In my thirtieth year, in the fourth month on the fifth day, while I was among the exiles by the Kebar River, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God. - Ezekiel 1:1

Today's Scripture Reading (July 25, 2026): Ezekiel 1

In 525, a Christian monk named Dionysius Exiguus proposed dating events by referring to a common point in time. For Dionysius, because of his commitment to the Christian faith, that moment in time was the birth of Jesus Christ. Dionysius made a few mistakes in how he counted the five centuries that had passed between the birth of Jesus and his own life, and because of those mistakes, his dating is off by somewhere between four and seven years, yet the idea itself has stuck. Today we still date back to the same point in time. We call it the Common Era (or the Current Era or even the Christian Era), but it was originally called Anno Domini, or in the Year of our Lord, usually shortened to AD. The system allows us to date historical events so we can compare events across cultures, something that was once much more difficult. The last Western European nation to switch to the common calendar was Portugal, which made the change in 1422. 

The idea of dating events back to a common point is an old one. In ancient times, it was often dated to a significant event or death. The problem was that each culture chose different starting dates, and those dates changed with every generation. So, Ezekiel starts his account with a dating system, a common point in time that his readers would have understood. The NIV translates the dating very personally. Ezekiel dates his prophecy to "my thirtieth year," but it is unlikely that Ezekiel was counting the years of his own life.

For one thing, the idea of celebrating birthdays is more of a current practice. The dates of birth in ancient times were not celebrated. A better translation of the verse might be "in the thirtieth year," dating back to some common event. The problem is that while his first readers understood the connection to a common event, that event has been lost over time.

However, we can make some guesses. Ezekiel might have been dating back to the last year of Jubilee that had been celebrated in Judah. The problem with that idea is that the Jubilee celebrations in Israel were sporadic, if they were ever really celebrated at all.  Another possibility is that Ezekiel dates back to the discovery of the law during the days of Josiah. Dating the events of his life to the discovery of the law during the Temple renovations is the solution suggested by the Jewish Targum. Hilkiah found the book of the law in 621 BCE, which means that Ezekiel's vision dates to around 591 BCE, or five years before the fall of Jerusalem.

All of this indicates that Ezekiel was among those taken before the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple in 586 BCE, and that it is in Babylon that his prophetic career begins. What is significant about this is that God finds Ezekiel far from home and the Temple dedicated to God by the Jews. Here, by a river in Babylon, Ezekiel hears the instructions of God and is compelled to follow them. The law found in the Temple thirty years earlier was still the instruction by which Ezekiel would structure his life, and the God who ruled in Jerusalem was still the God who ruled over Ezekiel and the exiles, even though they now found themselves living in a foreign land.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 2

Concerning the Ammonites: This is what the LORD says: "Has Israel no sons? Has Israel no heir? Why then has Molek taken possession of Gad? Why do his people live in its towns? – Jeremiah 49:1

Today's Scripture Reading (July 24, 2026): Jeremiah 49

Israel was always designed to operate as a theocracy, a nation where God was supposed to rule as the physical king. What we sometimes forget is that, while that is an unusual form of government, Israel would not have been the only theocracy in ancient times. Many nations were built on the idea of the "rule of the gods."  And another possible candidate for a theocracy is the Kingdom of Ammon and the Ammonites. In this case, the god in question would be Molech or Molek. But for the Ammonites, Molek was not just the name of their God; it was the name of their king. In fact, Molek seems to mean "the god who is king." Another interesting parallel between Ammon and Israel is that both nations were known as "The Children of." The people of Israel were known as "The Children of Israel," and the people of Ammon were known as "The Children of Ammon."

Gad was a Transjordanian tribe of Israel (a tribe that had settled, along with Manasseh and Reuben, on the east side of the Jordan River, while the rest of the tribes settled on the west side of the river). But the territory, which had been part of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, not Judah, was no longer a possession of the descendants of Jacob. By the time of Jeremiah, the Kingdom of Israel had long been defeated by the Assyrian Empire, and Israel had been carried into exile, now just a province of a foreign empire. Yet God still seemed to expect Judah, who represented the surviving children of Israel, to be in control of the cities of the Northern Kingdom, specifically the cities of Gad, which had long been lost to the Kingdom of Ammon. God's question is: why did Judah allow this situation to arise?

So, God's message to Judah asks the question, "Does Israel (or Jacob) have no sons? Because the cities that I gave to the children of Israel are now in the possession of the children of Molek" (either the god, the king, or both). This lack would form part of the charge against Judah; they had not had the faith to keep all that God had given to them.

It is a question that I admit that I wrestle with. Do I have the strength and the faith to keep what God has given to me? And I am not sure that I always know the answer. But I do believe that the church has become a safe church, not that it is a safe place to be, but rather, a safe place that is unwilling to risk for God. And because of that, we have lost the holy places and the people God intended for us to impact. And I wonder if at some point in the future, the question that Jeremiah asked of Judah will be asked of us. Why have you lost the ones whom I entrusted to your care?

