Jeremiah – Be Still…

2 Chronicles 36:11-23 – Jerusalem Falls and Then…

Read 2 Chronicles 36:11-23

It’s never easy to read the account of Jerusalem falling knowing it could have been prevented. It breaks my heart that the prophets of God were treated like they were. We’re told how the people “scoffed at the prophets until the Lord’s anger could no longer be restrained and nothing could be done.” God’s patience had come to an end.

Our reading begins with Zedekiah’s evil leadership. The Chronicler tells us, “Zedekiah was a hard and stubborn man, refusing to turn to the LORD, the God of Israel.” Was it his stubbornness that kept him from acknowledging King Nebuchadnezzar, the very one who made him king? Zedekiah’s oath of loyalty meant nothing. Continue reading “2 Chronicles 36:11-23 – Jerusalem Falls and Then…”

Lamentations 1:1-22 – Jerusalem Mourns

Read Lamentations 1:1-22

In our last reading, Nehemiah was beside himself wanting his fellow Israelites to get it right this time so they’d avoid God’s discipline. Our first reading in Lamentations opens with a flashback to Jerusalem’s desolate days. Nehemiah’s desperation seems to have real merit in light of this reminder of Jerusalem’s dark days.

The prophet Jeremiah is the believed author of the book of Lamentations. Jeremiah’s five lamentations focus on the fall of Jerusalem which God orchestrated when his people were taken into the bondage of exile. You may recall Jeremiah was alive at the time his prophecies were coming true. Jeremiah’s grief ran deep, and this is a poignant book full of emotion.

Ezra 1:1-4 – Prophecy Fulfilled

Read Ezra 1:1-4

It had been seventy years, and now we see how God kept the promise he had given in Jeremiah’s prophecy. The time of captivity in Babylon was coming to an end. The new ruler, Cyrus, had been prompted by God to allow the exiles to return to their homeland. What a proclamation this is!

The Book of Ezra chronicles this return and how the people begin to rebuild their lives. We’ll read about the restoration of God’s people as they retell old stories and address new situations along the way. Would God’s promises still hold true? Had the people forgotten God during their time of exile?

Zephaniah 1:1-6 – God’s Wrath

Read Zephaniah 1:1-6

Zephaniah was a contemporary of Jeremiah and would have spoken God’s words during the reign of King Josiah. You’ll recall when King Josiah learned of the scrolls containing God’s law, great reforms began to help the people of Judah to return to God. Zephaniah would help shake the people of Judah out of their complacency so they could understand their hope comes from God.

Zephaniah doesn’t sugar coat the radical message from God but gets right to the point. God’s wrath will sweep away everything and crush Jerusalem and Judah. Even his own creation will suffer. God’s anger has been fueled by all the idol worship that fills the land.

Nahum 3:1-7 – Woe is Me

Read Nahum 3:1-7

I just learned that this part of Nahum’s prophecy is referred to as a “woe oracle.” As such, it has two parts, and woe oracles are directed to those doomed by God, including the judgment pronounced on foreign nations, like Nineveh. We understand the word “woe” to be the state of distress and extreme grief. The two sections of this type of oracle are (1) accusation and (2) announcement.

The “accusation” states what evil has been done. What wrongs do we see highlighted here? “Nineveh, the beautiful and faithless city, mistress of deadly charms, enticed the nations with her beauty. She taught them all her magic, enchanting people everywhere.” The results of their evil schemes are also given.