None but the Lonely Heart
Now that we have introduced everyone to Jeremiah, and have surveyed all five chapters in Lamentations, we're ready to dig into the first chapter.
Struggling through reading the lesser-known Old Testament passages and long prophetic oracles may seem to have little relevance to everyday 21st-century life. But there are important things we can learn from the Old Testament. First, the New Testament is based on the Old Testament. Second, the Old Testament reveals the character of God. Third, the Old Testament has transformational power. Its message transcends time, geography, and culture. It speaks to everyone, everywhere, in every situation.
Now that we have introduced everyone to Jeremiah, and have surveyed all five chapters in Lamentations, we're ready to dig into the first chapter.
Pastor Chuck Swindoll presents an overview of Lamentations. These five chapters are filled with the prophet's anguishing words over the destruction of Jerusalem, the city he loved.
Chuck focuses on an eight-year-old boy named Josiah, who became Judah's king. His friendship and subsequent reign played a vital role in Jeremiah's life and ministry.
Before delving into Lamentations in the coming weeks, Pastor Chuck Swindoll first takes a look at the life of the prophet Jeremiah. Why did he write this book? What was going on around him?
While the law was a covenantal gift to God’s people, it is not our covenant law as Christians. We live under the new covenant, so interpreting the old covenant law can be challenging at times.
Rather than wallowing in self-pity or bitterness, David praised God with a grateful heart. Praise leaves humanity out of the picture and focuses fully on the exaltation of the living God. The magnifying glass of praise always looks up.
As painful as it is to let go of God’s good gifts, the process of releasing opens our hands to receive the greatest reward—the Giver Himself! As we internalize this biblical account, let’s anchor in our hearts the faithfulness of God who is our Provider.
Biblical poetry may at first seem repetitive, but it forces us to engage both heart and head. Read it slowly. Imagine the experience from different angles. Feel what the poet felt.
A proverb is a short, straight-to-the-point statement about moral truth or general observation on life designed to direct readers toward right and away from wrong.
The Bible’s wisdom literature was different from that of Israel’s neighbours because it was rooted in the theology that God has created an orderly universe with both a natural and moral law. God has wired his creation according to those laws.