Jeremiah 8:4-9:15; Jeremiah 9:22-10:16; Jeremiah 26:1-24

Ezekiel continues with descriptions of the priests and their duties. He describes the land and the Lord's part of the land. He describes a fair and consistent system of measurements. He describes special offerings to be made in the temple. The prophet gets this information in visionary experiences in which a man of God appears, guides, and reveals all of it to Ezekiel. The descriptions seem to describe how things ought to be when God and God's people are living in perfect harmony.

Ezekiel 40:28-43:27

Ezekiel describes his vision of an Israelite temple, presumably the perfect temple. It may be interesting to compare this description with the specifications for the temple set forth in the Bible's book of First Kings and with the specifications for the tabernacle described in the Bible's book of Exodus. I haven't done the comparison. 

A few things stand out in this reading to me: One is that the temple is a place where God's glory may shine. Second, the temple seems to symbolize God's desire to remain in a covenantal relationship with God's people. Third, the temple is to be populated by a holy people, those who have wholly rejected other gods and all idols. 

Ezekiel 32:1-16; Ezekiel 32:17-33:20; Ezekiel 40:1-27

Ezekiel 33--God reminds Ezekiel that, as a watchman, he has a duty to warn the people concerning wickedness. Those who embrace wickedness will die for it; and those who embrace righteousness will live.

So I say, "Wickedness is rife in the world; and many people embrace it. Beware! Will you die for the wickedness you embrace, or will you turn to the source of all goodness--to God--and live?

Ezekiel 37:1-39:29

Collantes, Francisco, 1599-1656. Vision of Ezekiel, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN.http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=55840 [retrieved August 28, 2015]. Original source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Collantes,_Francisco_-_The_Vision_of_Ezekiel_-_1630.jpg.

What the valley of dry bones represents in its original context is given in the Bible. It is a representation of the people of Israel who feel sorry for themselves, saying, "Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off." (Ezekiel 37:11) Through Ezekiel the Prophet God is giving the people reasons to live, to hope, and to reconnect.

I notice that prophecy comes by wind, spirit, and breath--all three English words translating one word, ruach, in the Hebrew language. I notice, too, that life comes by means of ruach. 

Ezekiel 34:1-36:38

For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. (Ezekiel 34:11-12)

This prophecy must have sounded appealing to the people of Judah who were taken captive to Babylon in the last two decades of the 6th century BCE. But is there broader appeal to people who identify as Jews? Did Jews living in Egypt in the 3rd century BCE read Ezekiel's prophecy and hear it with joy? Did Jews living in Rome in the 1st century CE read it and feel a sense of anticipation? And how does anyone identifying as a Jew anywhere today read and receive the Lord's message through Ezekiel?

The text certainly appeals to me. As a Christian, I understand that I have been grafted into the Israeli people's "family tree" (Reference the Bible's book of Romans, chapter 11.). Again and again I have experienced the Lord's coming to me in my "lostness."

Oh how I long for all of God's creatures to be at peace with one another and to be perfectly aligned with God's will and purposes!  

Ezekiel 27:1-28:26; Ezekiel 33:21-33

Public Domain

A lament is raised for Tyre; and the king of Tyre is condemned. Find Tyre on the map above. Ask yourself why Tyre is positioned for a lament.

Jeremiah 30:1-31:40; Ezekiel 26:1-21

"The time is coming," declares the Lord, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with  their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them," declares the Lord. 

"This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time," declares the Lord. "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest." (Jeremiah 31:31-34)

Bring that day, God. We need it now--not simply for Israel, but for all of humankind.

Jeremiah 43:1-44:30; Psalm 71:1-24; Psalm 116:1-19

God's favor seems to extend to the exiles who were taken to Babylon, but not to the exiles who ran to Egypt. I suppose the former have the "advantage" of bearing the punishment for sin that Jeremiah and others had foretold. The latter attempt to escape punishment for sin and continue to reject the word of the Lord through Jeremiah.

Today's scripture reading tells how the exiles in Egypt are held accountable for their sin, rebellion, and disbelief.

My heart's desire is to become as faithful as Jeremiah, even to the point of facing and fighting against opposition to the end of my life. But I don't know for sure that I possess either the courage or the stamina to do so. Thankfully, I don't have to conjure up today all of the resources I may need in the future.

So, God, please help me live faithfully today.

Lamentations 5:1-22; 2 Kings 25:22-26; Jeremiah 40:1-42:22

Some of the people of Judah remaining in the land after Babylon's conquest (586 or 587 BC) seek a word from the Lord through Jeremiah the Prophet (Jeremiah 42:3). Their former kings had cast about for allies--Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, to name a few. Now they seem inclined not only to seek help from, but also to return to Egypt. 

Long before Judah's kings came to power God liberated the Hebrews from bondage in Egypt (Reference the Bible's book of Exodus.). There is more than a little irony in their desire to live in Egypt now. God is displeased and gives Jeremiah the words to say so (Jeremiah 42:19-22). 

Lamentations 3:1-4:22

I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." (Lamentations 3:19-24)

This passage of scripture calls to mind the hymn, "Great Is Thy Faithfulness."

