The Family Bible Journey Podcast

This great chapter describes the hope we have in God, despite the difficulties and persecutions we face as His people.

As Jeremiah recounts the pitiful state of Jerusalem towards the end, where mothers were eating their own children, we consider the depths of sinful depravity. When we put ourselves first in pride, humans can justify doing anything to anyone else. The ultimate end of sin, pride and selfishness is suffering and death.

"Show me your faith apart from works, and I will show you my faith through my works." James challenges the individual spiritualism that was as prevalent then as it is today. A living and active faith is revelaed by the conduct of our lives. When God calls us to faith, we are called to action!

Lamentations is a poetic summary of Jeremiah's longer work. Written largely as accrostic poetry, all chapters are in multiples of 22 verses, one for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Two chapters front and back, recount Judah's faithlessness, while a central chapter is all about God's grace.

Jeremiah ends with a summary of Jerusalem's demise. Only hundreds were left of a nation that once numbered in the millions. But there is a ray of hope at the end of the book as a former king of Judah is restored to honor. This brief foreshadowing shows that there is hope for God's people.

Luther called the epistle of James an "epistle of straw." He resisted its strong tone in tying together works and righteousness. Despite Luther's reservations, we appreciate James as a necessary antidote to the lazy faith so prevalent today.

"Philadelphia" is the greek word for "brotherly love." William Penn, founder of Pennsylvania, named the capital of what would become known as his state, and for a time, our nation's capital, after this sentiment. What a great encouragement for us Christians to strive for "Philadelphia" in all we do, with all whom we serve.

God's wrath falls on Babylon, who was puffed up with pride after defeating most of the known world at the time. She mistakenly took credit for her many victories, failing to recognize she is only a tool in the Lord's hand. Here we learn how God uses the good, the bad and even the ugly to draw His people back to Himself.

Israel's nearest neighbors to the East are condemned for following dreadful idols instead of seeking the Lord. We learn that pride was their downfall, and repent of our own pride and shameful attempts to find salvation in money, our military or false sense of security. Instead, let us be humble, finding our only hope in Christ and Christ alone.

Building on the Hall of Fame chapter of the Bible, we are encouraged to run with endurance the race that is set before us. Great training and discipline go into training. Distance running is a test of physical strength, determination and endurance. We should not be shocked that even more discipline and training go into life and death spiritual exercise.

As God's wrath is prophecied on Judah's neighbors, including the Babylonians, we hear a few verses of promised redemption. God had to punish His wayward children for their sin, so that they would return to Him and be healed by His mercy. Here we learn that the Lord's plans for His people is as prophesied in chapter 29, to give them a future and a hope.

Baruch has suffered in everything right along with Jeremiah as his faithful scribe. When he despairs of their lot, God promises to preserve him. Here we are encouraged when we are down, because the Lord knows those who are His, and He will redeem us in the end.

This list of heroes of the faith demonstrates the power of God's power at work in the lives of His people. We are greatly encouraged by these men and women of faith, because we see how God has blessed them and used them mightily.

After staying in Judea, Jeremiah witnesses a coup, wherein the faithful Governor, Gedaliah, is killed by ruthless men. The people ask Jeremiah what they should do, and he tells them to stay and be blessed. Instead of listening, they flee to Egypt, where Jeremiah prophecies a certain demise. Poor Jeremiah is then taken, against his will to Egypt, as a human shield from the wrath of God.

When Jerusalem falls, King Zedekiah is captured while fleeing. For his stubborn unbelief, he will witness the death of his sons, friends and closest advisors, before being blinded by the King of Babylon. Jeremiah, on the other hand, is treated better by these heathens than he was by God's own people. He is given food, an allowance, and freedom to choose where he will live. Instead of choosing the...

We are encouraged with the knowledge of God's plan fulfilled in Christ Jesus! Despite our differences and difficulties, we are encouraged here, to encourage one another with the hope we have in Jesus.

Jeremiah is a type of Christ in this passage! He is literally lowered into the bowels of earth as punishment for proclaiming the Lord's Word for His people. Jesus likewise was held in the Dungeon of Caiaphus. Even though these chapters are not easy, and make us sad for the prophet, we marvel at how the Lord preserved him through such difficult trials.

In this section of Jeremiah, we see how the prophet's suffering for truth grew worse over time. Not always arranged chronologically, we see a building resentment and mistreatment of Jeremiah. In this, we see many parallels to Christ, and all He suffered for us.

In Christ Jesus, heaven and earth collided. Throughout the Old Testament, we saw earthly representations of heavenly realities. In Jesus, we see the eternal reality of God and man united forever in mercy, faith and love.

It is a sad, sad time when truth is treated as treason. Even though Jeremiah had been nothing but faithful, and much of what he prophesied came true before the eyes of his hearers, he is jailed for his proclamation. He had to flee and hide to save his life. Wicked King Jehoiakim burned with anger, even after burning Jeremiah's prophecy, ordering the prophet be jailed. When we suffer for speaking t...

The Rechabites were a family known for their abstinence from alcohol and perpetually living in tents. They persisted in the ancient way of the shepherds, leading a simple life. They were commended by God through the prophet, even as He challenged godless Judah with the humble faithfulness of this family.

When we make an oath, we swear by something greater than ourselves. Since God can't swear by anything higher than Himself, He has sworn to love and forgive us by His own blood shed on a cross. This mystery is profound, yet it assures us of a good standing before God.

King Zedekiah does not deserve the Lord's mercy, because he's been a horrible king. But mercy is undeserved love, given when God relents of punishing us for our sin. Since all sin has been punished in Christ Jesus, we all live with the hope of mercy, which is God's undeserved love in Christ Jesus.

More great promises of hope and restoration are shared in this passage. To know that God clearly foretold even the earthly lineage of the Savior through the prophet Jeremiah, nearly 600 years before Jesus was born, gives us great hope! No matter what the world throws at us, we receive with great joy in the love of God in Christ Jesus.

How can a holy God be reconciled with fallen humanity? Only when fallen humans are somehow made righteous. This has happened in Jesus, who is both our Lord and Savior, the God-man who has come from heaven to earth to forgive us.