This post is part of a series of resources for the Via Emmaus Bible Reading Plan. This month I am focusing on Jeremiah.

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In Jeremiah 30–33, we find four chapters that are often referred to as “The Book of Consolation.” The reason for this title is the way they promise hope for a battered and bruised people who are, or will soon be, held in bondage by Babylon. In context, these chapters come after the Prophet declares that God is sending Israel to Babylon for seventy years because of their sins. Following this judgment (see Jeremiah 25–29), Jeremiah 30–33 looks to a day in the future when God will restore his people (30:1–3), return a priestly king to the throne (30:21), and establish a new covenant (31:31–34).

These chapters are some of the brightest and best in all the Old Testament, but they are found in a book that is densely populated with oracles of destruction, jeremiads against Jerusalem (yes, jeremiads comes from Jeremiah), judgments against the nations, and other events that lead Jeremiah to be called the weeping prophet. All in all, the Book of Consolation stands in stark contrast to the rest of Jeremiah, and accordingly, I can imagine many who attempt to read Jeremiah will do so, skipping ahead to these chapters, or just cherry-picking a few verses along the way (e.g., Jer. 2:13; 9:23–24; 17:9–10; 23:1–6; 29:11–13; etc.).

Such approaches are understandable, given the length and complexity of the book, but if we really want to understand Jeremiah we need to find a better reading strategy. That’s what this blog post is for—to help give you a map which identifies key passages which as springs of living water for your soul.

In other words, because Jeremiah is meant to pluck up, tear down, destroy, and overthrow the city of Jerusalem and all its inhabitants (Jer. 1:10ab), his book will primarily consist of words of judgment. At the same time, because God calls Jeremiah to build up and plant (see also 1:10c), we should expect to find life-giving words of hope. The question is knowing where they are and how to find such refreshment in a book that is primarily deconstructive—in the prophetic, not the postmodern, sense of the word.

Reading through the book, it will help to know where the words of life are. And that’s what I offer below. In another blog post, I laid out a four-fold outline of the book that can be summarized like this.

• Jeremiah 1–24: God’s War of Words . . . Against Israel
• Jeremiah 25–34: God’s War of Words . . . Against the False Prophets
• Jeremiah 35–44: God’s War of Words . . . Against the King and His Kingdom
• Jeremiah 45–52: God’s War of Words . . . Against the Nations

This outline follows the illuminating work of Andrew Shead, and I would urge you to read that post and his book. In what follows, I will share the springs of living water that crop up in places like Jeremiah 3:15–18 and Jeremiah 51:48, and everywhere in between. As I have read through Jeremiah, these are the passages and the promises I am looking for as I read.  

As the apostles teach us, all the promises of God are “Yes” and “Amen” in Christ (2 Cor. 1:20). The gospel itself stands on the promises of God (Acts 13:32–33), and begins with Abraham (Gal. 3:8) not Matthew. For this reason, we should read the Bible as promise-seekers, so that we can become promise-believers. This is what the Bible is for, and in Jeremiah, there are plenty of hope-giving, Christ-centered promises for us to find. The trick is knowing where they are and how they fit into the book.

Without any further preliminaries, let me offer a roadmap to the springs of living water in Jeremiah. I will give a few notes as we go, but primarily what follows is the text of Scripture.[1]

Jeremiah 1–24: God’s War of Words . . . Against Israel

After Jeremiah is introduced in chapter 1, the first section of the book addresses Israel’s spiritual adultery (chs. 2–6), temple idolatry (chs. 7–10), covenant-breaking (chs. 11–17), loss of elect status (chs. 18–20), and royal unrighteousness (chs. 21–24). In these five sections, we find at least one word of hope in each measure of judgment. And in every case, the promise of hope will come after the judgment. Consider.

