Archive for the ‘Jeremiah 28’ Category
Above: A Yoke
Image in the Public Domain
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According to the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship (ILCW) Lectionary (1973), as contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) and Lutheran Worship (1982)
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Zechariah 9:9-12
Psalm 45:1-2 (3-13), 14-22 (LBW) or Psalm 119:137-144 (LW)
Romans 7:15-25a
Matthew 11:25-30
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God of glory, Father of love, peace comes from you alone.
Send us as peacemakers and witnesses to your kingdom,
and fill our hearts with joy in your promises of salvation;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 25
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Grant, Lord, that the course of this world
may be so governed by your direction
that your Church may rejoice
in serving you in godly peace and quietness;
through Jesus Christ, our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Worship (1982), 68
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Zechariah 9:9-12 depicts a future scene, in which the Messiah, an ideal king, approaches Jerusalem at the culmination of history–the Day of the LORD. This is the scene Jesus reenacted during his Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, without being a regnant type of Messiah.
The image of YHWH as king exists in the assigned readings from Psalms.
In Romans 7:15-25a we read St. Paul the Apostle’s confession of his struggles with sins. We may all relate to those struggles.
My tour of the readings brings me to Matthew 11:25-30 and the topic of yokes.
Literally, a yoke was a wooden frame, loops of ropes, or a rod with loops of rope, depending on the purpose. (See Numbers 19:2; Deuteronomy 21:3; and Jeremiah 28:10.) A yoke fit over the neck of a draft animal or the necks of draft animals. Alternatively, a captive or a slave wore a yoke. (See Jeremiah 28:10; 1 Kings 12:9; 2 Chronicles 10:4; and 1 Timothy 6:1). Also, a yoked pair of oxen was a yoke. (See 1 Samuel 11:7; 1 Kings 19:21; Luke 14:19).
Metaphorically, a yoke had a variety of meanings, depending on the circumstances. It often symbolized servitude and subjection. Forced labor was an unjust yoke (1 Kings 11:28; 12:11, 14). Slavery was a yoke (Sirach 33:27). Hardship was a yoke (Lamentations 3:27; Sirach 40:1). The oppression and humiliation of one nation by another was the yoke of bondage (Jeremiah 27:8; 28:4; Hosea 11:7; Deuteronomy 28:48; and Isaiah 47:6). To break out of subjugation or slavery was to break the yoke (Jeremiah 28:2; Isaiah 9:4; 14:25). God promised to break the yoke of Egypt in Ezekiel 30:18. To break away from God was to break God’s yoke (Jeremiah 2:20; 5:5; Sirach 51:39). Sin was also a yoke (Lamentations 1:14).
The yokes of God and Christ carry positive connotations. The yoke of obedience to God is easy. It is also the opposite of the yoke of subordination and subjugation. This positive yoke is the yoke in Matthew 11:28-30. It is the yoke St. Paul the Apostle wore (Philippians 4:3). It is the yoke in Psalm 119:137-144.
Draw near to me, you who are untaught,
and lodge in my school.
Why do you say you are lacking in these things,
and why are your souls very thirsty?
I opened my mouth and said,
Get these things for yourselves without money.
Put your neck under the yoke,
and let your souls receive instruction;
it is to be found close by.
See with your eyes that I have labored little
and found for myself much rest.
Get instruction with a large sum of silver
and you will gain by it much gold.
May your soul rejoice in his mercy,
and may you not be put to shame when you praise him.
Do your work before the appointed time,
and in God’s time he will give you your reward.
–Sirach 51:23-30, Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition (2002)
You, O reader, will serve somebody or something. That is not in question. Whom or what you will serve is a germane question. Why not serve God, the greatest king? In so doing, you will find your best possible state of being. The path may be difficult–ask St. Paul the Apostle, for example–but it will be the best path for you.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 14, 2022 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF FRANCIS MAKEMIE, FATHER OF AMERICAN PRESBYTERIANISM AND ADVOCATE FOR RELIGIOUS TOLERATION
THE FEAST OF SAINT CARTHAGE THE YOUNGER, IRISH ABBOT-BISHOP
THE FEAST OF SAINT MARIA DOMINICA MAZZARELLO, CO-FOUNDER OF THE DAUGHTERS OF MARY HELP OF CHRISTIANS
THE FEAST OF SAINT THEODORE I, BISHOP OF ROME
THE FEAST OF SAINTS VICTOR THE MARTYR AND CORONA OF DAMASCUS, MARTYRS IN SYRIA, 165
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Adapted from this post
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Above: Icon of Jeremiah
Image in the Public Domain
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According to the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship (ILCW) Lectionary (1973), as contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) and Lutheran Worship (1982)
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Jeremiah 28:5-9
Psalm 89:1-4, 15-18 (LBW) or Psalm 119:153-160 (LW)
Romans 6:1b-11
Matthew 10:34-42
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O God, you have prepared for those who love you
joys beyond understanding.
