Habakkuk 1: 1-4; 2: 1-4 The text of Habakkuk describes an era when justice was “slack” and judgment “perverted.”  But, it also announces that the Lord will act boldly. Psalm 119: 137-144 The psalmist feels overwhelmed– “Puny as I am … Continue reading →

Joel 2: 23-32 The text of the Book of Joel has, so far, dwelt on the travails of God’s people, but now ( v18 ff) breaks out in exuberant promise of something totally new, beyond expectations.  Walter Brueggemann describes these … Continue reading →

Jeremiah 31: 27-34 At a low point in their long history with God– humiliated in exile– God’s people receive from the prophet Jeremiah a promise  of not just the renewal of the old covenant, but the making of a “new … Continue reading →

Jeremiah 19: 1,4-7 Inserted into the text of the Book of Jeremiah is this “letter” sent to God’s people living in exile in Babylon.  The message it contains is unexpected.  Even in this alien place, God’s “letter” says, and in … Continue reading →

Lamentations 1:1-6 The writer of this lament or dirge over the destruction of Jerusalem personifies the City as a “widow,” or as a “princess [who] has become a vassal.”  She once had many admirers, lovers and friends.  The writer now … Continue reading →

Jeremiah 32: 1-3a, 6-15 Jerusalem is under siege and the nation’s future looks bleak.  This is not a time any reasonable person would want to invest in real estate in Jerusalem.  Yet, under “the word of the Lord,” that is … Continue reading →

Jeremiah 8: 18-9:1 The Lord, in the text of the prophet Jeremiah, expresses utter despair over the faithlessness of the Lord’s people and the inevitable consequences.  “My joy is gone, grief is upon me, my heart is sick.”  The people … Continue reading →

Jeremiah 4: 11-12, 22-28 The Lord is so thoroughly angry at “my people” that the text of Jeremiah is clear, saying the Lord speaks directly: “it is I who speak in judgment against them.”  They are foolish, stupid, “with no understanding.” … Continue reading →

Jeremiah 18: 1-11 Walter Brueggemann lists the most prominent metaphors for God used in the Hebrew Scriptures, including gardener, shepherd, mother, healer, and, as in today’s excerpt from Jeremiah, potter.  He identifies these as “metaphors of sustenance.,” which “include dimensions … Continue reading →

Jeremiah 2: 4-13 Jeremiah delivers the Lord’s subpoena against Israel.  The charges are that the people have gone “after worthless things, and become worthless themselves.”  The Lord brought them through the wilderness into a “plentiful land,” but the priests and … Continue reading →