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 1

Every head is shaved and every beard cut off; every hand is slashed and every waist is covered with sackcloth. – Jeremiah 48:37

Today's Scripture Reading (July 23, 2026): Jeremiah 48

In March 1861, Queen Victoria's mother died. Even though her relationship with her mother had been rocky, Victoria was deeply moved by the event. Victoria was at her mother's bedside when her mother died, and her feeling of loss was only intensified when she went through her mother's papers and discovered that her mother had loved her deeply. Victoria's grief was so intense that she began to disengage from even her own duties. In the months that followed in 1861, it was her husband, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, who took over her duties, despite being ill with a chronic stomach condition. And then the unthinkable happened. At the beginning of December 1861, Prince Albert was diagnosed with typhoid fever. Prince Albert died on December 14, 1861.

With the death of Albert so soon after her mother's demise, Victoria went into a permanent state of mourning. The Queen wore black for the rest of her life. The color indicated the darkness that had invaded her soul. Victoria would reign for another 40 years, but during that time, she would rarely appear in public. She rarely stepped foot in London. She shied away from all public appearances, to the point that her reputation and the Monarchy's public image began to decline. Her advisors begged her to make public appearances to remind the people that she was still the Queen of the United Kingdom, but she only agreed reluctantly. The defining feature of her life was no longer her status as the Queen of the United Kingdom and the Empress of India. Her grief now defined her life. All of this earned Victoria the nickname of "The Widow of Windsor."

Jeremiah speaks in this passage, not of humiliation as some might think, but rather of grief. In the pagan cultures surrounding Israel, each of these behaviors is associated with grief. In ancient times, in deep grief, men would pluck out their hair until they were literally bald; they would shave their beards, which were considered the "glory of their faces." They would cut themselves, especially their arms and hands, either with their fingernails or with a knife, in an attempt to relieve the pain of their souls. And they would cover themselves with sackcloth, a rough, uncomfortable fabric, to indicate to the world that they were in mourning. All of this was an outside view of an inner pain. And all of this is Jeremiah's message. Moab's pain will not just be physical; it will be emotional, and it might be that the emotional pain is more debilitating than the physical.

Sometimes we seem to be tempted to downplay our emotional pain as if it were not real. But that pain is real, and it needs to be dealt with. The truth is that our emotional pain changes more than just the way we dress; it changes the way that we react to the world. Left unacknowledged, it can remove us from life and stop us from making the difference in this world that we are intended to make. And that is simply too high a price to pay for our unaddressed pain.       

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 49

During Jehoiakim's reign, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon invaded the land, and Jehoiakim became his vassal for three years. But then he turned against Nebuchadnezzar and rebelled. – 2 Kings 24:1

Today's Scripture Reading (July 22, 2026): 2 Kings 24

Necho II reigned in Egypt during a particularly tumultuous time. The Babylonian Empire began its rise to prominence, and with the help of the Cimmerians, Scythians, and the Kingdom of Judah, it shattered the Assyrians' previous hold on the region. Necho wanted to maintain the status quo and avoid the chaos of an Empire-wide military struggle in the area, so he sent part of his army to help the Assyrians. Unfortunately, the army he had sent proved to be too small, but he learned his lesson quickly and attacked one more time, and this time he succeeded. It was this battle that would claim the life of Josiah, King of Judah.

Leaving a sizable army in the field to protect his assets, Necho returned home, and while passing through Judah, he noticed that the people had placed Jehoahaz, the son of Josiah, on the throne of Judah. But Necho wanted someone more amenable to Egypt's interests in the area. So he removed Jehoahaz from the throne and took him captive to Egypt. Jehoahaz would live out the rest of his days as a guest of Necho in Egypt. In his place, Necho placed Jehoahaz's brother Jehoiakim on the throne in Judah. Jehoiakim paid Egypt an annual tribute as the price of Judah's freedom, but, in effect, the nation paid for its alliance with Babylon by becoming a vassal state of Egypt.

But in 605 BCE, Nebuchadnezzar succeeded his ailing father as king of Babylon. And one of his first acts was to invade Judah, the vassal state of Egypt. Nebuchadnezzar defeated Judah and carried off the first installment of captives to Babylon, an exile which likely included Ezekiel, Daniel, and Daniel's friends: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. For the next three years, Judah would be a vassal state under Babylonian rule.

But in 601 BCE, two significant things happened. The first was that Nebuchadnezzar returned home, leaving a sizable army in Judah, but not his personal presence. The second event was Necho II of Egypt's final attempt at world conquest, beginning with Judah. Whether Jehoiakim recognized Necho's return as an opportunity to shake off the bonds of Babylon, or whether he was moved because his brother Jehoahaz was still a captive of Necho in Egypt, Jehoiakim rebelled against Babylon. But what Judah did not recognize was that Nebuchadnezzar's rise at this time in history was an act of God to get the people's attention. It was not really Nebuchadnezzar that Necho and Jehoiakim were struggling against; it was God. Judah's continued rebellion would only solidify Nebuchadnezzar's hold over the nation.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 48

But if you tell me the dream and explain it, you will receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. So tell me the dream and interpret it for me. – Daniel 2:6

Today's Scripture Reading (July 21, 2026): Daniel 2

Nostradamus was born in December 1503 in France. He is probably the best-known of the secular prophets. His prophecies, broken down into a series of quatrains, were published in three installments between 1555 and 1558. As was common for the day, no two editions of the prophecies were identical. Some have tried to describe the differences as a prophetic emphasis, but there is no indication that this is true. Nostradamus is thought by believers to have accurately predicted many of the events that have happened since the time of the writing of the prophecies until the present day. Supporters maintain that Nostradamus correctly predicted the Great Fire of London, the rise of Adolph Hitler, and the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center.   