Jeremiah 3:15–18 – The Promise of Faithful Shepherds

¹⁵ “ ‘And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding. ¹⁶ And when you have multiplied and been fruitful in the land, in those days, declares the Lord, they shall no more say, “The ark of the covenant of the Lord.” It shall not come to mind or be remembered or missed; it shall not be made again. ¹⁷ At that time Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the Lord, and all nations shall gather to it, to the presence of the Lord in Jerusalem, and they shall no more stubbornly follow their own evil heart. ¹⁸ In those days the house of Judah shall join the house of Israel, and together they shall come from the land of the north to the land that I gave your fathers for a heritage.

Jeremiah 9:25–26 – The Promise of Punishment upon Wicked Nations

²⁵ “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will punish all those who are circumcised merely in the flesh— ²⁶ Egypt, Judah, Edom, the sons of Ammon, Moab, and all who dwell in the desert who cut the corners of their hair, for all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in heart.”

Jeremiah 10:6–10 – A Description of God’s Glorious Character

⁶ There is none like you, O Lord; you are great, and your name is great in might. ⁷ Who would not fear you, O King of the nations? For this is your due; for among all the wise ones of the nations and in all their kingdoms there is none like you. ⁸ They are both stupid and foolish; the instruction of idols is but wood! ⁹ Beaten silver is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz. They are the work of the craftsman and of the hands of the goldsmith; their clothing is violet and purple; they are all the work of skilled men. ¹⁰ But the Lord is the true God; he is the living God and the everlasting King. At his wrath the earth quakes, and the nations cannot endure his indignation.

Jeremiah 16:14–21 – The Promise of a Restored Kingdom

¹⁴ “Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when it shall no longer be said, ‘As the Lord lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’ ¹⁵ but ‘As the Lord lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the north country and out of all the countries where he had driven them.’ For I will bring them back to their own land that I gave to their fathers. ¹⁶ “Behold, I am sending for many fishers, declares the Lord, and they shall catch them. And afterward I will send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain and every hill, and out of the clefts of the rocks. ¹⁷ For my eyes are on all their ways. They are not hidden from me, nor is their iniquity concealed from my eyes. ¹⁸ But first I will doubly repay their iniquity and their sin, because they have polluted my land with the carcasses of their detestable idols, and have filled my inheritance with their abominations.” ¹⁹ O Lord, my strength and my stronghold, my refuge in the day of trouble, to you shall the nations come from the ends of the earth and say: “Our fathers have inherited nothing but lies, worthless things in which there is no profit. ²⁰ Can man make for himself gods? Such are not gods!” ²¹ “Therefore, behold, I will make them know, this once I will make them know my power and my might, and they shall know that my name is the Lord.”

Jeremiah 20:13 – The Promise of Deliverance from Evildoers

¹³ Sing to the Lord; praise the Lord! For he has delivered the life of the needy from the hand of evildoers.

Jeremiah 23:1–8 – The Promise of a Faithful King Whose Name is “The LORD is Our Righteousness” 

¹ “Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!” declares the Lord. ² Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who care for my people: “You have scattered my flock and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for your evil deeds, declares the Lord. ³ Then I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. ⁴ I will set shepherds over them who will care for them, and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall any be missing, declares the Lord. ⁵ “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. ⁶ In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’ ⁷ “Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when they shall no longer say, ‘As the Lord lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’ ⁸ but ‘As the Lord lives who brought up and led the offspring of the house of Israel out of the north country and out of all the countries where he had driven them.’ Then they shall dwell in their own land.”

Jeremiah 24:4–7 – The Promise of a People with Good Hearts

⁴ Then the word of the Lord came to me: ⁵ “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Like these good figs, so I will regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I have sent away from this place to the land of the Chaldeans. ⁶ I will set my eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up, and not tear them down; I will plant them, and not pluck them up. ⁷ I will give them a heart to know that I am the Lord, and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart.

If it is not evident, all of these promises are predicated on the arrival of new covenant. And that new covenant is predicated on the arrival of a new and righteous king who is able to draw near to God (see Jer. 30:21). As we see throughout Jeremiah, the springs of living water in the deserts of his book find their source in the Book of Consolation, which promises explicitly a new king and a new covenant—a covenant which promises forgiveness of sins and a new heart that loves God.

