• Sun      Sep 13     Nah. 1–3
• Mon     Sep 14     Hab. 1–3
• Tue      Sep 15     Zeph. 1–3
• Wed     Sep 16     Hag. 1–2
• Thu      Sep 17     Zech. 1–3
• Fri        Sep 18     Zech. 4–6
• Sat       Sep 19     Zech. 7–8       

Nahum is a prophetic oracle against Assyria and its capital city Nineveh. This continues the theme of God’s judgement against his enemies and the enemies of Israel and Judah. A day is coming when God will bring about his justice, and the nations he has used to judge his own people will themselves face the just judgement of God.

Nahum has several points of connection to other parts of the Book of the Twelve, but the most obvious is its link to Jonah, which also focuses on the city of Nineveh. Nahum prophesied after Jonah preached against Nineveh and the Assyrian city repented. Clearly, Nineveh’s repentance was short lived. God would eventually punish Nineveh’s great wickedness and Assyria would be defeated, with their capital city overthrown, by the Babylonians shortly after Nahum’s prophetic prediction these events.

The prophet’s name, Nahum, means “comfort,” an interesting and meaningful detail given the theme of his prophetic message. God’s people will be saved and comforted by the eventual destruction of those who are oppressing them. The Lord, the almighty and good Divine Warrior, will come and defeat the wicked. The main message of the book is captured in verses 7–8 of chapter 1.

The Lord is good,

          a stronghold in the day of trouble;

he knows those who take refuge in him.

          But with an overflowing flood

he will make a complete end of the adversaries,

          and will pursue his enemies into darkness. (Nah. 1:7–8)

Next in the sequence is Habakkuk. We are not given much information about the prophet for whom this short book is named. We are simply told that this is the oracle Habakkuk the prophet saw (Hab. 1:1). We can discern a little about the historical context from verse 6 of chapter 1. There it says God is raising up the Chaldeans, another name for the Babylonians, who will come through the land and wipe out all in their path. This suggests Habakkuk was prophesying against Judah and looking ahead to the time when they would be judged by God through the wicked nation of Babylon.

Habakkuk is framed as a personal lament over the prophet’s circumstances and the circumstances of his people. Habakkuk wrestles with God and invites readers to ponder the question, How can the Lord allow the wicked (Babylon in this case) to prosper? Why would he use them to accomplish his divine purposes, even judgement against his own people? And the answer given in the book is an answer that reiterates a thread that echoes consistently through all Scripture. Just like Abraham was counted righteous because he believed God and his promises, so too the prophet Habakkuk simply and famously states, “The righteous shall live by faith.” (Hab. 2:4) This verse is quoted at key points in some of the most profound expressions of the gospel in the NT (Rom. 1:17; Gal. 3:11; Heb. 10:38).

The next short entry in the Book of the Twelve is Zephaniah. This may not be the most familiar book in the Bible, but it is packed with wonderful truths for us today. It could be argued that these three chapters give the most succinct summary statement of the prophetic message in all the OT.

Zephaniah prophesied in the time of king Josiah, one of Judah’s good kings (Zeph. 1:1; See 2 Kgs. 22:1–23:30). He tells of the coming Day of the Lord, when God will punish his people for their wickedness. Things are going to get really bad for the people of Judah. However, as we are seeing all throughout the OT prophets, there is also a time coming when things are going to get much better. Zephaniah’s message captures this dichotomy between the Lord’s righteous judgement and his coming salvation as clearly and concisely as anywhere else in the Major or Minor Prophets.

We also see here the idea of a righteous remnant, those who remain faithful and are preserved by God even when all others go down the path of sin and rebellion.

“On that day you shall not be put to shame

          because of the deeds by which you have rebelled against me;

for then I will remove from your midst

          your proudly exultant ones,

and you shall no longer be haughty

          in my holy mountain.

But I will leave in your midst

          a people humble and lowly.

They shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord,

          those who are left in Israel;

they shall do no injustice

          and speak no lies,

nor shall there be found in their mouth

          a deceitful tongue.

For they shall graze and lie down,

          and none shall make them afraid.” (Zeph. 3:11–13)

The next of the Minor Prophets is Haggai. He was a prophet who spoke for God in the time after the exile. Haggai was among the first wave of those who had returned from Babylon to begin trying to reestablish themselves and the temple in Jerusalem. Babylon had fallen to the Persian king Cyrus, and now Cyrus’s son Darius is the Persian king ruling in Babylon (Hag. 1:1). The timing of Haggai’s prophetic ministry overlapped with Zechariah’s (Zech. 1:1, 7) and with the activities recounted in Ezra and Nehemiah (See Ezra 4:24).

Haggai consists of a series of four oracles, with narrative interwoven between the prophetic oracles. The first oracle rebukes the returnees for continuing in the unfaithful ways of earlier generations. As an indicator of the problem of misaligned hearts, they are prioritizing their own “paneled houses” instead of rebuilding the Lord’s house (Hag. 1:4). Under the leadership of Zerubbabel and the high priest Joshua, the faithful remnant responds obediently to Haggai’s first oracle and they begin rebuilding the temple (1:12–15).

In the second oracle, Haggai looks ahead with anticipation to a future temple that will be better than Solomon’s. Then, in the third oracle, it is made clear that the temple they are working on in is not the glorious temple anticipated in the second oracle, but rather a sign of the future temple to come. In a similar way, the fourth oracle then focuses on Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, who is in the line of David. Through Haggai, the Lord says Zerubbabel is the one who carries along the promise of a coming Messiah from David’s line. This message renews hope in another descendent of David, a seed of the promise who will be the Lord’s servant and in whose time God will shake the heavens and the earth and overthrow the kingdoms of the earth (Hag. 2:20–23).

We begin reading Zechariah this week and will finish it next week. As mentioned above, Zechariah prophesied during a similar time period as Haggai’s, in the time of the Persian king Darius. Some of the Judahites who had been exiled out of the Land were returning to Jerusalem to help with the rebuilding efforts there. Zechariah’s message comes in that context. Zechariah’s name means “the Lord (Yahweh) remembers,” and his message is more hopeful than some of the other Minor Prophets.

