Week 30, July 19–25: Jeremiah 15–29; Psalms 91–97

• Sun      Jul 19  Jer. 15–16       Ps. 91
• Mon     Jul 20  Jer. 17–18       Ps. 92
• Tue      Jul 21  Jer. 19–20       Ps. 93
• Wed     Jul 22  Jer. 21–22       Ps. 94
• Thu      Jul 23  Jer. 23–24       Ps. 95
• Fri        Jul 24  Jer. 25–27       Ps. 96
• Sat       Jul 25  Jer. 28–29       Ps. 97

We are now past the halfway point in our read thru. By now hopefully you are finding it to be a life-giving habit to spend time in the Bible each day, or most days at least. Be encouraged that the time you have already invested in this has been time very well spent. God’s word is powerful, and it will accomplish what God intends for it to accomplish (Isa. 55:10–11). Scripture bears all kinds of good fruit in our lives, and simply reading the Bible is the first step to experiencing this fruit. So well done and keep reading!

As a reminder and encouragement for the rest of the year, here are a couple of the main purposes for doing a read through like this. First, we read the Bible to meet with God regularly and hear what he has to say. God has given us his word so that we can know him. As Jesus says in John 15, we bear the true fruit of Christ followers when we abide in him and his word abides in us. The Spirit of the living God who lives in us is the Spirit who inspired the Scriptures (2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:21), and setting aside a few minutes each day is the way to respond to his invitation to hear his voice and be nourished by his word (Matt. 4:4; Deut. 8:3).

Maybe you have been pretty consistent over the past several months, or maybe your times of reading have been somewhat sporadic, or maybe you are just now jumping into the reading schedule. Either way, for all of us, it can be difficult to make the time to read. It can feel like there is not enough time for it, that other matters are more urgent. It might feel like our time would be better spent on more practical things that produce more tangible results.

In the midst of the busy lives we live, it can be a real challenge to slow down and read this ancient book, a book that can be difficult to understand and whose relevance is sometimes hard to see. But we can be fully confident that it is worth the effort. Prioritizing time spent with God in his word is a wise choice with great benefit. The Lord has been so kind to make himself known to us by giving us his word, and we do very well to receive that gift daily.

Another purpose for doing a read thru is to cultivate a lifelong habit of growing in familiarity with God’s word. Not only is it the most valuable use of our time each moment we listen to God by reading his word, but doing this also has a cumulative effect over time. The Bible is both elegantly simple in its basic message and infinitely complex in its beautiful depiction of God and of life in the world he made. Someone who has never picked up a Bible before, even a small child, can understand its basic gospel message. And on the other hand, one can devote their entire life to mining the depths of Scripture and still just begin to grasp all there is to the deep mysteries of God.

We are gradually building a foundation of knowing God by reading through the Bible this year, and hopefully this continues next year too, and the year after that, and beyond for the rest of our lives. This is a patient process that takes time and may not produce obvious, concrete “results” right away. Nevertheless, over time our minds and hearts are being shaped, and our character is being formed into Christlikeness as his Spirit carries out his work in us through the regular habit of reading his word. Without a doubt, this will prove to be richly rewarding, and it is pleasing to our gracious God who has revealed himself to us.

Our reading this week in Jeremiah covers the central portion of the book. The prophet’s message is heading towards the key, hopeful portion in chapters 30–33. As you get work your way through this part of the book, notice the theme of a hopeful future. This gradually grows in prominence as we read along.

One key aspect of this promise of a better day to come is the promise of a coming son of David, a Branch from his lineage. This will be the who will bring in the hopeful new future the Lord promises through the prophetic word of Jeremiah. The book has been bleak, but there is hope in the midst of judgement and despair, and that hope points ahead to Jesus.

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’” (Jer. 23:5–6)