The Prophet Jeremiah
Monday, June 17 Jeremiah 13:1-14
“They will becomelike this loincloth”
The enacted parable of the loincloth is Jeremiah’s first example of asymbolic act. He is one of severalbiblical persons whose acts illustrate concretely their message and even embodythe gist of their spoken communication. Jeremiah later wears a yoke (chs. 27-28) and purchases property (ch. 32)as symbolic acts; the first indicated judgment to come when the people would beunder the yoke of a foreign oppressor, and the second foreshadowed restorationfrom exile.
Justas the loincloth was to be bound to its wearer, so Israel and Judah have beenformed by God to be bound to him. Theverb “be bound” in verse 11 is the same word used in Genesis 2:24 to describethe man who leaves his parents to “be united” (in Elizabethan English,“cleave”) to his wife and to become “one flesh.” Israel and Judah were created to be united tothe Lord. The ruining of the loinclothcame about because Jeremiah removed it and buried it. So Israel and Judah – whose separation fromthe Lord was caused by their faithlessness – have been ruined by “burying”their relationship with God.
Through Christ I am united with you,Father, and I will remain faithful. Amen.
Tuesday, June 18 Jeremiah 13:15-27
“Give glory to theLord your God”
Jeremiahutters judgments against the pride that leads to a fall. In verse 16 he commands them to give glory tothe Lord before the darkness of judgment comes, calling for repentance andchange on the part of the people. Verse18-19 points to a particular source of nationalized pride, the king and queenmother. Their crowns will fall fromtheir heads as a sign of the fall of the nation.
In verses 20-27 Jerusalem is called to see the foe from the north whocomes in judgment. Should she wonder whydestruction has come to her, Jeremiah quotes a proverbial saying (verse23). Just as neither Ethiopians(Africans) nor leopards can change the distinctive color of their skin, so theevil propensity of God’s people cannot be removed by their own hand. The concluding question, “How long will yoube unclean?” (verse 27), assumes that even though Jerusalem is incapable of rightingherself, she could at least recognize her plight and seek the Lord, who alonecan heal her failures.
I humble myself before you, Lord, andacknowledge you ruler of my life. Amen.
Wednesday, June 19 Jeremiah 14:1-10
“Concerning thedrought”
Inverses 2-6, Judah and Jerusalem mourn the devastating effects of adrought. Nothing in these verses linksthe drought with divine judgment; instead, they rehearse the pitifulcircumstances of the people and animals in their common quest for water. Only in verses 7-9 do we see a link between theterrible circumstances of the people and their sinfulness before God. God is implored to act because his name (i.e.,his reputation) is great and because his people bear his name.
The people confess their backsliding, seemingly a frank acknowledgementof their sin against God, but the language of divine judgment in verse 10indicates that God does not accept their confession. While their words sound sincere, he knowsthat their hearts have wandered far from him. Another possible way to understand the prayer of verses 7-9 is thatthese are not the actual words of the people. Rather, it is Jeremiah’s advice to them on how to pray appropriately inthe context of a drought used in judgment against them.
When I confess mysin, Lord, my heart must not be far from you. Amen.
Thursday, June 20 Jeremiah 14:11-22
“Do not pray for these people”
As on two otheroccasions God forbids Jeremiah to pray for the people (7:15; 11:14). That this order not to pray is here repeatedfor the third time may suggest that Jeremiah was not heeding God’scommand. In a sense, prayer was futilein the circumstances since nothing in the actions of the people suggests anyserious inclination to repentance. Similarly, their outwardly religious behavior of fasting and offeringsare not acceptable to God in the absence of heartfelt obedience.
Does this meanthat there are times when it is proper to give up praying for someone? Perhaps one may pray for them to come torepentance by way of divine discipline, but to pray that a person not be liableto God’s righteous response to their sinfulness is to pray against God’spurposes. Beyond discipline there maywell be repentance. As Scripture attests,“The Lord disciplines those he loves” (Hebrews 12:6). In spite of their sinfulness he has not givenup on his people but is seeking a way to bring them back to himself.
Because I am yourbeloved child, Lord, your discipline is for my good. Amen.
Friday, June 21 Jeremiah 15:1-21
“What sorrow is mine”
For God todismiss the work of Moses and Samuel as helpful in the present moment ofJudah’s sin is, in effect, to say that no prophetic mediator will be acceptedand that judgment cannot be averted. Judgment came on Israel during the prophetic ministries of these twoleaders, but total destruction had been averted through their pleadings onbehalf of the people. Now, however, itwill be different. Judgment to come isannounced and graphically described. Captivity is mentioned, as are four kinds of affliction.
Being rejectedby one’s contemporaries is deeply painful, and the human toll it takes isevident in the prophet’s candid language. The joining of this lament with the earlier announcement of judgmentshows the link between the people’s rejection of God and their rejection ofGod’s prophet. God does not replydirectly to Jeremiah’s prayer for judgment on his oppressors; instead, hereminds Jeremiah that his restoration from humiliating circumstances is simplyto return to his role as spokesman for the Lord.
Help me to “fight the good fight,” Lord, inspite of opposition. Amen.
Saturday, June 22 Jeremiah 16:1-21
“I will bring themback”
Thechapter contains the classical pattern of this book: God announces judgment onJeremiah’s contemporaries as his righteous response to Judah’s spiritualcorruption; the future, however, contains the promise of redemption from theland of exile, where Judeans surviving the Babylonian onslaught will betaken. For subsequent generations thesewords of judgment become words of instruction on what to avoid. For Judeans living in Babylonian exile, theprophecy about redemption provides hope for their return. For generations of God’s people after theBabylonian exile, the “second exodus” (the first being the exodus from Egypt)of the people from Babylonian captivity was testimony to the faithfulness andforgiveness of God.
Theprayer of verses 19-20 addresses God the Judge as a Fortress and Protector ofhis people who have learned the folly of idolatry and who find security in theLord, their Redeemer. The closing verseemphasizes God’s will to make himself known as the One whose power and might atwork in history declares that he is the Lord.
WheneverI stray, Lord, you are faithful to bring me back. Amen.