august

Day 213:  Saturday, August 1, 2026

Isaiah 66:        Isaiah’s prophecy concluded with a message about God in His sovereign reign over all creation. He comforted those who revered and believed Him while warning those who were His enemies. The people of God would see a new creation and enjoy it forever. His enemies would receive what they were due.

II Kings 20:         The information in this chapter was partially covered in Isaiah 38-39. King Hezekiah became sick to the point of death and Isaiah told him to set his house in order. Hezekiah prayed to the LORD and the LORD promised to add fifteen more years to his life. Hezekiah received a letter and a present from the son of the king of Babylon. He then traveled to Jerusalem to see Hezekiah.  Hezekiah pridefully displayed his treasures to the king of Babylon’s son and the LORD sent Isaiah to Hezekiah with a warning. The LORD told of the day when the Babylonians would conquer the Southern Kingdom and take the treasures and some of Hezekiah’s descendants. Hezekiah was more pleased that this would happen to his descendants and not to himself. This was a major failure of Hezekiah. Hezekiah died and his son, Manasseh, became king over Judah.

II Kings 21:       Manasseh committed much evil during his fifty-five-year reign. Idolatry and child-sacrifice were some of the sins he committed. His story was mostly awful, but

II Chronicles 33:12 spoke of repentance near the end of his life. After Manasseh’s death, his son, Amon, became king in his place. Amon too did much evil. He was killed by some of his own servants and his son, Josiah, became king over Judah.

Day 214:  Sunday, August 2, 2026

II Chronicles 32:        Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, wanted to conquer the Southern Kingdom. This was about twenty years after the Northern King had been conquered by the Assyrians. He sent messengers to warn Hezekiah. II Kings 18and Isaiah 36-37 reveal that the messenger who spoke was the Rabshakeh. Hezekiah trusted in the LORD and the LORD delivered Judah. In verse 30, we read about Hezekiah having what would become known as the Pool of Siloam constructed. In John 9, Jesus healed a blind man and the Pool of Siloam was mentioned. Hezekiah died and his son, Manasseh, became king over Judah.

II Chronicles 33:       Manasseh reigned for fifty-five years and most of those years were treacherous. Yet, beginning in verse 12, we read about the LORD dealing severely with Manasseh and he ten repented. From that point the chronicler referred to the fruits of Manasseh’s repentance until he died. II Kings 21 gave additional information about Manasseh. After Manasseh died, his son Amon reigned. Amon was wicked and was killed by his own servants. His son, Josiah then became king of Judah.

Nahum 1:        Over a century after the prophet Jonah preached in Nineveh, the LORD raised up Nahum to deliver a message of judgment on them.  They repented at Jonah’s preaching, but they had returned to their evil ways. Not only that, they had sought to invade Judah in the days of Hezekiah and Isaiah. The Rabshakeh had taunted the people of Judah by asking what god could deliver anyone from Assyria’s wrath.  They were about to get the answer to that question.  Nahum was used by the LORD to tell the Assyrians of their judgement and destruction. In Nahum 3:8, the prophet referred to the ancient city of Thebes or No-amon. That city was conquered around 661 BC. Ninevah fell in 612 BC. Nahum’s prophecy, directed at Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, was sometime between 661 BC. and 612 BC. 

Day 215:  Monday, August 3, 2026

Nahum 2:      Nahum pronounced judgment on Nineveh. They would soon answer to the LORD.  Nahum pictured what the devastation would be.  The LORD would restore His people, but utterly destroy the people of Nineveh at the same time.

Nahum 3:        Nineveh was proud. They were conquerors without mercy. Yet, they wouldn’t be a match for the LORD. Their reign of terror was almost over. The LORD had them in His sights. No one could or would deliver them. This time, they would not repent.

II Kings 22:        Josiah had reigned over Judah for eighteen years and he wanted the temple restoration work completed. During the initial part of that work, the book of the Law was found. That was around 622 BC. King Josiah wanted to hear from the LORD because he knew after hearing the law read that Judah had sinned greatly against the LORD. This chapter corresponds to II Chronicles 34.

Day 216:  Tuesday, August 4, 2026

II Kings 23:        Josiah led the Southern Kingdom to revere and obey the LORD again. There was a national revival of sorts. Josiah worked diligently to remove the idols from the temple and the land. These were some of the fruits of real repentance At one point he burned the bones of wicked priests.  This was significant, at least in part, because a man of God had prophesied about this over 300 years earlier. See I Kings 13:1-2 and II Chronicles 34:5for details from that specific event. Passover was reinstituted and for a while the people honored the LORD again. Sadly, after King Josiah was killed by Pharaoh Neco, his sons, Jehoahaz and Eliakim did not follow the LORD. Pharaoh Neco deposed Jehoahaz and made Eliakim king in the place of his brother.  Pharaoh Neco changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim.

