Burning This is what the LORD says: I am about to give this city into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he will burn it down. Jeremiah 34:2b In the first part of this chapter, the Lord declares that Jerusalem will be “burned with fire” (see also verse 22; the NIV quoted above drops the “with fire” part as redundant – how else will the city be burned?). The Hebrew verb used here to burn is saraph (שׂרף), meaning “to burn completely”. While that doesn’t change the meaning of this passage, it’s interesting how else it’s used. For […]
Yearly Archives: 2020
Jeremiah 33
Restored Sounds This chapter picks up directly after the previous with Jeremiah still imprisoned during the siege of Jerusalem. In the midst of everything falling apart, God again promises that restoration will come. There will be “sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom” (Jeremiah 33:11), reversing the prophecy of their silencing earlier (see Jeremiah 7:34, 16:9, 25:10). A new sound will be heard, too: “the voices of those who bring thank offerings to the house of the LORD”. The Covenant-Keeping God “Have you not noticed that these people are saying, ‘The LORD has rejected the two […]
Are You My Mummy?
After spending the morning at the Karnak Temple, we had free time for the rest of the day. This gave us a chance to visit some places within walking distance of our hotel. First, a couple of museums: Luxor Museum and Mummification Museum. These are not the same caliber as the Cairo Museum, but they do contain a variety of interesting objects. The Luxor Museum has a variety of artifacts from throughout ancient Egypt, much as we had already seen. Unlike the Cairo Museum, it was laid out much better with better signage. (It’ll be nice when the Grand Egyptian […]
Jeremiah 32
A Questionable Investment “Then, just as the Lord had said, my cousin Hanamel came to me in the courtyard of the guard and said, ‘Buy my field at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin. Since it is your right to redeem it and possess it, buy it for yourself.’ Jeremiah 32:8 The story skips ahead to just before the fall of Jerusalem (remember the book isn’t arranged in chronological order) while Jeremiah is imprisoned and the city is under siege. Jeremiah is asked to buy some property not long before everyone is carried into exile. This doesn’t sound like the best time to […]
Jeremiah 31
Rachel Weeps Jeremiah’s prophecy of restoration continues. Just as the Lord had scattered Israel, so he would gather them. In the midst of these uplifting words, he says: This is what the Lord says: “A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping,Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.” Jeremiah 31:15 This verse may sound familiar because it is quoted in Matthew 2:18. When King Herod tried to kill the baby Jesus by slaughtering all the baby boys in Bethlehem, Matthew says that incident fulfilled this verse. The context of this verse is the image of […]
Karnak
The next day our destination was the mother of all Egyptian temples: the temple complex of Karnak. Its construction spanned a few centuries during the New Kingdom, as pharaoh after pharaoh added something new. From pylons to obelisks to walls depicting battles, conquests, and other events, this place has it all.
Jeremiah 30
Restoration After many prophecies of doom and gloom, the prophet shifts his message to what will happen afterward. Jerusalem’s destruction and depopulation will not be the end. The Lord will bring the nation back. The yoke mentioned a couple of chapters ago will be broken: “‘In that day,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘I will break the yoke off their necksand will tear off their bonds; no longer will foreigners enslave them.Instead, they will serve the Lord their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them. Jeremiah 30:8-9 How can David be their king? Isn’t he dead? David wouldn’t literally be king, of course. It’s referring to […]
I See Dead Pharaohs
We awoke docked outside Luxor. Leaving early, we drove to the Valley of the Kings, passing by hot air balloons lifting skyward. Pulling into the parking lot, we were greeted with a nice surprise: we were the first ones there! Time to visit some tombs without other pesky people popping into my pictures! What is the Valley of the Kings? Remember the pyramid fad? That eventually went away. Building gigantic structures with treasure inside was a thief magnet. “Buried treasure here if you can figure out how to get in!” The New Kingdom pharaohs decided for a more subtle burial, […]
Jeremiah 29
A Change of Plans The problem with false prophets continues in this chapter, this time in Babylon. Some false prophets tell their fellow Israelites that it won’t be long before they return home. Jeremiah sends those in exile a letter, reiterating that it will be 70 years before it ends, so get comfortable. Settle down and rebuild your lives in that foreign land. It is in this chapter that a very well-known and beloved passage is found: For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope […]
Life on the Nile
Arriving back in Aswan, we were transferred to our next accommodations aboard a Nile cruise boat. Don’t imagine the large vessels on the ocean. We’re talking about 100 people. This would be our home base for the next three nights. That night while we were fast asleep the boat started north. When I awoke the next morning, we were in a new location! We hopped off just as the sun peaked over the horizon to walk to the nearby site of Kom Ombo. Split down the center, it’s a double temple, dedicated to two Egyptian deities: Sobek the crocodile god […]