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..