II Chronicles 34:         This chapter largely corresponded to II Kings 22. King Josiah, even in his youth, sought the LORD. In verse 5 there was a fulfillment of a prophecy made about 300 years earlier. See I Kings 13:1-2 and II Kings 23:20 for specifics regarding that prophecy. Josiah was restoring godly order during his reign. In 633 BC, he had the servants of the temple clean it and the book of the Law of Moses was found! It is sad that it had been lost, but at least they could hear the word of the LORD again. Josiah was humble before the LORD and the people of Judah and Jerusalem turned to the LORD. There would be judgment because of the decades of idolatry and disobedience. The LORD promised to spare Josiah regarding those specific judgments.

Day 217:  Wednesday, August 5, 2026

II Chronicles 35:         This chapter took place beginning in 622 BC. and ending in 609 BC. King Josiah led the people to partake in the Passover again. Order had been restored in Judah. Sadly, Josiah didn’t heed the words of Neco, king of Egypt, and he ended up dying in a battle that he never should have engaged in. After his death, the prophet Jeremiah made a lament for him and the people of the Southern Kingdom mourned Josiah’s death.

Zephaniah 1:         Zephaniah prophesied during the reign of King Josiah of the Southern Kingdom. That dates his writing between 640 and 609 BC. It was likely that the first part of his prophecy was before the book of the Law was found in 622 BC. That led to a national revival and a celebration amongst the people. The LORD told Josiah that He would hold back His wrath until after Josiah’s death. The word of the LORD through Zephaniah emphasized the coming “day of the LORD” when the Southern Kingdom would fall to the Babylonians in 586 BC. 

Zephaniah 2:       Zephaniah warned other nations and peoples of their soon coming destruction. The LORD would take His vengeance on them. Zephaniah called the people of the Southern Kingdom to seek the LORD. There were also hints of the LORD’s people being restored while other kingdoms would fall.

Day 218:  Thursday, August 6, 2026

Zephaniah 3:        Zephaniah’s message from the LORD turned toward Jerusalem. They would be judged severely by the LORD. Afterwards, however, the LORD will rescue those who trust in Him. He will restore them even if it is but a small remnant. The LORD will be in their midst!

Jeremiah 1:        Jeremiah’s prophetic ministry covered the time from 627 BC. to about 582 BC. He was from Anathoth, a Levitical city in the territory of Benjamin (Joshua 21:18). Jeremiah would have been a Levite. The LORD told him of his calling and that it had been decreed even before he was born. He told Jeremiah of what was coming and that He would accomplish all that He planned. The Southern Kingdom would be judged by the LORD and the Babylonians would bring that to pass. Something to keep in mind is that this book is not completely chronological in nature.   Look for hints for discerning the dates such as which year it was in a particular king’s reign.  

Jeremiah 2:        The LORD called out Judah for their turning to other nations and false gods for deliverance.  Other nations had been faithful to their false gods, but Judah had not been faithful to the true and Living God! The LORD would show them that there are no other true gods and there is no other deliverer besides Him.  

Day 219:  Friday, August 7, 2026

Jeremiah 3:         Similar to the prophet Hosea, the LORD spoke through Jeremiah to depict a faithful husband with an unfaithful wife. The people of Judah had witnessed how the LORD judged Israel for their spiritual adultery, but then they committed the same sins as Israel had done. The LORD rebuked them, but called them to repent.  If they would repent, He promised to restore them. They would be one people again.

Jeremiah 4:        The people were called to return to the LORD. Their captivity in Babylon was certain to come, but the LORD still beckoned them to repent. Although He would bring the Babylonians to conquer the Southern Kingdom, He would not allow it to be utterly destroyed.

Jeremiah 5:        The LORD continued to bring forth His indictment against His people. They were stubborn and unrepentant. They listened to prophets who do not speak the word of the LORD. They were again warned of the coming destruction, but still, they remained unrepentant and stubborn.

Day 220:  Saturday, August 8, 2026

Jeremiah 6:        The people of the Southern Kingdom were not only guilty before the LORD; they had rejected His prophets and His law. They were not ignorant in their sins. The LORD would bring the Babylonians to conquer them. 

Jeremiah 7:         Jeremiah was commanded by the LORD to go and preach at the temple. This means that it was still before 586 BC.  That is when the temple was burned to the ground by King Nebuchadnezzar (see II Kings 25:9).  It was a sermon of judgment wherein the LORD called them to repent, but He knew that they would refuse. The LORD told Jeremiah to preach, but also that the people would not listen to him. The people were still going to the temple, but their hearts were stubborn toward the LORD. Religious observances were not indicative of right heart motives.