There is a two-part structure to the book, with chapters 1–8 focusing on issues related to the current generation of those seeking to restore the community in Jerusalem. Specific historical figures from that time period are mentioned, like Joshua and Zerubbabel. While the immediate frame of reference is on the historical context of that generation, and particularly those two characters, they are presented in a way that suggests Zechariah’s meaning, and the Lord’s, is about the future too. This first “half” of Zechariah consists of Zechariah’s night visions.

The second part of the book, chapters 9–14, is more apocalyptic and clearly eschatological. Here Zechariah envisions the more distant future. The oracles of these latter chapters speak of coming judgement, and salvation, for the nations, and salvation for Israel.

The overall message of this largest entry in the Book of the Twelve is a call to repent and turn back to the Lord (Zech. 1:3), and a hopeful encouragement to those who do repent. God’s promises are sure, and he will look with favor on his people if they turn back to him. This book is a book of hope. In Christ, God has delivered on his promises through the prophets. And as we anticipate Christ’s second coming, we wait with certainty and hope that he will again bring all peoples to himself. He will be our God and we will be his people.

Christmas is still a few months away, but it is never too early in the year to rejoice in the first coming of Christ as we await his second coming. The Christmas carol “Let all Mortal Flesh Keep Silence” is a somber, worshipful hymn that captures the wonder and awe of the Incarnation, and its title reflects the language of Zech. 2:13 (and Hab. 2:20).

Let all mortal flesh keep silence

and with fear and trembling stand

Ponder nothing earthly minded

for with blessing in His hand

Christ our God to earth descending

comes our homage to demand

 

King of kings yet born of Mary

as of old on earth He stood

Lord of heaven now incarnate

in the body and the blood

He will give to all the faithful

His own self for heav’nly food

 

Rank on rank the host of heaven

Spreads its vanguard on the way

As the Light of light descending

From the realms of endless day

That the pow'rs of hell may vanish

As the darkness clears away

 

At His feet the six-winged seraph

Cherubim with sleepless eye

Veil their faces to the presence

As with ceaseless voice they cry

Alleluia Alleluia

Alleluia Lord Most High

• Sun      Sep 6  Joel 1–3
• Mon     Sep 7  Amos 1–3
• Tue      Sep 8  Amos 4–6
• Wed     Sep 9  Amos 7–9, Obad.
• Thu      Sep 10 Jon. 1–4
• Fri        Sep 11 Mic. 1–3
• Sat       Sep 12 Mic. 4–7         

Joel is a short book that centers around a prophetic message of judgement, depicted as a locust plague, and salvation on the day of the Lord. Joel’s name means “The Lord (Yahweh) is God”. Unlike Hosea and some of the other Minor Prophets, this book gives no clear indication of its historical context or the date it was written. Some have suggested this is because it was meant to function as a liturgical lament, repeated across time in various contexts.

The three chapters can be broken down into a two-part structure, divided between 2:17 and 2:18. The first half speaks of the day of the Lord and gives a call to repentance, and the second half looks ahead to restoration and the final day of the Lord. As we have observed before, often the perspective of the OT prophets is of a future that appears to unfold all at once; but as history unfolds, we realize later that the events the prophet was anticipating may take place in different stages.

We see an example of this principle in Acts 2:14–21. There Peter (and Luke the author) observes the miraculous phenomena of the Holy Spirit coming upon believers in Jerusalem, and we see this beginning of the Church as the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy about the coming day of the Lord. However, there is more envisioned in the prophet’s message of what will take place in the coming days; there is further eschatological fulfillment beyond what was fulfilled in Acts. The day of the Lord has come, and we still await its final consummation.

We will also be reading Amos this week. Amos was a shepherd and did not consider himself a professional prophet (Amos 7:14). His prophetic ministry overlapped with Hosea’s, and he prophesied in the time of Uzziah, king of Judah, and Jeroboam, king of Israel. Amos’s message calls out the sin of Israel, particularly focusing on their idolatrous practices and the social injustice of the rich and powerful oppressing the poor and needy.

Rather than going through the motions of religious practice, what God wants from his people is true justice and righteousness.

“I hate, I despise your feasts,

       and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.

Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings,

       I will not accept them;

and the peace offerings of your fattened animals,

       I will not look upon them.

Take away from me the noise of your songs;

       to the melody of your harps I will not listen.

But let justice roll down like waters,

       and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” (Amos 5:21–24)

As we see throughout the prophetic books of the OT, Amos includes some elements of hopeful anticipation within the proclamations of judgement. The book ends with a promise that the Lord will raise up the booth of David that has fallen, the king in David’s dynastic line will come and “restore the fortunes” of his people (Amos 9:11–12). This passage is quoted in Acts, highlighting especially the part of verse 12 that says all the nations, or Gentiles, will be called by the Lord’s name (Acts 15:16–17). This is a promise of restoration for those who put their faith in the Messiah, Christ, from all peoples and nations.

The next of the Minor Prophets is Obadiah, the fourth part of what is called the Book of the Twelve. Obadiah is very short, only one chapter, and it has a singular focus. It is an oracle of judgement against the nation of Edom. In some ways it would be appropriate to consider Edom an estranged brother nation to Israel, a brother that has now become a bitter enemy. Jacob’s brother Esau is the father of the Edomites, and, like the enmity between Jacob and Esau, Israel and Edom have had a violently contentious history ever since the sibling rivalry of their founding fathers. Obadiah is a prophetic declaration against Israel’s enemy Edom.

The short book is introduced under the brief heading “The vision of Obadiah.” (Obad. 1:1) Obadiah is one of the Minor Prophets that explicitly mentions the prophet for whom the book is named, and his name means “servant of the Lord (Yahweh).” We do not know exactly when Obadiah was written, but some have suggested it may have been shortly after Babylon destroyed Jerusalem and brought the people of Judah into exile in Babylon. Verses 10–14 depict Edom gloating as their brother nation Jacob is carried off into exile and Jerusalem is destroyed. Psalm 137, which we will be reading later in the year, addresses this same situation. But judgement is coming for Edom too, for they will be judged for their boasting over Jerusalem’s calamity.

Like we have seen in Joel and Amos, Obadiah envisions the coming day of the Lord, and the prospect of this coming day is not good news for Edom or for any other nation that has opposed God or his people. (Obad. 15–16). The violence they have committed shall be done to them, and on the coming day of the Lord the house of Esau shall be consumed by fire (Obad. 17–18).

