Israel’s classical prophets had many things in common with each other. One of those things was suffering. They all paid a steep price for carrying God’s burden and message to His people. For example, we read these words of Jeremiah in Lamentations 3 after the exile of Judah: “I am the man who has seen […]

All of the major Old Testament prophets proclaim messages not only to the Jewish people but also to the surrounding nations. Israel was God’s chosen people who were in a special covenant relationship with the LORD. But God was also concerned about the other nations as well. The primary reason why the LORD had chosen […]

In our reading today, Zedekiah, the last king of Judah before the final destruction of Jerusalem and exile to Babylon, is the focus. His reign came to a tragic end. King Nebuchadnezzar killed his sons before his very eyes and then he plucked out Zedekiah’s eyes before sending him shackled into exile (Jeremiah 39:5-7). The […]

As one reads through the Book of Jeremiah, it is appalling and surprising to see how many false Jewish prophets were contending with Jeremiah (Jer. 23. 9-40; 26:7-15; 28:1-17; 29:24-32). The people within Judah who were giving Jeremiah the hardest time was the false prophets and priests who were falsely handling the Law. As a […]

One of the outstanding aspects of the Book of Jeremiah is the character of the prophet himself. Jeremiah embodied his prophecies for his fellow Jews to such an extent that it could be said that the man and the message were one. As we read this Book, one of the themes that shines forth is […]

Jeremiah is known as the weeping prophet. His ministry lasted well over 40 years and he ministered during the dark days of Judah’s history. His ministry culminated in the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians and the exile of its inhabitants in 587 BC. The LORD addresses His people with this question: “What fault did […]

In these last chapters of the Book of Isaiah, I believe that the prophet is seeing beyond the Babylonian exile and is given a vision of not only a restored Israel but a world that has been put right with its Maker. For example in Isaiah 65:17-25, we are given a vision not only of […]

In this section of Isaiah we have several servant songs (Isaiah 42, 49, 50 and Is. 52:13 -Is 53:12). The nation Israel was called to be the servant of LORD (Isaiah 44:1,2). In the servant songs of Isaiah, however, the focus seems to be on an individual. The Christian Church has tended to interpret these […]

In our reading today, God’s people are facing a major threat to their very survival. The mighty Assyrian army appears right on the doorstep of Jerusalem, demanding the surrender of King Hezekiah and the kingdom of Judah. It is interesting to note that the army commander appears at the very spot on the road to […]

In Isaiah 13-23,  the LORD turns his attention to the nations that surround Judah and Israel. The only exception is Isaiah 22 where the LORD again prophesies against the inhabitants of Jerusalem. In these chapters, the LORD addresses these nations with prophecies of judgment. Many of these prophetic oracles seem to address the immediate situations […]