False Prophets Jeremiah moves his message from condemnation of unjust leaders to lying prophets. It’s easy to want to listen to someone who speaks what you want to hear. “Everything is fine! Nothing bad will happen!” Such false statements can easily make a bad situation become worse. God was not pleased when such so-called prophets claimed to be speaking for him. 33 “When these people, or a prophet or a priest, ask you, ‘What is the message from the Lord?’ say to them, ‘What message? I will forsake you, declares the Lord.’ 34 If a prophet or a priest or anyone else claims, ‘This is a message from […]
Author Archive: Brian Johnson
Alexandria Arrival
It’s been awhile; it’s time to get back to my traveling tales from Egypt! We departed from Cairo after breakfast, driving north to the coastal city of Alexandria. Situated at the western end of the Nile delta, it was founded by and named after Alexander the Great. (It would also become his burial place) It became the new Egyptian capital during the Hellenistic period that followed. While looking at its ancient ruins, I could have forgotten that we were talking about Egypt. While maintaining Egyptian ideas, it had a heavy blend of Greek and Roman influence to see and explore. […]
Jeremiah 22
Leaving an Impression “As surely as I live,” declares the Lord, “even if you, Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, were a signet ring on my right hand, I would still pull you off.” Jeremiah 22:24 I want to focus on one word this week: hotam (חוֹתָ֖ם), which is translated above as “signet ring”. What is a signet ring and how does it help us better understand the imagery being used? The word is broader than “signet ring”, although that fits the context here the best. It is a unique stamp which identifies the individual who made the impression. Generally, one would […]
Jeremiah 21
The Two Ways 8 “Furthermore, tell the people, ‘This is what the Lord says: See, I am setting before you the way of life and the way of death. 9 Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine or plague. But whoever goes out and surrenders to the Babylonians who are besieging you will live; they will escape with their lives. 10 I have determined to do this city harm and not good, declares the Lord. It will be given into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he will destroy it with fire.’ Jeremiah 21:8-10 In this chapter, King Zedekiah asks Jeremiah if the Lord will save them […]
Jeremiah 20
Surrounded by Terror The next day, when Pashhur released him from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, “The Lord’s name for you is not Pashhur, but Terror on Every Side.” Jeremiah 20:3 Jeremiah was locked up for a night by Pashhur, an official at the Temple, because of his prophecies. The Lord had a new name for Pashhur: Magor-Misaviv (Terror All Around). The phrase is repeated in verse 10 about Jeremiah. A little searching and I found the phrase is also used in Jeremiah 6:25, 46:5, 49:29, and Psalm 31:13. Obviously, Jeremiah felt some affinity for the phrase. Can’t Not Speak But […]
Jeremiah 19
The Pouring Jar In the last chapter, the Lord commanded Jeremiah to go to a potter’s house to understand how the Lord shapes his people. He has one more image to use from the potter in this chapter. He commands Jeremiah to buy a clay jar. There are multiple Hebrew words translated as jar. This one is rare (bǎq·bǔq, בַּקְבֻּק), used only in verses 1 and 10 here and 1 Kings 14:3. It comes from a root (bā·qǎq, בָּקַק) meaning to pour or empty out. Most likely it had a narrow neck for pouring, like a bottle. It is onomatopoeia […]
Events: First Facebook Live Webinars
I am trying a new experiment: Facebook Live! Come join me from anywhere in the world. Intro to the Bridges to the BibleSunday, May 10, 2020 @ 7:00-7:15 pm EDTThis is a short introduction to the different bridges to the Bible. What are different ways we can look at the Bible to help us understand it better? Bridges to Psalm 23Sunday, May 17, 2020 @ 7:00-8:00 pm EDTPsalm 23 is probably the most beloved Psalm, but what does it mean to call God a shepherd? Come understand more about what the original readers would have heard in this beloved passage.
Jeremiah 18
Formed by the Potter 2 “Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.” 3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. 4 But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. Jeremiah 18:2-4 The Lord sent Jeremiah to a potter. Pottery has been very common for thousands of years of human history. A visit to any archaeological site reveals it in large quantities. Everyone owned pottery. I think of the […]
Jeremiah 17
A Tale of Two Trees 5 This is what the Lord says:“Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the Lord.6 That person will be like a bush in the wastelands; they will not see prosperity when it comes.They will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives.7 “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.8 They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green.It has no worries in a year of […]
Jeremiah 16
A New Identity 14 “However, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when it will no longer be said, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,’ 15 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 16:14-15 Over and over throughout the Hebrew Bible, the Lord is identified as the one who brought the people of Israel out of Egypt (like the beginning of the Ten Commandments […]