This declaration of judgement against Edom is one instance of a recurring motif we find all through the prophets, which was mentioned in an earlier write up too. The prophets repeatedly pronounce a set of oracles against the nations. These are strong statements of rebuke and prophetic promises of coming judgement against those peoples and nations who have wickedly opposed God by oppressing his people. These oracles of doom show up in the Major Prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel) as well as here in the Book of the Twelve. Much can be said about the details in these sections, but three general principles characterize these oracles against the nations in the prophets:

• They express the universal rule of the Lord. He is not only the God of Israel and Judah, but he is the Sovereign Lord of all nations. And his word is powerful wherever it is proclaimed.
• They express the outworking of the Abrahamic covenant and God’s promise, “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse” (Gen. 12:3).
• They portray Israel’s prophets as key agents in God’s purposes for his people. As messengers of the Divine Warrior, they bring the weapon of God’s word against the nations.

Jonah may be the most well-known of the Minor Prophets. Unlike the others in the Book of the Twelve, Jonah is mostly narrative, with just chapter two being written in poetic style. We know from 2 Kings 14 that Jonah was a prophet in Israel during the reign of Jeroboam, son of Joash, king of Israel (2 Kgs. 14:23–27). This was before the fall of Israel, the northern kingdom. But it would not be long after Jeroboam’s reign, and Jonah’s prophetic ministry, that Israel would be destroyed and sent into exile at the hand of their Assyrian captors. This historical background, which we know of from the biblical context, is important to keep in mind as we read Jonah. Nineveh, the city to which God sent Jonah, was the capital city of Assyria. So Jonah’s reluctance to obey God and go to Nineveh was understandable, though his disobedience was still unacceptable.

There are many interesting and mysterious things about Jonah, with several striking and even humorous details. It presents the Israelite prophet in a negative light, whereas the Gentile characters in the book are, in many ways, more commendable than Jonah. We see this perhaps most clearly in the immediate and comprehensive repentance of the Ninevites. The text makes a point to highlight explicitly their full repentance. They responded to Jonah’s brief oracle by believing God, fasting, and putting on sackcloth “from the greatest of them to the least of them.” (Jon. 3:5) The king of Nineveh put on sackcloth, sat in ashes, and demanded every animate being in his realm to put on sackcloth, fast completely, and repent from their evil ways (3:6–8). God looks favorably on this and freely chooses not to destroy the city.

On the other hand, Jonah disobeys God, flees from him, reacts with apparent apathy at God’s judgment (while the Gentile sailors fear God), and displays petulant despair at his own discomfort while mourning the preservation of the lives of the Ninevites in response to their wholesale repentance. Jonah’s most egregious offense is his anger at God for being “a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.” (4:2) This is an almost-verbatim quote from Exod. 34:6–7, God’s own self-declaration of his name and his character. This statement from Exodus 34 is quoted or at least alluded to in each of the twelve Minor Prophets, but Jonah cites it as an angry accusation against the Lord. The story of Jonah is an instructive indictment about a rebellious Israelite prophet who cares more about himself, his comfort, and his people than about the Lord’s compassionate character and loving plan for all peoples.

We come to Micah next in our reading through the Minor Prophets. This sixth entry in the Book of the Twelve alternates between warnings of judgment on the one hand, and messages of salvation on the other hand. It is here that we learn the coming royal Savior will be from Bethlehem. The book is named for the prophet Micah of Moresheth, who is listed at the beginning of the book. His name means “Who is like you, Lord (Yahweh)?” (see Mic. 7:18).

Micah prophesied during the time of the Judahite kings Jotham (2 Kgs 15:32-38), Ahaz (2 Kgs 16), and Hezekiah (2 Kgs 18–20), making him a contemporary of Isaiah (see Isa. 1:1). In Micah, we see again the theme of God’s concern for justice, mercy, and humility more than with sacrifices and offerings. Micah 6:6–8 is one of the most familiar passages from the Minor Prophets, and even though all Scripture is both timeless and timely in what it proclaims, the message of these verses is a particularly poignant reminder for us today:

“With what shall I come before the Lord,

       and bow myself before God on high?

Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,

       with calves a year old?

Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,

       with ten thousands of rivers of oil?

Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,

       the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”

He has told you, O man, what is good;

       and what does the Lord require of you

but to do justice, and to love kindness,

       and to walk humbly with your God? (Mic. 6:6–8)

• Sun      Aug 30 1 Thess. 4–5
• Mon     Aug 31 2 Thess. 1–3
• Tue      Sep 1   Hos. 1–3
• Wed     Sep 2   Hos. 4–5
• Thu      Sep 3   Hos. 6–8
• Fri        Sep 4   Hos. 9–11
• Sat       Sep 5   Hos. 12–14     

Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonian church continues the same tone and themes from 1 Thessalonians. Readers are encouraged to set our minds and hope on heavenly realities and future promises. There will be judgement at the time of Christ’s return, but that judgement will be for the vindication of those who are in Christ. In the day of Jesus’s coming, he will be glorified in those who are his, and they will marvel at him.

In light of this, Paul prays that God would make them (us) worthy of their (our) calling. As we await our Savior’s promised return, let us also pray that the Lord would “fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in us, and us in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Thess. 1:5–12).

After 2 Thessalonians, we move back to the OT prophetic books. Hosea is the first in the group of books referred to as the Minor Prophets. You will notice we skipped over Daniel, which follows Ezekiel in our English Bibles. In the Hebrew Bible, Daniel is grouped with the last of the three sections, the Writings (Ketubim). Remember, the Hebrew Bible is sometimes called the TaNaK, which is a made-up word based on the first letter of its three major sections: The Law, or teaching/instruction (Torah), the Prophets (Nebi’im), and Writings (Ketubim). We discussed this a bit in the write up for week 25. So we will come back to Daniel and read it a little later in the year.