Day 221:  Sunday, August 9, 2026

Jeremiah 8:       The theme of judgment continued. The LORD had sent faithful men to proclaim His word, but the people of Judah rejected it. They loved their idolatry and their idols instead of loving the LORD. They had listened to false prophets instead of the true prophets. Their punishment was just and imminent. 

Jeremiah 9:        The chapter began with laments from Jeremiah and from the LORD. So much of the chapter pointed to the coming judgment that the LORD would bring on the people of Judah. They had not followed the LORD. Instead, they had followed gods that weren’t gods at all. They were not ignorant. 

Jeremiah 10:        Much of this chapter was devoted to the foolishness of idolatry in contrast to the worship of the one, true God. The people were warned against adopting the idolatry of other nations, but were still told of the coming invasion to be brought on by the people of the north, i.e. Babylonians.

Day 222:  Monday, August 10, 2026

Jeremiah 11:    The LORD reminded the people of Judah that they had not kept His covenant and 

therefore, the curses of it would come upon them. They would be judged severely. Jeremiah was facing plots against his life from the men of his hometown. The LORD would soon deal justly with those men.

Jeremiah 12:        Jeremiah pleaded his case before the LORD. It had to do with him not understanding why it seemed that the wicked prospered instead of being judged. The LORD corrected Jeremiah and reminded him that his own family had dealt treacherously with him. The LORD was tired of the false shepherds who had destroyed much in the land. Exile was coming. Yet, there was also hope of restoration referred to near the end of the chapter.

Jeremiah 13:        The LORD commanded Jeremiah concerning a waistband. This would be used to picture the LORD drawing Israel and Judah close, but also that they would not listen to Him.  They had become filthy and useless. The LORD indicted them again for their repeated disobedience and idolatry.

Day 223:  Tuesday, August 11, 2026

Jeremiah 14:        The LORD spoke of a drought that the Southern Kingdom was experiencing. The people were suffering and Jeremiah prayed. The LORD told Jeremiah again not to pray for the people because they had continually sought help from false prophets. They rejected the men who proclaimed the word of the LORD, but they loved the messages of the false prophets. Jeremiah prayed a prayer of confession.

Jeremiah 15:        The LORD continued the theme of judgment on Judah. It was because they refused to listen to Him. They would be taken and they would not overcome the Babylonians. Jeremiah cried out to the LORD for deliverance. The LORD promised His presence with Jeremiah.

Jeremiah 16:        This chapter dealt with the coming fall of Judah and a major reason as to why the people would be judged by the LORD. The false gods would be seen for what they are as the LORD would be seen for Who He is!

Day 224:  Wednesday, August 12, 2026

Jeremiah 17:        This chapter dealt with the LORD’s blessings on His people for obedience and the curses on them for disobedience. The heart of man was also pictured and it wasn’t good. Jeremiah prayed and the LORD answered. The people were reminded to honor the LORD by keeping the Sabbath. 

Jeremiah 18:        The LORD sent Jeremiah to the potter’s house and there He gave him His word. The sovereign LORD could shape and reshape as He pleased. Jeremiah was sent to preach again, but the people rejected his word and plotted against him. The remainder of the chapter was an imprecatory prayer of Jeremiah.

Jeremiah 19:         The LORD commanded Jeremiah to buy a potter’s earthenware jar and to go to the place where the people of Judah had offered some of their children as a sacrifice by fire. The LORD warned them of the impending doom and how they would even resort to cannibalism to survive. The LORD would not relent in the matter. Judah was certain to fall. 

Jeremiah 20:         A priest named Pashhur rejected Jeremiah’s preaching and had him beaten and placed in the stocks. Jeremiah was continuing to learn the cost of being faithful to the LORD in dark days. Jeremiah prayed and it sounded, at one point, very similar to Job’s lament about ever being born. Still, Jeremiah hoped in the LORD who would deliver him.

Day 225:  Thursday, August 13, 2026

Jeremiah 21:       This chapter occurred during the reign of King Zedekiah (597–586 BC.) Zedekiah was an uncle of King Jehoiachin, but King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, appointed him as king over Judah in place of Jehoiachin. Zedekiah sent Pashhur to ask Jeremiah to inquire of the LORD. Jeremiah informed Zedekiah of what was coming and it was the exile to Babylon.

Jeremiah 22:       The LORD warned Jehoiakim about the disaster that was coming.  He indicted Jehoiakim for neglecting the needy because he pursued dishonest gain. Coniah was mentioned. He was also known as Jehoiachin. This was particularly interesting in view of Haggai 2:23. Whereas there had been a curse on his line, in Haggai 2:23, one of his descendants would continue the Messianic line.

