The Bible In A Year
Jeremiah week 1 of 3
January 21-26, 2019
Readings for the Week
Theme of the week: We begin to read Jeremiah
- Monday -Jeremiah chapters 1, 2 & 3, Psalm 125
- Tuesday -Jeremiah chapters 4 & 5, Psalm 53
- Wednesday -Jeremiah chapters 6, 7, 8 & 9, Psalm 120
- Thursday -Jeremiah chapters 10, 11 & 12, Psalm 14
- Friday -Jeremiah chapters 13, 14, 15 & 16, Psalm 36
- Saturday -Jeremiah chapters 17, 18, 19 & 20, Psalm 58
The Bible In A Year
Jeremiah week 1 of 3
A Framework for Understanding
Jeremiah (part 1)
In our canon there are books from 3 major prophets and 12 minor prophets. The distinction is not a reflection of the quality of the prophet’s words or work, but of the length of the book. The opening three verses of the book of Jeremiah give us a concise oversight of the times and region of Jeremiah’s work.
Jeremiah’s book also gives us great insight into the demanding and frustrating work of being “one who speaks for God.” God calls Jeremiah to bring messages to the people of Judah, even though the people will not heed the words. Jeremiah faithfully delivers the messages, and over time he becomes despised by the people. He becomes frustrated with the people for never heeding God’s messages. He becomes frustrated with God for giving him this work which leads to general unpopularity, ridicule, and isolation.
It seems he always has something contrary to say. When many people say “Go to war,” Jeremiah is saying, “Make peace while you can!” When others say, “Look to Egypt,” Jeremiah says “Egypt will fail you.” When the majority of people believe the devastation of being conquered is the end of the story, Jeremiah buys property and tells people to reinvest in their communities.
It is important to note that Jeremiah’s pain is not primarily from being unpopular. Over and over again, Jeremiah expresses his deep love for the people, his sincere desire that they turn to God so that they may enjoy prosperity, and his great disappointment that they stubbornly refuse to repent.