And now God gets into the judgments against the surrounding nations. He promised they would be judged as well. Now those judgments are being pronounced. I find it interesting that one of the big reasons for judgment is rejoicing in Judah’s fall. These were enemies. Historical, constant enemies. But they’re being punished, harshly, for celebrating … Read more
I’ve always been taught 22:30, “And I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none,” meant that there wasn’t a single righteous person left in Judah. Except, reading it this time, … Read more
There is a pretty intense metaphor for what the people have done here. I mean intense. And a very nice accusation that Sodom had nothing on them (Sodom’s sin was: “pride… did not aid the poor…” so… injustice and oppression. Not that other thing). But it’s chapter 18 I want to focus on. Personal responsibility. … Read more
God is a very jealous god. He really does not tolerate idolatry. All of this destruction and suffering is the result of the people violating their covenant and worshipping other gods. But there are few things that will escalate God’s jealousy to full wrath. He will not tolerate the corruption of justice, which the people … Read more
So, to begin with, I’m just going to drop a link to The Bible Project video for Lamentations. I’ve talked about The Bible Project before, but it’s been a while. The app with the reading plan I’m following is their ReadScripture app, and it includes the appropriate videos at the beginning of each book. It’s … Read more
So Babylon faces judgment for sins against Judah. On the surface, this doesn’t seem entirely right, does it? God uses Babylon to punish Judah, and then he turns around and punishes Babylon for how they treated Judah. Except, God doesn’t make Babylon do anything. I think a far better way to say it would be: … Read more
There was one line that caught my attention in the middle of these prophecies of judgment. “If those who did not deserve to drink the cup must drink it, will you go unpunished?” God never said that only bad people will suffer, that suffering is earned, deserved, somehow, that pain is judgment. Sometimes it is, … Read more
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a future and a hope. This is a very popular verse, and for good reason. It is an encouragement sent to a people in exile. Once your exile has been completed, … Read more
Go ahead and start mourning, Judah. Everyone is going to die. That’s the message here. The worship in the temple, the sacrifices, it’s all completely meaningless, because it isn’t from the heart. It isn’t real. It’s just form. The people are worshipping all the other gods, too. There’s no devotion. Worse: they’re sacrificing their children. … Read more
I have to say, the thoughts running through my head reading this section were along the lines of “Would he really have crossed a line with God at all if hadn’t been for his ‘friends’?” Think about it. His friends are basically yelling at him at this point. “Look, man, how long are you going … Read more