Hosea

I enjoyed a great day working through (most of) the minor prophets yesterday. Almost no reading at all on the computer screen since my hard copy of the ESVLSB arrived.

In terms of construction it's a pretty well built Bible. It's a hard back which I don't use many of, but it opens flat immediately no matter where you are. The binding is a little tough to figure out - I can't tell if it's glued or sewn. From the end's it looks glued, but the pages (folios) are folded as if sewn. the paper itself is very thin and is not white but parchment colored, which has a staggeringly nice effect on reading. the font is a touch small for my eyes but clean and sharp. All and all since it was designed as a readers' bible it is easy to read.

So with my brand new hard back I sat down outside to read in side the kids' playhouse while my two youngest played in their playhouse and sandbox. Eventually my oldest daughter found her way outside with a book and sat down next to me to read, and pretty soon my second oldest was sitting on the other side of me reading. My wife also - came out to sit near me and we enjoyed the day together.

The shade was lovely the gentle breeze was just the right temperature and my entire family was sitting playing or reading next to me, it was pure bliss.
Thanks God.

Jeremiah

Another Massive prophecy by a massive writing prophet. The scale of the book of Jeremiah is reflective of his massive ministry. Jeremiah touches me as more human perhaps than some of the other prophets, this for the very reason that he is called the weeping prophet.
Jeremiah's preaching and writing ministry fits the culture of his day. By our own standards much of his writing is fescennine; yet it was age appropriate for it's time as God portrays himself as a jealous husband and Israel as an adulterous wife who would rather run in lust after her lovers than offer the slightest glimpse of faithfulness to the Lord.

Adultery and it's description is the primary theme throughout as God threatens and ultimately delivers judgment on the people who should have loved him but preferred to love sticks and stones. We are no better when we lavish our attentions upon cars, clothes and computers instead of loving passionately our Living God. Let us turn away from the temporary and worthless things of this world that we might be consumed with passion for Christ rather than titillated with lust for things which will perish.

Lamentations

Ultimately God does visit his judgment on the nation, half way through the book of Jeremiah. The brief but powerful book of Lamentations is a hard read written by a tender prophet with a broken heart. In five chapters Jeremiah mourns the horrendous suffering brought on by the deserved punishment from God. It is not the place of the righteous to relish the pending judgment of the wicked but rather with a prophet's heart to warn and plead for repentance and if need be to weep when repentance is rejected and judgment finally falls.