Scripture Focus: Jeremiah 24.1b-7
1b …the Lord showed me two baskets of figs placed in front of the temple of the Lord. 2 One basket had very good figs, like those that ripen early; the other basket had very bad figs, so bad they could not be eaten. 3 Then the Lord asked me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” “Figs,” I answered. “The good ones are very good, but the bad ones are so bad they cannot be eaten.” 4 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 5 “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Like these good figs, I regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I sent away from this place to the land of the Babylonians. 6 My eyes will watch over them for their 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 uproot them. 7 I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.

Reflection: Good and Bad Baskets
By John Tillman

When bananas go bad, you can make banana bread out of them. But neglect them long enough and they are so bad that there is no saving them. You just throw them out.

Like Pharoah’s visions of good and bad grain, cows, and bread, Jeremiah sees a vision of baskets of good and bad food—figs.

Both visions overturn our expectations. Pharoah’s vision seems like a vision of destruction but is really a vision of provision. Jeremiah’s vision seems like a vision of judgment but is actually a vision of promise.

By this point in Jeremiah’s ministry, many in Judah and Jerusalem have already been taken captive to Babylon. At first glance, we might interpret the bad basket of figs as representing these exiles.

After all, exile was punishment, right? Judah had become so bad that these people were “thrown out” of Jerusalem into exile…right? The “good figs” must be the people remaining, the people still fighting to save their country…right?

Wrong.

Jeremiah told the last king of Judah, Zedekiah, that God was setting before the city life and death, salvation and destruction. (Jeremiah 21.8-10) This echoes the language of the covenant ceremony Moses planned and Joshua enacted when the people entered Canaan. (Deuteronomy 30.11-20)At that time, the path to blessings and victory was obeying God’s laws and cleansing the land of injustice and unrighteousness. But now, the people of God had become more unrighteous than those they displaced. Those sworn to establish justice abused the poor, the foreigners, and the widows. The figs had gone bad. Too bad to be redeemed. Now they were the unrighteous who needed to be cleansed from the land.

The good figs were in exile. Exile was punishment, but it was also a path of salvation. The unexpected method of salvation was surrender, not conquest. The unexpected place of salvation was Babylon, not Jerusalem. In Babylon, God promised to bless the people, give them a new heart to worship him, and bring them home renewed.

Which basket are we in? Exile, not conquest, is our reality. We are more like Jeremiah and Joseph than we are like Joshua or David.

May we learn the exiles’ lessons. May we live among the ungodly, yet maintain godliness. May we accommodate culture without affirming culture. May we remember that the only Temple we need is Jesus, whom we worship in Spirit and Truth. (John 4.21-24)

Divine Hours Prayer: The Request for Presence
Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness, … make your way straight before me. — Psalm 5.8

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Summertime by Phyllis Tickle.


​Today’s Readings
Jeremiah 24 (Listen 1:54)
1 Corinthians 1 (Listen 4:03)

This Weekend’s Readings
Jeremiah 25 (Listen 6:12), 1 Corinthians 2 (Listen 2:26)
Jeremiah 26 (Listen 4:04), 1 Corinthians 3 (Listen 3:05)
Jeremiah 27 (Listen 3:52), 1 Corinthians 4 (Listen 3:15)

Read more about Be Good Figs
In Jeremiah, we find both good and bad figs…The good figs are the Jewish exiles…God had a plan to protect them

Read more about Readers’ Choice
Readers’ Choice starts Monday and continues throughout September. Tell us your favorite posts via email, direct message, or the linked form, so we can repost them.

https://forms.gle/9vyYwVxa1kZZn7AKA

Scripture Focus: Jeremiah 23.1-4
1 “Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!” declares the Lord. 2 Therefore this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds who tend my people: “Because you have scattered my flock and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil you have done,” declares the Lord. 3 “I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number. 4 I will place shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or terrified, nor will any be missing,” declares the Lord.

Reflection: Bad Shepherds
By John Tillman

Sheep are scattering.

Is there a wolf? Is there a fire, a storm, or some other danger? 

No. The flock is scattered by those who are supposed to gather and keep them. It is attacked by those who are supposed to protect them. It is panicked by those who are supposed to provide peaceful shelter. Wicked, foolish, and false shepherds are scattering and destroying the flock.

Most of the priests and prophets we know the names of, such as Jeremiah, Isaiah, and others were faithful shepherds of the people. They instructed the people with wisdom and spoke the words of God truthfully to the people, whether it was good news or bad. A few of the “bad” shepherds are named such as Amaziah, Pashhur, and a few others. But reading between the lines of the Old Testament, there were far more false shepherds than true ones.

When we meet false shepherds in the Old Testament, they are usually pointing accusing fingers at the prophets we know to be true. Imagine standing there. If we weren’t reading the book with Jeremiah’s name on it, how would we tell who was right? There’s no easy answer.

