab in pieces refers to the ancient pictorial account of creation in which the earth was formed by cutting in pieces a great dragon monster, here called Rahab (see Leviathan in 27.1). Dried up the sea (v. 10) combines themes from creation, when dry land appeared amid the ocean (see Gen 1.9-10), and the drying up of the sea in the miraculous crossing, when the ancestors of the nation fled from Egypt (see Ex 14.21-22). In verses 17-23 Jerusalem is directly addressed and it's ruined state vividly described (v. 23). Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 13th

 Read Isaiah 51.1-8. In 51.1-23: Stand up, O Jerusalem. In verses 1-8: A fresh argument strengthen the appeal, Abraham was but one when God call him (v. 2). Yet from this one man a whole nation came into being. How much more certainly is God capable or restoring the scattered remnants of Israel. God's salvation is even more certain and secure than is the sky above. Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 12th

 Read Isaiah 50.1-11. In 50.1-11: Israel servant and rebel. In verses 1-3: The opening questions highlights the need for choice between a positive believing response and an unbelieving rejection.These differing responses show the contrast between the submissive and obedient servant and the mocking and insolent rebels. In verses 4-9: The third of the four Servant Songs shows that the servant undergoes humiliation and rejection in the course of fulfilling his mission. The autobiographical form shows how wholeheartedly the  prophet identifies himself with the mission of servant-Israel. In verses 10-11: The prophet contrasts those who seek light (salvation) in order to walk by it, and those who use torches (firebrands) to kindle destruction (see 10.17 for a similar use of the picture of light becoming fire). Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 11th

 Read Isaiah 49.14-26. In verses 14-21: The apparent impossibility of the promised restoration of the ruined city is now possible due to the compassion and love that God has for it (vv. 14-16).  In verses 22-26: What might sometimes rarely be possible in human terms--that a human tyrant may set free his captives (v. 25)--is possible with God. Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 10th

 Read Isaiah 49.1-13. In 49.1-26: The servant's mission to the world. In verses 1-6: The second of the four Servant Songs. Israel's servant mission will reach beyond the survivors of the former Israel, and will bring light (salivation) to the nations (v. 6). Servant-Israel (v. 3) also has a mission to Israel, suggesting that Israel may have been added later. More probably, one part of the nation has a mission to the other part. In verses 8-13: The task of restoring the tribes of Jacob (v. 6) consists or establishing the land, apportioning the desolate heritages, and releasing the prisoners. Exiles will be able to return. Syene (perhaps southerner Egypt) is an example of the distant locations to which the people had fled. Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 9th

 Read Isaiah 48.9-22. In verses 9-16: Because the Lord is forgiving and gracious, even imperfect Israel may, with God's help, fulfill a great purpose (vv. 9-11). What would be impossible for a people left to their own resources was possible with God (vv.12-16). In verses 17-22: The concluding command: Go out from Babylon, flee from Chalea. Fleeing from Babylon would be like the flight from Egypt by which Israel had first achieved its freedom (v. 21). So it was appropriate to recall the providential care which had made that beginning possible. Once again God would if necessary, bring water from the rock to sustain the returning exiles (see Ex 17.1-7). A final word or warning (v. 22) is a necessary addition to the message concerning Israel's rebellious nature that echoes through the chapter (vv. 1, 4, 5, 18). From the very beginning Israel had received great promises but had failed to respond (v. 18). That could happen again and those who, in pursuit of peace, shunned the risks and dangers of the journey home would find they enjoyed a worthless tranquillity. Comments or Questions...

Reading for May 8th

 Read Isaiah 48.1-8. In 48.1-22: Reassurance for God's people. In verses 1-8: A significant change of mood occurs with less attention to the rise of Cyrus, although his imminent defeat of Babylon is still taken for granted (v. 14). Instead the prophet addresses Israel, preparing its survivors to make a positive response to the new message of hope. The high mission of Israel contrasts with the persistent unbelief and self-pity of Israel's response. This ambiguity is clear in the rebuke that is added to the privileged title of Israel: who invoke the God of Israel, but not in truth or right (v. 1). Offering fine prayers to God was not in itself proof that they were sincerely meant. The evidence that God is guiding Israel is found in the fulfillment of prophecies (v. 3). Yet if the people had been reluctant to believe and act upon prophecies that had been fulfilled, how would they believe new ones? The failures and rebelliousness of the past are the reason for making sure that such mistakes were not repeated in the present (v. 8). Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 7th

 Read Isiah 47.1- 15. In 47.1-15: The fall of Babylon. In verses 1-9: Babylon is depicted as a mature young lady, accustomed to pampered luxury, but suddenly seized, stripped, and humiliated. The empire had absorbed many nations and had plundered their lands and treasures, showing no pity even to the weakest (v. 6). The proud assumption that her power would remain unchecked forever (v. 8) had encouraged the city to revel in it excesses, without pity or compassion. Now the pain she had inflicted on others would be brought home to her. In verses 10-15: It is by divine authority that such terrible retribution comes. Babylon's elaborate rituals and techniques for uncovering the mysteries of the future could not fend off the disaster. The all-consuming fire ravaging the countryside concludes this forewarning of Babylon's imminent downfall. This is not gloating over an enemy so much as the conviction that a divine will for justice ultimately shapes the course of human history. Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 6th

