SueAnn Porter

I was reading the last few chapters of the book of Proverbs today. (Don’t you just love reading Proverbs 31 and going, oh yeah, that’s me, ah, that’s not me, that’s me, that’s not me….) Then I flipped some pages over and landed on Jeremiah 36. I hadn’t read it in a while.
In this passage, The Lord told Jeremiah to take a scroll and write on it the words He had spoken to him concerning Israel, Judah, and the other nations. God wanted to warn them that disaster was coming upon them if they did not turn from their sin, and turn back to Him.
“Perhaps when the people of Judah hear about every disaster I plan to inflict on them, each of them will turn from his wicked way; then I will forgive their wickedness and their sin.  
So Jeremiah called Baruch, son of Neriah, and while Jeremiah dictated all the words the Lord had spoken to him, Baruch wrote them on the scroll. Then Jeremiah told Baruch, “I am restricted; I cannot go to the Lord’s temple. So you go to the house of the Lord on a day of fasting and read to the people from the scroll the words of the Lord that you wrote as I dictated. Read them to all the people of Judah who come in from their towns. Perhaps they will bring their petition before the Lord, and each will turn from his wicked ways, for the anger and wrath pronounced against this people by the Lord are great. “
–Jeremiah 36: 3 – 7

While I was reading this, Baruch wrote them on the scroll jumped out at me, and I wrote it in the margin.

I then noticed the book The Harbinger lying on my desk, and picked it up. If you haven’t read it yet, I recommend it. It is not the best-written novel of all time, but the information conveyed is invaluable.

The book describes the attacks of September 11, 2001 as a warning and judgment on America. Seven years later, the crash of 2008, was the aftershock of 9/11. We know that 7 is a special number in God’s economy.

I was reading along, skimming the parts I had underlined. I went through several chapters, reviewing the author’s teaching on punishment and redemption. And then I saw it on page 243:

“Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah; and Baruch wrote on a scroll of a book, at the instruction of Jeremiah, all the words of the Lord which He had spoken to him.”

Well, I guess this is where I need to be today: at my messy desk, piled with books, notebooks, journals, half-written opinions and stories– the place where Jeremiah and The Harbinger met this morning.

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.” Psalm 33:12

Related articles

• “From the life of Jeremiah?” (altruistico.wordpress.com)
• Week 11 – Thursday (canterburydisciplestudy.wordpress.com)
• Questions About Divine Comfort (etsop95.wordpress.com)
• ‘Harbinger’ Author Says the Almighty Is Warning the U.s. (vineoflife.net)