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father,

There is no shadow of turning with Thee;

Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not

As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be. 

Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!

Morning by morning new mercies I see;

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided—

Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Psalm 102:1-28; Psalm 120:1-7; Psalm 137:1-9; Lamentations 1:1-2:22

Again and again the sins of Judah are listed and condemned. The Bible sets forth the view that Babylonian conquest is one consequence of Judah's disobedience. How do the people who are exiled in Babylon feel?  They long for vengeance: O Daughter of Babylon, doomed to destruction, happy is he who repays you for what you have done to us--he who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks. (Psalm 137:8-9)

Vengeful feelings--is it OK to sing about them, to harbor them, to act on them? 

Jeremiah 52:1-30; Psalm 74:1-23; Psalm 79:1-13; Psalm 85:1-13

Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other. Faithfulness springs forth from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven. (Psalm 85:10-11)

I see the shape of these promises. They meet to form the pattern of a cross.

Jeremiah 34:1-22; 2 Kings 25:1-21; 2 Chronicles 36:15-21; Jeremiah 39:1-18

Zedekiah is a puppet ruler in Jerusalem, sworn in allegiance to the king of Babylon. When Zedekiah rebels against Babylon and seeks assistance from Egypt his doom is sealed. Jerusalem falls to Babylon's army; and Zedekiah is captured. 

Some have hypothesized that Zedekiah's oath of allegiance to Babylon's king went something like this: "I will be loyal to you. If I rebel against you, may my sons be killed and my eyes be blinded." So...There at Riblah the king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes and also killed all the nobles of Judah. Then he put out Zedekiah's eyes and bound him with bronze shackles to take him to Babylon. (Jeremiah 39:6-7)

So much for sworn oaths...

Ezekiel 31:1-18; Jeremiah 32:1-33:26

Jeremiah and Ezekiel have been predicting a sudden end to the Kingdom of Judah, according to the word they say comes from the Lord. Now the Lord instructs Jeremiah to invest in real estate (Jeremiah 32:8-9), despite the threat of impending disaster.

If God should give me similar orders, do I possess the courage to act as Jeremiah does?

Ezekiel 25:1-17; Jeremiah 37:1-38:28; Ezekiel 29:1-16; Ezekiel 30:20-26

Again there is a common refrain to these scripture readings: "Then they will know that I am the Lord."

How do these people know God is God? How may we know today?

Ezekiel 23:1-49; Jeremiah 21:1-14; Ezekiel 24:1-27

The tension of a coming punishment rises, as day after day I read about the wrongdoings of Israel and Judah and about the consequences promised by the prophets--Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and others.

Ezekiel 20:30-22:31

Again the word of the Lord came to me: "Son of man, say to the land, 'You are a land that has not been cleansed or rained on in the day of wrath.' There is a conspiracy of her princes within her like a roaring lion tearing its prey; they devour people, take treasures and precious things and make many widows within her. Her priests do violence to my law and profane my holy things; they do not distinguish between the holy and the common; they teach that there is no difference between the unclean and the clean; and they shut their eyes to the keeping of my Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them. Her officials within her are like wolves tearing their prey; they shed blood and kill people to make unjust gain. Her prophets whitewash these deeds for them by false visions and lying divinations. They say, 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says'—when the Lord has not spoken. The people of the land practice extortion and commit robbery; they oppress the poor and needy and mistreat the foreigner, denying them justice.

"I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one. So I will pour out my wrath on them and consume them with my fiery anger, bringing down on their own heads all they have done, declares the Sovereign Lord." (Ezekiel 22:23-31)

Against which nations of our world today might the judgment announced by Ezekiel apply?

Is it apt to apply the judgment announced by Ezekiel to the nations of the world today? Why or why not?

Ezekiel 17:1-19:14; Ezekiel 20:1-29

"'Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, people of Israel? For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live!'" (Ezekiel 18:31-32)

These are the verses that spoke most clearly in today's reading. The strongest appeal seems to be the new heart and new spirit connected with repentance. 

I repent, God. Let me live fully!

Ezekiel 14:1-16:63

Then the word of the Lord came to me: "Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces. Should I let them inquire of me at all?" (Ezekiel 14:2-3)

This reading really challenges me. What idols have I set up in my heart? I'm pretty sure I can think of some. What stumbling blocks have I put before my face? Television, newspapers, and movies come to mind first. 

God, please dethrone every idol in my heart and help me by Your power and Your grace to remove all stumbling blocks that I face.

"'...So I will establish my covenant with you, and you will know that I am the Lord. Then, when I make atonement for you for all you have done, you will remember and be ashamed and never again open your mouth because of your humiliation, declares the Sovereign Lord.'" (Ezekiel 16:62-63)

I am grateful: Through the prophet God says here that the Lord will make atonement for God's people. I believe God makes such an atonement in Jesus Christ.

Ezekiel 10:1-13:23

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What is Ezekiel "up to" with his vision of a "wheel within a wheel?"

