Two year Bible reading program.

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 24:30-34 Understanding to grow in Today's is a record of the Jews finally being taken into exile in fulfilment of God's word through Jeremiah. And the book is clear. It was because of "the LORD's anger" (52v3). It meant seige, famine, a fleeing army, and the capture of the king, whose sons were executed and whose eyes were put out. It also meant the looting and burning of the temple, and the destruction of the palace and city. It shows just how serious human sin is to warrant such horrors, foreshadowing hell itself. But once again, there is mercy. The book ends with Judah's king being favoured even in Babylon. God hasn't forgotten his promise to David, to have a kingdom ...

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 24:28-29 Understanding to grow in A longer message for a most significant judgment. The reason is particularly because of Babylon's treatment of God'e temple and people, but also of the nations (51v11, 34-36, 49). And the destruction will come because the Lord is not an idol like those of Babylon. Therefore he can overcome them (51v17-19). After all, this is the God who had previously used Babylon as his war club in judging the nations (51v20-23). As with previous prophecies, we are reminded of the certainity of the final judgment. Many would scoff at the very idea of it. Some who might accept it, might also presume on the safety we all experience today, thinking God would never bring it abou...

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 24:27 Understanding to grow in Salvation comes through judgment. Finally, a declaration that Babylon will be destroyed (as she was in 539BC by Persia). It will mean complete destruction in vengeance for her treatment of God's people and temple. And with her destruction, God will enable the exiled Jews to return to their land, where he promises they will enjoy his forgiveness of their sins - and a flourishing life. This became a paradigm of God's promise to destroy all ungodly society in its opposition to his people, describing it as "Babylon" in the book of Revelation. Through that judgment too, we are told he will save his people - the "new Jerusalem," by establishing the...

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 24:26 Understanding to grow in With wrath comes mercy. So, as with Moab, these prophecies against various nations, promise a degree of restoration too: God will "restore the fortunes" of the Ammonites and Elam (49v6, 39). Although given to address specific circumstances in Jeremiah's day, what these oracles also give us, not least because they come amongst so many others, is an awareness that every nation is accountable to God for its sins. None are not seen. None are forgotten. And although the Lord is supremely patient, judgment will inevitably come. And no human ingenuity or confidence can stop it. It is sobering. Likewise, although Jesus taught that now is the day of salvation, he s...

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 24:23-25 Understanding to grow in With wrath comes mercy. So, as with Moab, these prophecies against various nations, promise a degree of restoration too: God will "restore the fortunes" of the Ammonites and Elam. Jeremiah 48 Finish this reading by pausing to ask yourself: 1) What’s the main thing it teaches me about God or his purposes in Christ? Then  praise  him for this. 2) What’s the main thing it teaches me about his will for me or the world? Then  pray  that home. Devotion to offer up You could read this aloud and perhaps as a springboard to further prayer. Psalm 107:39-43 ·         For introdu...

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 24:21-22 Understanding to grow in Judgment is now declared against Egypt, where some Jews had taken refuge rather than obey the Lord by staying in Judea; and against the Philistines, who lived next to Judea. A number of things can be noted. First, is that God's judgments are severe. Second, is that he uses the evil deeds of nations in them. So he uses Egypt to destroy the Philistines and Babylon nto destroy Egypt. Third, is that he never forgets mercy. He promises that Egypt will be reinhabited (46v26) and the Jews protected (46v27-28). It reminds us that God can destroy a wayward nation with ease if he so chooses. But that his people will always be protected, and escape will ultimately be found ...

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 24:19-20 Understanding to grow in When will they - will we, learn. Again Jeremiah proclaimed God's word. But the people were determined to interpret events not according to what God had to say but according to what they desired. Rather than see their hardships in Judah as his judgment, they saw them as needing even greater idolatry now in Egypt. One thinks of how the individualism of our age that worships self, refuses to accept the family breakdown and mental illness that besets it is its result and, in a sense, God's judgment in handing us over to our own desires (Rom 1v18-32). Instead, it continues to assert moral autonomy rather than repent in the light of God's word. As you read note...

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 24:17-18 Understanding to grow in It's no good expecting the Lord to save us if we refuse to do what he says. Here the Jews feel threatened and ask Jeremiah to consult God for them. But when Jeremiah responds that they will be safe only if they stay in Judea, they ignore him and seek refuge instead in Egypt - the very thing he told them not to do. In the same way, so many today confess faith in Christ and expect salvation, but they want it on their own terms, and so disobey what Christ says. Yet he made it very clear that to those who cry "Lord, Lord" but do not do God's will, he will say "I never knew you" (Mat 7v23). As you read note the attitudes in the Jews. Jeremia...

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 24:15-16 Understanding to grow in Finally it happens. Jerusalem is attacked and destroyed just as Jeremiah said. But we shouldn't miss the details. Jeremiah had urged king Zedekiah to surrender, promising that if he did his family and city would be spared (38v17-18). But Zedekiah didn't listen and so both were lost. Contrast Jeremiah, who God promised to protect if Jeremiah remained faithful in speaking his word. And so the Babylonians release Jeremiah from prison and look after him. One cannot but think of Paul finding protection from the Romans. God is able to use even those we might presume hostile to serve his purposes and protect his people. But whatever he chooses for us, we must ensure...

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 24:13-14 Understanding to grow in How will we respond to those who bring us God's word? Jeremiah's experience, like Christ's, saw some actively hostile and despising of the word, whilst others wanted to side with God's man but were fearful of the consequences. For those of us who teach God's word it tells us what we might expect - whilst urging us to the Christ-like determination of Jeremiah to speak nothing but the truth,  and keep on speaking it because God's word doesn't change. To those of us who receive God's word it encourages us to go further than the officials and king Zedekiah - to publicly stand up for those who preach to us and have faith in God to do what t...