Pour into our hearts such love for you that,
loving you above all things,
we may obtain your promises,
which exceed all that we can desire;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 25
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O God, because you have prepared for those who love you
such good things as surpass our understanding,
pour into our hearts such love towards you that we,
loving you above all things,
may obtain your promises,
which exceed all that we can desire;
through Jesus Christ, our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Worship (1982), 67
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Jeremiah 28:1-17 is the story of Hananiah, a false prophet who offered false hope in the waning years of the Kingdom of Judah. Hananiah had predicted that God would terminate the Chaldean/Neo-Babylonian threat. Jeremiah confronted him and accused him of encouraging disloyalty to God.
Psalms 89 and 119, like Jeremiah, extol and encourage loyalty to God in the midst of disloyalty to God.
St. Paul the Apostle encourages us down the corridors of time to be
dead to sin but alive for God in Christ Jesus.
–Romans 6:11b, The New Jerusalem Bible (1985)
When we return to Matthew 10:37-38, we read of the priority of loving Jesus most of all and of taking up one’s cross and following him. Heeding this advice entails reordering one’s priorities if they are askew.
Those who are loyal to God will stand out compared to those who are disloyal to God. Given the human tendency to promote conformity, some negative consequences will befall those who are loyal to God. Those dispensing the negative consequences may include co-religionists. That is especially unfortunate.
I offer one caution, O reader. Do not mistake serial contrariness against “the world” for loyalty to God. “The world” does not get everything wrong. Instead, follow the coherent moral standards summarized in the Golden Rule. How would a world in which the Golden Rule was the accepted standard function, in contrast to the one in which we live?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 5, 2022 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF CHARLES WILLIAM SCHAEFFER, U.S. LUTHERAN MINISTER, HISTORIAN, THEOLOGIAN, AND LITURGIST
THE FEAST OF SAINT CATERINA CITTADINI, FOUNDER OF THE URSULINE SISTERS OF SOMASCO
THE FEAST OF SAINT EDMUND IGNATIUS RICE, FOUNDER OF THE INSTITUTE OF THE BROTHERS OF THE CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS OF IRELAND AND THE CONGREGATION OF PRESENTATION BROTHERS
THE FEAST OF FRIEDRICH VON HÜGEL, ROMAN CATHOLIC INDEPDENDENT SCHOLAR AND PHILOSOPHER
THE FEAST OF SAINTS HONORATUS OF ARLES AND HILARY OF ARLES, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS; AND SAINTS VENANTIUS OF MODON AND CAPRASIUS OF LERINS, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS
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Adapted from this post
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Above: Inconsolable Grief, by Ivan Kramskoi
Image in the Public Domain
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READING SECOND ISAIAH, PART VIII
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Isaiah 50:1-52:12
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In Second Isaiah, YHWH is the father and Jerusalem is the mother of the covenant community, metaphorically.
The Third Servant Song is Isaiah 50:4-9. The audience this time is the covenant community–especially those members thereof who have fallen away. The Third Servant Song occurs in the textual context of divine frustration with Hebrew exiles (50:1-3, 10-11), many of whom remained rebellious. Reading the Third Servant Song on Christian autopilot identifies the servant as Jesus. This is overly simplistic and ahistorical. The servant here speaks the message of God to disheartened Hebrew exiles. The theology of Isaiah 50:4-9 is that the exiles deserved the Babylonian Exile (40:1-3), but that YHWH was about to vindicate them anyway.
Some of the despairing exiles relied on God and accepted this message. Others rejected it and, poetically, laid down in pain. They did not respond favorably and faithfully to God, mighty, strong, and sovereign. They rejected grace. They rejected God, in whom judgment and mercy exist in balance.
In Jeremiah (8:11; 27:8-11; 28:1-17), false hopes and prophets of peace and restoration belied the upcoming Fall of Jerusalem (586 B.C.E.) and its aftermath. The truth was hard to hear. Words of comfort were mostly lies. Those words of comfort that were not lies focused on seemingly distant restoration, eventually.
In contrast, in a different time, words of imminent divine deliverance and consolation seemed, to many, ridiculous. After so many years of the Babylonian Exile, that response was predictable.
When populations have been poor, oppressed, discriminated against, et cetera, the hope of a better future may seem ridiculous. Yet there is always a better future with God. How many people want to embrace that hope? How many people think they can embrace that hope? And to what extend is the continued state of poverty, oppression, discrimination, et cetera, a self-fulfilling prophecy?
The answers to the these questions vary according to circumstances, of course. Machinery of oppression, discrimination, and the maintenance of poverty exists. Most people over the course of documented time have lacked the agency that proponents of pulling oneself up by one’s bootstraps assume many people have. Telling someone without shoes,
Pull yourself up by your bootstraps,
is cruel and unrealistic. Yet other people are fortunate enough to possess agency. But do they know this? And do they know how to use that agency most effectively?
Second Isaiah addressed a population, of course.