 Read Isaiah 46.1-13. In 46.1-13: The uselessness of false gods. In verses 1-7: The theme of idolatry highlights the helpless situation of the priests and worshippers of Babylon. With Babylon facing imminent capture, those who cared for the images of the gods would soon be forced to flee with them to a place of safety (v. 1). Yet they would not find it. There would be no place to hide, and the absurdity of human beings trying to save their gods shows they are in reality no god at all. The true deity is the one who carries, not who is carried (vv. 6-7). In verses 8-11: The true God shapes the destiny of nations (vv. 10-11). The bird or prey is the man for my purpose from a far country, none other than Cyrus, who will bring release to Israel. In verses 12-13: Rebuilding and restoring the ruined Jerusalem is God's salvation. God's deliverance has a very practical aspect to it. Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 5th

 Read Isaiah 45.18-25. The prophet turns to address the many nations of the world. If God can shape the destiny of Israel, God's purpose is that every nation should know that there is no God but one and worship this one God alone. Those who had once made light of it (see 36.18-20) will be ashamed of their foolishness (v. 24) and confess that Israel was the first of many nations to acknowledge the Lord God. Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 4th

 Read Isaiah 45.8-17. Human beings cannot challenge God's declared purpose any more than clay can question a potter (v. 9). Nor can people question parents as to the kind of offspring they will bring into the world (vv. 10-11). Even the distant tribes of North Africa will recognize Israel's God (v. 14). To exchange knowledge of this true God for the spurious aid of an idol would be utter folly (v. 16). Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 3rd

 Read Isaiah 45.1-7. In 45.1-25: Turn to me and be saved. In verses 1-7: Cyrus is the world conqueror whom God has chosen to overthrow the power of Babylon and enable the survivors of Israel to return to their homeland, a reaffirmation of the sovereign power of the Lord God (v. 7). This verse expresses fully the claim that God, as God of all nations, is all-powerful. Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 2nd

 Read Isaiah 44.21-28. Jerusalem will be rebuilt, the restored city will be inhabited once again and a new Temple will be constructed (vv. 26-28). The designation of the Persian ruler Cyrus as God's shepherd (v. 28) and "anointed" (45.1) includes titles used of Israelite kings (for "shepherd" as a title of kings and rulers, see Jer 23.1-5; Ezek 34.1-24). Even foreign and pagan ruler who attained world power did so as the agent of the God of Israel who directed the course of history. Jews living outside the land used this language to show due recognition to the rulers of the nations among whom they lived. Such an understanding did not, however, entirely rule out a special role for the surviving dynasty of David (see 55.3-5). Comments or Questions..

Reading for May 1st

 Read Isaiah 44.1-20. In 44.1-28: Do not fear, or be afraid. In verses 1-8: Just as God's rainstorm transforms desert into fertile land (v. 3), so will God transform scattered and weakened Israel,. No other god can prevent this happening, and the gods themselves are nothing (v. 6). They have no witnesses among the nations who can foretell future events (v.7). In verse 9-20: A sharp reproof of idolatry: "The very fact human beings make such images demonstrate that they are false, since human beings cannot make gods" (v. 20). Comments or Questions..

Reading for April 30th

 Read Isaiah 43.14-28. In verses 14-21: Verses 16-17 refers to crossing the sea and the destruction of the pursuing Egyptians (Ex 14.15-30). The return of Israel from among the nations will constitute a new Exodus. In verses 22-28: Israel is presented on one hand as God's servant and witness to the nations and on the other as a weak and sinful people who have burdened God with their sin. Both portraits are valid. The suffering were necessary and inevitable (v. 28). Yet the consequences of Israel's wrongdoings had not been fully atoned for (see 40.2). Comments or Questions..

Reading for April 29th

 Read Isaiah 43.1-13. In 43.1-28: I will be with you. In verses 1-7: The presence of God with Israel is assured, in spite of the apparently hopeless situation in which many survivors of the nation found themselves. Their widely scattered locations reach far beyond the borders of Judah, or even Babylon. A slave's freedom could be negotiated. God would ensure that the host nations to which Judah's citizens had fled for refuge would grant them freedom to return to their homeland. In verses 8-13: The foretelling of the former things (vv. 9, 18) refers to the fulfillment of earlier prophecies, probably those now preserved in the book of Isaiah, as the allusion (v. 8) to the warning given in 6.9-10 makes clear. The Lord God of Israel providentially controls all history and is the only true God. Verse 10 shows how the title my servant could be used to describe a whole community. Comments or Questions..

Reading for April 28th

 Read Isaiah 42.14- 25. The references to the blind and deaf in vv. 16, 18-19 reverse the threatening aspect of the warnings given in 6.9-10 by the eighth-century Isaiah of Jerusalem (see further 43.8). The descriptions of the weak and distressed state out of the prophet's own people in v. 22 (see 41.7) may indicate that he himself was suffering in Babylon. It seems probable, however, that the descriptions are typical of the misfortunes that had befallen the former inhabitants of Judah in many places. The mission of servant requires a recollection (v. 24) that Israel's present situation was consequence of its own wrongdoing. Comments or Questions..

Reading for April 27th

 Read Isaiah 42.1-13. In 42.1-25: The mission of the servant. In verses 1-4: The introduction of the servant follows the pattern of a royal emissary being introduced at court. The authority of the sender in conferred on the deputy who is sent. In verses 5-9: The servant of God is to bring a light to the nations (v. 6). This is the coming of salvation and the ending of Israel's spiritual blindness (v. 7), is this promise only for the scattered survivors of Israel who dwell among the nations, or is it also for those nations themselves? Verse 49.6 answers this question: It is for everyone, although 45.22 comes very close to anticipating this message. The inescapable force of the argument that the Lord God of Israel is the creator and Lord of all nations leads to this larger hope for the nations of the world. In verses 10-13: The revelation of the new task assigned to Israel, God's servant, called forth a response of praise in the most distant places. Comments or Questions..