Jeremiah 23:        The LORD confronted the priests and prophets who had been so unfaithful in their responsibilities to the LORD. They had intentionally lied and led the people of Judah astray. There was a Leader who would one day come and that reference given in verses 5-6 referred to the Messiah! The LORD continued giving dire warnings to the unfaithful priest and false prophets.

Day 226:  Friday, August 14, 2026

Jeremiah 24:        The LORD gave Jeremiah a vision of two baskets of figs. One basket had good and edible figs. The other basket had rotten figs. Many of the people of Judah had been taken to Babylon by the time of this prophetic word. The LORD promised restoration for some (the good figs), but judgment for others (the rotten figs).

Jeremiah 25:       This chapter went back to around 605 BC. That was King Nebuchadnezzar’s first year of his reign as king of Babylon. It was the fourth year of Jehoiakim’s reign. Jeremiah had been preaching for twenty-three years by that time. He rebuked the people of the Southern Kingdom for not listening to the LORD. They would be captives in Babylon for seventy years. II Chronicles 36:21 also mentioned that time of the exile. The LORD warned Jerusalem and the nations of His impending wrath.

Day 227:  Saturday, August 15, 2026

Jeremiah 26:        Remember that this book was not written in chronological order. Jeremiah went back a little in the narrative to 609 BC. Here, the LORD commanded Jeremiah to go to the court of the temple and preach. The priests, prophets, and people wanted Jeremiah to be executed because of what he had preached. Although he was spared at that time, there would be more threats and persecution for Jeremiah. The people of Judah wanted to hear words of affirmation, not the word of the LORD.

Jeremiah 27:        There were some manuscripts that had Jehoiakim listed instead of Zedekiah in verse 1. The difference would be describing the beginning of Jehoiakim’s reign in 609 BC. or the beginning of Zedekiah’s reign in 597 BC. Either way, Jeremiah preached again concerning the Babylonian conquest of Judah. Jeremiah warned the people of Judah concerning the false prophets whom they were listening to. Captivity in Babylon was mentioned, but restoration in Judah was also mentioned.

Jeremiah 28:        A false prophet named Hananiah entered the storyline. In the fifth month, he said that the LORD would deliver Judah in two years, not the seventy years that Jeremiah had prophesied.  Jeremiah mocked Hananiah and left. The LORD sent Jeremiah back to Hananiah with a pronouncement of judgment on him for lying to the people. Jeremiah told Hananiah that he would die that year. Two months after Hananiah had prophesied falsely, the LORD killed him.

Day 228:  Sunday, August 16, 2026

Jeremiah 29:        Jeremiah wrote a letter to the exiles in Babylon. They were told to settle in the land and pray for the people of the land.  They would be there for seventy years. This went against what their false prophets had told them. Another warning was given concerning listening to false prophets. There was also a deadly warning to those who remained in Judah instead of traveling to Babylon in the exile. More was written concerning the influence of false prophets. We also find that some false prophets would face severe consequences.

Jeremiah 30:        This chapter is full of hope as the LORD promised to restore His people.  He spoke of the day when they would serve the LORD and their King, David. This connected the Davidic Covenant (II Samuel 7:8-16) to the Messiah, who is Jesus. Overall, this chapter served as a lead-in to the New Covenant that would be mentioned in the next chapter. The LORD would gather His people together at a future time. Their incurable illness would be cured by Him!

Day 229:  Monday, August 17, 2026

Jeremiah 31:        The LORD promised to restore His people. There was the first mention of what was known as the New Covenant. That covenant would surpass the old covenant made with Israel at Mount Sinai (Exodus 20). Whereas the old covenant was written on stone tablets, the new covenant would be written on the hearts of God’s people.  

Jeremiah 32:         It was 587 BC. This was the tenth year of Zedekiah, king of Judah, and the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. Zedekiah had Jeremiah imprisoned because of his preaching about the fall of the Southern Kingdom to the Babylonians. Jeremiah was questioned and explained that the LORD commanded him to buy property in Judah. That was because the LORD would restore Judah after the seventy years of captivity in Babylon.

Day 230:  Tuesday, August 18, 2026

Jeremiah 33:         Jeremiah was still being held captive in Jerusalem. It was 587 BC. The LORD again promised to restore His people, but this time He specifically mentioned the Davidic Covenant that was instituted in II Samuel 7:16. There was no way that He would break that covenant. He even said that if mankind could break the covenant that He instituted in creation wherein there was day and night, then He would break the Davidic Covenant. The point was that this was impossible and that God would keep that covenant which was Messianic in nature. 