Ezekiel 5:1-7:27; Ezekiel 8:1-9:11

A recurring theme throughout these chapters of the Bible's book of Ezekiel is, "Then they will know that I am the Lord." The disaster that Ezekiel foretells and the trouble that he sees in his visions serve a divine purpose, that is, to impart deep, deep knowledge of God, of God's presence, and of God's power.  

Ezekiel 1:1-3:15; Ezekiel 3:16-4:17

Michelangelo Buonarroti, 1475-1564. Prophet Ezekiel, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN.http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=49954 [retrieved August 10, 2015]. Original source: Wikimedia.

[Ezekiel says,] "Then I looked, and I saw a hand stretched out to me. In it was a scroll, which he unrolled before me. On both sides of it were written words of lament and mourning and woe. And he said to me, 'Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the house of Israel.' So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat.

"Then he said to me, 'Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.' So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth." (Ezekiel 2:9-3:3)

Ezekiel may be able to speak "words of lament and mourning and woe" from the Lord, for the scroll upon which the words are written "taste as sweet as honey" to him. 

Am I to delight in issuing a divine warning to others? Do God's words of warning, challenge, or judgment taste sweet when repeated?

Jeremiah 23:9-40; Jeremiah 27:1-28:17

Hananiah speaks messages that he claims come from the Lord. Jeremiah announces the Lord's condemnation of Hananiah; and within a year Hananiah dies.

Who speaks for the Lord does so at his own peril.

Jeremiah 51:1-64; Jeremiah 11:18-12:6

Catching up...more bad news for Babylon!

Jeremiah 29:1-32; 2 Kings 24:18-20; 2 Chronicles 36:11-14; Jeremiah 49:34-39; Jeremiah 50:1-46

Catching up...bad news for Babylon!

Jeremiah 14:1-15:9; Jeremiah 18:1-19:13; Jeremiah 24:1-10

Catching up...good figs and poor figs, so bad they could not be eaten!

Jeremiah 14:1-15:9; Jeremiah 18:1-19:13; Jeremiah 24:1-10

Catching up...

Jeremiah 22:24-23:8; 2 Kings 24:10-17; 2 Chronicles 36:10; Jeremiah 49:1-33; Obadiah 1:1-21

Three months after Jehoiachin becomes king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon captures Jerusalem and takes Jehoiachin and his family and most of Jerusalem's citizens captive to Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar makes Mattaniah, Jehoiachin's uncle, king in his place and changes his name to Zedekiah. 

Because the people of Ammon gloat at Judah's defeat, Jeremiah announces God's judgment against them. Because the people of Edom gloat at Judah's defeat, both Jeremiah and Obadiah announce God's judgment against them.

At whose defeat am I tempted to gloat? God, deliver me!

2 Kings 24:5-6; 2 Chronicles 36:8; 2 Kings 24:8-9; 2 Chronicles 36:9; 1 Chronicles 3:10-16; Daniel 3:1-30; Jeremiah 9:16-21; Jeremiah 10:17-25; Jeremiah 12:7-17; Jeremiah 19:14-20:18

These words are electric to me: If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up. (Daniel 3:16-17)

I want that kind of conviction. God is able to do anything; but even if God chooses not to rescue me, may I remain faithful.

Jeremiah 46:1-28; Daniel 1:3-21; 2 Kings 24:7; Daniel 2:1-49

Both the king of Babylon and his Hebrew captives believe that dreams may disclose communication between God and those who dream. The Bible's book of Daniel describes how the king dreams a significant dream--of this he is sure. But the king is unable to understand. When the kingdom is searched for someone who might be able to shed some light on the king's dream Daniel, one of the Hebrew captives, is found and commissioned. Daniel urges his fellow Hebrews to pray; and in a dream God tells Daniel both the content of the king's dream and the meaning of the dream.

So let's pay attention to our dreams, children.

Kings 24:1-4; 2 Chronicles 36:6-7; Jeremiah 36:1-32; Jeremiah 25:1-38; Jeremiah 45:1-5

[The Lord says to the nations,] "See, I am beginning to bring disaster on the city that bears my Name, and will you indeed go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, for I am calling down a sword upon all who live on the earth..." (Jeremiah 25:29)

Is it possible that all who live on the earth today continue to suffer the consequences of warfare as divine punishment, just as Jeremiah the Prophet announced long ago?

Jeremiah 7:1-8:3; Jeremiah 11:1-17; Jeremiah 15:10-21; Jeremiah 22:18-23; Jeremiah 35:1-19

[Jeremiah speaks for the Lord, saying,] "'Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal and follow other gods you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which bears my Name, and say, "We are safe"—safe to do all these detestable things? Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you? But I have been watching!' declares the Lord." (Jeremiah 7:9-11)

Jesus echoes Jeremiah's theme, as reported in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 21, verse 13: "It is written," he said to them, "'My house will be called a house of prayer,' but you are making it 'a den of robbers.'"

I sense another theme through the scriptures. It is the theme of conflict between the leaders and the people following an elaborate set of worship rituals on the one hand and their failure to follow a simple set of ethical commands on the other hand. God's preference for righteousness and justice over ritual and sacrifice is repeated many times in the scriptures.

So what does the Lord require nowadays?