This week's reading moves through the final chapters of Jeremiah, through the entire book of Lamentations and gets us about a third of the way through the book of Ezekiel.
The book of Lamentations is a poetic book that is attributed to the prophet Jeremiah. It mourns the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in the 6th century BC. In Judaism, this book is traditionally recited on the fast day of "Tisha B'Av" the saddest day on the Jewish calendar mourning the destruction of the first and second temples in Jerusalem. It is said that Jeremiah retired to a cavern outside the Damascus gate, where he wrote this book. That cavern is still pointed out by tour guides today.
The name "Ezekiel" means "God will strengthen." His story is interesting. He describes his calling by God to be a prophet, going into a lot of detail about God riding a chariot of four wheels guided by cherubs. For the next several years, he preached alongside Jeremiah about the coming destruction of Jerusalem which he lived to witness. He was in his mid-twenties when he was exiled along with about 3,000 upper class Jews to Babylon after the fall of Jerusalem. There he and his wife lived in their own home and other exiles came to see his prophetic insights. Later he began to have visions of a new Temple. All total, his career as a prophet lasted for around 25 years. The first segment of the book of Ezekiel (chapter 1-24) contains a judgment that the prophet pronounces against Israel.
Here is the schedule:
21, Sunday: Jeremiah 48-51
22, Monday: Jeremiah 52 - Lamentations 3
23, Tuesday: Lamentations 4 - Ezekiel 2
24, Wednesday: Ezekiel 3-6
25, Thursday: Ezekiel 7-10
26, Friday: Ezekiel 11-14
27, Saturday: Ezekiel 15-18
May God add His richest blessings to the reading, the hearing, the understanding and most importantly the living out of His holy word. Amen.
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