Above: Bonny Thomas (1965-2019), Whose Death Broke My Heart and Shattered My Life
Scan by Kenneth Randolph Taylor
On the individual level, grief can be as crippling as it is on the collective level. I know this grief. I know the grief over the death of dreams and aspirations. I also know the grief that lingers after someone has died. I know what life-shattering grief is; I deal with it daily. I talk to God about it. I remain broken, and I talk to God about it. Doing that is what I know to do. I am broken and shattered, but I am not alone.
We–collectively and individually–are all broken. The fortunate are less broken that others. Leaning into the strength and faithfulness of God is the way of healing.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JULY 10, 2021 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF MYLES HORTON, “FATHER OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT”
THE FEAST OF SAINTS EUMENIOUS AND PARTHENIOS OF KOUDOUMAS, MONKS AND FOUNDERS OF KOUDOMAS MONASTERY, CRETE
THE FEAST OF SAINT JOSEPH OF DAMASCUS, SYRIAN ORTHODOX PRIEST AND MARTYR, 1860
THE FEAST OF SAINT NICHOLAS SPIRA, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT
THE FEAST OF RUED LANGGAARD, DANISH COMPOSER
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Above: Icon of Ezekiel
Image in the Public Domain
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READING EZEKIEL, PART X
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Ezekiel 17:1-24
Ezekiel 19:1-14
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For this post, O reader, we focus on two allegories.
Ezekiel 17 is the allegory of the eagles, the vine, and the cedar. For background, read 2 Kings 24-25; Jeremiah 21:14; Jeremiah 22:1-8, 20-30; Jeremiah 27-29; Jeremiah 34; Jeremiah 52; 2 Chronicles 36; 1 Esdras 1:43-58;
The allegory, by definition, uses symbols. The allegory tells the story of King Jehoiachin of Judah allying with Egypt against the Chaldean/Neo-Babylonian Empire, losing, and going into exile in 597 B.C.E. The allegory continues to describe King Zedekiah‘s failed rebellion, and his fate. The code of the allegory is as follows:
- The great eagle = King Nebuchadnezzar II of the Chaldean/Neo-Babylonian Empire (r. 605-562 B.C.E.) (v. 3).
- Lebanon = Jerusalem (v. 3).
- The topmost branch = Jehoiachin (r. 597 B.C.E.) (v. 3).
- The land of merchants = Babylon (v. 4).
- The native seed = Zedekiah (r. 597-586 B.C.E.) (v. 5).
- Another great eagle = Pharoah Psammetichus II (r. 595-589 B.C.E.) (v. 7).
- The vine = the Davidic Dynastry (vs. 7-8).
Ezekiel 17:18f and 2 Chronicles 36:13 argue that Zedekiah had violated his oath of vassalage by rebelling against King Nebuchadnezzar II, and thereby sinned against God. These texts also argue that Zedekiah earned his punishment. This position is consistent with the importance of oaths in the Bible (Genesis 24:7; Genesis 26:3, 28-31; Genesis 50:24; Exodus 13:5, 11; Exodus 20:7; Exodus 33:1; Leviticus 5:1-4; Leviticus 19:12; Numbers 5:17; Numbers 14:16, 30; Numbers 32:11; Deuteronomy 1:8, 35; Deuteronomy 6:10; Judges 11:11-40; 1 Kings 8:31-32; 1 Chronicles 12:19; 2 Chronicles 6:22-23; Psalm 16:4; Isaiah 62:8; Isaiah 144:8; Hosea 4:15; Amos 8:14; Matthew 5:36; et cetera).et cetera
Ezekiel 17 concludes on a note of future restoration (vs. 22-24). One Jewish interpretation of the final three verses holds that the construction of the Second Temple, under the supervision of Zerubbabel, of the House of David, fulfilled this prophecy (Haggai 2:20-23). That interpretation does not convince me. The prophecy concerns the restoration of the Jewish nation. My sense of the past tells me that one may not feasibly apply this prophecy to the events following 142 B.C.E. and 1948 B.C.E., given the absence of the Davidic Dynasty in Hasmonean Judea and modern Israel.
The emphasis on divine power and human weakness defines the end of Chapter 17.
Ezekiel 19, which uses the metaphors of the lion (the tribe of Judah; Genesis 49:9) and the vine (the nation of the Hebrews), is a lament for the fall of the Judean monarchy. For Ezekiel, priests properly outrank kings (34:24; 45:7-8), so Kings of Judah are “princes.” The first cub (v. 4) is King Jehoahaz of Judah (r. 609 B.C.E.). The second cub may be either King Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, or Zedekiah of Judah. The identity of the second cub is vague, but the prediction of the destruction of the monarchy of Judah is clear.