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 24:10-12 Understanding to grow in It is a particular tragedy when God's people are shown up by the superior actions of those who don't know the Lord. So here. The sin of God's people this time is seen in their callous treatment of Hebrews, enslaved because of debt (Ex 21v2-11, Deut 15v12-18). After a decision to free them (most likely to save them from being captured as slaves by the Babylonians), they then change their minds on fear of losing what would benefit them, and so take them back as slaves again. This displayed both an uncaring attitude to fellow Jews, and a materialistic desire to trample on others for one's own gain. It's a challenge to how we treat fellow believers. I...

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 24:8-9 Understanding to grow in By one act Jeremiah pictured the hope for Judah. Having spoken of Babylon conquering the people and dragging them into exile, he bought a field - an investement in the post-exile future, when God would restore his people to their land. And "restoration" is the word of these chapters. But it is a restoration that can only occur once God has dealt with the sin that would otherwise bring yet another judgment. So, the LORD promises that he will cause the people to "always fear" him, that he will "cleanse" and "forgive" their sin. And it is then that the land will be restored to a glorious state, as it is ruled by a righteous king des...

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 24:7 Understanding to grow in The future with God is joy. That's the theme of our passage. After judgment, God promises restoration because of his love for the nation. It will be restoration of her fortunes and city, and will lead to gladness and celebration. The people will be ruled by a leader who is close to God, and God will be their God and they his people. And with him the land will flourish like a sort of new Eden. It all foreshadows life in the new creation through Christ as our king, reminding us of the utter joy that we will know then. And just as this was to sustain God's people when they suffered hardship, so it does us. As you read note what is to be rejoiced in. Jeremiah 30:...

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 24:5-6 Understanding to grow in Things must only ever be done God's way. False prophets declared peace. Opponents sought to silence Jeremiah. But God's word through him remained. And it is a word that has some relevance to us, as we have to live life in some sense exiles from the coming kingdom, living in a land where the majority don't know the LORD (1 Pet 1v1). Jeremiah's message is that because this is part of God's purpose nothing is gained by fighting it or creating unecessary antagonism with those his people live amongst. Despite Babylonian society being unbelieving, immoral and, to some extent at least, hostile, the people were to settle down, enjoy the benefits of the cult...

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 24:3-4 Understanding to grow in Tye preaching of God's word can even divide those amongst his people. Here, some are against Jeremiah, not being able to conceive how God would bring down Jerusalem. They presume an easy grace - that they and their city are so special, that God will always be for them whatever their sin. Others, come round to being for Jeremiah when they see his courage in urging then to do to him whatever they won't, but to be aware that violence would make them guilty of innocent blood. These recognize the integrity of someone seeking to please God not man. Paul makes a similar point in 1 Thessalonians 2: The validity of his ministry was proved by his readiness to suffer. One...

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 24:1-2 Understanding to grow in It stretches our understanding, but the LORD so governs all that happens that he can use the evil acts of an oppressive empire like Babylon to execute righteous judgment on wicked nations. And then, because that doesn't excuse Babylon's actions, punish Babylon for what they did under his hand. It should encourage us that justice is always done, and that even evil is somehow used by God for good. But the main point here, is that we should learn from Judah and "listen" to God's word rather than persistently ignore it. Indeed, when God spoke over Jesus on the mount of transfiguration, the one thing he said was "listen to him" (Matt 17v5). A...

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 23:29-35 Understanding to grow in It is a most serious thing to claim to have a word from the LORD and it to instead reflect one's own ideas or imaginations. This is why Jeremiah denounces Judah's prophets. Rather than speak God's word of judgment, they spoke words of peace and false encouragement. One cannot but think of how ready some are today to declare "God's saying" this or that, and then speak out their own wishes and hopes. But the prophecy applies especially to ministers and preachers who speak in God's name but speak their own thoughts on the matter they are preaching, happily going against what is actually taught in the Bible. But what is said in God's nam...

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 23:26-28 Understanding to grow in One lesson here is that each generation is responsible for carrying on the faith. Jeremiah rebukes two sons and a grandson of the good king Josiah, for not carrying on his upright rule in caring for the oppressed and leading the people away from idolatry. We cannot be comlacent just because our parents were committed Christians. We will be held to account for our own response to Christ. Chapter 23 begins then with a rebuke of Judah's rulers as "shepherds" who should be caring for God's sheep. This is one of the backdrops to Jesus' teaching of himself as the good shepherd. As Jeremiah predicts, the LORD will bring his scattered (exiled) flock bac...

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 23:22-25 Understanding to grow in Jeremiah's message against God's people is stark. The God who once fought for them against the nations will now fight against them using the nations - Babylon (21v5). This is how serious the people's sin is. It has effectively made them no longer God's people. But rather than repent, they persecute Jeremiah. And his song is pertinent as a foreshadowing of Christ's experience, and that of all in him might experience in seeking to share the gospel. God's spokesman faces insult and reproach for what he says, making him profoundly depressed (20v8, 14-18). But he cannot but keep speaking because the message he has burns in his heart like fire, maki...

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 23:19-21 Understanding to grow in Suffering, evil, judgment are all issues Christians struggle with. But today we see the perspective we must gain: Like a potter with his clay, the Lord has the right to do as he pleases with people and nations (see Rom 9v21). He is our creator. We are his creation. And the image reminds us that we need to know our place. But we see too, that what God does is not arbitrary, but always righteous and just (Jer 18v7-10). We do not always know why things happen as they do, but we do know that nations on the rise only rise because God has determined to do them good, and those that do not relent of evil will ultimately be brought down. And these words are striking when ...