Day 227: The Towering Cedar

**Fr. Mike Schmitz** (0:04)
Hi, my name is Fr. Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to The Bible in a Year Podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of scripture. The Bible in a Year Podcast is brought to you by Ascension. Using The Great Adventure Bible Timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today. It is day 227 We are reading from Jeremiah 4, Ezekiel 31, and Proverbs 14, verses 17-20. The Bible translation that I'm reading from is the Revised Standard Version, 2nd Catholic Edition. I am using The Great Adventure Bible from Ascension if you want to download your own Bible in a Year reading plan. You can visit ascensionpress.com/bible in a Year. You can also subscribe to this podcast and receive daily episodes and daily updates for every day because that's what daily means. If you want to subscribe, you can. If you don't, let's move on. It's day 227, we're reading Jeremiah 4 Moving through Jeremiah, this is so good. Ezekiel 31 and 32 Again, one of the things we're getting to the kind of closer to the end of the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel. Things are going to change in a couple of days from now. Not today. Today, we're continuing to talk about Egypt and Assyria and all these incredible nations that will experience God's judgment. They were also reading from Proverbs 14, verses 17 through 20
The Book of the Prophet Jeremiah, Chapter 4
If you return, O Israel, says the Lord, to me you should return. If you remove your abominations from my presence and do not waver, and if you swear, as the Lord lives, in truth, in justice, and in uprightness, then nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.
For thus says the Lord, to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns. Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, remove the foreskin of your hearts, O men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, lest my wrath go forth like fire, and burn with none to quench it, because of the evil of your doings.
Judah Threatened with Invasion Declare in Judah, and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say, Blow the trumpet through the land, cry aloud, and say, Assemble, let us go into the fortified cities, raise a standard toward Zion, flee for safety, stay not, for I bring evil from the north, and great destruction. A lion has gone up from his thicket, a destroyer of nations has set out, he has gone forth from his place to make your land a waste, your cities will be ruins without inhabitant. For this, clothe yourself with sackcloth, lament, and wail, for the fierce anger of the Lord has not turned back from us.
In that day, says the Lord, courage shall fail both king and princes, the priests shall be appalled, and the prophets astounded. Then I said, Ah, Lord God, surely you have utterly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, It shall be well with you, whereas the sword has reached their very life.
At that time, it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem, A hot wind from the bare heights in the desert tore the daughter of my people, not to winnow or cleanse. A wind too full for this comes for me. Now it is I who speak in judgment upon them. Behold, he comes up like the clouds, his chariots like the whirlwind, his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe to us, for we are ruined. O Jerusalem, wash your heart from wickedness, that you may be saved. How long shall your evil thoughts lodge within you? For a voice declares from Dan and proclaims evil from Mount Ephraim. Warn the nation that he is coming, announce to Jerusalem, besiegers come from a distant land, they shout against the cities of Judah. Like keepers of a field, they are against her roundabout, because she has rebelled against me, says the Lord.
Your ways and your doings have brought this upon you. This is your doom, and it is bitter. It has reached your very heart.
My anguish, my anguish, I writhe in pain. O the walls of my heart, my heart is beating wildly. I cannot keep silent, for I hear the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war. Disaster follows hard on disaster. The whole land is laid waste. Suddenly, my tents are destroyed, my curtains in a moment. How long must I see the standard and hear the sound of the trumpet? For my people are foolish, they know me not. They are stupid children, they have no understanding. They are skilled in doing evil, but how to do good they know not.