The Minor Prophets is a group of twelve relatively short biblical books (Hosea–Malachi). This grouping was considered a single book in the most ancient collections of writings of the Hebrew Bible, at it is referred to as the Book of the Twelve. Historical evidence points to the intentional composition of these writings into one unified collection. And in addition to this historical evidence for the unity of the group, there are several features within the text that seem to indicate they were deliberately tied together. Here are several examples of these kinds of strategic links (sometimes referred to as “intertextuality”) between the Minor Prophets:

• “Restore their captivity” (Hos. 6:11; Joel 3:1; Amos 9:14; Zeph. 2:7; 3:20
• “I will send fire on their cities and consume their fortresses” (Hos. 8:14; Amos 1:5ff)
• “Day of Yahweh is near” (Joel 1:15; 2:1, 11; 3:14; Amos 5:18–20; Obad. 15; Zeph. 1:14–15
• “Day of gloom and darkness” (Joel 2:2; Amos 5:18; Zeph. 1:15)
• Quote of (or allusion to) Exod. 34:6 (Joel 2:13; Jon. 4:2; Mic. 7:18–20; Nah. 1:3 [Also maybe Hos. 4:1-8; 8:13; 9:9; Amos 3:2,14])
• “Who knows whether he may turn and have compassion” (Joel 2:14; Jon. 3:9)
• “Everyone who calls on the name of Yahweh will be saved” (Joel 2:32; cf. Amos 9:12; Jon. 1:8; 3:8; Zeph. 3:9)
• “There will be deliverance on Mt. Zion” (Joel 2:32; Obad. 17)
• “I will gather all nations and enter into judgment with them” (Joel 3:2; cf. Zeph. 3:8)
• “Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears” (Joel 3:10; cf. Mic. 4:3)
• “Yahweh will roar from Jerusalem” (Joel 3:16; Amos 1:2)
• “Jerusalem/Zion will be holy” (Joel 3:17; Obad. 17)
• “Strangers/wicked will no longer pass through you (Joel 4:17; Nah. 1:15)
• “Mountains drip with wine and hills with milk (Joel 3:18; Amos 9:13)
• “What I have not punished I will punish” (Joel 3:21; cf. Nah. 1:3)
• “Yahweh will dwell in Mt. Zion” (Joel 3:17, 21; cf. Obad. 17; Mic. 4:7)
• “Every face grows pale” (Joel 2:6; Nah. 2:10)
• “That they may possess a remnant of Edom” (Amos 9:12; cf. Obad. 17, 19–21)
• “In that day I will assemble the lame and gather the scattered (Mic. 4:6; Zeph. 3:19)
• “Day of trouble” (Nah. 1:7; Hab. 3:16; Zeph. 1:15)
• “Be silent before Yahweh” (Hab. 2:20; Zeph. 3:19)

Other similar threads like this could be added, demonstrating a deliberate interconnectedness between the twelve Minor Prophets. So when we read the Book of the Twelve as one book, we follow the design of Scripture and can see unifying themes. We can read Hosea and track its message on its own, but we should also follow along with the message of the whole collection to hear and respond to that overall message too.

With that being said, here we will include just a brief introductory overview of the individual contributions of each of the twelve prophets in this collection.

Hosea serves as sort of a thematic introduction to the Book of the Twelve. His name, Hosea, means “He saves” or simply “salvation” and it is the same as Joshua’s original name (Num. 13:16). It is also related to the Hebrew name behind Jesus’s name. The time of Hosea’s prophetic ministry spanned the reigns of Uzziah (aka Azariah, 2 Kgs. 15:1; 2 Chr. 26:1), Jotham (2 Kgs. 15:32-38), Ahaz (2 Kings 16), and Hezekiah (2 Kings 18–20) in the southern kingdom of Judah, and Jeroboam son of Joash (2 Kgs. 14:23; 15:1) in the northern kingdom of Israel. Hosea’s prophetic message is mostly directed towards Israel just prior to their fall and exile to Assyria.

Hosea’s own life story contributes significantly to the message of Hosea and to the message of the Book of the Twelve as a whole. It provides a sort of parable for the Lord’s critique of his people. The prophet’s relationship with his unfaithful wife represents God’s relationship with unfaithful Israel. The theme of Israel’s unfaithfulness runs through all the OT prophets, both the so-called Major Prophets of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, and the Minor Prophets as well.

The prophets’ words to the people, and their written words we read now, declare God’s righteous judgement on his wayward, sinful people. These books call God’s people to turn from their sinful ways and return to the Lord (Hos. 6:1a). Punishment and consequences dominate the prophetic books, but a persistent message of hope is included throughout all these books as well.

Hosea cries out for the people to return to the Lord. “For he has torn us,” Hosea announces, “that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him.” (Hos. 6:1b–2)

Earlier in Hosea we also read that God’s people will return to him at a later time, and the will “seek the Lord their God, and David their king, and they shall come in fear to the Lord and to his goodness in the latter days” (Hos. 3:5). This verse, which could be seen as the theme verse for the whole Book of the Twelve, speaks of a time to come, from the prophets’ perspective, when a new David would come and reign over God’s kingdom. He would restore his people to the Lord and to resurrection life.

• Sun      Aug 23 Ezek. 35–36    Ps. 113
• Mon     Aug 24 Ezek. 37–38    Ps. 114
• Tue      Aug 25 Ezek. 39–40    Ps. 115
• Wed     Aug 26 Ezek. 41–42    Ps. 116
• Thu      Aug 27 Ezek. 43–45    Ps. 117
• Fri        Aug 28 Ezek. 46–48    Ps. 118
• Sat       Aug 29 1 Thess. 1–3  

After a set of judgements against Egypt and Pharaoh, Israel’s ancient enemies, the message of Ezekiel shifted in its focus again starting in chapter 33. The, in chapters 33 To 39, Ezekiel takes up a variety of themes that include the Lord’s weighty reminder to Ezekiel that he is a “watchman for the house of Israel” (33:7). The prophet is compelled to give the people the word the Lord gives to him.

In this section there is also an intense critique of the shepherds in Israel, followed by a hopeful promise that God himself will seek out his sheep and bring them back to him; he will care for them and feed them in justice (34:1–16). Not only will the Lord be their loving shepherd, but he will also deliver his sheep by the hand of a shepherd he will send. “I, the Lord, will be their God,” he says, “and my servant David shall be prince among them. I am the Lord; I have spoken.” (34:24) This is same kind of messianic language we have seen before throughout the OT, where long after David’s own time, God promises to send another, greater David. One from his line, an offspring (or seed) of David, will come and bring his people back to God and care for them with the care of a great, loving Shepherd.

