Saturday, September 7, 2013

The Bible Challenge: Day 250

The scriptures read are Jeremiah 25-27, Psalm 55 and Hebrews 11.

Jeremiah 25. One of Jeremiah's grimmest chapters. For 23 years, he's been preaching warnings to the people. To no avail.

Jeremiah 26. But let him suggest that God's temple will be destroyed and people listen. And attack Jeremiah, crying for his death.

He gets acquitted because he is speaking with God's authority. So why don't they listen to him, repent and avoid God's judgment? Some elders actually ask that question. They remember the prophet Micah preaching similar "treachery" under King Hezekiah. At that time, the king prayed for the people and they were spared.

(Not all prophets were that lucky. We get the story of Uriah who was martyred for preaching the same message as Jeremiah.)

Jeremiah 27. Capitulate to the king of Babylon! Another "popular" message that sounds treasonous. People don't react this time. Perhaps that's because the Babylonians have stripped God's temple and taken all the stuff to Babylon. They'll be back for the rest, says God.

Psalm 55. A soaring version of the psalm sung by a children's choir.

Hebrews 11. Great chapter on faith. The writer enumerates all these heroes of the Old Testament who trusted God, even for things they never got to see. This is a wonderful chapter to read when you're discouraged.

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