Jeremiah 25–34: God’s War of Words . . . Against the False Prophets

In the second section of Jeremiah, the Prophet confronts the false prophets and tells the nation that they can expect to spend seventy years in Babylon because of their sin. At the same time, Jeremiah offers them hope that God will restore them to the land after their time in exile is complete. This promise of a physical return to the land initiates the later, greater promises of Jeremiah 30–33, which offers hope of a spiritual resurrection and a restoration that can never be undone.

Again, the Book of Consolation is the place in Jeremiah where the message of hope is most pronounced. While there is some good news in Jeremiah 25–29 (e.g., Jeremiah 29:11–13), the enduring message of hope is found in the promises of the new covenant. When we read Jeremiah 30–33, we can readily find the good news associated with this new covenant (Jer. 31:31–34).

Still, I will list the passages below which reiterate the way in which God, in the latter days, will restore his people, so that they can be in covenant again. These are good markers to keep in mind as you read through Jeremiah 30–33.

Jeremiah 30:1–3

¹ The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: ² “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Write in a book all the words that I have spoken to you. ³ For behold, days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will restore the fortunes of my people, Israel and Judah, says the Lord, and I will bring them back to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall take possession of it.”

Jeremiah 30:8–9

⁸ “And it shall come to pass in that day, declares the Lord of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off your neck, and I will burst your bonds, and foreigners shall no more make a servant of him. ⁹ But they shall serve the Lord their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them.

Jeremiah 30:17–18

¹⁷ For I will restore health to you, and your wounds I will heal, declares the Lord, because they have called you an outcast: ‘It is Zion, for whom no one cares!’ ¹⁸ “Thus says the Lord: Behold, I will restore the fortunes of the tents of Jacob and have compassion on his dwellings; the city shall be rebuilt on its mound, and the palace shall stand where it used to be. 

Jeremiah 30:21  

²¹ Their prince shall be one of themselves; their ruler shall come out from their midst; I will make him draw near, and he shall approach me, for who would dare of himself to approach me? Declares the Lord.

Jeremiah 31:1

¹ “At that time, declares the Lord, I will be the God of all the clans of Israel, and they shall be my people.”

Jeremiah 31:16–18

¹⁶ Thus says the Lord: “Keep your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears, for there is a reward for your work, declares the Lord, and they shall come back from the land of the enemy. ¹⁷ There is hope for your future, declares the Lord, and your children shall come back to their own country. ¹⁸ I have heard Ephraim grieving, ‘You have disciplined me, and I was disciplined, like an untrained calf; bring me back that I may be restored, for you are the Lord my God.

Jeremiah 31:23  

²³ Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “Once more they shall use these words in the land of Judah and in its cities, when I restore their fortunes: “ ‘The Lord bless you, O habitation of righteousness, O holy hill!’

Jeremiah 31:27–28  

²⁷ “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and the seed of beast. ²⁸ And it shall come to pass that as I have watched over them to pluck up and break down, to overthrow, destroy, and bring harm, so I will watch over them to build and to plant, declares the Lord.

Jeremiah 31:29–30

²⁹ In those days they shall no longer say: “ ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.’ ³⁰ But everyone shall die for his own iniquity. Each man who eats sour grapes, his teeth shall be set on edge.

Jeremiah 31:31–34

³¹ “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, ³² not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. ³³ For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. ³⁴ And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

Jeremiah 31:38–40

³⁸ “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when the city shall be rebuilt for the Lord from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate. ³⁹ And the measuring line shall go out farther, straight to the hill Gareb, and shall then turn to Goah. ⁴⁰ The whole valley of the dead bodies and the ashes, and all the fields as far as the brook Kidron, to the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east, shall be sacred to the Lord. It shall not be plucked up or overthrown anymore forever.”

