The Prophet Jeremiah
Monday, July 22 Jeremiah 33:1-18
“I will healJerusalem’s wounds”
Godspeaks a second time to Jeremiah while he is confined under guard and theBabylonians are besieging the city of Jerusalem. He reiterates his promise to redeem Judah andJerusalem. The improving fortunes of thepeople are here described as God healing them, which includes forgiveness alongwith such tangible signs of restoration as resettlement in the homeland,rebuilding Jerusalem, and security while dwelling there. These promises reiterate those given inprevious chapters.
The joyful future for the people is a reversal of the judgment on andthe misery suffered by Judah. Cities inJudah will again be inhabited. Thetemple will again have worship. Forsomeone who has been as critical about the temple as Jeremiah, such a textreminds us that his criticisms presuppose no hostility to the temple; onlytoward its misuse and corruption. Inaddition to the corporate restoration of the people, Jeremiah announces theraising up of a righteous descendant of King David’s line (see also 23:5-6),that is, the Messiah.
Sin leads to suffering, Lord, but you healall our wounds. Amen.
Tuesday, July 23 Jeremiah 33:19-26
“I will neverabandon the descendants of Jacob”
Thework of Davidic rule and that of priestly ministry will not cease. These announcements indicate that God’spromises (when finally realized in their completeness) will never fail. God will undergird these two fundamentalinstitutions of the people in perpetuity. Someone from David’s line will be head of the people, and descendants ofLevi, the priestly tribe, will be available to officiate in publicworship. Abraham was promiseddescendants like the stars of heaven and the sand on the seashore; here Godpromises innumerable descendants to the Davidic line and the Levitical priesthood.
God has heard the despair and cynicism of his people. Those who conclude that God has simplyrejected them are wrong. Just as God hasnot broken his covenant with day and night, neither has he rejected hispeople. In other words, just as God’scovenant with day and night is not an agreement with those inanimate partiesbut the expression of his sovereign resolve to maintain a beneficent order, soGod has committed himself to be merciful to his people.
Great is your faithfulness, Lord. Your mercies never come to an end. Amen.
Wednesday, July 24 Jeremiah 34:1-22
“The fate of theslaves”
KingZedekiah had initiated an agreement with his subjects regarding their Judeanslaves, that they were to be set free. The reason is not stated, but most likely the dire circumstances of theBabylonian siege lay behind the decision. Some scholars have speculated that with the scarcity of food, themanumission of the slaves meant that the owners were no longer obligated tofeed them. It is also possible thatfreed slaves were more likely to defend their freedom in the struggle withBabylon. In any case, after the releaseof the slaves circumstances apparently improved enough so that the solemn oathof the agreement was broken and the slaves were taken back by their owners.
In the indictment for breaking their word and reenslaving the slaves,the people are also accused of breaking the covenant God made with them when hebrought them out of Egypt. At that time,the just treatment of slaves was part of the covenant obligations assumed byIsrael, an obligation they have not met.
I keep the promisesI make before you, Lord, as you keep your promises to me. Amen.
Thursday, July 25 Jeremiah 35:1-19
“Learn a lesson about how to obey me”
The constancy ofthe Recabite community to their values becomes a prophetically appropriate signagainst the lack of integrity in Judah and Jerusalem. According to their self-designation,Recabites do not live in houses, plant crops, or drink wine. Instead, they live in tents (and apparentlytrade goods for grain and other agricultural products). Their presence in Jerusalem is the result ofpressure put on the Judean countryside by the Babylonian army and their Arameancompanions. The prophetic symbolism ofthe account is accentuated by the scene of wine cups set before theRecabites. Their reply – that they donot drink wine – is narrated for the effect such a scene will have on thelarger community of Judah and Jerusalem.
God instructsJeremiah to report the encounter with the Recabites to the people of Judah andJerusalem. The fact that Jeremiah hasinvited the Recabites to meet him at a room near the temple ensures that theyare observed by other members of the community. The incident contrasts Recabite obedience to their community standardswith the faithlessness of Judeans to theirs.
I will befaithful to your standards, Lord, in spite of other’s unfaithfulness. Amen.
Friday, July 26 Jeremiah 36:1-19
“Get a scroll andwrite down all my messages”
Baruch is ascribe; that is, his profession is in recording and interpretingdocuments. In a way he is a disciple ofJeremiah. Since Jeremiah is restrictedfrom preaching in the temple precincts, Baruch is commissioned with deliveringthe prophet’s message in the temple. This comes, however, after Baruch has copied Jeremiah’s messages onto ascroll. He knows the material intimatelyand is able to represent the prophet in his absence. Jeremiah hopes that the hard words he wantsdelivered to the people will be a catalyst for repentance and change.
A solemn fast isdeclared, and many people in Judah stream to the temple to pray. The solemn fast becomes the occasion forBaruch to deliver the prophetic message of Jeremiah. The officials named in verses 10-14 representJudean leadership, some of whom are sympathetic to Jeremiah. After hearing the contents of the propheticscroll, the officials request that Baruch and Jeremiah go into hiding. In taking that advice, they may havepreserved their lives until the turmoil around the messages dies down a bit(see tomorrow’s passage).
The Bible is from you, Lord, and to rejectit is to reject you. Amen.
Saturday, July 27 Jeremiah 36:20-32
“The king threw thescroll into the fire”
Thecallous rejection of Jeremiah’s words by Jehoiakim is described in a mannerintended to remind readers of his father Josiah and to contrast father andson. When Josiah heard the words of the bookof God’s Law, a book discovered during temple repairs, he tore his garments asa sign that he recognized the authority of the prophetic scroll to judge himand his nation. His son, Jehoiakim,contemptuously “tore” the scroll and burned it, showing no respect for the wordof God and refusing to repent of his sin and that of his nation.
Jehoiakim and Judah’s fate is sealed by their indifference and evenhostility to the prophetic word. According to Jeremiah 26:20-23, Jehoiakim became upset with the preachingactivity of the prophet Uriah and sent a delegation to Egypt to arresthim. Subsequently, Uriah wasexecuted. Had Baruch and Jeremiah beenfound, execution may have been the conclusion to their arrest as well. But, as the passage notes, the Lord hadhidden them and commands them to compile another scroll. The second is longer than the first.
Thankyou, Lord, for those who faithfully obey your written word. Amen.