Today’s passage: Jeremiah 8:18-9:26
Helpful thoughts:
- God’s love does not lack emotional affection. Even in His justice, there is a grief for those who are judged.
- Verse 8 depicts an astounding truth. When a person speaks peaceably to his neighbor when there is deceit, he has not withheld the arrow! His faking of peace is an arrow shot.
- God will avenge this sin.
- In Jewish custom, people could be hired to wail and mourn (Verses 17-18). There were actual professional mourners. They were often hired by the rich to attend their funerals.
Questions to consider:
- What is the irony of calling on professional mourners? What should Jerusalem have already been doing all along? What would have brought about their repentance so many times before? If all they could muster up was paid professionals, what was the sad truth of their spiritual condition?
- What is the main message of verses 23-24? What delights the Lord? And in turn, what also is our greatest delight?
- What does the final statement in verse 26 confirm about the Lord’s requirement of us? Beyond simple religiosity, what does a follower of Jesus love and live like?