But the thing about any prophecy is that the prophecies always make more sense in reverse. After the events have already happened, we can recognize patterns in the unexpected waves of time. But this is not really what readers of prophecies want. What the reader of the prophecy desires is to predict the future, but even biblical prophecies seldom do that. A case in point would be the birth, life, and death of Jesus. While Jesus, the Messiah or Christ, is predicted throughout the Old Testament, the fulfillment of those prophecies was not well understood, and no one really believed that the prophecies about the Christ would turn out as they did. We see the Messianic prophecies much more clearly in retrospect than the people would have before the events happened. And sometimes, while a prediction may seem to be accurate, critics will always question whether or not the correct prediction is any more than mere coincidence.

It would seem that Nebuchadnezzar was a critic when it came to the subject of prophecy. As a result, when Nebuchadnezzar has a dream that he needs interpreted, he fears that once his wise men learn the dream, they will just make up an interpretation of the prophecy. He actively questions how he could trust a prophecy given in that manner. And so, he comes up with a plan. If the wise men could tell him the dream, as well as tell him what the dream meant, maybe then he could trust the prophecy.

This requirement that the prophet reveal the dream and its interpretation was a new idea. It would seem that this was not the usual request of a king concerning the interpretations of their dream. But the reality was that the request was impossible, something Nebuchadnezzar's wise men understood. But the presentation of an impossible situation left an opening for God. And God was ready to move through that opening.

God still moves in the impossible if we will trust him and give him that chance to move.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 24

Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. – Daniel 1:12

Today's Scripture Reading (July 20, 2026): Daniel 1

Many well-known Christians, including Pastor Rick Warren, have advocated the health benefits of a vegetarian-style diet, citing the Book of Daniel as the model for the nutrition plan. These plans usually use Daniel's name in their branding and often promote Daniel's Diet as a biblically based diet guaranteed to promote health and weight loss. And there is no doubt that these plans do both of those things, but what isn't so clear is that the diet plans are biblically based.

The concept that these diets are biblical plans stems from this passage. The problem with saying that this vegetarian diet is biblically based is that we would have to take the passage out of context to make the argument. There is no place in this passage where Daniel announces that the vegetarian lifestyle (or even that a vegetarian purge or detox) is part of God's plan. The problem Daniel faced was that no suitable kosher meat was available. Most of the meat that would have come to the king's table would have been offered as a sacrifice to the gods of Babylon. That reason alone made the meat unsuitable for consumption by a good follower of Israel's God. Besides being sacrificed to the gods, it also would not have been prepared in a way that would remove all the meat's blood, a process that usually involved salting the meat to draw out moisture. This process is what makes the meat kosher. It was this lack of suitable meat that led Daniel to adopt a vegetarian diet; however, it was not because he believed in the health benefits of vegetarianism.

In fact, Daniel's story promotes an opposite lifestyle. The story holds that a meat diet was required for health, something that we now know is not true. This belief in the power of meat is the basis for the reaction of the handler of the Hebrew men. He was responsible for their health, and, as was understood at the time, that health demanded a high-meat diet.

The miracle of the story is that not only did the vegetarian diet work, but it also worked in a relatively short period of time. But the moral of the story is not about diet; it is about the four men's willingness to place their trust in God and do the unusual. The men's health was never attributed to the diet, but rather to the God they had served. Because Daniel and his friends trusted in God and kept God's laws, they passed the test. A strong belief in the God of Israel was the only reason that Daniel and his friends passed the test.

Trust in God is one of the major themes of Daniel. If we are willing to trust, then good things will happen. Life has never been about the physical realities that surround us. Life is about trusting in the God who created our physical realities. And no one else will do.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Daniel 2

 

… at the sound of the hooves of galloping steeds, at the noise of enemy chariots and the rumble of their wheels. Parents will not turn to help their children; their hands will hang limp. – Jeremiah 47:3

Today's Scripture Reading (July 19, 2026): Jeremiah 47

Rapid Dominance (also known as Shock and Awe) is a military doctrine developed by Harlan Ullman and James Wade in 1996. The doctrine advocates spectacular displays of force to paralyze the enemy and destroy their will to fight. Rapid Dominance was the military strategy used by the United States during the Iraq War, which might be appropriate because, although the doctrine was written in 1996, the Americans were not the first to use it in Iraq.

Long before the doctrine had a name, the same strategy was used in Iraq. When it was first used, Iraq was called Babylon, and instead of being used against them, the strategy of “Rapid Dominance” was used by them. It was used in the last years of the 7th century BCE, an era that Jeremiah knew very well. Jeremiah's warning is directed at the Philistine cities and concerns the “Shock and Awe” of Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian war machine. Jeremiah says that the Philistines will not actually need to see the Babylonian army coming. All that will be needed to strike fear into the hearts of the Philistine people is the sound of the beat of the horses' hooves and the rattle of the wheels of the chariots that are carrying the military officers.

On that day, the fear would be debilitating. In fact, it would be so bad that people's natural behaviors would be disrupted. Rabbinical writings on this passage stress that the passage indicates that "the fathers shall not look back to have mercy on their children." In their fright, they will forget what is natural, and their fear will be so great that they will not be able to have pity and compassion on them. The only thing that will matter is their own safety and deliverance.

