Reading for September 18th

 Read Jeremiah 48.34-39. Elam will be destroyed in a cosmic upheaval, but God will restore their fortune. Comments or Questions..

Reading for September 17th

 Read Jeremiah 48.28-33. In verses 28-30: God next addresses the residents of Moab, urging them to flee and accusing them of false pride. In verses 31-33: Surprisingly, God wails for Moab. Comments or Questions..

Reading for September 16th

 Read Jeremiah 48.14- 27. In verses 18-20: God warns the capital city, Dibon, addressed as a woman, that she is too is under attack. In verses 21-27: The cities of Moab are about to be destroyed. Comments or Questions..

Reading for September 15th

 Read Jeremiah 48.1-13. In 48.1-47: Against Moab. This long poem concerns a traditional and bitter enemy and neighbor of Israel. In verses 1-2: God announces an invasion of Moab, whereupon a voice cries in alarm. Moab's sin is arrogance arising from its wealth and power. In verse 7; Chemosh was the chief God of Moab. In verses 11-12: Because Moab was known for its production of grapes, the poem describes Moab's complacency in terms of wine about to be poured. Comments or Questions..

Reading for September 14th

 Read Jeremiah 47.1-7. In 47.1-7: Against the Philistines. There are historical difficulties witht his poem, since Philistia was not a major enemy of israel during this time. Though its city-states along the seacoast continued for a longtime, they ceased to exist as a larger unity during the Babylonian period. In the poetic world of this poem, however, God is the enemy bringing an attacker. In verses 6-7: The poem ends with the "song of the sword" in which the poet addresses God's weapon and begs it to be still, but the sword is unable to deny God's commands. Comments or Questions..

Reading for September 13th

 Read Jeremiah 46.13-28. In verse 13: A prose comment identifies the human enemy as Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon. In verses 14-25: The battle, however, is really between Apis, the bull-god of Egypt, and the God of Israel. In verse 17: Egypt's king is called Braggart because he boasts about power he never really had. In verses 20-24: Female metaphor's describe Egypt's vulnerability and shame. Egypt's crimes are pride and false claims to power, but the poem assures the exiles that God rules the nations. In verses 27-28: God addresses Israel with words of comfort. Israel is to put aside fear. In their exile God will sustain them and punish their enemies. Comments or Questions..

Reading for September 12th

 ORACLES AGAINST THE NATIONS

Chs.46-51: These poems, confirming the survival of those who wait in obedient faithfulness, consist of a collection of prophetic poems in judgement against Israel's enemies. Their location at the end of the book gives meaning to Jeremiah's title "propjet tot he nations (1.5, 10). God's voice in these poems announces that foreign nations had been instruments of divine punishment of Israel and Judah, but soon tables will turn to create a new future. These oracles address Israel's neighbors first (chs. 46-490 and close with oracles against Babylon (chs. 50-51). 

Read 46.1-12. In 46.1-25: Against Egypt. These poems bring to poetic fulfillment Jeremiah's prophecies to the Judean remnant that escaped into Egypt (ch.s 43-44). Babylon will destroy their safe haven. In verse 2: The date of the first poem in the fourth year of Jehoiakim sets the prophecy in the years when Babylon destroyed Egyptian power in the region. This means Jeremiah's word of the destruction of Egypt came much earlier than the events themselves. For survivors in exile, the date indicaesthat God plans have long been in place and that there is hope for the future. In verses 3-12: A battle scene, similar to scenes of the cosmic battle with the foe from the north in chs. 4-6 and 8-10, opens the poems. God calls troops to prepare for war. In verses 7-12: The Nile River, famous for its flooding, resembles the rise and fall of Egypt. Egypt cannot possible defend itself since, in this poetic vision, the enemy is divine. Comments or Questions..

Reading for September 11th

 Read Jeremiah 45.1-5. In 45.1-5: Baruch's role. Chapter 45 brings the Baruch account to a close and also concludes chs. 26-44. In verses 2-3: Baruch utters a lament of sorrow, pain, and weariness that follows curses upon his own people in ch. 44. In verse 4: God replies through Jeremiah with language used frequently throughout the book, I am going to break down and pluck up the whole land. In verse 5: Suffering cannot be avoided, but Baruch will survive. He will gain his life as a prize o war.  With Baruch's lament and divine response to it, the main part of the book ends on a somber note. Baruch is a weary survivor who is promised only his life. The idealized vision of chs. 30-33 is far from sight. But according to chs. 37-45, Jeremiah, Baruch, Ebed-melech and a remnant survive. Survivors must obey Jeremiah's prophetic message as conveyed in the book. Comments or Questions..

Reading for September 10th

 Read Jeremiah 44.11-30. Worship of the queen of heaven exemplifies the idolatry of the exiles. Jeremiah had accused the Judean families of worshipping this astral deity in the Temple sermon (7.1-8.3). Here Jeremiah accuses the women as central participants in this worship. The women, however, speak from their experience. When they stopped worshipping the goddess, their world fell apart. In verse 26: Because of its idolatry, the believing community will disappear in Egypt. They have no future because they turned from God. Comments or Questions..

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..