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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Last week we learned that according to God neither worship or rituals (songs or sacraments) nor sacrifices (sheep or tithes) come first. First comes obedience to God. God says that this was his first word to newly escaped Israelites: “Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people; walk only in the way that I command you, so that it may be well with you” (Jeremiah 7:21-23).   There is proper worship with sacraments and offerings, but these will not stand al

Look back a few verses to verse 4: “Do not trust in these deceptive words: ‘This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD’.  It is not clear whether this is a chant, or just an oft-repeated saying. Either way, it's like whistling in the dark while walking through a cemetery. Some people are like that at church; thinking they are safe when they are not.   Jeremiah 7: 8-11.  Here you are, trusting in deceptive words to no avail. Will you steal,

Jeremiah 7: 1-2.  The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: “Stand in the gate of the LORD’s house, and proclaim there this word, and say, ‘Hear the word of the LORD, all you people of Judah, you who enter these gates to worship the LORD’.”   With this heading, we can see that the sermons or prophecies of the previous chapters are now behind us and we move on to a new part of the story. In fact, if Chapters 2-6 are a collection of Jeremiah’s early prophecies, as they seem

Jeremiah 6:16-21.   Thus says the LORD: Stand at the crossroads and look,    and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way lies;  and walk in it,  and find rest for your souls. But they said,  “We will not walk in it.” Also, I raised up sentinels for you:     “Give heed to the sound of the trumpet!” But they said,  “We will not give heed.” Therefore hear, O nations,    and know, O congregation, what will happen to them. Hear, O earth; I am going to bring disaster on

God spoke the last line of Chapter 5: "An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land: prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule as the prophets direct; my people love to have it so, but what will you do when the end comes?”   If God speaks to us through Scripture, and we believe that God does this, what is God saying to us today through the prophet Jeremiah? First comes a warning we should heed. “Prophets and priests” are religious personnel; so are today's p

God, through the prophet Jeremiah, is making his last call to the only remaining Jewish state in the ancient world: Judah.   The northern kingdom, which was called Israel, disappeared from the annals of history in 721 BC, one of many conquests of the Neo-Assyrian Empire (911-609 BC). The people living in Israel were deported in order to prevent them from organizing a rebellion against Assyria. They are sometimes referred to as ‘the ten lost tribes,” but they were not all lost

Hope for the nation of Judah? No. God has made that clear. Unless there is mass repentance, that is, the leaders publicly confess their sins and bow only to YHWH and people abandon their idols, ideals, and the ideology of military domination over other nations (power), of the legitimacy of fleecing the lower classes (greed), and the practice of abusing others for their own pleasure (lust). Unless there is widespread repentance and prayers for forgiveness, there is no hope for

Perhaps you have heard about the Greek philosopher Diogenes the Cynic. He lit a lantern during daylight hours and walked around town. When people asked him what he was doing, he said: “I am looking for an honest man.” Actually, according to the reports of other philosophers, he said he was tired of brutes and animals, so he was looking for a human. Of course, the ‘brutes and animals’ were human beings of little worth, and he could not find a human of any worth. Diogenes lived

Remember that Baruch the scribe recorded various prophetic sermons that Jeremiah preached. We cannot tell for sure where one ends and another begins, but this looks like the beginning of a new sermon. Let’s see.  Jeremiah 4: 5-8.  Declare in Judah, and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say: Blow the trumpet through the land;    shout aloud (take your weapons), and say, “Gather together, and let us go    into the fortified cities!” Raise a standard toward Zion;    flee for safet

Jeremiah 4: 1-2. If you return, O Israel, says the Lord, if you return to me, if you remove your abominations from my presence    and do not waver, and if you swear, "As the LORD lives!”    in truth, in justice, and in uprightness, then nations shall be blessed by you,    and by you they shall boast.   Notice the repeated phrases. When we talk to our children, we often phrase it like this, ‘If…, if…, if….’  In this case, God clarifies as he speaks (sounding a bit like Rob

It may seem odd that God is pleading with Judah rather than commanding them. However, our God is a God of love, and his commands, his judgments, and even his punishments serve that purpose. In our study, God is still talking with Jeremiah the prophet, and Jeremiah is still preaching God’s word while Baruch, the scribe, is recording it all on scrolls. Jeremiah’s ministry is to a public that is deluded about where their political and religious leaders are leading them. They do

I asked last week whether or not God’s condemnation of Israel and Judah was his last word? Yes, in the short run, for some of the people, it was. Yet, no, not in the long run, for some people survived and became refugees, exiles in Babylon. Those refugees become the second audience for Jeremiah’s prophecies, and Oh, how the times have changed the message.      These are the days of Jeremiah, and we are reading summaries of his early prophecies that his scribe Baruch has writt