Dear 365 Readers,

I am still marveling at the content of Isaiah… chapters 40-66 might be some of my favorite in the whole Bible.  It’s incredible to think Isaiah wrote all the passages about the exile and return of Israel, the coming of Jesus Christ, and the new heaven and new earth so long before any of those things came to pass (or haven’t happened yet!).  We are also personally grateful for Isaiah 56:6-7 and 66:19-21 where Isaiah shares that the gospel will be for ALL peoples of ALL nations. So fantastic!

Jeremiah spoke (or wrote) in the time period just after Isaiah was put to death.  For more than 40 years he delivered a warning to top officials that they did not want to hear and refused to heed.  The destruction of Judah was coming, and no one wanted to listen to the truth.

For me, the interesting character is Jeremiah.  He was a reluctant prophet, insecure, unhappy, afraid of ridicule and death.  He hated standing alone against the crowd.  He was moody, and he felt unprepared and incapable of the task God called him to.  And yet Jeremiah obeyed – he is one of the best examples in the Bible of what it means to follow God in spite of everything.

You can re-read 2 Kings 23-25 to understand the period when Jeremiah was speaking.  Unfortunately his messages are not chronological, so you might need to watch for the names of kings in order to keep it all straight.  And finally, one chapter of special note – chapter 31 is God’s promise of restoration and a new covenant.