Jeremiah gives some indicators of bad and good shepherds. Many of these line up with Jesus’ descriptions of good and bad shepherds. Bad shepherds cause terror. Good shepherds provide safety. Bad shepherds scatter. Good shepherds gather. Bad shepherds wound. Good shepherds heal. Bad shepherds destroy (or kill). Good shepherds grow. Bad shepherds neglect. Good shepherds tend.

People are leaving the church—many because of “bad shepherds.”

Pointing a finger and blaming “false shepherds” is common in American Christianity. How do we know who is telling the truth? What are sheep like us supposed to do?

Know that God is against the false shepherds. As upset as we may be about harmful or false shepherds, God’s anger is beyond ours and his punishment on them will be beyond what we can imagine.

Know that the good shepherd is still good, even if under-shepherds fail to be so. Don’t allow the flawed and fallen shepherds to obscure the image of the true and loving Jesus. He is still good.

Don’t allow bad shepherds to disciple you. Bad shepherds are desperate for more sheep. They disciple their sheep to be like them: harsh, angry, fearful, boasting, abusive, divisive, paranoid, and power-hungry.

Follow the good shepherd. Only his way leads home.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Request for Presence
Save me, O God, for the waters have risen up to my neck. — Psalm 69.1

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Summertime by Phyllis Tickle.


​Today’s Readings
Jeremiah 23 (Listen 7:13)
2 Thessalonians 3 (Listen 2:16)

Read more about Urban Legends and Good Shepherds
You may have been wounded by a foolish or wicked shepherd. But you can still be healed by Jesus, the good shepherd.

Read more about Readers’ Choice
Readers’ Choice starts in September, so it’s time to share your favorite posts of the year. Tell us your faves via email, direct message, or the linked form.

https://forms.gle/9vyYwVxa1kZZn7AKA

Scripture Focus: Jeremiah 22:15-17
15 “Does it make you a king
     to have more and more cedar?
 Did not your father have food and drink?
     He did what was right and just,
     so all went well with him.
 16 He defended the cause of the poor and needy,
     and so all went well.
 Is that not what it means to know me?”
     declares the Lord.
 17 “But your eyes and your heart
     are set only on dishonest gain,
 on shedding innocent blood
     and on oppression and extortion.”

Reflection: What Makes a King?
By Erin Newton

Money can get things done. Wealth is usually indicative of power. But does having more really make someone a king?

God criticizes Jehoahaz (Shallum) king of Judah for his blatant pursuit of wealth while ignoring the poor and needy. He did not build this wealth in ways that were honorable or right; God calls it “dishonest gain” and “extortion.” This leader used the oppression and dismissal of others to enrich himself.

Jehoahaz is compared to his father Josiah, who is recorded as the king who initiated reforms and religious purification. Josiah defended the cause of the poor and needy.

Both men were made king in the same way—through bloodline. Judah operated under a monarchist government. They didn’t just use wealth to gain their place of authority. There was no bribing of officials or the community to “gain their votes.” So why does God ask if “having more cedar” made Jehoahaz a king?

There are leaders and there are Leaders, the trick is knowing the difference.

Jehoahaz and the dozen or more men before him inherited the leadership of Judah. While there are stories of kingship being granted to younger sons due to death, deception, or divine appointment, Judah followed the general rule that the eldest son became king. But not all kings were the same.

The two books of Kings reveal the ebb and flow of morality in the royal lineage. They were all kings in the same sense, but God does not view them equally.

What makes a king a king? God says kings are those who defend the cause of the poor and the needy. Is that not what it means to know me? True kings are those who know God. Their lives, their efforts, their causes, where they put their money, all these things reveal who is truly a king after God’s heart.

Most of us do not live under monarchies, but all of us are subject to some form of authority, whether it is civil government or church leadership. Some of us are the leaders in organizations, churches, institutions, or departments.

What makes a leader a leader? Knowing God. Knowing that is put into action.

Let us beware of those who pursue personal gains and assume that tenacity is the mark of leadership. Let us beware of our own proclivities to ignore the needs of others when our greed tempts us otherwise. 

Divine Hours Prayer: The Greeting
With my whole heart I seek you; let me not stray from your commandments. — Psalm 119.10

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Summertime by Phyllis Tickle.


​Today’s Readings
Jeremiah 22 (Listen 5:07)
2 Thessalonians 2 (Listen 2:32)

Read more about Readers’ Choice
Tell us your favorite posts from the past year via email, direct message, or the linked form and we’ll repost them in September.

https://forms.gle/9vyYwVxa1kZZn7AKA

Read more about Wealth is a Dangerous Tool
Take James’s words to heart…Let them inspire humility and respectful fear. If wealth is a tool, it is a dangerous one