Jeremiah 5-6 Although we are only about a tenth of the way through this Book of Jeremiah, it should already be clear that the nation of Judah is headed for disaster, but that the people — rich, poor, weak, powerful, blue collar, white collar, cleric, lay — aren’t listening. They are not heeding Jeremiah’s warnings. …
Author Archives: John S.
February 17 / Jeremiah 3:6-4:31
Jeremiah 3:6-4:31 In considering the first few chapters of Jeremiah three years ago, I concentrated on Jeremiah 3:6-11. You might want to read that post first. I’ll wait… The questions I posed then are still very much worth considering now: Are we, in fact, devoted to the LORD with our whole heart? Or only in pretense? If …
February 16 / Jeremiah 2:1-3:5
Jeremiah 2:1-3:5 Has a nation changed its gods,even though they are no gods?But My people have changed their Gloryfor that which does not profit.Be appalled, O heavens, at this;be shocked, be utterly desolate,declares the LORD,for My people have committed two evils:they have forsaken Me,the Fountain of Living Waters,and hewed out cisterns for themselves,broken cisterns that …
February 15 / Jeremiah 1
Jeremiah 1 Knowing something of the historical context into which a prophet speaks can greatly enhance our understanding of the prophet’s message. For Jeremiah, that historical context is the waning years of the Kingdom of Judah (aka the Southern Kingdom) as indicated by Jeremiah 1:1-3. So for your own benefit, as we begin to delve …
October 17 / II Kings 4:8-44
II Kings 4:8-44 Today’s reading presents a few miracles at the hands of Elisha. Together with II Kings 4:1-7 and subsequent chapters, these stories all serve to establish Elisha as a man of God (II Kings 4:9,16,21,22,25,27,40,42), a genuine prophet of the LORD. So it behooves us to pay attention to what Elisha says and …
August 3 / II Samuel 5:17-6:23
II Samuel 5:17-6:23 For David’s bringing of the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem and why the first attempt was fatally flawed but not the second, I refer you to the parallel passage in I Chronicles 13,15 and my corresponding commentary from April 5, 2023. Today I’d like to briefly consider Michal and her relationship …
August 2 / II Samuel 4:1-5:16
II Samuel 4:1-5:16 Remember the Amalekite that delivered the news of Saul’s death to David in II Samuel 1, which we looked at two days ago? It should not take much insight to see the parallels between that Amalekite and the two sons of Rimmon who assassinate Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son. Like the Amalekite, these two …
August 1 / II Samuel 2-3
II Samuel 2-3 I don’t know about you, but I tend to think of Israel’s “United Monarchy” as passing from Saul to David and on to Solomon fairly smoothly, and that it is only with Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, that the kingdom divides. I tend to forget this relatively brief period after Saul’s death when David …
July 31 / II Samuel 1
II Samuel 1 Today we return to our march through Old Testament history, picking up where we left off before we diverted into Job. Recall the history up to this point: That is where we left off on June 25. So Saul is dead, along with his son, Jonathan, and David receives the news from …
July 30 / Psalm 51
Psalm 51 As the superscription for today’s psalm indicates, the backdrop for Psalm 51 is David’s adultery with Bathsheba, the murder of her husband, Uriah the Hittite, and the subsequent confrontation of David by Nathan the prophet. You can find that story in II Samuel 11-12. You might also want to see our commentary on …