Jeremiah 34:        The LORD commanded Jeremiah to preach to Zedekiah, king of Judah. They were still in Jerusalem while King Nebuchadnezzar was besieging the city. The word was not favorable. As the covenant people of God had broken their covenant promises, so the LORD would give Judah into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar. Jerusalem would be burned to the ground.

Jeremiah 35:       This word from the LORD came in the years between 609-598 BC.  Those were the years that Jehoiakim reigned in Judah. The LORD gave another indictment on the people by using the example of the Rechabites, a Gentile and nomadic group who obeyed their father in his commands to them. The LORD used that example against the people of Judah who had not obeyed the LORD.

Day 231:  Wednesday, August 19, 2026

Jeremiah 36:       The chapter began in 605 BC. and ended in 604 BC. The LORD commanded Jeremiah to have His words written on a scroll. Those words were intended to bring the people of Judah to repent. Jeremiah’s scribe, Baruch, wrote the words and read them to the people in the temple. The officials sent the scroll to King Jehoiakim and he barely listened to the indictments before cutting up and burning the scroll. The LORD commanded Jeremiah to have another scroll written and in that one, Jehoiakim and his line was cursed. Jehoiakim could not reject the word of the LORD and go unpunished. 

Jeremiah 37:       Jehoiakim’s son, Coniah (aka Jehoiachin or Jeconiah), was deposed by King 

Nebuchadnezzar in 597 BC. Coniah was part of the cursed line of Jehoiakim. Nebuchadnezzar replaced Coniah with Zedekiah. While the Chaldeans were coming against Jerusalem, they heard that the Egyptian army was approaching and so the Chaldeans left momentarily. The LORD warned King Zedekiah that the Chaldeans would return. During all of this, Jeremiah went to the territory of Benjamin to take ownership of the property that he bought in chapter 32, verse 8. While there, he was accused of being with the Chaldeans. He was wrongly arrested, beaten, and imprisoned. Many days later, King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah and Jeremiah was taken to Zedekiah where he informed the king that Judah was going to fall and that Zedekiah would be taken to Babylon. King Zedekiah, at Jeremiah’s request, imprisoned Jeremiah there and sustained him daily with bread. It was still imprisonment, but Jeremiah was treated somewhat better than he had been treated in the territory of Benjamin.  

Day 232:  Thursday, August 20, 2026

Jeremiah 38:         Jeremiah was wrongly taken and lowered into a cistern that was full of mud. An Ethiopian official, Ebed-melech, petitioned King Zedekiah for Jeremiah’s life and the king consented.  Jeremiah was saved and taken to King Zedekiah. The king asked Jeremiah to tell him the word of the LORD. Jeremiah reminded him of the warning for staying in Jerusalem rather than giving himself up and going to Babylon. Jeremiah was allowed to live without being imprisoned.

Jeremiah 39:         This chapter went from about 588 BC. to 586 BC. Jerusalem fell and King Zedekiah was taken captive and treated harshly. King Nebuchadnezzar ensured that Jeremiah would be looked after and cared for. We also read about the LORD’s promise of deliverance for Ebed-melech, the man who saved Jeremiah from the cistern in 38:7-13. 

Jeremiah 40:        Jeremiah was given the choice to go to Babylon or to stay in Judah. He chose to stay in Judah with the only people left in the land, the very poor people. Gedaliah, a Jew whom King Nebuchadnezzar appointed to govern over the few people left in Judah, was told of a plot against his life. He didn’t believe the report.

Day 233:  Friday, August 21, 2026

Psalm 74:        This was likely written after Solomon’s temple was burned down while the Babylonians were conquering Jerusalem in 586 BC. (see II Kings 25:9). The psalmist called on the LORD to remember His people and to remember the reviling that had come from His enemies. In verses 12-17 there was optimism on the part of the writer.

Psalm 79:        This was another Psalm written after 586 BC. The temple had been destroyed and Jerusalem had been sacked. The psalmist asked the LORD to deal with His enemies and to restore His people.

II Kings 24:      The chapter began around 605 BC.  Events from 597 BC. were then covered. King Nebuchadnezzar was about to take Jerusalem and the Southern Kingdom. The first and second sieges occurred.  In verses 1-7, the first siege took place in 605 BC. Daniel and his friends, although not mentioned here, were taken during this first siege. The second siege occurred in verses 10-16 and it was in 597 BC.  Again, although not mentioned, Ezekiel was taken during this siege. King Jehoiakim died and his son, Jehoiachin, reigned in his place. That was a short-lived reign. Nebuchadnezzar took all of the items out of the temple and he took many of the people of Judah as captives to Babylon. King Nebuchadnezzar made Jehoiachin’s uncle, Mattaniah, king in place of Jehoiachin. Nebuchadnezzar changed Mattaniah’s name to Zedekiah. Zedekiah was the last king over Judah.