The Babylonian Empire did not last very long, but at its height, it struck fear into the known world. And the sound of their war machine was all it took to paralyze the ones that they rode against.   

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Daniel 1

 

 

The LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: "I am about to bring punishment on Amon god of Thebes, on Pharaoh, on Egypt and her gods and her kings, and on those who rely on Pharaoh. – Jeremiah 46:25

Today's Scripture Reading (July 18, 2026): Jeremiah 46

Amun-Re was the chief god of the Egyptian pantheon. In fact, Amun became so all-encompassing in the Egyptian pantheon that he threatened to reduce their worship to a monotheistic faith. As time passed, Amun-Re was not only the king of the gods but was effectively becoming the only god of Egypt. In the Leiden hymns, a collection of Egyptian poetry written in the latter part of the 13^th Century B.C.E., Amun-Re is hailed as the unity of all gods. He is the one god. He is the uncreated one, the one who existed before time began and will exist long after time has stopped. And if this is beginning to sound a little like the Christian God, the similarities continue. In Chapter 300, the poetry explicitly identifies Amun (the same as Amon in Jeremiah) as the primary god of the Egyptian Trinity. The god of unity, but embodying the powers of all three of Egypt's central gods. He is one – yet three. Specifically, the hymn reads –

            All the gods are three:
            Amun, Re and Ptah, without their seconds.
            His identity is hidden as Amun,
            He is Re as face, His body is Ptah.

            Everything that comes from His mouth,
            the gods are bound by it, according to what has been decreed.
            When a message is sent, it is for killing or for giving life.
            Life and death depend on Him for everyone,
            except for Him, Amun, together with Re, [and Ptah]: total, 3.

When we consider that Amun is the unseen God and is associated with the wind, the Leiden Hymns almost begin to read like the Gospel of John: " The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit" (John 3:8).

But Jeremiah makes it clear that Amun-Re, the uncreated one of Egypt, is not the uncreated one of Israel. Amon of Thebes, the king of the gods of Egypt, the prime deity of the Egyptian Trinity, the creator of everything, is nothing more than a pretender. And the God of Israel will never bow to a pretender.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 47

You deceived me, LORD, and I was deceived; you overpowered me and prevailed. I am ridiculed all day long; everyone mocks me. – Jeremiah 20:7

Today's Scripture Reading (July 17, 2026): Jeremiah 20

In the late 1960's, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice penned their conception of the last week of the life of Jesus Christ. "Jesus Christ, Superstar" has proven to be an enduring image, and the songs of the Rock Opera have carried the cries of the human side of Jesus to every generation since the opera was first written and performed. For me, one of the most moving scenes in the Webber-Rice tale takes place in the Garden of Gethsemane. It is there that Jesus is confronted with the cross on which he will die, there that Jesus strains against the will of God, wondering if all of this is worth it, and there that he wonders about the goal that they are trying to reach. It is in Gethsemane that Jesus wrestles with everything that is about to happen. Near the end of the prayer, Jesus finally gives in to his Father's plan. The words that Rice places in the mouth of Jesus at this moment are –

God, thy will is hard, but you hold every card.
I will drink your cup of poison.
Nail me to your cross and break me.
Bleed me, beat me, kill me, take me now.
Before I change my mind.

The sentiments of the words are only partially the product of Rice's imagination. The Gospel record does record that Jesus struggled with the path he was to take. But the reality is that, as much as some portions of the Christian Church seem to want us to believe otherwise, sometimes God's will is difficult. John the Baptist seemed to struggle at the end of his life, wondering if Jesus was really the one who was to come or whether they were waiting for someone else. And in this passage, it is Jeremiah who is questioning the will of God.

Specifically, Jeremiah's complaint goes back to the beginning of Jeremiah's prophetic writings. At the moment when Jeremiah was called, he had excused himself. He was too young, and he did not have the words that were needed for such a task. But in that moment God's reply to Jeremiah was "Do not say, 'I am too young.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you" (Jeremiah 1:7-8). But in this moment, years into the God mission he had accepted, Jeremiah is not sure that God is true to his word. He spoke the words that God had placed in his heart, yet it did not seem that God was with him or that God had been ready to rescue him.

But the story was not over, not yet. God still had further places to carry Jeremiah. But sometimes it is in the midst of the story that we stop feeling him. And that is why faith is so important for all of us, because with the eyes of faith, we know that God is with us. He is with us even in the moments when we question him the most.     

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 46

Then break the jar while those who go with you are watching, and say to them, 'This is what the LORD Almighty says: I will smash this nation and this city just as this potter's jar is smashed and cannot be repaired. They will bury the dead in Topheth until there is no more room. – Jeremiah 19:10-11

Today's Scripture Reading (July 16, 2026): Jeremiah 19

One of our most-loved Nursery Rhymes was penned in the late 18^th century. The rhyme in question is "Humpty, Dumpty," the famous egg who sat on the wall. One problem with our understanding of Humpty Dumpty is that the poem nowhere suggests that Humpty Dumpty was an egg. It is thought that the original intention of the rhyme was that it was supposed to be a riddle, a statement in which people would be invited to guess the identity of Humpty Dumpty. But the riddle long ago turned into a children's rhyme, and the mystery found at the core of the rhyme has long since been forgotten.

