Mike Blogs

Since this book of the prophet Jeremiah is a collection of his sermons over a period of more than 40 years, we can expect some abrupt starts and stops. Did Baruch the scribe arrange the sermons chronologically? Probably, though it is not out of the question that he might pair up some sermons with similar themes even if one is early and another one later.   Also, certain themes might shift in meaning over time. For example, in the early sermons when Jeremiah said, as God told

Anthropologists have reported for every society that stories are used to build a people’s worldview. Of course, there are compelling stories and then there are competing stories challenging the main vision of reality. Social organization often emerges from this struggle over whose story captures the meaning of people’s existence. Leaders work mightily to protect their power by controlling which story gets heard. We see this all around us.   Social psychologists have shown tha

Denial. Some people live in that excuse as long as they can. One says: ‘Our nation is at risk’. Another answers: ‘Oh, really; we’re not as bad as other nations’. ‘We are headed for a recession’. ‘Eggs are cheaper; the economy is doing fine’. ‘OK, this conversation is going nowhere’.   The passage of Scripture before today’s study was a hymn of praise for the wonderful God that we adore: “ It is he who made the earth by his power, who established the world by his wisdom, and b

Evangelical Mission Society, Wheaton, IL.  Saturday, March 14, 2026.                                              Theme: Theological Anthropology for Missional Engagement Theological anthropology is central to missiological reflection and practice, since acts of gospel witness, service, and cultural engagement all rest on assumptions about human identity, dignity, and destiny. In a rapidly changing world—marked by shifting views of spirituality, ethnicity, gender, technology,

Elijah has been carried away in a chariot of fire in a whirlwind (II Kings 2); but Jezebel still reigns as queen of Israel and her son Joram is king. Why do the evil rich and powerful live long? Well, not too long. Actually, the end is nearer than Jezebel imagines.  Elisha, Elijah’s successor, has sent a young member of the company of the prophets to anoint Jehu to remove and replace Ahab as king of Israel. Here is what Elisha told that young prophet to say. “ Thus says the L

We left the party last week in the middle of a performance by the prophet Jeremiah. To remind us; Jeremiah warns the people about being overly-impressed by the idols of the Babylonians who have defeated them. The temptation is to think that the idols are real and powerful. The results of warfare in those days was thought to be a statement about whose god was stronger. So the temptation would be for the Israelites to think that they need a new god.  In fact, Judah’s defeat was

After the confrontation with Jezebel’s prophets of Ba’al and Asherah, Elijah fled the country. Jezebel put out an all-counts bulletin for her lackeys to find Elijah so she could kill him. Ahab continued in his wayward ways.   One day Ahab was gazing out his palace window (too much time on his hands) when he saw a nice plot of land not far away. He discovered that the vineyard, for it was a productive farm, was in the possession of a man named Naboth. So, Ahab made an offer to

10: 1-2.    Hear the word that the LORD speaks to you, O house of Israel.               Thus says the LORD: Do not learn the way of the nations    or be dismayed at the signs of the heavens,    for the nations are dismayed at them.  Here is a thought that needs some careful discernment as, in fact, they all do. If we let the phrase, “ Do not learn the way of the nations,” stand as a general command, then we undermine other thoughts in the Bible. The miracle of tongues at

Last week we saw that Jezebel was at work trying to establish new gods as the central belief and trust of Israel. She went about it with vengeance and violence as well as with money and propaganda…pretty much as the elite does today.   Jezebel not only sidelined the prophets of YHWH, but she also hunted them down, took away their rights which had been given them by God, and carried out political executions. Ahab’s own palace steward, Obadiah, was secretly faithful to YHWH. Ob

God has instructed Jeremiah to tell the people that they might as well go ahead and call professional mourners so they can practice their dirges and be ready to sing.   The previous section began with one word: “ Consider.” Derivatives of the root of this word occur nearly 200 times, often used by God through the prophets, including Job. God told Jeremiah to be wise and skillful with God’s word; to discern what God is saying and attend to its meaning.   Now, God gives the nex