II Kings 25:         This chapter covered the time from 588 BC. to 560 BC. That was when the final of the sieges of Jerusalem took place. Early in the chapter, King Zedekiah, after he had rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, was taken captive. His sons were slaughtered in front of him and the Chaldeans put out his eyes. In verse 9 King Nebuchadnezzar had the temple burned down. Captives were taken into Babylonian exile and temple furnishings were taken as well. The king appointed a man named Gedaliah to govern Judah after the fall, but he was executed by a man from Judah’s royal family. His name was Ishmael.

Day 234:  Saturday, August 22, 2026

II Chronicles 36:         The chapter covered a time from 609-538 BC. The last kings of Judah are mentioned. They were not good kings and with King Zedekiah, the kings of Judah came to an end. The Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar, conquered Judah and the temple was burned down in 586 BC. as Jerusalem fell. Jeremiah was mentioned as he had prophesied that the people of Judah would be captives for seventy years in Babylon because they had ignored the sabbath years. The chapter concluded with the Persian king, Cyrus in 538 BC. sending the exiles home to rebuild the temple. That fulfilled what Isaiah prophesied over a century before Cyrus was born. See Isaiah 44:28

Habakkuk 1:         The prophet Habakkuk would have prophesied sometime before 609 BC. We know that because the LORD told Habakkuk of how He would use the Chaldeans (southern Babylonians) to judge the people of the Southern Kingdom (Judah). That didn’t begin until sometime between 609 and 605 BC. Habakkuk began his lament by crying out to the LORD and accusing the LORD of not dealing with the injustice in the land. The LORD responded and told Habakkuk that He was working and that He would raise up the Chaldeans to conquer Judah. That perplexed Habakkuk and he wondered how that could possibly be the will of God. Habakkuk began his rant with righteous anger that turned sinful when he accused the LORD. After hearing Yahweh, Habakkuk was went from anger to perplexity.

Habakkuk 2:        The LORD responded to Habakkuk’s inquiries about how He could raise up the Chaldeans to judge the people of Judah when the Chaldeans were more wicked than the people they would conquer. The LORD also made it clear that He would later judge the Chaldeans because they were a wicked, prideful, and idolatrous people.

Habakkuk 3:          Habakkuk was humbled and he prayed to the LORD asking Him to remember mercy as He would pour out His wrath. The closing verses were full of encouragement as Habakkuk admitted his fears about what was coming. He said that in the face of those things he would exult in the LORD who was his strength. Habakkuk went from anger to humility because he had met with the LORD.

Day 235:  Sunday, August 23, 2026

Jeremiah 41:       It was the seventh month, likely in the year 586 BC. The plot against Gedaliah, the Jewish man who had been appointed to govern the few people remaining in Judah, was real. Ishmael killed Gedeliah and shortly after that he killed more innocent men. That caused the people to fear because they were certain that the Chaldeans would deal with the situation sternly.

Jeremiah 42:        The leaders of the remnant which was still in Judah asked Jeremiah to inquire of the LORD on their behalf. They promised to obey the LORD no matter what His response was. The LORD, after ten days, gave Jeremiah His word. If the remnant would stay in Judah, then the LORD would show compassion to them. But if they fled to Egypt, thinking that they were escaping the Babylonians, there the LORD would judge them severely. They were warned that they would die there under awful conditions.

Jeremiah 43:        The leaders did not keep their word to obey whatever the LORD said. They accused Jeremiah of lying and proceeded to take almost everyone to Egypt, including Jeremiah. While in Egypt, the LORD told Jeremiah that He would raise up King Nebuchadnezzar to overthrow Egypt. The LORD warned the remnant, but they fled to Egypt anyway. They would not outrun the judgment of the LORD!

Day 236:  Monday, August 24, 2026

Jeremiah 44:        The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah again. The LORD said that the remnant who escaped to Egypt was continuing to practice sacrifices to false gods. The LORD would set His face against them. There would only be a few who would eventually leave Egypt and return to Judah. The people, in verse 16, told Jeremiah that they were not going to listen to him anymore. They also said that they would continue making sacrifices to their false gods because they believed that their idols had provided for them, whereas the LORD had not provided for them. Jeremiah gave the word of the LORD again and warned them of what was about to happen. The LORD was going to hand over the Pharaoh to his enemies. The word of the LORD would be shown as true and the word of the remnant as false.

