Jeremiah by Michelangelo Sistine Chapel |
Jeremiah was a heartbroken preacher. His song, which comes to us in the form of the Scripture that bears his name, is both a condemnation of a wayward nation and a means of mourning the end of a faith - or at least what the faith had once been.
It is a song of faith in exile.
In a series of posts, I'm going to explore the lamenting prophet. To be honest, I'm not sure what I'm going to find. But, I am drawn to the idea of a prophet that has to reconsider his entire faith.
I have to admit, I've always thought of Jeremiah as a whining, sullen mourner - tearfully wandering the ruins of Judah. What I never considered was the fact that Jeremiah - like most prophets - was a revolutionary.
I'm not a theologian. So I depend on other skilled and creative thinkers. For this, I leaned heavy on Brevard Childs' various works for history and authorship issues. And Walter Brueggemann's incomparable Commentary on Jeremiah: Exile and Homecoming.
So, if you are willing to read along, I hope you can learn a little about finding the very faith you have been exiled from.
1.1 - The Story
1.2 - Introduction
1.3 - Context
Chapter One
2.1 - The Calling
2.2 - The Watching Tree
Chapter Two - Three
3.1 - Indictment
3.2 - Abandoned
3.3 - INTERMISSION: Political
Chapter Four - Six
4.1 - Ignore the Prophet
4.2 - Mutiny
4.3 - Think About It