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..