But that has not stopped some from trying to guess the riddle's answer. Suggested answers include King Richard III, the last king of the House of York, whom the upstart House of Tudor toppled. Two other possible answers to the riddle emerge from the Siege of Colchester in 1648, a battle from the middle of the English Civil War. During the war, the Royalist army found itself hemmed in at the walled city of Colchester.  Outside the walls were the Parliamentarians. The rhyme, some assert, is about either a sniper, a man known as One-Eyed Thompson, or a cannon, appropriately known as Humpty Dumpty, that sat on the walls of a church called Mary-at-the-Walls. The story tells of the Parliamentarians outside the city who weakened the wall beneath either the sniper or the cannon, causing the fall of "Humpty Dumpty." As a result of this fall, the city of Colchester was lost, and all the king's horses and all the king's men, referring of course to the Royalist Army trapped inside the city, couldn't save either the town or Humpty Dumpty.

God seems to have a similar illustration and story for Jeremiah to tell. Again, the weeping prophet is given an illustration of what is about to happen in Jerusalem. He is to go and take a jar and break it. The imagery here is not that Jeremiah would gently break the jar, leaving large pieces that might be put back together. The imagery is of a smashed jar that has been broken into so many pieces that it is impossible to reassemble, even with all of the king's horses and all the king's men at the ready to do the task.

But maybe the one thing we miss when we read this prophecy is that, while in the short term the prophecy was fulfilled and Jerusalem was left in ruins, God is still the God of the impossible, and in the long term it seems that God himself would put the city back together again. Jerusalem still stands today, although, admittedly, once again, it would seem that the Holy City is broken, divided among the People of Israel, the Followers of Jesus Christ, and the Followers of Islam. But no matter how broken the city might seem, God remains the God who can still put the pieces back together.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 20

They said, "Come, let's make plans against Jeremiah; for the teaching of the law by the priest will not cease, nor will counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophets. So come, let's attack him with our tongues and pay no attention to anything he says." – Jeremiah 18:18

Today's Scripture Reading (July 15, 2026): Jeremiah 18

For generations, historians have fought over the character of Richard III of England. For some, Richard III is accurately summed up by William Shakespeare. Shakespeare described Richard III as an ambitious man who was jealous of his older brother, King Edward IV, and his success. Historians have accused Richard of being guilty of fratricide, blaming him for the death of his brother and his nephews Edward V, who was around 13 years of age when he disappeared, as well as the disappearance and supposed murder of Edward V's younger brother, Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York. The young boys have been dubbed the "Princes of the Tower" by historians because the Tower of London was the last place where we know they were housed. No one really knows what happened to the young princes after their admission to the Tower following the death of their Father.

But that is not the only picture that we have of Richard III. Other historians have seen the third King Richard as a fiercely loyal man who would never consider killing his older brother, of whom he was deeply proud, let alone the murder of his young nephews. According to this group of historians, Richard was the victim of a propaganda campaign carried out by the House of Tudor, which sought to end the reign of the House of York, of which Edward and Richard were members. These historians remind us that the victors often write history; in this case, the House of Tudor won the fight, and as a result, the reign of the House of York was not only ended but also tarnished.

We may never know the truth about King Richard III, which might be proof of the effectiveness of the lies that our enemies can tell about us. It was a truth that Jeremiah knew firsthand. Jeremiah carried an unfortunate message, one the nation didn't want to hear. Jeremiah's critics hoped the prophet was wrong. Early in Jeremiah's career, his opponents had already chosen their offensive response. They were going to speak lies about Jeremiah and discredit him. The hope was that if lies took hold, his words would lose their strength, and the people would no longer listen to him. And maybe, their lies would also change the bleak future that Jeremiah was predicting. Basically, his opponents planned to accuse Jeremiah of being a false prophet, hoping that this accusation, which the religious officials of Jerusalem had thought up, would end up being true.

Jeremiah knew of their plot and had decided that the problem was not his; it was the problem of the one who had given him his vision of the future. Jeremiah was confident in his God. If he were a false prophet, it would not be because the officials of Jerusalem had labeled him as one, but because he had misread the movement of his God. But, once again, history is written by the victors, and in this case, the victor was Jeremiah. His prediction proved true, and history has remembered his opponents as the liars.  

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 19

 

Heal me, LORD, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise. – Jeremiah 17:14

Today's Scripture Reading (July 14, 2026): Jeremiah 17

As a kid, I loved superhero shows. I loved the "Adventures of Superman" with George Reeves (although I have to admit that I am too young actually to remember the original run of the 1950s TV series; I had to be content with the reruns of the show more than a decade after the last episode of the series was shot), and I was infatuated with Adam West in "Batman." (For those who might be wondering about my "Spiderman" addiction, both George Reeves and Adam West predate my "Spiderman" days.) So, when I was still too young to go to school, one of my favorite activities was to grab a towel, pin it around my shoulders, and pretend that I was one of the heroes I had watched on television.

Looking back, I still love my superheroes, though I hope I now have a much more balanced view of the role models of my youth. But one thing I have noticed is that the characters in the shows of my youth were fixated on the stories' heroes. In Gotham City, when trouble struck, it was not Marines who were called in to handle the situation; it wasn't the S.W.A.T. Team or even extra off-duty police officers who were requested to come to the rescue. The first response was to run to the roof and activate the "Bat Signal," calling the Caped Crusader and the Boy Wonder into the situation. No one else would do. And in the "Adventures of Superman," Lois Lane never called for the police when she was in trouble; Lois simply whispered the name of her hero, Superman. There was no one else who could do the job, not even the pining Clark Kent who wanted nothing more than to hear Lois call his name. But as far as Lois was concerned, no one but Superman was able to come to her rescue.

