A New Chapter...A New Book

Hello again, my friends. After a hiatus of over a month, I have once again returned to the world of blog ministry. However, as I am no longer employed in full-time ministry, there will be a few changes in format and subject matter.

First, I have decided to drop the study that I had going on Matthew. Instead, I will begin posting devotional thoughts from one of the neglected Old Testament books: Jeremiah.

Second, owing to my job situation, I will be posting weekly rather than daily.

Third, since I intend to post by the week, and Jeremiah is a book conveniently divided into 52 chapters, our new reading plan will be (surprise, surprise) to read a chapter a week.

Fourth, for my edification, as well as yours, I will encourage us all to commit a couple of passages from Jeremiah to memory. This is a practice I encouraged when I was a minister, and I found it to be very rewarding. It’s not easy for modern American, of course. It takes time and commitment…but then, most things do that are actually worthwhile. Our first memory verse will be Jeremiah 7:1-11. You can find the NLT translation of this passage here.

Now that we have the “housekeeping” stuff out of the way, let’s move on to a brief overview of this Jeremiah guy and the times he lived in.

Jeremiah ministered during the tumultuous years surrounding the decline of Assyria and the rise of the Babylonian empire. [The kingdom of] Judah passed…through cycles of independence and subjection first to Egypt and then to Babylon. [Jeremiah’s] ministry is set primarily against the background of…the last four rulers of Judah. The nation’s independence was at an end, and Jeremiah would witness the final destruction of [Jerusalem] and the Temple.

I’ve chosen to reflect upon Jeremiah for two basic reasons. First, though the macho side of me would like to deny it, I find myself struggling with feelings of rejection, failure, and shame. Jeremiah seems to have battled many of the same dark emotions, and it’s my prayer that his example will give me insight into how to fight my own battles.

Second, the chaotic society in which Jeremiah lived seems to bear an increasingly-disturbing resemblance to the dystopia in which we currently find ourselves. It is my prayer that reflecting on how Jeremiah lived as God’s servant in the midst of a world falling down around him, will help each of us better understand what it means to be citizen’s of God’s eternal Kingdom living in the midst of the temporary kingdoms of this world.

As always, I welcome your thoughts, questions, ideas, etc. I am always enriched and encouraged by the insights you bring. May God be with you and bless you.

-- Justin