Jeremiah 29
Ah, I knew one of these days I’d come to Jeremiah 29. It contains one of my favorite verses (which we’ll get to in a moment). I figured I would simply write about that verse when I came to this chapter, but something else caught my attention that has thrown the whole deal into a new light for me.
Jeremiah 21
So, the time had come. The Israelites had heeded none of the warnings sent through the prophet Jeremiah regarding their impending doom at the hands of the Babylonians. They went along their merry (and wicked) way until the Babylonians were on their doorstep, and then the king sent an envoy to Jeremiah, saying, “Inquire now of the Lord for us because Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is attacking us. Perhaps the Lord will perform wonders for us as in times past so that he will withdraw from us.” (vs 2)
Jeremiah 16
I was somewhat bemused as I started reading this chapter of Jeremiah. It seems God had some very interesting instructions for His prophet: “Then the word of the Lord came to me: ‘You must not marry and have sons or daughters in this place’… For this is what the Lord says: ‘Do not enter a house where there is a funeral meal; do not go to mourn or show sympathy, because I have withdrawn my blessing, my love and my pity from this people,’ declares the Lord… ‘And do not enter a house where there is feasting and sit down to eat and drink.’” ( vs 1-2, 5, 8 )
Jeremiah 8
Maybe it’s because, as a musician, I’m so familiar with that great old hymn, There is a Balm in Gilead, but I nearly did a double-take when I read the ending of this chapter: “Since my people are crushed, I am crushed; I mourn, and horror grips me. Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is there no healing for the wound of my people?” (vs 21-22)
Isaiah 40
You know, there are some days on this blog when it seems like I’m grasping at straws to find something, anything in the chapter to write about. I particularly remember feeling that way during the ten genealogy chapters of 1 Chronicles! Today, I had the opposite problem. I think I could have written 15 different blogs from things in Isaiah 40. How come he had to cram all the great stuff in the same chapter?
Isaiah 14
In this chapter of Isaiah, we get a glimpse of Lucifer and the insane road he traveled which led him to total destruction: “How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ But you are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit.” (vs 12-15)
Ecclesiastes 12
It’s interesting, isn’t it? Solomon traveled the world, tasted every delight, sampled every pleasure, and denied himself nothing. And at the end of it all, he was left to conclude that all was empty and meaningless, except for this: “Have reverence for God, and obey his commands, because this is all that we were created for.” (vs 13)
Ecclesiastes 11
How, then, shall we live? Solomon has spent a whole lot of time despairing about the condition of this world—how many things are empty and meaningless and random! He says we don’t have control over our lives, and much of what we do goes either unnoticed or unrewarded. So, we must come to this question: How, then, shall we live?
Ecclesiastes 3
This chapter begins with one of my favorite poems—the “time” poem, that there is “a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” (vs 1) At the beginning of this chapter, it seems Solomon has briefly turned his gaze from things “under the sun” to a perspective of things “under the heavens.” And I believe he comes to some very beautiful conclusions:
Ecclesiastes 1
The last time I studied this book in a Bible study group, someone thought that Solomon would have been diagnosed with severe depression if he was living in today’s world. Certainly, someone could read Ecclesiastes 1 and get that impression! But I’m not so sure. There’s part of me that thinks Solomon—far from having a view of life that was skewed by depression—actually got it.
Proverbs 15
When our first daughter was about seven months old, we hit our first parenting “challenge” — sleep training. The difficult part of that came when Caroline just didn’t want to go down for her nap or when she became so tired that she would have trouble falling asleep. So, in order to help her learn to go to sleep on her own at that age, we decided to adopt the “Ferber method” of sleep training, which includes allowing your child to cry for very short intervals of time and not picking them up, but reassuring them that they are okay and safe.
Proverbs 2
There are many things that can be bought, but wisdom isn’t one of them: “My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding—indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” (vs 1-6)
Psalm 121
I love this psalm. It is such a well-known psalm, so simple yet so powerful in its message. I love how it begins: “I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.” (vs 1-2) In other words, you may think those mountains are great, but I know the One who made those mountains.
Psalm 102
I have been preparing church services out of the Old Testament for the last few weeks, so I currently have my head filled with thoughts of Pharaoh and the ten plagues. And that may be why this verse from today’s psalm jumped out at me: “My days are like the evening shadow; I wither away like grass.” (vs 11)
Psalm 87
This is a beautiful song about Zion—the holy city of God. Who wouldn’t want to be a citizen of that place? Who wouldn’t want to come from that country? Throughout the ages, there have been many people who asked how one could call Zion their homeland. How inclusive would God be? Would He let just anybody in the door?