Jeremiah has also fixated on his hero, God. In the midst of Judah's trouble, Jeremiah and the officials of the nation held a deep mistrust of each other, and of the enemy about to appear on the doorstep of the city in which he lived. As a result, there really was no other authority to whom the Prophet could run. If Jeremiah was going to be healed, there was no one else who could heal him. If Jeremiah was going to be saved, the only name that could be whispered was that of his God. And the same was true for the land of Judah.

Most of us who grew up with our Superheroes have watched them tarnish over time. At some point, we found out that the Bat Signal only works in Gotham City, and Lois is the only one whom Superman seems to hear. George Reeves and Adam West have both lost their races against a speeding bullet. But the God of Jeremiah remains. He is still the only one who can heal and save.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 18

… but it will be said, 'As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.' For I will restore them to the land I gave their ancestors. – Jeremiah 16:15

Today's Scripture Reading (July 13, 2026): Jeremiah 16

In science fiction, cloning is a bad idea, not because of any moral considerations, but because of a buildup of errors in the cloning process. The idea is that no clone is truly identical; errors exist in the DNA code that can eventually threaten the cloned organism. Therefore, given the science-fiction understanding of cloning, the best we can accomplish in the cloning process is an imperfect copy of the original. A clone of a clone increases the genetic mistakes. Every mistake might be small, but over several generations, the clone would no longer be viable, or, at least, the clone wouldn't be healthy.

But that is only in science fiction. Except that it isn't. The way science fiction depicts the cloning process is a pretty accurate description of the normal reproductive process. Our kids may get what is right about us, but invariably they seem also to take what is wrong about us. Over time (and generations), families seem to begin to mirror what is wrong more than they get what is right. We wish that it were the reverse and that they would pick up our good characteristics, but it doesn't seem to work that way.

And I think that is precisely God's message to Jeremiah. The way things are going is only going to get worse. Your fathers rebelled, you rebelled more, and the next generation will only rebel more. Your only hope is that someone will break the cycle.

So, God gives this message to Jeremiah: I will be the one who will break the cycle. I will restore them to the place where I intended them to be. No longer will they only speak of the God that brought them out of Egypt; I will be the God who brought them out of the land in the North – I will bring them out of Babylon, as well.

We sometimes think that we have everything together in our lives. But the truth is that we are still just children in need of restoration. This need for recovery is the reason why family religion doesn't work. We need one who will come in, break the cycle, and restore us. And God is still the one who restores.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 17

Therefore this is what the LORD says: “If you repent, I will restore you that you may serve me; if you utter worthy, not worthless, words, you will be my spokesman. Let this people turn to you, but you must not turn to them. – Jeremiah 15:19

Today's Scripture Reading (July 12, 2026): Jeremiah 15

In 2017, President Donald Trump’s then White House Press Secretary, Sean Spicer, summed up his understanding of his job quite well before the White House Press Corps. The question that was posed was “What do you think about the (fill in the blank with the subject matter of the day)?” Spicer’s response was basically “It is not my job to tell you what I think; it is my job to tell you what the President thinks.” The tactic has become a normal one for the press. Donald Trump says something that bends the limits of their credulity, and the question to Trump supporters and employees is “Can you believe that? Do you agree with the President?” And the way that the question is asked leads us to believe that a negative response is expected. “You can’t honestly agree with the point of view of the President?” Spicer’s response reiterates that from the podium, he speaks what the President would have him speak. His job is to understand the President's mind, answer questions, and provide information from the President's perspective. When Sean Spicer or any other White House Press Secretary speaks, we should hear the voice of the President currently in office. Spicer was right. As much as we would all love to hear him say that he agrees or disagrees with the Presidential position, that is simply not his job. His job is to speak with the voice of the President.

As Christians, we have the same expectation placed on us. We talk with the mind of God. The expectation is that we would be in tune with what the Bible says and speak with the voice of the one who inspired the writing of these ancient words. This ideal is what has led some of us within the church to feel disappointment and even betrayal at words spoken in recent days by influential Christians like Franklin Graham. Some believe that the words being spoken, words that have seemed to go back and forth from, at the very least, indifference, to at times hate, are not flowing from the mind of Christ. The words are not influenced by the one who taught us that ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me’ (Matthew 25:40). Sometimes it seems that the focus of many influential Christian leaders is on remaining “a friend of the President” rather than speaking the heart of God.

God reminds Jeremiah that this is his task. He is to speak words worthy of the Creator of the World. He is to know the Creator’s heart and speak what is worthy of him. As long as Jeremiah does that, then he will be God’s mouthpiece; His press secretary. But his words are worthless if they do not reflect the heart of the Creator; if this is the case, Jeremiah will be removed from his position.

