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I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Phil 4:13 |
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| Archived Manna: | |
Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Thursday, July 3, 2025
Today's Passage : Today's Passage:Israel after Solomon (36): Jeremiah and Lamentations BibleVerse:Jeremiah 1 "The words of Jeremiah, one of the priests who were in the land of Benjamin. . . . “Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.’” Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak.” Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” . . . And I said, “I see a boiling pot, facing away from the north.” Then the Lord said to me, “Out of the north disaster shall be let loose upon all the inhabitants of the land.” “For behold, I am calling all the tribes of the kingdoms of the north,” declares the Lord, “and they shall come, and every one shall set his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, against all its walls all around and against all the cities of Judah. And I will declare my judgments against them, for all their evil in forsaking me. They have made offerings to other gods and worshiped the works of their own hands. But you, dress yourself for work; Arise, and say to them everything that I command you.” " Message:
Jeremiah is the longest book in the Bible (see Ten Longest Books in the Old Testament); and it grows even longer when you consider that Lamentations, also written by Jeremiah, follows it as a sort of poetic appendix. Unfortunately, other than the life of Jeremiah himself — which is pretty interesting — little is said in it that has not been said in the books immediately preceding. (See chart.) It also lacks the literary stylization that makes other prophetic books so worth studying — although, on the plus side, this means that it is easier to read.
The notable aspects of Jeremiah are, first off, the clarity and precision of the immediate prophecy — the coming conquest by Babylon, the eventual defeat of Babylon, and the restoration — and secondly, the account of his battles against false prophets and his persecution by the kings against whom he preached; for he was, without doubt, a great preaching prophet. Like Isaiah, his eponymous book is long because he spoke so long and so hard against the wickedness of Judah and the punishment to come. (“Eponymous” here means something that has the same name as the author or performer, like the Beatles album named The Beatles.)
Marc Chagall, Moses and the Burning Bush, Exodus
Chapter 1, excerpted above, reminds us of Moses; remember how Moses argued with Yahweh, in the burning bush, about how he was not talented as a public speaker? (Exodus 4:10-17) But Jeremiah answers the call, dedicates his life to God, and spends his life in distress. He is repeatedly plotted against, arrested, and physically attacked. Shortly before the fall of Jerusalem, he is thrown down a well with a muddy bottom to starve to death; but he is rescued by one of the invading soldiers!
He does not take his persecution with stoicism; he complains to God constantly. Lamentations is just what it sounds like: five chapters of lamenting over the fate of Jerusalem (although it is beautifully written). His name even gave rise to an English word, “jeremiad”, meaning “a prolonged lamentation or complaint.”
But although he complained, he persisted. It is Jeremiah who first comes to mind when Jesus and, later, Peter and Stephen, accuse the Sanhedrin of being the sons of the men who persecuted and murdered the prophets. E.g., “Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt.” (Matthew 23:31-33).
Meditation : How can there be instruction without exercise or progress without practice?” ~ Ambrose, Bishop of Milan (340-397 A.D.) Prayer : Now all glory to you, mighty God, who is able to keep me from falling away and will bring me with great joy into your glorious presence without a single fault. All glory to you who alone are God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are yours before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time, Amen. |
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