The people of Judah and Jerusalem have developed a false sense of security, for they suppose that fulfilling the rituals of worship will please God. Assuming they have God’s favor because of their sacrifices, they pursue unrighteousness and selfish gain, worshipping idols and even sacrificing their children to false gods. God’s holy wrath burns against their injustice, for He is not satisfied with meaningless sacrifices, but in obedience. Jeremiah weeps for his brothers, broken by the brokenness of his people. Death and destruction are imminent, and the time for lament is at hand.

Jeremiah 8 - 1:02 .

Jeremiah 9 - 8:06 .

Jeremiah 10 - 14:28 .

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Christian Standard Bible translation.

All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.

Co-produced by the Christian Standard Bible.

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The Lord has announced through Jeremiah that he will send Assyria from the north to conquer Jerusalem and Judah, making it a desolate wasteland. He sends Jeremiah to ensure that everyone in Judah has heard this news, going throughout Israel with this message of God’s impending wrath like a grape gatherer whose hand passes over the branches to make sure he has been thorough. This disaster is coming because the nation has rejected the Lord’s instruction. The people trust their institutions, ceremonies, and temple more than they trust the Lord Himself, as evidenced by their empty religious practices and rampant sin.

Jeremiah 6 - 1:03 .

Jeremiah 7 - 8:56 .

Proverbs 6 - 16:32 .

:::

Christian Standard Bible translation.

All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.

Co-produced by the Christian Standard Bible.

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The Lord’s love remains on Judah but he cannot allow her rampant evil and adulterous idol worship to continue. Time and again He has called them to repent, but they continue to love their wealth, their sin, and their idols more than the Lord their God. Because Israel served foreign gods in the land God had given them, so the Lord will send them into a foreign land to serve foreigners they had not known. An ancient nation is coming against them to ravage the land and take captives with them. Even so, the Lord will not finish them off completely.

Jeremiah 4 - 1:01 .

Jeremiah 5 - 9:00 .

Proverbs 5 - 16:16 .

:::

Christian Standard Bible translation.

All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.

Co-produced by the Christian Standard Bible.

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Jeremiah was a young man from Anathoth serving as a priest when the Lord called him and set him aside to be God’s chosen instrument in prophesying against the nation of Judah. Judah had seen the fall of Israel after their centuries of wickedness and idolatry against the Lord as they both figuratively prostituted themselves with idols and literally prostituted themselves with cult prostitutes. They worshipped false gods on hilltops and under trees, as was the custom in the surrounding nations, rejecting the God who loved them, provided for them, and protected them. These idols were a “broken cistern,” promising life and refreshment, which in reality only came up empty.

Jeremiah 1 - 1:02 .

Jeremiah 2 - 4:43 .

Jeremiah 3 - 14:03 .

:::

Christian Standard Bible translation.

All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.

Co-produced by the Christian Standard Bible.

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While we finished reading about Josiah from 2 Kings, the book of 2 Chronicles has more to say about this king, including a lengthy description concerning the details of the Lord’s Passover being reinstituted. We’ll also read the book of Zephaniah, a prophet of royal lineage who had Hezekiah as his great grandfather. He writes during the reign of Josiah to proclaim that the day of the Lord is coming for the city of Ninevah. God will destroy the wicked as the city falls, but he will save a remnant in keeping with his covenant promises. Those who are humble are called to seek righteousness, humility, but most importantly, they are called to seek the Lord.

:::

Christian Standard Bible translation.

All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.

Co-produced by the Christian Standard Bible.

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In our last episode we were introduced to King Josiah who began his reign over Judah at the mere age of nine. As we pick up 2 Chronicles, we’ll hear a parallel account to our reading from 2 Kings 22, but then we’ll continue onward and cover more ground. After sending his men to consult a prophetess named Huldah, Josiah learns that the wrath of God is coming upon Judah soon. When Josiah realizes that their days are numbered, he cleans house both figuratively and literally. The Lord’s temple was full of idolatrous objects and practices, and he gets rid of them all. The Lord honors Josiah’s zeal and humility by promising that his wrath will not come upon Judah during the king’s lifetime, but God will certainly send Judah into exile in the near future.

2 Chronicles 34 - 1:05 .

2 Kings 23 - 9:59 .

Proverbs 4:20 - 20:37 .

:::

Christian Standard Bible translation.

All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.

Co-produced by the Christian Standard Bible.

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Like Jonah before him, the prophet Nahum preaches devastation and ruin for Ninevah, only this time Ninevah doesn’t repent. Ninevah was the capital of Assyria, a nation of unparalleled power and wealth which had recently decimated the nation of Israel. Though they thought themselves to be secure from danger, their downfall came after nearby rivers flooded the city and destroyed part of the city wall, allowing Babylon to enter easily and set it ablaze. Later, we’re introduced to King Josiah, who is one of Judah’s most notable kings, as he rediscovers the book of the law and mourns that God’s wrath is surely coming upon them.

Nahum 1 - 1:06 .

Nahum 2 - 4:29 .

Nahum 3 - 8:09 .

2 Kings 22 - 12:30 .

Proverbs 4 - 17:05 .

:::

Christian Standard Bible translation.

All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.

Co-produced by the Christian Standard Bible.

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We completed the book of Isaiah in our last episode and now we’re back in the narrative histories of 2 Chronicles and 2 Kings. Hezekiah’s son Manasseh takes the throne and turns the good of his father’s kingdom upside down by participating in every kind of spiritual evil imaginable. As such is the case, God says through his prophets that he will clean Jerusalem out like a bowl, turning it upside down. 2 Chronicles records that Manasseh is taken captive by Assyria later in life, at which point he repents and turns to the Lord for help. Before his death, he turns Judah back to the Lord, but only in partial obedience. His son Amon will take the throne after him, but will only reign for two years, repeating his father’s mistakes.

2 Chronicles 33 - 1:04 .

2 Kings 21 - 6:15 .

Proverbs 3 - 12:13 .

:::

Christian Standard Bible translation.

All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.

Co-produced by the Christian Standard Bible.

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