Yesterday’s reading made me think Jerusalem was about to fall, but the agony is to be prolonged for a while yet.
Faithless shepherds rebuked
Jeremiah 23:1-4
Israel’s future restoration
Jeremiah 23:5-8
Message to the prophets
Jeremiah 23:9-32
The Lord’s burden
Jeremiah 23:33-40
Two baskets of figs
Jeremiah 24:1-10
Jeremiah’s advice to Zedekiah
Jeremiah 27:12-22
Jeremiah’s letter to the exiles
Jeremiah 29:1-14
Message to those who remained
Jeremiah 29:16-19
Jeremiah’s task has been made harder by lying prophets, who have been telling people what they want to hear. It’s insidious - anyone who wants to have faith in God will want to hope that God will rescue them, and the false prophets are preying in that attitude. Jeremiah by contrast sounds like a loser - advising people to surrender.
But God has his eye on the exiles, not those left in Jerusalem. Zedekiah and his regime are bankrupt, and God’s favour has moved on. They are like the rotten figs - worthless and fit for nothing. The ones where the hope still lies are the ones who have already left town.
So Jeremiah writes to them - he wants them to have hope and a future. He wants them to look beyond the coming disaster.
Faithless shepherds rebuked
Jeremiah 23:1-4
Israel’s future restoration
Jeremiah 23:5-8
Message to the prophets
Jeremiah 23:9-32
The Lord’s burden
Jeremiah 23:33-40
Two baskets of figs
Jeremiah 24:1-10
Jeremiah’s advice to Zedekiah
Jeremiah 27:12-22
Jeremiah’s letter to the exiles
Jeremiah 29:1-14
Message to those who remained
Jeremiah 29:16-19
Jeremiah’s task has been made harder by lying prophets, who have been telling people what they want to hear. It’s insidious - anyone who wants to have faith in God will want to hope that God will rescue them, and the false prophets are preying in that attitude. Jeremiah by contrast sounds like a loser - advising people to surrender.
But God has his eye on the exiles, not those left in Jerusalem. Zedekiah and his regime are bankrupt, and God’s favour has moved on. They are like the rotten figs - worthless and fit for nothing. The ones where the hope still lies are the ones who have already left town.
So Jeremiah writes to them - he wants them to have hope and a future. He wants them to look beyond the coming disaster.
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