End of the line
Day 388, Wednesday, Sept. 3
Jeremiah Chapter 52
Long after the first people were taken into exile the last holdout king falls to the Babylonians. Most of the Jewish people remaining in Jerusalem and surrounding territory are also taken into exile, leaving only the poorest of the poor to till the land and harvest the crops.
“Nebuzaradan, the commander of the [Babylonian] guard carried into exile some of the poorest people and those who remained in the city, along with the rest of the craftsmen and those who had deserted to the king of Babylon. But Nebuzaradan left behind the rest of the poorest people of the land to work the vineyards and the fields.”
This section is narrative rather than prophecy. The writer, either Jeremiah or his scribe, is clear about what caused the loss of the city: “It was because of the Lord’s anger that all this happened to Jerusalem and Judah, and in the end he thrust them from his presence.”
The Lord’s anger was a consequence of the continued disobedience of both the kings and the people.

-Rev. Mark Fleming

Wednesday meditation

Job 30:16-31
“And now my life ebbs away; days of suffering grip me. Night pierces my bones; my gnawing pains never rest. In his great power God becomes like clothing to me; he binds me like the neck of my garment. He throws me into the mud, and I am reduced to dust and ashes.
“I cry out to you, God, but you do not answer; I stand up, but you merely look at me. You turn on me ruthlessly; with the might of your hand you attack me. You snatch me up and drive me before the wind; you toss me about in the storm. I know you will bring me down to death, to the place appointed for all the living.
“Surely no one lays a hand on a broken man when he cries for help in his distress. Have I not wept for those in trouble? Has not my soul grieved for the poor? Yet when I hoped for good, evil came; when I looked for light, then came darkness. The churning inside me never stops; days of suffering confront me. I go about blackened, but not by the sun; I stand up in the assembly and cry for help. I have become a brother of jackals, a companion of owls. My skin grows black and peels; my body burns with fever. My lyre is tuned to mourning, and my pipe to the sound of wailing.

Prayer focus
Lord, thank you for the words of Jeremiah. Let us find meaning in them.