For such an apostate king as Ahab and his wife Jezebel, at this time the great prophet Elijah shows up in Scripture (I Kings 17). For their sins, Elijah warns that there will be a drought in the land over the next three years. Then God sends Elijah to the wilderness where ravens bring him bread, hiding out from Ahab’s threats on his life. Later God sends him on to a town called Zarephath where a widow and her son sheltered and fed him while he was in hiding.   When the drough

There is an old movie from 1943 called “Guadalcanal Dairy.” It was just a year after the actual battle for Guadalcanal in the South Pacific, and it was part of Hollywood’s effort to portray us as capable of winning the war  if everyone played their part. I remember one scene where three soldiers in a foxhole were running out of ammunition, so one of them went back to get more. He picks up the ammunition boxes, then notices something boiling on the fire. “Is that coffee, Mac?

Jeremiah 9: 10-11.  For the mountains, I will take up weeping and wailing     and a lamentation for the pastures of the wilderness, because they are laid waste so that no one passes through,    and the lowing of cattle is not heard; both the birds of the air and the animals    have fled and are gone. I will make Jerusalem a heap of ruins,    a lair of jackals, and I will make the towns of Judah a desolation,    without inhabitants.  The NRSV does not begin like this, but

That pretty much says it, doesn’t it? Jezebel! That name has become a symbol of evil that begins in the Bible and weaves its way through Jewish and Christian folklore. Jezebel has become a symbol of a woman who is sexually aggressive yet shameless. We will examine that turn at the end of this mini-series about Jezebel.   Who was Jezebel? Does she have a story of her own? Does she deserve the meme that she has become? Let’s start at the beginning and work our way through the m

God, through his prophet Jeremiah, continues to make his accusations against Judah. As I said last week, sometimes it is difficult to separate God’s direct voice from Jeremiah’s lament. However, could that be a false distinction?  Think about it. Jeremiah is not just an inert megaphone through which God speaks to the people. Jeremiah is human, a preacher who must convey the perspective, concerns, and commands of the Lord God to people who do not want to hear the bad news. The

Bathsheba’s son Solomon’s birth name was Jedeiah, ‘beloved by Yahweh’. In some ways he was like his father David, and in other ways he was not like his father. David came from the bottom of society up, Solomon was born royalty. David fought many battles and even had to fend off attempts by his sons to usurp the throne. Solomon was not a warrior but more like a sage, a wise man collecting wise sayings and writing poetry. Of course, David wrote poetry too as he composed many of

God has excoriated the wise, the rich, and the powerful in Judean society with the words of the prophet that we read last week. What remains is God’s prediction/prophecy of what is going to happen. I said last week, “They will pay the price for ignorance and disobedience.”   Along the way in this text there are many voices with claims, objections, and questions, including the voices of Yahweh and Jeremiah. It is more difficult to read without attributions for the quotes, rath

This will conclude the sub-series about the many wives of David. Let’s back up for a bit of perspective on this darker side of David’s life, his relationship with his wives and children. David was not much of a family man, it turns out.  Let’s clarify the chronological order. I presented episodes according to the particular wife I was writing about. However, the stories do overlap as do the wives. So, what order did they come in and what difference did it make? Michal  was

God returns to poetry to express his passion; because the people that God loves have become so certain of their view of the world, about what it means to know God and what are appropriate ways to treat one’s neighbor that they no longer question their own behavior. One should always be self-critical, examining all one’s beliefs and perceptions. Does knowing God mean knowing about God or does it mean having an ongoing relationsjhip with God? Is knowing the Law the same and fu

As you no doubt have guessed, I have a reason for putting the word ‘merry’ in quotation marks for this subseries. So far, the wives of David have not always been merry, and David has not always been thoughtful and kind. Seems that David was always lusting, rarely loving.    The affair with Bathsheba, including the killing of her husband, Uriah, seems to have been the tipping point that exposed David’s weakness as a husband and as a father.    Last week we read that God’s prop