I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.  I am back from vacation, but back to doing my daily readings a few days earlier than planned.  I will continue to try to be a few days ahead so that I can publish on time if anything comes up.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Jeremiah 19-22.

As I read the writings of Jeremiah I see him prophecy against two forms of idolatry.  He prophesied against those who worshiped the nation of Judah and the Temple, who failed to understand that just because God’s Temple was in Jerusalem did not mean that God would protect the city.  He also prophesied against those who joined in every worship fad which came along.  These were not the equivalent of having loud, electrified worship teams leading the Christian worship service, singing the latest contemporary Christian songs (although some of those fads may lead towards what Jeremiah is prophesying against, but that is a different discussion).  No, Jeremiah was prophesying against those who partook in pagan practices.  

I cannot decide if Jeremiah’s prophecies against these two forms of idolatry were directed to the same group of people, or if they were two different groups.  Based on what I see in our society today, I would guess that his prophecies were directed at multiple groups.  There were those who fully joined in his condemnation of the pagan worship practices, but thought he went too far when he said Jerusalem would fall because its people failed to deliver justice to the poor and powerless.  There were those who fully joined in his condemnation of the failure of Jerusalem’s people to deliver justice to the poor and powerless, but thought he went too far by condemning pagan practices.  And there were those who thought that by condemning pagan practices he was taking part in denying justice to the poor and powerless.  Each group failed to understand that they were no better than the others.  If you believe that the failures of others plays a more important role in the breakdown of society than your own failures, Jeremiah was talking to you.