This the third and final post in a short series looking at some interesting verses from the first thirteen chapters of the prophet Jeremiah. The first part considered aspects of chapters one through six whilst the second part covered chapters seven through twelve. This final part takes a look at chapter thirteen and focuses on one fairly extensive word picture that is painted or drawn in the first eleven verses. The extensive quote is from the New American Standard Bible.
Around a month ago I posted some thoughts from the first six chapters of Jeremiah.
I’ve now finished reading the first thirteen chapters (out of fifty-two) and have moved on to another book for the time being.
Like that previous post I’m intending to quote from the New American Standard Bible.
For I did not speak to your fathers, or command them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices.
But this is what I commanded them, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you will be My people; and you will walk in all the way which I command you, that it may be well with you.’
Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but walked in their own counsels and in the stubbornness of their evil heart, and went backward and not forward. (Jeremiah 7:22-24)
Earlier this year I began reading in the book of the prophet Jeremiah as a part of my not-quite-daily “quiet time”/“devotional time”/“time with the Lord” .
I’ve read through Jeremiah several times in the past but not spending time to pause and ponder . These days I would read something like 10 or 15 verses - maybe a third to half a chapter at a time and make some notes as I go. Sometimes these notes are observations or questions on the text. Sometimes they are prayers that form in my mind as I read and ponder. Sometimes I ask the Lord a question directly and make a note of the impressions (answers) that come to me as a result.