In this time to come, a new covenant will be enacted, a covenant of peace. We read of this new covenant just after the promise of a coming Davidic shepherd Messiah (34:25). In the new covenant of peace, the enemies of God and of his people will be destroyed, and God will put his own Spirit within his people. The Lord will vindicate his holy name among the nations before whom he has been profaned by his people.

In one of the most beautiful and hopeful new covenant passages in all the Bible, the Lord promises to take his people from all the nations and cleanse them—cleanse us from our uncleanness. His words of promise continue with the following profound truth, which has been fulfilled in us as new covenant believers:

“I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.” (36:26–27)

This is the beautiful hope of the gospel—the promise fulfilled in Christ. Jesus ushered in the new covenant when the eternal, almighty, triune God took on flesh then went to the cross to redeem to himself all who recognize him as the Messiah and put their faith in him. He is our God and we are his people. And, as chapter 37 depicts with vivid imagery, we have been raised with him from death to life.

Ezekiel concludes with a vision of a future temple in Jerusalem. Ezekiel’s description of his vision includes details related to the temple building and its surrounding complex as well as some of the activities that accompany the future temple. Ezekiel ends with a visionary picture that ties back to the vision that began the book in chapters 1–3.

The book opened with Ezekiel’s vision in which the Lord visited his people while in exile. Later we read of God’s temple being profaned and his glory departing the temple and Jerusalem (chapters 8–11). Now, here at the end of the book, Ezekiel sees ahead to a time when the glory of the Lord will return (43:5).

While this vision does not depict the eternal ideal state of God’s presence with his people, it does paint a hopeful picture that anticipates the eschatological vision of the last book in the Bible. Revelation shares much of the same kind of apocalyptic language and imagery as Ezekiel, and in Revelation we read of history consummated at the end of time. Christ’s reign as king is fully realized, and God finally restores his people and dwells with them forever. Ezekiel’s vision looks ahead to its ultimate culmination in the new heavens and new earth, which is the prophetic hope of the Bible’s entire storyline.

In 1 Thessalonians, Paul also writes with a view towards the days to come. His purpose is to instill in his readers the hope of Jesus’s second coming. Though we do not know the time or season of his return, we do know he is coming. We are to remain steadfast in our faith and hope, with the “breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake [still alive at the time of his second coming] or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” (1 Thess. 5:1–11)

• Sun      Aug 16 Ezek. 19–21   
• Mon     Aug 17 Ezek. 22–24    Ps. 107
• Tue      Aug 18 Ezek. 25–26    Ps. 108
• Wed     Aug 19 Ezek. 27–28    Ps. 109
• Thu      Aug 20 Ezek. 29–30    Ps. 110
• Fri        Aug 21 Ezek. 31–32    Ps. 111
• Sat       Aug 22 Ezek. 33–34    Ps. 112

The section we are reading in Ezekiel includes some of the most graphic descriptions of sin and judgement in all the Bible. Then next week, we will also read some of the Bible’s most striking, hopeful imagery depicting the new life God would breathe into his people.

The main message of the first part of Ezekiel is a message of rebuke against Israel and Judah for their wicked ways. They have departed from God and his law in about every way imaginable. They have had innumerable chances to repent and have remained hard-hearted in their resistance to the Lord and his prophets. In chapters 16 and 23, Ezekiel uses metaphorical language to depict the unfaithfulness of Israel and Judah, and it is difficult to read.

Ezekiel takes the message of prophetic accusation to a new level of intensity, but severity and rebuke are not unique to Ezekiel. We have already seen these kinds of scathing prophetic condemnations in Isaiah and Jeremiah, and they continue through the Minor Prophets as well. It may be tempting simply to endure reading these harsh messages with somewhat of a detached engagement with the Scriptures. Afterall, we are not Israel or Judah, and this is ancient writing to an ancient people.

Nevertheless, we should feel the impact too. Reading Ezekiel helps us see sin for what it is, and it helps us to see God for who he is too. Variations of the phrase, “so they will know that I am the Lord (Yahweh)” occur all throughout Ezekiel. This mysterious prophetic book reveals to us who the Lord is and what makes his furious anger stir and his righteous judgement come down. It also shows us how, despite his people’s hard-hearted sin against him, his faithfulness to his covenant promises never fails.

As we recognize these truths in Ezekiel’s message, it should elicit an appropriate response of worship as well as lament over sin and its consequences. In these chapters we recognize the ways we are still prone to exhibit the marks of the world, even though we have been given new hearts and God’s own Spirit, which we will read of later Ezekiel. The message of the biblical prophets sensitizes our consciences to evil in the world and it should work in us to align our moral sensibilities to God’s.

Ezekiel was a prophet to Israel and Judah, and the biblical book known by his name includes God’s message through Ezekiel to the people of Israel and Judah. Even with that being the case, it is also important to remember that the book of Ezekiel is Christian Scripture too; It is God’s inspired message to us today just as much as it was his message to those who first heard it and read it in Ezekiel’s time.

True, things are different for us than they were for God’s people in Ezekiel’s time. We are not accountable to the old covenant, the stipulations of the law God gave to Moses on Mt. Sinai. The old covenant, however, is not the same as the Old Testament. The message of the Old Testament is a new covenant message, and we see that message as clearly in Ezekiel as we see it in any other Old Testament book. This is especially emphasized later in the book (chapters 36–37), but some themes of new covenant hope appear in the earlier parts of the book too (e.g. 11:17–20; 16:59–63).

The eternal God of the universe revealed himself in visions to the prophet Ezekiel and through Ezekiel to the people of Israel and to us today. God is not constrained by time and he does not change with time. The message Ezekiel the prophet was to proclaim to the rebellious people of Israel and Judah was a particular message for a particular people in that time. But the message of the book of Ezekiel is a timeless message for us too. As you read Ezekiel, be looking for those glimmers of hope in the midst of the prophetic message of judgement. And read with gratefulness for the new covenant Ezekiel promises would come. Pray for a heart that is softened by the Spirit to receive the book’s prophetic warnings and apply them to our hearts and lives.

Chapter 25 of Ezekiel marks a transition to a new section, which goes through chapter 32. Here the focus shifts from a message of judgement on Israel and Judah to a series of oracles against surrounding nations. These are historical enemies of Israel and Judah, and the prophetic proclamations in these chapters speak of coming judgement on the nations, and their leaders, who have proudly opposed God and his people. The Lord’s righteous judgement will one day come down hard upon his enemies.