Leaders come and go. Kingdoms, empires, and nation-states rise and fall. All that is human is transitory. But God lasts forever.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 28, 2021 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT JOHN GERARD, ENGLISH JESUIT PRIEST; AND MARY WARD, FOUNDRESS OF THE INSTITUTE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
THE FEAST OF CLARA LOUISE MAASS, U.S. LUTHERAN NURSE AND MARTYR, 1901
THE FEAST OF SAINTS PLUTARCH, MARCELLA, POTANOMINAENA, AND BASILIDES OF ALEXANDRIA, MARTYRS, 202
THE FEAST OF SAINT TERESA MARIA MASTERS, FOUNDRESS OF THE INSTITUTE OF THE SISTERS OF THE HOLY FACE
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM AND JOHN MUNDY, ENGLISH COMPOSERS AND MUSICIANS
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This is post #2550 of BLOGA THEOLOGICA.
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Above: Ezekiel
Image in the Public Domain
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READING EZEKIEL, PART IV
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Ezekiel 4:1-5:17
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Some of the Hebrew prophets were eccentric, to use a polite word. Hosea married a prostitute (Hosea 1). Isaiah walked around naked (Isaiah 20). Jeremiah wore a very dirty loincloth (Jeremiah 13) and a cattle yoke (Jeremiah 27-28). Ezekiel ate a scroll (Ezekiel 1, 3).
Ezekiel committed more symbolic acts in 4:1-5:17:
- He built a model of Jerusalem under siege (4:1-2).
- Then he placed an iron plate between himself and the model. The plate represented the barrier separating God and besieged Jerusalem.
- Then Ezekiel reclined on his left side for 390 days (or 190 days, depending on the text one consults) and on his left side for 40 days–one day per year. A generation was 40 years. Many Biblical scholars have offered explanations for the 190 or the 390 years. These explanations, marginally interesting, have not held my attention. The act of reclining symbolized famine (4:4-8).
- Ezekiel combined grains that grow under siege conditions and backed bread. He ate this bread and drank water in quantities barely capable of sustaining human life (4:9-11). He baked this bread over cow manure (4:12-15). This act symbolized the desperate people’s violation of food laws in the Law of Moses during the siege of Jerusalem.
- Ezekiel shaved his head and beard with a sword. Then he burned one-third, representative of a third of the inhabitants of Jerusalem who perished when the city burned in 586 B.C.E. The prophet struck one-third of the hair with the sword. This act symbolized the inhabitants of Jerusalem killed around the city in 586 B.C.E. Then Ezekiel scattered the remaining third to the wind and sheathed a sword at those hairs. This act symbolized the Chaldean/Neo-Babylonian pursuit of those who fled Jerusalem in 586 B.C.E. Some of these hairs burned, too.
Ezekiel 5:5-17 explains that the people of Jerusalem had defiled the Temple, and had earned their harsh punishment. The text also describes catastrophic and desperate conditions in Jerusalem during the siege. Cannibalism is one of the results of these circumstances. (See Lamentations 2:20; 4:10, also.)
Had Ezekiel lived in some parts of the world in 2021, he would have been medicated and under psychiatric care. So would Isaiah and Jeremiah. Isaiah may also have faced legal charges of indecent exposure.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 22, 2021 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT ALBAN, FIRST BRITISH MARTYR, CIRCA 209 OR 305
THE FEAST OF DESIDERIUS ERASMUS, DUTCH ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST, BIBLICAL AND CLASSICAL SCHOLAR, AND CONTROVERSIALIST; SAINT JOHN FISHER, ENGLISH ROMAN CATHOLIC CLASSICAL SCHOLAR, BISHOP OF ROCHESTER, CARDINAL, AND MARTYR, 1535; AND SAINT THOMAS MORE, ENGLISH ROMAN CATHOLIC CLASSICAL SCHOLAR, JURIST, THEOLOGIAN, CONTROVERSIALIST, AND MARTYR, 1535
THE FEAST OF GERHARD GIESHCEN, U.S. LUTHERAN MINISTER AND HYMN TRANSLATOR
THE FEAST OF JAMES ARTHUR MACKINNON, CANADIAN ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, 1965
THE FEAST OF SAINT PAULINUS OF NOLA, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP OF NOLA
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Above: Jeremiah Let Down Into the Cistern
Image in the Public Domain
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READING JEREMIAH, PART XXI
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Jeremiah 34:1-22
Jeremiah 37:1-40:6
Jeremiah 52:1-34
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The Book of Jeremiah, in which chronology is not the organizing principle for material, contains various sources, some of which contradict each other regarding details.
- You may recall, O reader, that that Jeremiah was in prison in Chapters 32 and 33, and that Jerusalem fell between 32 and 33. Yet we have jumped back in time to before the Fall of Jerusalem in Chapter 37, only to read of its fall in Chapter 39. Jerusalem had yet to fall in Chapters 34-38, as well in much of Chapter 52.
- Jeremiah 52, by the way, is nearly identical to 2 Kings 24:18-25:30.
- The accounts of Jeremiah’s incarceration disagree with each other. 37:11-16 and 38:1-13 contradict each other. Furthermore, 37:17-21 flows into 38:14-28. Also, 39:11-14 contradicts 40:1-6. Evidence of ancient cutting, copying, and pasting exists in Jeremiah 37-40. I unpack this point below, in this post.
