BEGIN WITH PRAYER "Lord open my eyes and my heart." Read slowly so that you take in. And as you do, turn your heart to God, thanking him for the good you discover and praying his will home for you, your family, your church and the world. Wisdom to chew on Proverbs 23:12 Understanding to grow in It is ironic that people will look to all sorts of superstitions, and worry about what the stars might say, or the future might bring. But the one thing they seem not to fear is God. And so through Jeremiah, the Lord reminds us that although he "exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth" (9v24) - consider the goods of creation he showers on everyone, or the way he eventually brings down tyrants - although he exercises these things, he will also punish sin (9v25-26). So, he is the one to fear, as he is the only true and living God (10v9-10). And we should not minimise what punishment will entail. Just as for Judah it would entail crying and wailing