For the Israelites who were first hearing and reading these oracles, this would have been an encouraging relief in the midst of Ezekiel’s condemning words earlier in the book. And we too can find great hope in these oracles as God’s people today. The Lord will ultimately prevail. Even when it seems wickedness and the pride of evil leaders and nations are prevailing now, God will execute his righteous judgement in the end. He will manifest his glory and his holiness (Ezek. 28:22). Embedded in this section is another reminder from the Lord that he will again gather his people from where they have been scattered (28:25–26). God’s judgment against his enemies is deliverance for his people.

Stick with the reading through these OT Prophetic books. They can be difficult to understand and their messages of judgement can be challenging to endure. But remember, they are all pointing to the coming of Christ the Messiah and to the promise of a new covenant he ushers in. For us, the new covenant has come, because Christ has come. What is even more encouraging is that we read these books with confident anticipation of the final fulfilment of all the promises of the new covenant. Christ is coming again.

• Sun      Aug 9  Col. 1–4
• Mon     Aug 10 Ezek. 1–3
• Tue      Aug 11 Ezek. 4–6
• Wed     Aug 12 Ezek. 7–9
• Thu      Aug 13 Ezek. 10–12
• Fri        Aug 14 Ezek. 13–15
• Sat       Aug 15 Ezek. 16–18   

Colossians is another letter Paul wrote from prison. He addresses the Christians in Colossae as the “saints and faithful brothers in Christ” and commends them for their faithfulness (Col. 1:2). His real emphasis, however, as is typical for Paul, is relentlessly God- and Christ-centered. His positive message to the Christians is more about thanking and praising God for his faithful, powerful work than it is about praising those he is writing to. “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,” he says to open Colossians, “since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints.” (Col. 1:3–4)

He goes on to encourage them and exhort them to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord by keeping their eyes fixed on Christ Jesus, the preeminent Son of God. Colossians contains some of the Bible’s richest language praising Jesus and proclaiming his divine character and saving work.

One key theme running through Colossians, as well as 1–2 Thessalonians, is the focus on a mind set on heavenly and future realities. The gospel is the good news of what God has done in Christ, and it is also wonderful news of a promised future we wait for with eager expectation and hope. As we look back on Christ’s death and resurrection and forward to his second coming, we can live life now with joy and peace knowing that his promises are sure. He is accomplishing his purposes in us and in the world, and those purposes will come to full fruition on the last day.

Colossians encourages us to look to the risen Christ and see our own resurrection as an already-not-yet reality too. We are to “seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” (Col. 3:1–4)

We move from this short NT letter back to the prophetic book of Ezekiel. Ezekiel was a prophet and a priest who was called by God to speak for God to the people of Israel and Judah during the time of their exile. Ezekiel was taken from Judah in one of the earlier waves of deportation to Babylon, sometime before the destruction of Jerusalem and the final stage Judah and Jerusalem’s destruction and the exile to Babylon. The book of Ezekiel begins in the fifth year of the Judahite king Jehoiachin’s exile (see 1 Kgs 12–15) and with Ezekiel’s firsthand account of a vision of God’s glorious presence.

The genre of literature here, where we read of Ezekiel’s vision, is referred to as apocalyptic literature. This genre typically depicts realities that could only have been known by God’s own revelation. We see similar depictions in Daniel and the book of Revelation in the NT. Apocalyptic literature is unusual, mysterious, even outlandish. It paints fantastic pictures of heavenly scenes, using imagery that is hard to imagine.

In fact, this is the point of such imagery. The other worldly creatures, and especially the visions of the Lord himself, are things that cannot be fully captured using the categories of human language and thought. When Ezekiel, or Daniel or John, sees these revelatory sights, they do the best they can, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to communicate what they saw. They use limited human vocabulary that includes descriptions of creatures, body parts, and other objects our finite minds can grasp. We are meant to read this and understand that the heavenly reality is similar but also not precisely or literally the same as what is being described. Ezekiel is conveying a glorious revelation, and it should elicit a sense of wonder and awe as we read.

Within this apocalyptic framing to open the book, Ezekiel’s prophetic message is a word of judgement against the people of Israel. God calls Ezekiel to speak for him to the “people of Israel, to nations of rebels… a rebellious house.” He is to deliver this message whether they will listen to his words or not (Ezek. 2:1–7). He is to say to them, “Thus says the Lord,” and then proclaim whatever message God gives him. And even before he goes and speaks these words from the Lord, God tells Ezekiel the people will not listen to him. For they are not willing to listen to God, “because all the house of Israel have a hard forehead and a stubborn heart.” (3:4–7)

Nevertheless, the Lord will strengthen his prophet to continue speaking. He has made him a watchman to call out warning and to urge the people to repent. Ezekiel’s unrelenting message from the Lord is that judgement is coming, Jerusalem’s destruction is imminent, and a full exile from the land is an impending and unstoppable reality.

As we read through this book it can be discouraging. Much of it is about judgement and God’s righteous wrath in response to the idolatry and sin of his people. We may be tempted to respond by relegating Ezekiel (and perhaps other OT books) to a status of less valuable or less relevant for us as Christians. We could find ourselves slipping subtly into thinking Ezekiel is written for another people back then, and that it has little bearing on our lives today. After all, we now live under the new covenant, after Jesus’s first coming. But that line of thinking would not be consistent with what we believe about the Bible. We believe all Scripture is God’s word and profitable for our instruction and edification (2 Tim 3:16).

• Sun      Aug 2  Jer. 48–49       Ps. 105
• Mon     Aug 3  Jer. 50–52       Ps. 106
• Tue      Aug 4  Gal. 1–3         
• Wed     Aug 5  Gal. 4–6         
• Thu      Aug 6  Eph. 1–3        
• Fri        Aug 7  Eph. 4–6        
• Sat       Aug 8  Phil. 1–4         
• Our reading this week turns from Jeremiah to Galatians. This epistle of the apostle Paul is a corrective letter to a group of churches who are in danger of losing sight of the true gospel. Paul uses some of the harshest language in all the NT to rebuke them for turning to “a different gospel—not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.” (Gal. 1:6–7)

We walked through Galatians in a sermon series a few years ago, and reading it again now gives us another chance to heed its warning. We must reject anything that adds to or changes the gospel of God’s gracious salvation. The gospel is the good news of God saving us through the atoning death and resurrection of Jesus. By reminding ourselves of what God has done for us in Christ, by rehearsing the gospel repeatedly, we seek to live out its truth by bearing fruit that can only be produced by God’s own Spirit.