Due to the lack of chronological organization of material in the Book of Jeremiah, we have encountered King Zedekiah (597-586 B.C.E.; see 2 Chronicles 36:11f, also) already. We have read his name in Jeremiah 1, 21, 24, 27, 28, 29, 32, and 33, not including the false prophet Zedekiah in 29:21-22. Zedekiah ben Josiah was the last King of Judah. King Josiah (r. 640-609 B.C.E.) would have rolled over in his grave to learn of the circumstances during the reigns of the last four Kings of Judah (609-586 B.C.E.)
The cause of Jeremiah’s arrest was either alleged defection to the Chaldeans/Neo-Babylonians (37:11-16) or unpopular prophecy (38:1-13). The latter explanation is consistent with 32:1-5.
The copying, cutting, and pasting of sources in Chapters 37-40 creates a confusing, mixed-up, and contradictory composite chronology.
- 37:17-21 interrupts the natural flow of material into 38:1-13. We read that Jeremiah was in a pit for days (37:16). We also read that Ebed-melech liberated Jeremiah from that pit. Then, in that chronology, we read that Jeremiah went to the court of the guardhouse (38:7-13), where he was in Chapters 32 and 33. Then, in this chronology, we move to 39:1-14. We read of the liberation of Jeremiah after the Fall of Jerusalem. We read that Jeremiah went to the household of Gedaliah. We read that the prophet nearly became an exile in Babylon, but that Nebuzaradan, the Chaldean/Neo-Babylonian captain of the guard, freed him (40:1-6). We read that Jeremiah went to the household of Gedaliah.
- We read of no pit in the other chronology. No, we read that Jeremiah remained in the court of the guardhouse, except when King Zedekiah had him temporarily transported somewhere. In this timeline, we read that the prophet nearly became an exile in Babylon, but that Nebuzaradan, the Chaldean/Neo-Babylonian captain of the guard, freed him (40:1-6). We read that Jeremiah then went to the household of Gedaliah.
34:8-2 adds another wrinkle to the last days before the Fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C.E. We read that King Zedekiah had convinced the slaveholders of Jerusalem to free their Hebrew slaves. We also read that some slaveholders returned freed slaves to slavery, and that God strongly objected to this. Deuteronomy 15:12-15 dictates that the maximum period of slavery of a Hebrew was six years.
In context, with the temporary lifting of the Chaldean/Neo-Babylonian siege, thanks to Egyptian military intervention on behalf of Judah, some slaveholders of Jerusalem thought they no longer had to live or to try to live according to divine law. Perhaps some of these slaveholders had already kept many of the Hebrew slaves for longer than six years. The liberation, therefore, was overdue. Reenslavement was morally indefensible.
34:17-22 ascribes the Fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C.E. to divine punishment for the reenslavement of these unfortunate individuals.
A major theme in these readings is that, when people do what God says to do, they are better off. They may not necessarily be more prosperous, but they may be safer. They will not die in exile in Babylon, for example. This is an overly simplistic idea. Staying within the Book of Jeremiah alone, I cite the example of that prophet, who died in exile in Egypt (43:8-44:30). Nevertheless, actions do have consequences. People reap what they sow. Yet sometimes obeying God leads down a difficult path, as the life of Jeremiah attests.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 13, 2021 COMMON ERA
PROPER 6: THE THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST, YEAR B
THE FEAST OF SAINT SPYRIDON OF CYPRUS, BISHOP OF TREMITHUS, CYPRUS; AND HIS CONVERT, SAINT TRYPHILLIUS OF LEUCOSIA, CYPRUS; OPPONENTS OF ARIANISM
THE FEAST OF DAVID ABEEL, U.S. DUTCH REFORMED MINISTER AND MISSIONARY TO ASIA
THE FEAST OF ELIAS BENJAMIN SANFORD, U.S. METHODIST THEN CONGREGATIONAL MINISTER AND ECUMENIST
THE FEAST OF SIGISMUND VON BIRKEN, GERMAN LUTHERAN HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM CULLEN BRYANT, U.S. POET, JOURNALIST, AND HYMN WRITER
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Above: King Zedekiah of Judah
Image in the Public Domain
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READING JEREMIAH, PART XVIII
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Jeremiah 27:1-29:32
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The Masoretic Text of Jeremiah 27:1 indicates that Jehoiakim was the King of Judah. Yet this is a scribal error, for the rest of the text names Zedekiah as the King of Judah. Many English translations correct the Masoretic Text and list Zedekiah as the monarch.
Zedekiah, born Mattaniah, reigned from 597 to 586 B.C.E. As the King of Judah, he was always a vassal of the Chaldean/Neo-Babylonian Empire.
