Jeremiah 35—50

The Big Picture

Chapters 35-45 describe the siege and fall of Jerusalem, and chapters 46-50 look ahead to God’s future judgment against the enemy nations around Judah (the southern kingdom of Israel). In these judgments, we learn that 1) God is sovereign over all nations—He has power not only over His own people, but their enemies; 2) God is impartial—He judges all sin, whether the sins of His own people or the sins of those who reject Him. God does not play favorites with anyone.

What to Watch For

Note the great severity of Jeremiah’s warnings. He did not try to sugarcoat the extent of God’s coming judgment. God is serious about sin, and Jeremiah made sure his listeners knew that. God is still serious about sin today; we should always be careful to never take sin lightly.

Applications for Today

Jeremiah was unpopular because he proclaimed a message people did not want to hear. Fortunately, Jeremiah was more concerned about pleasing God rather than pleasing his fellow Jews. What about you? Are there times when you catch yourself trying to please people rather than please God? Ask the Lord to give you the courage to do what is right in any given situation.

2 Timothy

The Big Picture

This book reads like the apostle Paul’s last will and testament to Timothy—it’s a letter of encouragement for Timothy to remain faithful in His service to God even in the midst of persecution and opposition to the truth.

What to Watch for

All throughout 2 Timothy, look for and list Paul’s specific commands to Timothy for standing strong in the faith and carrying out the work of ministry. For example:

• “Retain the standard of sound words” (1:13)
• “Guard…the treasure which has been entrusted to you” (1:14)
• “The things which you have heard from me…entrust these to [others]” (2:2).

Applications for Today

When we consider all Paul’s commands and encouragements to Timothy, it should be clear to us that the Christian life is a disciplined life. How are you doing in disciplining yourself to “fight the good fight of faith” (4:7)? Look at the list you created in the “What to Watch For” section above. What one or two ways can you improve in your personal discipline so that you are more diligent in your service to the Lord?

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