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Gal. 2:20)

This week’s reading also includes a couple of Paul’s other shorter Epistles: Ephesians and Philippians.

Ephesians is perhaps the most profound and relatively concise treatment of the gospel’s implications for the church. It is packed with rich theology and practical instruction and exhortation. Paul’s letters often have a characteristic structure in which the first part focuses on theological teaching, truth for the recipients to understand; and the second part unpacks practical implications of that teaching, exhortation for living in light of gospel truth.

However, it is important not to overstate this two-part structure. Some of Paul’s letters do not have a clear demarcation between first-half theological teaching and a second-half practical exhortation. And in every one of his letters, practical and ethical instruction is integrated within the theological teaching, and the exhortations to live godly lives are always thoroughly expressed as rooted in the theological truth of the gospel.

The good news of what God has done for us in Christ crucially impacts our lives as Christians, and it bears fruit in the healthy function of local churches and the universal Church. The only way for Christians and churches to behave in ways that honor Christ and display a God-glorifying unity is for them to be grounded in the knowledge of Christ and the gospel.

In Ephesians, the first three chapters cover rich, worshipful theology about God’s gracious acts for us through Christ. Paul blesses and thanks the God who called us to himself and sovereignly carries out the purposes he knew he would accomplish before time began. Paul reminds the Ephesian church, and us, that apart from Christ’s saving work, we were dead in our sins. It was only by his grace we were saved, and nothing of ourselves contributes to our salvation. Those who were previously far off from God are reconciled to him by Christ’s blood, and all, both Jew and Gentile, are included in this gospel plan for his church. This plan is meant to display God’s manifold wisdom to the world and beyond the world to the heavenly realm. Paul prays for his readers to grasp the immeasurable love of God, then concludes the first half of the book with a beautiful doxology.

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Eph. 3:20–21)

The second half of Ephesians, chapters 4–6, picks up where the first half left off. Paul moves into instruction and exhortation for the church by urging them to walk in a manner worthy of the gracious calling they have received from God in Christ. They are to conduct themselves—we are to conduct ourselves—“with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bod of peace.” (Eph. 4:2–3)

This exhortation is based on the unity of God himself (4:4–6). Since we have been brought from death to life by God who loves us, we are to walk in love. We are to put off our old self and put on the new life we have been graciously given, a life marked by sacrificial love. This should impact all our relationships—in our family, our workplace, our public life, and especially our church life. And we cannot live the life we are called to live without the strength of the Lord, the armor of God himself, the power of Christ in us, working through his Spirit and his word. The message of Ephesians is a message worth reading, re-reading, meditating upon, and praying through.

Philippians comes next. Like Ephesians, Philippians was written by Paul while he was in prison. He wrote to the Christians who gathered as a church in Philippi, exhorting them with a reminder of the gospel and an encouragement to carry on joyfully in humble unity with one another. Three themes that are repeated throughout Philippians are Joy and Rejoicing, Partnership in the gospel, and God’s glory in Christ. Watch for those themes as you read through, and after reading Philippians, you may find it helpful to go back and review this list of verses that include these themes in the book.

Joy and Rejoicing

• 1:4 Paul prays with joy
• 1:18 Paul rejoices that Christ is proclaimed, and he will rejoice
• 1:25 Paul will continue for the Philippians’ joy in the faith
• 2:2 Paul asks the Philippians to complete his joy
• 2:17–18 Paul is glad and rejoices with the Philippians and asks the same of them
• 2:28 Paul sends Epaphroditus that the Philippians might rejoice
• 2:29 Paul tells the Philippians to receive Epaphroditus with joy
• 3:1 Paul tells the Philippians to rejoice in the Lord
• 4:1 Paul tells the Philippians they are his joy
• 4:4 Paul tells the Philippians, and tells them again, to rejoice in the Lord
• 4:10 Paul rejoiced in the Lord at the Philippians’ concern for him

Partnership/fellowship in the gospel

• 1:5 “your partnership [fellowship] in the gospel”
• 1:7 “partakers with me of grace . . . in the defense and confirmation of the gospel”
• 1:27 “worthy of the gospel of Christ . . . striving side by side for the faith of the gospel”
• 2:1 “participation [fellowship] in the Spirit”
• 2:22 “served with me in the gospel”
• 2:25 “my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier”
• 3:10 “share his sufferings”
• 3:17 “join in imitating me”
• 4:3 “true companion . . . labored side by side with me in the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers”
• 4:14 “share [partner in] my trouble”
• 4:15 “partnership with me in giving and receiving”

The glory of God in Christ

• 1:11 “to the glory and praise of God”
• 1:20 “Christ will be honored in my body”
• 1:21 “to live is Christ, and to die is gain”
• 1:26 “to glory in Christ Jesus”
• 2:9–11 “God highly exalted him . . . the name that is above every name . . . every knee should bow . . . every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
• 3:3 “who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus”
• 3:21 “to be like his glorious body…”
• 4:19 “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
• 4:20 “To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.”

• Sun      Jul 26  Jer. 30–32       Ps. 98
• Mon     Jul 27  Jer. 33–34       Ps. 99
• Tue      Jul 28  Jer. 35–37       Ps. 100
• Wed     Jul 29  Jer. 38–39       Ps. 101
• Thu      Jul 30  Jer. 40–42       Ps. 102
• Fri        Jul 31  Jer. 43–44       Ps. 103
• Sat       Aug 1  Jer. 45–47       Ps. 104

So far the tone of Jeremiah has mostly been negative, with the emphasis of the prophet’s message focusing on God’s coming judgement for Israel and Judah’s sin. There have been hints of a better future to come, but they have not been the main point of the message. In this week’s reading, those hints of a hopeful future take a more prominent place. Here we read of the new covenant that is coming, and again of the righteous Branch, the son of David who will usher in this new covenant.