God was sovereign, Jeremiah pronounced. All world leaders, even King Nebuchadnezzar II of the Chaldean/Neo-Babylonian Empire (r. 605-562 B.C.E.) were vassals of God. The prophet told King Zedekiah to disregard the advice of the false prophets to rebel against the Chaldean/Neo-Babylonian Empire. The only way to live was as a Chaldean/Neo-Babylonian vassal, Jeremiah told King Zedekiah. The King of Judah disregarded the prophet’s advice and rebelled anyway. King Zedekiah, blinded, died a prisoner in Babylon (2 Kings 24:18-25:26; 2 Chronicles 36:11-21; 1 Esdras 1:47-58).
Hananiah ben Azzur was a false prophet. He was the prophetic equivalent of happy pills. Hananiah, who had
urged disloyalty to the LORD,
died the same year he issued the false prophecy.
The first round of the Babylonian Exile started in 597 B.C.E., with the deposition of King Jehoiachin/Jeconiah/Coniah. Before the Fall of Jerusalem (586 B.C.E.), Jeremiah wrote to these exiles. They were home, Jeremiah wrote to these exiles. Jeremiah counseled them to settle permanently. In Deuteronomy 20:5-7, building houses, planting vineyards, marrying, and procreating indicated permanent settlement. The collapse of such signs of permanent settlement, as was about to happen in Judah, indicated divine judgment (Deuteronomy 28:30-32; Amos 5:11; Zephaniah 1:13). The restoration of these signs of permanent settlement played a role in prophecies of consolation (Isaiah 65:21-23; Jeremiah 29:5-6; Ezekiel 28:25-26).
Jeremiah 29:10 returns to the motif of seventy years, present in Jeremiah 25:11-14.
We read denunciations of other false prophets–Ahab ben Kolaiah and Zedekiah ben Maaseiah (29:20-23), as well as Shemaiah the Nehelamite (29:24-32). We read of their unfortunate fates. We also read again that false prophesy is urging disloyalty to God.
One of the practical difficulties in applying timeless principles is that one must apply them in circumstances. Circumstances can vary widely, according to who, when, and where one is. Therefore, a degree of relativism exists in the application of timeless principles.
Consider one timeless principle, O reader. One should never urge disloyalty to God. My circumstances are quite different from those of Jeremiah, during the reign of King Zedekiah. Yet the timeless principle applies to my set of circumstances. When and where I am, how I may confront those urging disloyalty to God looks very different than Jeremiah in Chapters 27-29.
Whenever and wherever you are, O reader, may you never urge disloyalty to God.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 12, 2021 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF EDWIN PAXTON HOOD, ENGLISH CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER, PHILANTHROPIST, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF CHRISTIAN DAVID JAESCHKE, GERMAN MORAVIAN ORGANIST AND COMPOSER; AND HIS GRANDSON, HENRI MARC HERMANN VOLDEMAR VOULLAIRE, MORAVIAN COMPOSER AND MINISTER
THE FEAST OF ENMEGAHBOWH, EPISCOPAL PRIEST AND MISSIONARY TO THE OJIBWA NATION
THE FEAST OF JOSEPH DACRE CARLYLE, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF MILTON SMITH LITTLEFIELD, JR., U.S. PRESBYTERIAN AND CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER, HYMN WRITER, AND HYMNAL EDITOR
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Above: Jehoiakim Burns the Word of God
Image in the Public Domain
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READING JEREMIAH, PART XVI
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Jeremiah 36:1-32
Jeremiah 45:1-5
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When I taught history survey courses in colleges and universities, I told my students:
Keep your facts straight and your chronology in order.
The Book of Jeremiah does not always keep its facts straight. I have noted some examples of this already in this series of posts. I point to two examples in this post. I have more examples to point out when I get to them. I am a serious student of history; I stand by the objective reality that x either happened or did not. I make no apology for this.
The Book of Jeremiah does not keep its chronology straight, either.
- Zedekiah was the last King of Judah. He reigned from 597 to 586 B.C.E. He was the named monarch in Jeremiah 24, 27, 28, 32, 37, and 38.
- Jehoiakim, nephew of Zedekiah, reigned as the King of Judah from 608 to 598 B.C.E. Jehoiakim was the named monarch in Chapters 25, 26 (completing the story in 7 and 8, by the way), 35, and 45. The events of Chapter 35 transpired after those of Chapter 36.
- Jeremiah 39 and 52 cover the Fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C.E. Off-screen, so to speak, the city fell between Chapters 32 and 33, and before 10:23-25.
The Book of Jeremiah is messing with my head. The beginning should come before the middle, which should precede the end. Linear story-telling has its virtues.
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In 608 B.C.E., Eliakim ben Josiah came to the throne of Judah as Jehoiakim, succeeding a deposed and exiled brother, Jehoahaz ben Josiah (r. 609 B.C.E.). Both brothers were vassals of Pharoah Neco II (reigned 610-595 B.C.E.). During the reign of Jehoiakim, the Chaldean/Neo-Babylonian Empire replaced Egypt as the power to which Judah’s monarch served as a vassal. Jehoiakim was also a tyrant who had prophets who spoke inconvenient truths arrested and executed circa 608 B.C.E. Intervention spared the life of Jeremiah from Jehoiakim’s wrath (Jeremiah 26). Yet, circa 608 B.C.E., Uriah ben Shemaiah died for saying what Jeremiah proclaimed (Jeremiah 26).