Jeremiah 32:37–41

³⁷ Behold, I will gather them from all the countries to which I drove them in my anger and my wrath and in great indignation. I will bring them back to this place, and I will make them dwell in safety. ³⁸ And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. ³⁹ I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for their own good and the good of their children after them. ⁴⁰ I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me. ⁴¹ I will rejoice in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and all my soul.

Jeremiah 32:42–44

⁴² “For thus says the Lord: Just as I have brought all this great disaster upon this people, so I will bring upon them all the good that I promise them. ⁴³ Fields shall be bought in this land of which you are saying, ‘It is a desolation, without man or beast; it is given into the hand of the Chaldeans.’ ⁴⁴ Fields shall be bought for money, and deeds shall be signed and sealed and witnessed, in the land of Benjamin, in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, in the cities of the hill country, in the cities of the Shephelah, and in the cities of the Negeb; for I will restore their fortunes, declares the Lord.”

Jeremiah 33:6–9

 ⁶ Behold, I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal them and reveal to them abundance of prosperity and security. ⁷ I will restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel, and rebuild them as they were at first. ⁸ I will cleanse them from all the guilt of their sin against me, and I will forgive all the guilt of their sin and rebellion against me. ⁹ And this city shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and a glory before all the nations of the earth who shall hear of all the good that I do for them. They shall fear and tremble because of all the good and all the prosperity I provide for it.

Jeremiah 33:14–16

¹⁴ “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. ¹⁵ In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. ¹⁶ In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely. And this is the name by which it will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’

In these four chapters (Jeremiah 30–33), we find new covenant promises which supply the rest of the book with springs of living water. These promises, however, were all future and not fulfilled until the coming of Christ. In historical and literary context then, Jeremiah’s Book of Consolation is followed by chapter 34, which brings us back to the hard and harrowing reality of God’s judgment on Jerusalem. This is where Jeremiah 35–44 picks up.

Jeremiah 35–44: God’s War of Words . . . Against the King and His Kingdom

In the third section of Jeremiah, we find a judgment against Israel’s kings and their refusal to hear God’s Word. Indeed, this section explains why God’s destruction of Jerusalem, his holy city, is just. Polluted by sin and led into idolatry by its leaders—prophets, priests, and kings alike—Israel has proven herself to be an unfaithful wife. Yet, in the midst of such unfaithfulness, there remains a faithful remnant.

In Jeremiah, the idea of a remnant is pronounced, as it shows up more than twenty-four times in the book (see e.g., Jer. 6:9; 8:3; 11:23; 15:9; 23:3; 24:8; 25:20; 31:7; 39:3; 40:11, 15; 41:10, 16; 42:2, 15, 19; 43:5; 44:7, 12, 14, 28; 47:4, 5; 50:26). Accordingly, in chapters 35–44 (and 45), we find two men who prove their faithfulness to God by supporting Jeremiah.

These two men are Ebed-Melech and Baruch, and unlike Jehoiakim the king, who rips up and burns God’s Word (Jeremiah 36), and the priests, who puts Jeremiah in prison (Jeremiah 38), these two men, respectively, rescue Jeremiah from the pit and serve as Jeremiah’s proxy when he is banished from the court.

Thus, in Jeremiah 35–45—and I include chapter 45 because Baruch’s faithfulness looks back on this section and looks ahead towards the next—we have two models of faithfulness. Thus, as the nation and its leaders reject God and his Word, there yet remain men who are willing to suffer for God and with God’s people. Such models of fidelity give us hope that God has not wholly abandoned his people, but through a remnant of Israel, he will bring salvation.

In Jeremiah, all hope is future. But in the present crisis of Israel’s downfall, these men are lights in the darkness. And as we read Jeremiah 35–44/45, we should keep an eye out for them.

