Daily reading
Today’s reading is: Jer. 12-15
Video
Jeremiah Chapter Twelve
- Jeremiah responds to the second command not to pray for Judah by praying for Judah (Jer. 12:1-4).
- Why do the wicked prosper? (Job 21:7-15; Ps. 73:3-28)
- How long is His Divine discipline going to last?
- The Lord’s answer to Jeremiah was a rebuke to stay the course—harder tests are on the way (Jer. 12:5-6).
- The God of “I will never leave you nor forsake you (Deut. 31:6,8; Heb. 13:5) has forsaken His house and abandoned His inheritance (Jer. 12:7-13).
- The Lord also described the opportunity that the gentile nations would have because of His people being dispersed among them (Jer. 12:14-17; cf. Ezek. 36:16-36).
Jeremiah Chapter Thirteen
- The Lord instructs Jeremiah to bury his waistband & dig it up again (Jer. 13:1-7), and use that waistband to illustrate his next message (Jer. 13:8-11).
- פְּרָתָה perāthāh.
- The Euphrates river? פְּרָת perāth #6578: Euphrates, fruitfulness. NASB, KJV, NKJV, CSB.
- Parath/Perath? פָּרָה pārāh #6511: Parah, heifer-town (Josh. 18:23). About 3 miles north of Jeremiah’s home town of Anathoth. NIV, NET, Tanakh.
- The Lord instructs Jeremiah to have every jug in Jerusalem filled with wine (Jer. 13:12), and use that opportunity to illustrate another message (Jer. 13:13-14).
- The chapter concludes with a song the Lord sings in lamentation for the evil of Judah (Jer. 13:15-27).
- The king, and the queen mother are specifically addressed for captivity (Jer. 13:18). This was literally fulfilled by King Jehoiachin, & his mother Nehushta (2nd Kgs. 24:8,12).
- The proverbial Ethiopian and leopard is taught here (Jer. 13:23). Human impossibility must be contrasted with Divine infinite possibility (Matt. 19:26).
- Forgetting the Lord equals trusting in falsehood (Jer. 13:25). We will be of service to either one father or another (Jn. 8:44).
Jeremiah Chapter Fourteen
- Chapters 14 & 15 are the Lord’s message to Judah regarding the drought that He was afflicting them with.
- Drought is an instrument of Divine discipline (Lev. 26:19).
- The Lord afflicted Judah with this drought because of her adultery against Him (Jer. 3:3).
- Jeremiah’s prayer during this time is a prayer for the Lord’s faithfulness—for His own name’s sake (Jer. 14:7,9,21; cf. Ps. 25:11; Ezek. 20:9,14,22; Dan. 9:18-19).
- The Lord instructed Jeremiah for the third time not to pray for Israel, because He was going to remember every iniquity, and call them to account (Jer. 14:10-12).
- Jeremiah complains to the Lord about the false prophets that he has to contend with (Jer. 14:13-18).
- Jeremiah also complains that the Lord has completely rejected Judah (Jer. 14:19-22).
Jeremiah Chapter Fifteen
- The Lord answers Jeremiah with an astounding statement (Jer. 15:1-4).
- The two greatest prophets in the history of Israel could not intercede for Israel’s preservation (v.1).
- Jerusalem has only two options: death or captivity (v.2).
- Jerusalem has four stages of destruction because of Manasseh’s idolatry (v.3).
- The Lord designates a Destroyer to inflict His wrath upon Jerusalem (Jer. 15:5-9). שָׁדַד shādad #7703: devastator, destroyer. Cf. Isa. 33:1, TTB Day 204.
- Jeremiah laments for his mother, that she would have such a miserable son (Jer. 15:10-11).
- Jeremiah responds to yet another message of destruction (Jer. 15:12-14) by voicing a complaint of self-pity (Jer. 15:15-18) for which the Lord rebukes him (Jer. 15:19-21).