The events of Jeremiah 36 occurred in 605 B.C.E. That year, Jeremiah had no access to the Temple. Therefore, he sent his scribe, Baruch ben Neriah, in his place. The scribe used the words of divine judgment and the invitation to repent. These words met with a chilly reception. King Jehoiakim burned the scroll.
The LORD now says of Jehoiakim, king of Judah: No descendant of his shall sit on David’s throne; his corpse shall be thrown out, exposed to heat by day, frost by night. I will punish him and his descendants for their wickedness; upon them, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the people of Judah I will bring all the evil threats to which they will not listen.
–Jeremiah 36:30-31, The New American Bible–Revised Edition (2011)
King Jehoiakim’s reign ended in 598 B.C.E.
- He may have died peacefully in his sleep, in his palace (2 Kings 24:6). “He rested with his forefathers” usually indicated a peaceful death.
- He may have become a prisoner in the Chaldean/Neo-Babylonian Empire (2 Chronicles 36:6; 1 Esdras 1:40).
- He may have died in battle, outside the walls of Jerusalem. His corpse may have remained unburied, a sign of disgrace and disrespect (Jeremiah 22:19; 36:30-31).
Despite the prophecy, a son of Jehoiakim succeeded him. King Jehoiachin/Jeconiah/Coniah reigned for about three months in 597 B.C.E. before becoming a prisoner in the Chaldean/Neo-Babylonian Empire (2 Kings 24:8-17; 2 Kings 25:27-30; 2 Chronicles 36:9-10; 1 Esdras 1:43-46).
Above: Baruch Writing Jeremiah’s Prophecies
Image in the Public Domain
Turning to Jeremiah 45, we remain in 605 B.C.E., according to the text.
God commanded Jeremiah to tell Baruch ben Neriah:
Thus said the LORD: I am going to overthrow what I have built, and uproot what I have planted–this applies to the whole land. And do you expect great things for yourself? Don’t expect them. For I am going to bring disaster upon all flesh–declares the LORD–but I will at least grant your life in all the places where you may go.
–Jeremiah 45:4-5, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985)
This work exacted a heavy toll on Jeremiah and his scribe. The divine promise of not getting killed in the line of duty applied to the prophet, also (Jeremiah 1:19). Ebed-melech, another ally of Jeremiah, had a divine guarantee of his life, too (Jeremiah 39:18). Despite this divine promise, being Jeremiah or one of his allies was risky.
One may not want to hear God say to one:
And do you expect great things for yourself? Don’t expect them.
Baruch, of course, went to Egypt with Jeremiah (43:6).
Some interpretive difficulties arise in Jeremiah 45.
- The text dates the prophecy to 605 B.C.E.
- Yet Chapter 45 follows exile in Egypt for Jeremiah and Baruch, and flows thematically from Chapter 44.
- Nevertheless, as I keep repeating, chronology is not the organizing principle in the Book of Jeremiah. Structurally, the Book of Jeremiah reminds me of certain movies by Atom Egoyan, the acclaimed Canadian movie director. Egoyan does not favor linear story-telling; he often has three timeframes running in his movies, and cuts from one timeframe to another one periodically. For proper understanding of The Sweet Hereafter (1997) and Ararat (2002), for example, one needs to watch at least three times.
- The translation of the end of 45:5 varies. TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures (1985) goes one way, with, “…but I will, at least, grant you your life.” The New American Bible–Revised Edition (2011) goes another way, with, “…but I will grant you your life as spoils of war….”
And do you expect great things for yourself? Don’t expect them.
God’s reward to Jeremiah, Baruch, and Ebed-melech was survival in a terrifying time.
That does not seem like much of a reward, does it? Yet, as St. Teresa of Calcutta said, God calls people to be faithful, not successful. This is a difficult teaching. I struggle with it. Maybe you do, too, O reader. I read that Jeremiah and Baruch did.
By human standards, Jeremiah was a failure. He was on the outs with authorities. His message convinced few people. He died in involuntary exile in a land where he had warned people not to go. And, by human standards, Jeremiah dragged Baruch down with him.
Yet, thousands of years later, faithful Jews and Christians utter the names of Jeremiah and Baruch with respect. Many Jews and Christians still study and read the Book of Jeremiah. The faithful legacy of Jeremiah and Baruch endures.
