Day 163 – April 2, 2024: Jeremiah 23-27 and Proverbs 23

Jeremiah provides a number of metaphors to describe the current state of affairs to the rulers of Judah. We see the image of good figs and bad figs which are placed before the temple. The Lord is telling the people that they need to go into exile in Babylon. The good figs are those who willingly go into exile. The bad figs are those who fight going into exile. This is directed to the people of Judah, which is why the temple is a part of this metaphor. We see the metaphor of the yoke which Jeremiah puts on himself. This is again an image of the ruler of Babylon taking over all of the land and having it in his posession for three generations, and then he will be under the yoke himself after those three generations pass.

There is an interesting dialogue that takes place between the rulers and the priests and Judah and Jeremiah. They condemn him to death because he describes the destruction of Jerusalem, but then they argue among themselves that in the past prophets had described the destruction of Jerusalem and it had changed the hearts of the rulers and spared the land as a result of the prophecy. They do not put Jeremiah to death but you do catch a glimpse of the debate as to whether he should be put to death or not because of him saying the words that the Lord has put upon his heart.