Circumcision was commanded of Abraham after his decision to try and fufill God’s plans his way by conceiving a son with his slave Hagar (Genesis 16). It was a mark to remind him of his folly
Circumcision of the heart
Balm of Gilead
When in a terrible situation we long to find comfort from our trials. Here God warns the people of Judah that they will not because their wickedness.
Broken conversations
God is speaking to Judah through Jeremiah, but Judah isn’t listening. He has spoken of how their corpses will be exposed due to the shame of the child sacrifices they’ve been offering. They now turn that into an opportunity to worship the stars.
God’s oath
God needs to take no oaths since His words are always reliable. So when He chooses to take one, it’s clearly a moment in history in which He wants us to know with absolute certainty that He will do what He’s said.
In the fire
God is going to send Judah into exile under a foreign empire. Why would he cause such suffering? It’s because the people will not listen to him and that is exemplified in their sacrifices.
A change in the law
Hebrews continues to emphasise the need for a finer priest if we are to know God. God’s law, and the priests appointed under it, were a blessing to Israel. But they were weak, unable to save people