By that standard, Jeremiah and Baruch succeeded.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 12, 2021 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF EDWIN PAXTON HOOD, ENGLISH CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER, PHILANTHROPIST, AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF CHRISTIAN DAVID JAESCHKE, GERMAN MORAVIAN ORGANIST AND COMPOSER; AND HIS GRANDSON, HENRI MARC HERMANN VOLDEMAR VOULLAIRE, MORAVIAN COMPOSER AND MINISTER
THE FEAST OF ENMEGAHBOWH, EPISCOPAL PRIEST AND MISSIONARY TO THE OJIBWA NATION
THE FEAST OF JOSEPH DACRE CARLYLE, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF MILTON SMITH LITTLEFIELD, JR., U.S. PRESBYTERIAN AND CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER, HYMN WRITER, AND HYMNAL EDITOR
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Above: Jehoiachin
Image in the Public Domain
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READING 2 KINGS 22-25, 1 ESDRAS, 2 CHRONICLES 34-36, EZRA, AND NEHEMIAH
PART VIII
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2 Kings 24:8-17; 25:27-30
2 Chronicles 36:9-10
1 Esdras 1:43-46
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For we consume away in your anger:
and we are terrified by your wrath.
–Psalm 90:7, A New Zealand Prayer Book (1989)
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Jehoiachin was the second King of Judah also known as Jeconiah. The first Jeconiah was Jehoahaz/Shallum (2 Kings 23:31-35; 2 Chronicles 36:1-4; 1 Esdras 34-38). Jehoiachin was Jeconiah Esther A:4; Esther 2:6; Jeremiah 24:1; Jeremiah 27:20; Jeremiah 28:4; Jeremiah 29:2; and Baruch 1:3 and 1:9.
Jehoiachin (r. 597 B.C.E.) held office for just over three months. He was either eight years old (2 Chronicles 36:9) or eighteen years old (2 Kings 24:8; 1 Esdras 1:43) at accession. (That decade makes a big difference.) The son of Jehoiakim/Eliakim became the third consecutive King of Judah to go into foreign exile and the second one to die in exile in Babylon. And Nebuchadnezzar II took more sacred vessels from the Temple in Jerusalem off to Babylon. Furthermore, the first stage of the Babylonian Exile began.
Cuneiform tablets confirm part of 2 Kings 25:27-30. They do not mention Jehoiachin’s release from prison after 37 years per se. However, tablets document food rations delivered to the royal household of “Iaukin.”
Jehoiachin ended his days as a leader of his people in exile. Yes, there was hope, even during the Babylonian Exile.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
AUGUST 5, 2020 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF ALFRED TENNYSON, ENGLISH POET
THE FEAST OF ADAM OF SAINT VICTOR, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF ALBRECHT DÜRER, MATTHIAS GRÜNEWALD, AND LUCAS CRANACH THE ELDER, RENAISSANCE ARTISTS
THE FEAST OF GEORGE FREDERICK ROOT, POET AND COMPOSER
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Above: The Parsonage of Vidette United Methodist Church, Vidette, Georgia, 1980-1982
Photograph by John Dodson Taylor, III
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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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Jeremiah 28:1-4, 10-17
Psalm 119:65-72
Romans 14:13-23
John 7:45-52
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The difference between a true prophet and a false one becomes evident after he or she has prophesied. For example, if he or she states that X will happen and the opposite of X happens, he or she is a false prophet. That is the standard Jeremiah cites in Jeremiah 28 with regard to Hananiah. Jeremiah, however, does not judge Hananiah; God does that.
The theme of humility unites the assigned readings for this day. Jeremiah is sufficiently humble to leave judgment to God. The Psalmist is humble before God. Certain Pharisees–Nicodemus excepted–manifest a lack of humility toward Jesus and the possibility of him being the Messiah and of God. St. Paul the Apostle urges humility toward each other.
I recall that, in June 1980-June 1982, when my father was the pastor of the Vidette United Methodist Church, Vidette, Georgia, I was not to play in the yard on Sunday afternoons because, as my father said, someone might get the wrong idea. That was ridiculous, of course. God gave us the Sabbath as a blessing, not as a time to ponder dourly what we ought not to do. Besides, anyone who would have taken offense at me getting exercise and fresh air in the yard on Sunday afternoons should have removed the pole from his or her rectum. Doing so would have made siting down more comfortable for such a person.
If we permit others to prevent us from doing too much for the sake of avoiding causing offense, we will do little or nothing. Then what good will we be? Nevertheless, I understand the principle that we, living in community as we do, are responsible to and for each other. We ought to live with some respect for certain responsibilities without losing the proper balance between self-restraint and Christian liberty. Busy bodies should attend to their own business.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 18, 2017 COMMON ERA
PROPER 6: THE SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST, YEAR A
THE FEAST OF SAINTS DELPHINUS OF BORDEAUX, AMANDUS OF BORDEAUX, SEVERINUS OF BORDEAUX, VENERIUS OF MILAN, AND CHROMATIUS OF AQUILEIA, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS
THE FEAST OF ADOLPHUS NELSON, SWEDISH-AMERICAN LUTHERAN MINISTER AND HYMN TRANSLATOR
THE FEAST OF ANSON DODGE, EPISCOPAL PRIEST
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM BINGHAM TAPPAN, U.S. CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER, POET, AND HYMN WRITER
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Adapted from this post:
https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2017/06/18/devotion-for-proper-18-ackerman/
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BLOGA THEOLOGICA 
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