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” (Jer. 31:31–34)

“I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for their own good and the good of their children after them. I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me. I will rejoice in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and all my soul.” (Jer. 32:39–41)

“I will restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel, and rebuild them as they were at first. I will cleanse them from all the guilt of their sin against me, and I will forgive all the guilt of their sin and rebellion against me… Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely. And this is the name by which it will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’… Thus says the Lord: If I have not established my covenant with day and night and the fixed order of heaven and earth, then I will reject the offspring of Jacob and David my servant and will not choose one of his offspring to rule over the offspring of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For I will restore their fortunes and will have mercy on them.” (Jer. 33:7–8, 14–16, 25–26)

Then, as the book moves towards a close, there is a series of oracles of judgement against the nations surrounding Israel and Judah. These are prophesies of doom the Lord has planned for these nations who have been enemies to his people over the course of their history. This includes nations geographically near Israel and Judah, like the Philistines and Moabites and Ammonites, and also includes nations farther away, like Egypt and Babylon. Each of the nations included in these oracles have been part in the story of God’s people and in the narrative of Scripture. They have all played the role of nemesis to Israel at different points in their past.

This kind of judgement oracles against the nations occurred in Isaiah too, and they will also be a recurring part of the rest of the prophetic literature. The consistent message is that even though Israel is experiencing deserved defeat at the hands of these wicked nations, those nations will also be judged one day.

Whether Egypt, Babylon, or any other nation, thy represent all that is at odds with the Lord and his purposes in the world. These nations, and the evil forces of sin they represent, may seem like they are prevailing upon the people of God—and at times they are; but in the end, the Lord will defeat them in judgement, just as he will strike a final blow to sin and death itself.

• 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)

• Sun      Jul 12  2 Cor. 7–9      
• Mon     Jul 13  2 Cor. 10–13  
• Tue      Jul 14  Jer. 1–3          
• Wed     Jul 15  Jer. 4–6          
• Thu      Jul 16  Jer. 7–9          
• Fri        Jul 17  Jer. 10–12      
• Sat       Jul 18  Jer. 13–14       Ps. 90

After finishing 2 Corinthians, will return to the OT and pick up where we left off after reading Isaiah. Jeremiah is the next book of the Latter Prophets, the canonical section that includes Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the Twelve minor prophets. At this point, it might be helpful to go back and review some of the principles for reading prophetic books of the Bible, which we covered in the posts for week 25 and week 26.

Jeremiah is the longest book of the Bible. It does not have the most chapters, but by word count it surpasses Psalms, Isaiah, and every other book of the Bible. Like Isaiah, Jeremiah can be difficult to read. In fact, it has an even darker, more foreboding tone than Isaiah. In Jeremiah we read of Israel and Judah’s sinful rebellion against the Lord, and of the judgement Jeremiah warns is coming. While there are negative themes to be sure, a book like Jeremiah can help us see God’s grace more clearly too. Understanding the depth of sin and the righteousness of the Lord’s judgement enhances our appreciation of the Lord’s merciful and gracious character displayed in the gospel of Christ.

As you persevere through Jeremiah, lament with the prophet over the sin in the world, even among Jeremiah’s own people and ours. It is right for us to grieve like Jeremiah, and reading these parts of the OT prophets can and should sharpen our distaste for sin, our reverence and fear for the God against whom all sin is a great offense, and our desperation for his grace to destroy sin and overcome its consequences in our lives and in our world. And remember, Jeremiah is the book in the OT that most clearly anticipates the New Covenant (Jer. 31:31–34). Even in the midst of the darkness of Jeremiah’s message, there is the light of the gospel shining through—the good news that the Lord promises: “I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” (31:34)

Jeremiah was a priest (Jer. 1:1) who was called by God to oppose the corrupt priesthood in Jerusalem (1:18; 2:26; 5:31). He was a prophet who opposed the false prophets of Israel (5:31; 6:13; 27:16). He was called by the Lord to speak out against the people of Judah and Israel, who had gone astray from following the ways of God and from keeping his covenant. In the personal moments throughout Jeremiah, we see that the prophet’s message was not always comfortable, and his methods were sometimes far from conventional (see 13:11). It is for good reason Jeremiah is called the weeping prophet. He suffered and grieved greatly despite being faithful to God’s call (really, because he was faithful to God’s call).

Jeremiah has many connections to other places in the Bible. Scholars have noticed that much of the language and themes of Jeremiah are rooted in the theology of the Pentateuch, especially Deuteronomy. As you read along for the next couple weeks, notice the way passages in Deuteronomy like Deut. 29:10–28 and 30:1–10 are reflected in Jeremiah, especially in the New Covenant language of Jeremiah 31.

Another example of connections between Jeremiah and other books of the OT can be seen in chapter 17. There it speaks of the one who trusts in the Lord and is like a tree planted by water that “does not cease to bear fruit” (17:8) This sounds very similar to Psalm 1, which says the person who meditates on the Torah of the Lord is “like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season” (Ps. 1:2–3). The implication is that there is some meaningful correlation between trusting the Lord and reading and meditating on his word. Many other such connections occur throughout Jeremiah.

Jeremiah’s message, like the prophetic literature more generally, has a logical development to it, and it appears quite pessimistic at first. Generally speaking, the logic can be expressed like this.

• Jeremiah rebukes God’s people for their sin. They have rejected him and broken covenant with him.
• Their sin and rejection of God was inevitable. They have always rebelled, and rebellion is embedded in their hearts. They cannot change.
• Jeremiah reminds them that God is just and has promised his righteous punishment if his people sin against him.
• The people’s sin results in judgment. They have experienced God’s punishment or will soon, just as God said they would. Exile is the climactic punishment that was promised and eventually comes about.
• Jeremiah pleads for the people’s fortunes to be restored and their enemies defeated.
• But this will not and cannot happen without a change in the circumstances that caused the punishment, the sin of God’s people.
• So there must be some other solution, something God does that his people could not do.

This sequence does not develop sequentially in a nice, neat way throughout Jeremiah, but the different parts of Jeremiah’s message build on each other with a logical coherence that moves the hearers, and the readers, to a place of desperate longing for God’s gracious work. There is no hope for the people of God, or for humanity, outside of God’s own mighty acts of compassion to bring about a new reality in their hearts and in the world he created.