GN-Day203 Jeremiah 3-4; Psalm 139; John 18:19-40

07/22/22 • 24 min

JEREMIAH 3-4:From yesterday’s reading, I highlight 1:12b, where God says,

1:12b GNT “I am watching to see that my words come true.”

In Hebrew, the word ‘watching’ is a play on words.

Yesterday we also read Jeremiah 2:13, which is one of the most frequently quoted verses from this book. Look at it in context starting at verse 11:

Jer. 2:11 GNT No other nation has ever changed its gods,even though they were not real.But my people have exchanged me,the God who has brought them honor,for gods that can do nothing for them.12 And so I command the sky to shake with horror,to be amazed and astonished,13 for my people have committed two sins:they have turned away from me,the spring of fresh water,and they have dug cisterns,cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all.

PSALM 139:What a contrast with what we just read! Our God searches us out and knows all about us. This psalm has been a great comfort to many.

JOHN 18b:

Jesus knew he was walking inexorably to the cross. To me it is interesting that in Jesus’ short time with the governor of the land, he brought the focus to the concept of ‘truth’.

GNT Translation notes:

Jer. 4:2 [NLT Then when you swear by my name, saying,‘As surely as the LORD lives,’you could do sowith truth, justice, and righteousness.Then you would be a blessing to the nations of the world,

and all people would come and praise [Me//my name[//GNT it will be right for you to swear by my name. Then all the nations will ask me to bless them, and they will praise me.”][I was going to bet that the NLT added the words, “As surely as the Lord lives” in order that the idea of ‘swear’ing not be taken in the sense of taking the name of the Lord in vain. That can also be called ‘swearing’ in English. But I find that my assumption was wrong! It seems that GNT left out the Hebrew words ‘YHWH live’, and even literal versions translate the two words like NLT. I think this may be one of the few places where one could defensibly say that GNT made a mistake, and the CEV translators must have simply have followed it without checking the Hebrew.] ====Ps. 139:18 If I counted them, they would be more than the grains of sand. [And] When I awake, I am still with you.==== John 18:33 Pilate went back into the palace and called Jesus.[and asked him,] “[So,] Are you the king of the Jews?” [0//he asked him.]37 So Pilate asked him, “Are you a king, then?”

Jesus answered, “[NIV You are right in saying I am a king.//You say that I am a king.] I was born and came into the world for this one purpose, to speak about the truth. Whoever belongs to the truth listens to me.”38 “And what is truth?” Pilate asked.Then Pilate went back outside to the people and said to them, “I cannot find any reason to condemn him.

JEREMIAH 3-4:From yesterday’s reading, I highlight 1:12b, where God says,

1:12b GNT “I am watching to see that my words come true.”

In Hebrew, the word ‘watching’ is a play on words.

Yesterday we also read Jeremiah 2:13, which is one of the most frequently quoted verses from this book. Look at it in context starting at verse 11:

PSALM 139:What a contrast with what we just read! Our God searches us out and knows all about us. This psalm has been a great comfort to many.

JOHN 18b:

Jesus knew he was walking inexorably to the cross. To me it is interesting that in Jesus’ short time with the governor of the land, he brought the focus to the concept of ‘truth’.

GNT Translation notes:

Jer. 4:2 [NLT Then when you swear by my name, saying,‘As surely as the LORD lives,’you could do sowith truth, justice, and righteousness.Then you would be a blessing to the nations of the world,

Previous Episode

GN-Day202 Jeremiah 1-2; Psalm 138; John 18:1-27

JEREMIAH 1-2:The book of Jeremiah was written between 627 and 580 BC. Counting the number of verses, Jeremiah is longer than all other books of the Old Testament except Genesis and Psalms. Jeremiah is often called the weeping prophet, and his other book is Lamentations. It is possible that he is the son of the high priest Hilkiah who brought the book of the Law to the attention of king Josiah. Having just heard in 2 Kings an overview of what happened during the last days of the kingdom of Judah, we now will hear the poems and sermons of a sensitive man living through it all. Mears says, “No other prophet bares his soul to his readers as does Jeremiah. Although Jeremiah announced the coming destruction of Judah, he looked beyond this judgment to a day when everyone would know the Lord personally through the forgiveness of his or her sins (Jer. 31-34). This new kind of relationship with the Lord would be part of the “new covenant” the Lord would establish with his people (Jer. 31:31).”

PSALM 138:

This is the first of a series of eight psalms where the psalmist speaks in the first person singular. This psalm includes an important declaration in verse two, which ESV translates like this:

Ps. 138:2 I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word.

NLT and CEV have done a good job translating the meaning, and I particularly like the second phrase in NLT.

JOHN 18a:

As John said in chapter 13, “Jesus, having always loved his disciples, he loved them to the end.”

GNT Translation notes:Ps. 138:2 [NLT I bow before your holy Temple as I worship. I praise [you//your name] for your unfailing love and faithfulness; for your promises are backed by all the honor of your name.//CEV I worship at your holy temple and praise you for your love and your faithfulness. You were true to your word and made yourself more famous than ever before.//GNTD I face your holy Temple, bow down, and praise your name because of your constant love and faithfulness, because you have shown that your name and your commands are supreme.]====John 18:10 [Peter— whose other name was Simon, had a sword. He//Simon Peter, who had a sword,] drew it and struck the High Priest's slave, cutting off his right ear. The name of the slave was Malchus.

Next Episode

GN-Day204 Jeremiah 5-6; Psalm 140; John 18:28-19:27

JEREMIAH 5-6:God, speaking through the prophets, frequently says how he feels about idolatry. He considers it just like the faithlessness of a wayward wife. It is moving that Jeremiah could so clearly see what would happen— the anguish of the people when his prophecies are fulfilled and they will be attacked by armies from the north.

PSALM 140:This is a prayer for anyone who fears the imminent attack of wicked enemies.

JOHN 18:28—19:27:The chapter break here interrupts the story of Jesus’ trial before Pilate. Jesus has already told Pilate that he is a king, but his kingdom is not of this world. Then when Jesus said, “I was born and came into the world for this one purpose, to speak about the truth. Whoever belongs to the truth listens to me.”— Pilate asked his famous rhetorical question,

38“And what is the truth?” Then Pilate went back outside to the people and said to them, “I cannot find any reason to condemn him. 39 But according to the custom you have, I always set free a prisoner for you during the Passover. Do you want me to set free for you the king of the Jews?”40 They answered him with a shout, “No, not him! We want Barabbas!” (Barabbas was a bandit.)