Speaking the heart of God is what we are all called to do. It is not optional. What we (I) think is important really doesn’t matter. As Christians, we are the Press Secretaries of Heaven, and our opinions have become secondary to the voice of God speaking through our lives. And when we speak with his voice, we have the potential to change the world.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 16

The nobles send their servants for water; they go to the cisterns but find no water. They return with their jars unfilled; dismayed and despairing, they cover their heads. – Jeremiah 14:3

Today's Scripture Reading (July 11, 2026): Jeremiah 14

A recent news story revealed that people are moving away from the traditional white picket fence toward taller, more solid privacy fences. The idea is that we want more privacy in our yards than maybe we once did. It has been suggested that this need for privacy stems from our having lost the ability just to chat. I have lived in my house for over twenty years, and two of the three fences in my backyard have been replaced. The one that hasn't changed was already a six-foot wood privacy fence, which has been painted and maintained a few times over the years. Contemporary privacy fences are made from substances that don't require that same level of maintenance.

Which leaves me with the other two fences. Directly behind my house, a privacy fence was replaced with a chain link fence with privacy inserts installed. The current fence is a little shorter, but still built with privacy in mind. My neighbor also once had pillar poplars lining the fence. Those trees have been removed. We could communicate over the back fence, but rarely do.

The big change is with my last neighbor. When I first bought the house, there was no fence on that side of the property. My backyard and my neighbor's yard were connected, creating one larger grassy space. But my neighbor sold his house, and it was purchased by a wonderful lady who wanted to have a couple of dogs. So, a chain-link fence without the privacy inserts was built to keep the dogs, Cooper and Bear, on their side of the property. Admittedly, whenever the dogs got loose, they loved to come and inspect the space on the other side of the fence, often coming up to visit me on my deck. (They were great dogs, and I never had a problem with either one of them.) That is the fence story in my yard. And while we have had good communication with all of our neighbors, maybe neighbor communication is becoming less important. 

Jeremiah is telling a story. The wealthy in society would regularly send their servants out to fetch water. The servants arrive at the cistern, but there is no water. They return with empty jars, and in dismay, they cover their heads. It is that last phrase that sends a message we often miss. Water is essential for life, and it is often one of the easiest things to find. But the drought meant there was no water. The dismay that these families felt is probably natural. But that wasn't the extent of what these servants and their bosses felt. By covering their heads, they admitted they were confounded and ashamed. And it is that last emotion that amazes us the most. Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892) responds this way to the noble's response to a lack of water.

On the back of that confusion came despair; 'they covered their heads.' The Orientals cover their heads when in the deepest grief, as David did, when he went over the brook Kedron. It means, 'I cannot face it. Do not look on me in my sorrow, nor expect me to look on you. I cover my head, for it is all over with me' (Charles Spurgeon).

In my shame, I need privacy. I won't build a fence, but I have no desire to talk to you. Instead, I will cover my head. Please ignore me and move on until my shame is relieved by the presence of water. Until that moment reveals itself, there really is nothing to say.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 15

This is what the LORD said to me: "Go and buy a linen belt and put it around your waist, but do not let it touch water." – Jeremiah 13:1

Today's Scripture Reading (July 10, 2026): Jeremiah 13

It was a Christmas skit to be performed at the Annual Christmas banquet. At the time, I was the Associate Pastor for the church, but I was also very new at the position. The skit called for me to wear a pink, frilly tutu. (How they found one that I could fit into is still a bit of a mystery to me.) They gave me the tutu the night of the performance, and I remember squeezing myself into it before I had to take the stage. And yes, I looked ridiculous. But then, that was the point.

I remember the tutu, although I don't remember much else about the skit. I remember my boss had a role in the skit, although his mode of dress was much more dignified than mine. The skit was humorous, but much of the humor was me in the tutu.

If Jeremiah wore the traditional dress of a prophet, he would have been wearing a fairly tight-fitting tunic made out of a coarse material. Over top of this tunic, he would have worn a hair cloak. On the other side of the coin, the priests and the wealthy would wear a linen girdle or decorative belt around their waist, along with the finery that they could afford. God's instructions would have been to take the linen girdle that the more elite members of society might wear and place it around his waist, on top of the prophetic dress Jeremiah would normally wear. Combining the two would have made Jeremiah look as ridiculous as I did in a pink tutu that Christmas. But again, the spectacle was the point.

As Jeremiah appeared in Jerusalem, everyone would notice what the Prophet was wearing. But even more importantly, they would remember what Jeremiah was wearing. It would have been hard to forget. Likely, there was some good-natured, or maybe not so good-natured, ribbing over the way that Jeremiah looked. (Trust me, I remember the jokes I took over the tutu.) But all of this was the point.

The Prophet's ridiculous look was the beginning of a message, and if nobody noticed how Jeremiah was dressed, the message might have been missed. Sometimes, Prophets were more like that guy who stood on the cafeteria table with French fries up his nose than we might imagine. But somehow, they had to gain the attention of those around them before they could deliver the message God had placed on their hearts.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 14

The other events of Jehoiakim's reign, the detestable things he did and all that was found against him, are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. And Jehoiachin his son succeeded him as king. – 2 Chronicles 36:8

Today's Scripture Reading (July 9, 2026): 2 Chronicles 36

All of us carry baggage from our growing-up years. And we all react to that baggage very differently. For some, that baggage is devastating. And it doesn't necessarily mean that we had terrible upbringings. Two siblings can react to the same home and the same situations in very different ways. As parents, all we can do is do our best and lift our children up in prayer daily.