Jeremiah 38:7–13 – Ebed-Melech’s Rescue of Jeremiah

⁷ When Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, a eunuch who was in the king’s house, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the cistern—the king was sitting in the Benjamin Gate— ⁸ Ebed-melech went from the king’s house and said to the king, ⁹ “My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they did to Jeremiah the prophet by casting him into the cistern, and he will die there of hunger, for there is no bread left in the city.” ¹⁰ Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, “Take thirty men with you from here, and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies.” ¹¹ So Ebed-melech took the men with him and went to the house of the king, to a wardrobe in the storehouse, and took from there old rags and worn-out clothes, which he let down to Jeremiah in the cistern by ropes. ¹² Then Ebed-melech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, “Put the rags and clothes between your armpits and the ropes.” Jeremiah did so. ¹³ Then they drew Jeremiah up with ropes and lifted him out of the cistern. And Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.

Jeremiah 45:1–5 – Baruch’s Faithfulness to Declare God’s Word

¹ The word that Jeremiah the prophet spoke to Baruch the son of Neriah, when he wrote these words in a book at the dictation of Jeremiah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah: ² “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, to you, O Baruch: ³ You said, ‘Woe is me! For the Lord has added sorrow to my pain. I am weary with my groaning, and I find no rest.’ ⁴ Thus shall you say to him, Thus says the Lord: Behold, what I have built I am breaking down, and what I have planted I am plucking up—that is, the whole land. ⁵ And do you seek great things for yourself? Seek them not, for behold, I am bringing disaster upon all flesh, declares the Lord. But I will give you your life as a prize of war in all places to which you may go.”

Jeremiah 45–52: God’s War of Words . . . Against the Nations 

In the final section of Jeremiah, which brings judgment upon the nations, we find at least nine springs of living water. These words of consolation include promises of salvation for those who trust in Israel’s God and promises of destruction upon those who destroy others with their evil ways.

Jeremiah 46:27–28 – God promises to destroy his enemies

²⁷ “But fear not, O Jacob my servant, nor be dismayed, O Israel, for behold, I will save you from far away, and your offspring from the land of their captivity. Jacob shall return and have quiet and ease, and none shall make him afraid. ²⁸ Fear not, O Jacob my servant, declares the Lord, for I am with you. I will make a full end of all the nations to which I have driven you, but of you I will not make a full end. I will discipline you in just measure, and I will by no means leave you unpunished.”

Jeremiah 48:47 – God will restore the fortunes of Moab, as they take refuge in Israel’s God

⁴⁷ Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab in the latter days, declares the Lord.” Thus far is the judgment on Moab.

Jeremiah 49:6 – God will restore the fortunes of Ammon, as they take refuge in Israel’s God

⁶ “But afterward I will restore the fortunes of the Ammonites, declares the Lord.”

Jeremiah 49:39 – God will restore the fortunes of Elam, as they take refuge in Israel’s God

³⁹ “But in the latter days I will restore the fortunes of Elam, declares the Lord.”

Jeremiah 50:1–7 – God promises to save his people as he destroys Babylon

¹ The word that the Lord spoke concerning Babylon, concerning the land of the Chaldeans, by Jeremiah the prophet: ² “Declare among the nations and proclaim, set up a banner and proclaim, conceal it not, and say: ‘Babylon is taken, Bel is put to shame, Merodach is dismayed. Her images are put to shame, her idols are dismayed.’ ³ “For out of the north a nation has come up against her, which shall make her land a desolation, and none shall dwell in it; both man and beast shall flee away. ⁴ “In those days and in that time, declares the Lord, the people of Israel and the people of Judah shall come together, weeping as they come, and they shall seek the Lord their God. ⁵ They shall ask the way to Zion, with faces turned toward it, saying, ‘Come, let us join ourselves to the Lord in an everlasting covenant that will never be forgotten.’ ⁶ “My people have been lost sheep. Their shepherds have led them astray, turning them away on the mountains. From mountain to hill they have gone. They have forgotten their fold. ⁷ All who found them have devoured them, and their enemies have said, ‘We are not guilty, for they have sinned against the Lord, their habitation of righteousness, the Lord, the hope of their fathers.’

