Today's first reading is the beginning of Jeremiah, who was given the task by God to explain why the Jewish kingdom was allowed to be utterly defeated. From the outset, when Jeremiah is called by God to be a prophet, the tone is start. There are promises of disaster -- an invasion from the north; however this first invasion will be stopped before it captures Jerusalem. (That defeat will come soon enough.)
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The second reading details the main reason given by God for the punishment that the Jews -- God's chosen people -- will suffer defeat and destruction. Despite God's goodness in bringing them from slavery to their own land, they turned away from God and worshiped false gods. They replaced the true God with gods who do not actually exist. (Throughout Jeremiah, there are regular asides mocking those who would worship wood or stone, meaning statues of these false gods.)
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Reading the Bible in Its Entirety
If you are planning to read the Bible in its entirety, you should read Jeremiah 1-12 today.
If you are planning to read the Bible in its entirety, you should read Jeremiah 1-12 today.