Three of Josiah's sons would reign as kings over the land of Judah. But they did not ascend the throne in order of their ages. Eliakim, who reigned as Jehoiakim, was the oldest. Yet Eliakim was passed over after his father's death in favor of his younger brother, Jehoahaz. The proposed reasons for this vary. Some believe that Jehoahaz was simply the more popular of the brothers among the leaders in Judah. Others point out that Eliakim or Jehoiakim was simply unfit to lead the nation, and that his father and the leaders of Judah understood this when they made Jehoahaz king in 609 B.C.E.

Jehoiakim was an angry man. But when Egypt took his younger brother, the now King of Judah, Jehoahaz, into captivity only three months into his reign, the nation was forced to turn to the violent Eliakim as their king. There was another brother, but Zedekiah was still just a young boy when Jehoahaz was removed. Zedekiah would ascend to the throne and serve as the last king of Judah after the death of Jehoiakim and the Babylonians' removal of Jehoiakim's son, Jehoiachin.

After he became king, Jehoiakim wasted little time displaying that he was not his father's son. He overturned all of his father Josiah's reforms. Jehoiakim was a godless man who feared little other than the Babylonians, and even his respect for them was likely all show. He ruled Judah as a tyrant. He murdered everyone he didn't like, and Jerusalem was filled with the blood of the innocents (2 Kings 24:4). He maintained incestuous relationships with his mother and other women in the family. He seemed to regularly burn scrolls of scripture that he disagreed with or that he thought might hold him in an unflattering light. He even tried to reverse his Jewishness by restoring the foreskin stolen from him by his circumcision as a child.

And then, Jehoiakim died. That he died in 598 B.C.E. is really the only thing that we can say for certain. The book of Kings just says that he rested with his ancestors, and Chronicles says even less, indicating simply that his son, Jehoiachin, succeeded him. But the death of Jehoiakim was not likely peaceful. History and tradition differ on how the king died, but one common denominator is the gruesomeness of the King's demise. Some historians argue that Jehoiakim died in Jerusalem while the Sanhedrin deliberated on whether to hand the King over to the Babylonians. After his death, the leaders of Jerusalem unceremoniously threw his body over the wall to the waiting Babylonians to do as they saw fit with the former King of Judah.  

Another version of the death of Jehoiakim argues that he died after being lowered over the wall to the waiting Babylonians, possibly at the hands of the Babylonians themselves. Probably the most gruesome of the possible fates of Jehoiakim is that he was handed over to the Babylonians, where he was paraded in dishonor throughout the nation. When the tour had finished, the King was executed, and his body was either fed piece by piece to the dogs, or it was placed inside a dead donkey and left for the animals to devour.

At some point, it seems someone recovered the King's body and brought it back to Jerusalem. However, even there Jehoiakim found no rest. According to the ancient rabbinic writing, the Aggadah, Jehoiakim is still undergoing punishment for the great sin he committed against Jerusalem and Judah during his lifetime.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 13

See Also 2 Kings 24:6

Archers shot King Josiah, and he told his officers, “Take me away; I am badly wounded.” – 2 Chronicles 35:23

Today's Scripture Reading (July 8, 2026): 2 Chronicles 35

You have probably heard of populism, but you might not really know what it means. In my part of the world, the most famous populist is President Donald Trump. The term “populism” or “populist” is often used as an insult, but some have made the most of it. Populists are not confined to one part of the political spectrum. You can find them on the Right, Left, and even toward the Center of the political spectrum.

A true populist believes that society is divided into two groups. One group, and the one that they agree with, are the pure people. In actuality, these are often the ones who support the populist leader. The other group consists of the evil elite and their supporters. These are the ones who are “crooked” and want to take advantage of the government and the nation. One common belief in populism is the existence of a deep state, run by an elite group that governs to improve its own position. Populism usually promises to “drain the swamp,” remove the elite, and hand the reins of power back to the people.

In my part of the world, Donald Trump is a populist. My native Canada is flirting with populism, though it hasn’t, as of yet, succumbed to the temptation. Here, populism sits on the Right of the political spectrum, leaving some conservatives without a place in the national political debate. I admit that populism must have a place in God’s plan for our world, but I often struggle to see what that place might be. However, I trust that God has a plan, even when I can’t see it.

Josiah was a good king. He followed in the footsteps of his great-grandfather, Hezekiah. But between Hezekiah and Josiah were two kings who didn’t measure up as well: the long reign of Manasseh and the extremely short reign of Josiah’s father, Amon.

Josiah came to the throne of Judah at the age of eight after the assassination of his father, Amon. Josiah did well, but God remained angry with the people for their actions during Manasseh's reign. His anger never subsided, but he promised not to punish Judah until after Josiah’s reign was finished.  

Maybe that was a reason for Josiah to breathe a little easier, but the truth is that Josiah’s life was shortened as a random arrow cut him down. Josiah, the good king, died before his fortieth birthday. Three of his four sons would gain the throne of Judah, but none of them would walk in their father’s footsteps. During their reigns, the end of Judah began to come into focus. I am sure that many on that day wondered what God’s purpose was in ending the reign of Josiah early and allowing his sons to come to the throne.

Sometimes I don’t understand God's purposes, but I trust there is one. And in the end, I, with Josiah, will understand what that purpose is. And everything will one day make sense, even if I don’t understand at the current moment.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 2 Chronicles 36