Jeremiah 45:        This chapter refers back to chapter 36, wherein Jeremiah wrote a scroll that Baruch recorded. It was in the fourth year of King Jehoiakim. That was about 605 BC. The LORD said that He would judge Judah severely.

Jeremiah 46:       The LORD warned the nations. The first nation warned was Egypt. The chapter began with telling of the Babylonian victory over Egypt in 605 BC. That occurred at Carchemish. The Egyptians had been a proud people, but the LORD easily humbled them through the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar. Their devastation would be catastrophic. Egypt would not escape. Near the end of the chapter, Jeremiah again pointed to the hope that remained for the people of Judah.

Jeremiah 47:       The prophecy against the nations continued. This one was directed at the Philistines, but before Pharoah conquered them in 609 BC. The LORD would not relent. In verse 4 we find that it was certain that the LORD would destroy the Philistines.

Day 237:  Tuesday, August 25, 2026

Jeremiah 48:         Jeremiah’s words turned toward Moab. Moab was one of the sons of Lot which he had with his firstborn daughter shortly after Sodom was destroyed (Genesis 19:37). It was also the land where the tribes of Reuben and Gad as well as half of the tribe of Manasseh settled instead of Canaan. They would be judged by the LORD because of their self-reliance, (verse 7), pride (verse 29), and worship of Chemosh, the main idol of Moab. Near the end of this prophetic word, however, Jeremiah spoke of a future hope for Moab. 

Jeremiah 49:         Jeremiah continued prophesying against certain kingdoms. These will include the sons of Ammon, Edom, Damascus, Kedar, Hazor, and Elam. Some of those kingdoms were promised restoration in the last days. Jeremiah began the chapter with a word to Ammon. Ammon was the son of Lot by his youngest daughter shortly after Sodom was destroyed. The Edomites were Esau’s descendants. They trusted in their might for deliverance. A time indicator was given in Jeremiah’s words against Elam. In verse 34it says that his prophecy against Elam was at the beginning of the reign of King Zedekiah. That was around 597 BC. 

Day 238:  Wednesday, August 26, 2026

Jeremiah 50:         Jeremiah began his prophecy against Babylon. Keep in mind that when Jeremiah said these things, the Babylonians were reigning. The LORD raised them up, as He said that He would to Habakkuk, but He also promised to judge them. The Babylonians were conquered by the Persian Empire in 539 BC. That is when the exiles from Judah would begin preparations to return to Judah under the orders of the Persian king, Cyrus.

Day 239:  Thursday, August 27, 2026

Jeremiah 51:        The judgements against the nations were told with more severe words toward Babylon. Jeremiah continued telling Babylon of the destruction that the LORD would bring upon them. They had been strong and feared by all, but that would change. The LORD would raise up other nations, primarily Medo-Persia against Babylon and Babylon would fall. Though that fall was decades away, it was certain to come. Jeremiah wrote his words on a scroll and gave it to a man named Seraiah, telling Seraiah to read the words against Babylon when he arrived there with the other captives. At the time that this would have occurred it would have seemed impossible. Babylon was in the position of captors and they had the military might. They, however, would be no match for the LORD!

Jeremiah 52:        Jeremiah closed his prophecy summarizing events between 588-560 BC. He repeated some information that he gave in chapter 39 about King Zedekiah’s rebellion, capture, and torture. He moved to 586 BC. and the burning of the temple.  Afterwards, he closed out the chapter with the exile to Babylon and the first year of the reign of Evil-merodach. That was in 560 BC.

Day 240:  Friday, August 28, 2026

Lamentations 1:           Jeremiah depicted Jerusalem after her fall to the Babylonians and in the writing, which was poetic, he personified Jerusalem.  He detailed her sufferings as if the city was speaking. She had finally realized that her idols could not deliver her. In verse 9, it was apparent that while the people of Jerusalem and Judah were living idolatrous lives, they had not considered the many warnings that the LORD brought through His prophets. In verse 18, there was the true declaration about the LORD’s righteousness. That, at least, hinted at remorse over their sins.

Lamentations 2:        This chapter focused on the destruction of Jerusalem and how the LORD had warned the people of that coming day. Jeremiah lamented the false prophets who continued to preach false messages of hope. The situation was bleak, but in verse 20 there was a cry unto the LORD for help.

Day 241:  Saturday, August 29, 2026

Lamentations 3:        Jeremiah spoke of feeling abandoned by the LORD. His sorrow was apparent, but beginning in verse 19, the tone of the chapter changed. Jeremiah praised the LORD for His faithfulness. Jeremiah continued through the chapter by remembering the sins of the people of Judah and the reasons why Jerusalem had to fall, but he was also hopeful. He prayed to the LORD to avenge him over those who had caused so much harm to him.

