I am really enjoying reading J. Vernon McGee's commentaries. Even when I don't agree 100% with every, single, little detail, I enjoy reading his opinions and insights. I would definitely recommend this commentary on Jeremiah and Lamentations. Reading Old Testament prophecy isn't always easy, and it can be so tempting to skim it or to skip it. Reading this commentary which draws attention to verses from each chapter really helped me pay attention to the text. Is J. Vernon McGee's commentary the most thorough study on Jeremiah? Probably not. Equal attention is not paid to every single verse in every single chapter and sometimes J. Vernon McGee chooses to focus on modern day lessons. But will this commentary help you to see Jeremiah in a new light and perhaps appreciate him for the first time? It just might! One thing I really appreciated was how McGee put the book of Jeremiah into chronological context. He gives us the rest of the story as revealed in the historical books, and he discusses how Jeremiah's text fits into Judah's story as a nation.
Favorite quotes:
Our pulpits today desperately need men to speak with authority what God has written down in His Word. That is all He asks us to do. It is a simple task in one way, and in another it is a most difficult task. (21)
Martin Luther said, "One with God is a majority." (21)
God has inspired the words of Scripture--not just the thoughts and ideas of Scripture. (21)
Friend, we need to remember that there will never be a real revival until there is a real emphasis placed upon the Word of God. (25)
Idolatry is not simply making a little idol to worship. Anything that a man gives himself to wholeheartedly is idolatry. (33)
When God calls men, it is the call of the God of holiness, the God of purity, the God of love; and He demands that they rise to His height. He cannot accommodate Himself to the depravity of their nature. He will not consent to the things of desire within them that are of impurity and evil. He calls men up, and even higher, until they reach the height of perfect conformity to His holiness. God's call to humanity is always first pure, and then peaceable; first holy, and then happy; first righteous, and then rejoicing. (33) ~ Dr. G. Campbell Morgan, Studies in the Prophecy of Jeremiah, p. 36
It is interesting that you can read a human book and understand it without knowing the author of the book. But if you want to know the Bible, you need to know the Author and have Him as your Teacher. Only the spirit of God can make the Word of God real to you. (46)
People have always had substitutes for God. Anyone who is not worshiping the true and living God has some substitute for Him. (58)
No man can walk aright apart from the revelation of God in His Word. The minute a man turns from the Word of God, he is on a detour. That is our natural course. (61)
Service is fellowship with Christ. It is not teaching a Sunday school class, singing a solo, or preaching a sermon. Service is fellowship with Christ. It is being cleansed and used for what He wants to do. (69)
Oh, how we need to get into the Word of God today. We don't need just a little surface learning of a few rules, or just a little guideline of a few steps to take. We need to digest it so that it becomes part of our being. It will bring joy and rejoicing to the heart just as it did for Jeremiah. Only the Word of God can do this. (77)
Many people would like to think that the God of the New Testament is different from the God of the Old Testament. He is the same person; He hasn't changed one bit. He hasn't grown old. He hasn't even learned anything new. He is the same God. (125)
I am not impressed that the Bible is still the best seller of all books. Who is actually reading the Bible today? Ignoring the Bible is really no different from throwing it into the fire as Jehoiakim did. (149)
© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible
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