Grant, Almighty God, that as You have not only in Your law prescribed to us what is right and shown us the way of a godly life, but have also more clearly revealed Your will to us by the light of Your gospel, where Christ Your Son shines forth as the Sun of Righteousness, O grant that we may submit ourselves wholly to You, and from the heart render You obedience, and to this apply all our efforts and direct all our doings, so that, having finished the course of this life, we may at length come into that blessed rest that has been prepared for us in heaven by Christ our Lord. Amen.
This is an idea that I've been kicking around for some time. I have exhausted every excuse not to do it and have procrastinated long enough, so today I'm diving in. The purpose of this blog is, quite simply, to study the Bible and theology. I'm doing it primarily for my own edification, although, if God sees fit, someone else may get something out of it as well. My plan is to study one book of the Bible at a time within the framework of the grand story of redemption presented in Scripture. I may also from time to time study a great theological book (such as Calvin's Institutes) and document what I learn. My goal is not to present myself as some great theological giant, but rather to learn as much as I can about the Bible, theology, and God Himself, and through that study, to draw ever closer to Him (and, hopefully, point anyone who reads this blog in that direction too).
Brief autobiographical sketch: I am a chaplain (sort of) at a homeless shelter, so it 's part of my job to convey biblical truths to our homeless residents in order to help them overcome addictions and get back on their feet. I also serve as the chaplain for the local minor league baseball team. I have been studying the Bible for a long time, and I have found that the more I learn, the more I realize I don't know.
I thought for a long time about where to start with this blog. I have always been drawn to Jeremiah: his character, his personality, the obstacles to ministry that he faced. So that's where I'll start. I probably won't cover every single verse, but I'll deal with sections or chapters at a time. I'll record my own thoughts and ideas, but I'll use other resources as well. John Calvin's commentaries, Matthew Henry's commentary, the New Bible Commentary, Derek Kidner's commentary on Jeremiah, and even The Prophets by Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel will be used often. I want to get as full a picture of Jeremiah's prophecy as possible.
In the interest of disclosure, I hold fast to Reformed Theology. I understand that not everyone who reads this blog will have the same convictions. And that's okay. I welcome friendly discussion and exchange of ideas. However, one of the things that really upsets me is when born-again, Bible believing Christians argue about where they differ theologically rather than celebrating where they agree. So I have no interest in arguing or trying to be "right". I just want, to the best of my ability, to be faithful to the text and to honor God and His Word.
And with that, let's study Jeremiah, shall we?
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