Lamentations 4:        Jeremiah considered the present destruction of Jerusalem and that it occurred because of the sins of the people. Life had turned completely upside down. Some of the people had even resorted to cannibalism during the severe famine that came after the fall of Judah.  The false prophets and faithless priests were rebuked. Jeremiah also spoke of the judgment that the LORD would bring on Edom, the people of Esau. They had not assisted their relatives, but had gloated over them. Obadiah’s prophecy went into more detail concerning Edom.

Lamentations 5:       This last chapter highlighted the disheartening circumstances that the people of the Southern Kingdom were facing after the fall of Jerusalem. Daily life was hard and all hope seemed to be gone. Jeremiah cried to the LORD asking Him to restore His people.

Day 242:  Sunday, August 30, 2026

Ezekiel 1:         Ezekiel’s prophetic ministry began in the fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s exile, around 592 BC.  Ezekiel was thirty years old at the time and he was an exile in Babylon. As a priest, that was the year of his life when, normally, he would have started his priestly service in Jerusalem. As an exile, and not in Jerusalem at the time, Ezekiel would be called to serve the LORD in a different vocation. He would serve as a prophet of the LORD. His first vision was that of figures resembling four living creatures. There were four wheels mentioned as well. A throne was above an expanse over the figures and the wheels. The imagery is that of a chariot of sorts and on it was Someone awesome. On the throne was another Figure. We will find out in chapter 2that this was the LORD God. Keep in mind that the book of Ezekiel, like Jeremiah, was not written in chronological order. There were times when he would refer back before he was taken into exile in Babylon.

Ezekiel 2:        The LORD called to Ezekiel and there He commissioned Ezekiel for his prophetic ministry. God the Holy Spirit entered into Ezekiel. He was to speak to the sons of Israel regardless of whether they listened to him. The LORD gave Ezekiel a scroll and commanded him to eat it. That represented Ezekiel’s prophetic ministry to the rebellious people of the Southern Kingdom (Judah).  

Ezekiel 3:         After eating the scroll given to him by the LORD, Ezekiel was called to preach God’s words to the exiles. The command served as a warning to Ezekiel as he was to proclaim whatever God said to him even though the exiles would not listen to what he preached. There was severity for Ezekiel if he failed to tell the exiles all that the LORD gave him to say. Ezekiel, like Jeremiah before him, would be persecuted because of what he would proclaim to the exiles. However, the LORD would also free him so as to be able to speak even in those circumstances.

Ezekiel 4:         It is likely that Ezekiel had been taken as a captive to Babylon in the second siege. That would have been in 597 BC. Chapter 1of this prophetic book began in 592 BC. That was six years before Jerusalem was burned down and the Southern Kingdom fell to the Babylonians. In chapter 4, the LORD commanded Ezekiel to do some extraordinary things. The brick that Ezekiel was commanded to inscribe on was likely a tablet that could have been etched on.  Ezekiel was to depict the Babylonian conquest of Judah. In doing so, he was to lie on his left side for part of each day for three hundred and ninety days. That represented Israel’s time of iniquity. After that, he was to lay on his right side for forty days. That represented Judah’s time of iniquity. It was also foreshadowing how awful the conditions would be for the people during the Babylonian exile. 

Day 243:  Monday, August 31, 2026

Ezekiel 5:         The LORD commanded Ezekiel to shave his head and beard. One third of the hair would be burned, which we find in verse 12 to represent the third of the exiles who would die by plague or famine. Another third of the hair was to be struck with the sword. Again, in connection with verse 12, we find that this third of the people would fall by the sword of enemies. The last third of hair was to be scattered in the wind. That represented the spreading out of some of the exiles who would not ever return home. The LORD would bring calamity on His people in response to their continued sins and not returning to Him.

Ezekiel 6:       Similar to chapter 4, Ezekiel was telling of the impending judgement that was coming on the people. This likely would have been before Ezekiel was taken into exile in 597 BC. In this chapter the LORD told the people of the Southern Kingdom that they would be scattered and exiled because of their continual idolatry. They would come to know that the LORD is God and idols are not gods at all. The LORD does promise to keep a remnant of people for Himself. 

Ezekiel 7:        As Ezekiel continued proclaiming the word of the LORD, which consisted of warnings about what was soon to happen, it became clear that the people of Judah would not escape the LORD’s wrath.  They will cast their silver and their gold to those coming upon them, but it will not lead to their deliverance. They will be taken as captives. They will come face to face with the consequences of their sins. They will grieve, but there will not be immediate relief.