Read the Bible in One Year!

Fleeing into Egypt for Refuge Scripture August 11—Jeremiah 40-45: Disobeying Again Observation After Jerusalem's fall and the deportation of thousands of her citizens, Nebuchadnezzar appoints Gedaliah as a puppet governor over the region. Jeremiah chooses to remain in Judah and continue his ministry among the remains. But when Gedaliah is brutally murdered by Ishmael, the Jews panic. Fearing reprisals by the Babylonians, they ask the prophet's advice then characteristically disregard it and flee to Egypt, dragging Jeremiah with them. Application A child asks for parental permission to do something. Permission is denied but the child goes ahead and does it anyway. Why did the child ask in the first place? Not to receive permission, but to gain approval for what he planned to do all along! After Jerusalem's fall, those who remained in the strife-torn city approached Jeremiah saying, "Show us what to do and where to go." They claimed to want God's wi...

Judah's Dark Days Scripture August 10—Jeremiah 34-39: Darkness All Around Observation Having had most of his sermons discounted, discredited or disregarded, the prophet now picks up his pen and finds that wicked rulers do not want to read God's Word any more than they want to hear it! Arrested for treason and cast in the muck of an empty cistern, Jeremiah is rescued by friendly forces. Once more he returns to the palace to warn the king, "Surrender or perish." Application Switch places with Jeremiah for a few moments. Allow him to take a seat in the twentieth century AD while you slip on his prophet's robes from the sixth century BC. You are standing in the darkness, knee-deep in the chilling mire of an abandoned cistern. You have been beaten without cause, falsely accused of capital crimes, kept under house arrest, and now this. No one is listening; seemingly no one cares. Being God's prophet has landed you literally in the pits. What thoughts ar...

Judah's Captors Scripture August 9—Jeremiah 30-33: Hope against Judgment Observation Things have never looked bleaker for the nation of Judah than in the opening verses of chapter 30. Yet God will not abandon his people forever. They will return home, rejoice in their privileged position again, and enter into a new and better covenant with their God . In order to illustrate this great hope. Jeremiah purchases a piece of land, knowing full well that it will soon fall Babylonian hands. But Babylonian control will be brief when compared to the rule of God's Righteous Branch, the Messiah. Application Have you ever found yourself in a situation like this? You've been wrestling for months with a decision you know God wants you to make. It doesn't seem logical but somehow you know what you have to do. Finally, you take that step of obedience. Immediately you experience great relief that you have done what God wants you to do. But then doubt strikes. You can't ...

That Burdensome Yoke Scripture August 8—Jeremiah 26-29: Judah in Opposition to Jeremiah Observation After delivering a message from God, it is always gratifying to see people moved to action. But in Jeremiah's case, the response is more than he bargained for! Filled with fury over Jeremiah's message of doom, the officials of Judah respond by seeking to put the prophet to death. Fearless, Jeremiah harnesses a yoke to himself to visualize for the authorities the need to submit to the yoke of Babylon as God's rod of discipline upon the nation. A false prophet named Hananiah arises, preaching a message exactly opposite to Jeremiah's, but he dies an early death for seeking to lead the people astray. Finally, Jeremiah encourages the deportees in Babylon to settle down and be content in their new home in exile. Application Think about the different relationships in your life. Can you name three people to whom you give casual attention, inconsistent attention, no a...

"Precious Memories" Weekly Devotional August 7— Psalm 75 : Graceful for the Memories Reflection Jeremiah is called by God at a young age to serve as his representative to a rebellious Judah. The Babylonians are about to invade the land, he warns, so repent! But sin so pervades the nation that the cries of the weeping prophet go unheeded. Despite continual reminders of the judgment that awaits, the end finally comes. Their panicked attempt to turn to God is too late. God keeps his word—whether it's positive or negative. Today let's spend some moments thinking through a song about God's faithfulness in the midst of judgment—Psalm 75. Pleasant Memories! Just hearing a song such as "Precious Memories" can cause you to relive memories from days gone by. In the same way, the composer of Psalm 75 realizes that reliving the "mighty miracles" of God can spark thanksgiving. Retelling the great deeds of God is an indispensable part of ...

Judah in Exile Scripture August 6—Jeremiah 21-25: Turning Too Late Observation The end has come for Judah. In panic the leaders of besieged Jerusalem turn too late to the prophet to seek the Lord's assistance. God's thundering reply through Jeremiah is chilling: The city will fall, its most productive citizens being deported to Babylon. Yet, sounding a more hopeful note, Jeremiah predicts their eventual return after seventy years, when the remnant will come home to a new day of righteous leadership and their captors will be brought to ruin. Application Parent and child are riding in a car down the highway. Suddenly they enter a tunnel—the first one the child has seen. The child is gripped with fear at the sudden eerie darkness. At this point, the child is faced with a choice: He can (1) try to grab the wheel away from the parent and turn the car around, or (2) trust the parent, shortly to make the happy discovery that tunnels have openings at both ends. Judah was s...

A Depiction of Jeremiah in Benjamin Stocks Scripture August 5—Jeremiah 16-20: Pots, Bottles and Stocks Observation As with the loincloth incident of chapter 13, God again asks his prophet to do the unusual in order to dramatize the unpleasant. Jeremiah is commanded never to marry, attend funerals or celebrate feasts. Thus his life becomes a constant reminder of coming horrors for Judah's parents and children. Dashing a clay jar at the feet of the elders and priests, Jeremiah further illustrates the southern kingdom's unhappy future. For his trouble, he earns a hearty beating and an overnight stay in the Benjamin Gate stocks. Application Cherish is a word that comes from a root meaning "to hold dear." Using that definition, what five things (apart from your salvation in Christ) do you cherish above all others? Write them down. Perhaps you thought of things such as your spouse, family and freedom, close friends. Now read 16:2, 5, 8. These were the very thi...