Jeremiah 50:17–20 – God promises to remove all sin from his people

¹⁷ “Israel is a hunted sheep driven away by lions. First the king of Assyria devoured him, and now at last Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has gnawed his bones. ¹⁸ Therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing punishment on the king of Babylon and his land, as I punished the king of Assyria. ¹⁹ I will restore Israel to his pasture, and he shall feed on Carmel and in Bashan, and his desire shall be satisfied on the hills of Ephraim and in Gilead. ²⁰ In those days and in that time, declares the Lord, iniquity shall be sought in Israel, and there shall be none, and sin in Judah, and none shall be found, for I will pardon those whom I leave as a remnant.

Jeremiah 50:33–34 – God promises to redeem his people

³³ “Thus says the Lord of hosts: The people of Israel are oppressed, and the people of Judah with them. All who took them captive have held them fast; they refuse to let them go. ³⁴ Their Redeemer is strong; the Lord of hosts is his name. He will surely plead their cause, that he may give rest to the earth, but unrest to the inhabitants of Babylon.

Jeremiah 51:10 – God promises that his praises will again be sung in Zion

¹⁰ The Lord has brought about our vindication; come, let us declare in Zion the work of the Lord our God.

Jeremiah 51:48 – God will delight his people by putting an end to their enemies

⁴⁸ Then the heavens and the earth, and all that is in them, shall sing for joy over Babylon, for the destroyers shall come against them out of the north, declares the Lord.

While not every nation is promised future salvation in these verses, many are. These include Israel (46:27–28; 50:17–20), Moab (48:47), Ammon (49:6), and Elam (49:39). In these chapters, God’s judgment on Babylon and all the nations is ultimate, and in this context of God’s cosmic judgment, Jeremiah offers a way of salvation.

In reading these verses, therefore, we find an invitation to take refuge in the God of Israel, for only in Israel’s messiah will there be salvation (cf. Jer. 23:1–8). Moreover, we should rejoice in the hope that God will destroy the destroyers. No longer will wicked men and nations plague God’s people. Now, Babylon and all that she stands for will be removed. This is what Revelation 17–18 says too. As John recalls the words of Prophets, he says of Babylon that her downfall will lead to the rejoicing of God’s saints (see Rev. 19:1–5).  

Indeed, Jeremiah teaches us that the good news is not simply a message of salvation. It is a message of salvation and judgment. And if we are letting this book inform our hearts and minds, we come away from reading it with a longing to see sin destroyed—on earth and in our own hearts. Truly, this is why we need Jeremiah and all the Prophets. They speak words of life, by confronting the deadliness of sin.

And because sin continues to tempt us, afflict us, and invite our destruction, we need to hear all that Jeremiah says. If we only pick and choose a few verses, God’s Word will not have its full effect. Yet, if we do not know where to find water in the parching words of Jeremiah, we will likely struggle to make it through his book.

Therefore, with this roadmap before us, we should endeavor to hear all that Jeremiah says, so that his destroying words would destroy in us our sin. Simultaneously, we should look for the promises that he gives, so that we would continue to walk through the purifying fire and not give up.

Reading Jeremiah Wisely

All in all, Jeremiah is filled with springs of living water and sparks of living fire. And knowing this, let us seek to drink in the promises of God, so that we can be cleansed by God’s consuming fire.

With this roadmap on the seat next to us, let us pick up Jeremiah and read. Instead of just picking the verses that we know and like, let us read the whole of Jeremiah, so that we would continue to be wholly conformed into the image of Christ.

In truth, this is why we read Scripture. So, may God help us to read it wisely.

Soli Deo Gloria, ds

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[1] Jeremiah 3:15–18; 9:25–26; 10:6–10; 16:14–21; 20:13; 23:1–8; 24:4–7; 38:1–7; 45:1–5; 46:27–28; 48:47; 49:6; 49:39; 50:1-7; 50:17–20; 50:33–34; 51:10, 48.

Photo by Sandra Gabriel on Unsplash