The King You Didn't Know, Jeremiah 1:1-19 & 2 Chronicles 35:20-25

Send us Fan Mail"If you know Jeremiah, you know the Old Testament" is something I like to say. Because it is the most political book of the Bible. It is the backdrop of King Josiah's huge political blunder in fighting against Pharaoh Neco in 2 Chronicles 35 that shows us why. King Josiah was the beginning of the distinctively Jewish state. The Deuteronomists come from this period, and everything we see from before the exile, Genesis through 2nd Kings, comes through the lens of them. I discuss the shifting of the Overton Window in Jeremiah's time and how he fought the powerful to stay true. I also describe how this shifting looks very similar to America's political leaders' choices. I ask whether our response to threats and changes should be Realpolitik like the cynical Henry Kissinger or the diplomacy of George C. Marshall or later George H. W. Bush. All of these approaches had their successes and failures. It was very hard to discern truth and faithfulness in Jeremiah's day as well. I will speak more about Jeremiah in future episodes. I am convinced that the better we know this, the better we can be faithful to God's promise for us. Correction: King Amon ruled for only 2 years. King Josiah ruled for 31 years. Sorry for the error.Reference: "The Prophetic Imagination" by Walter Brueggemann, especially chapter 3#Jeremiah #josiah #prophesy #realpolitick #overtonwindow #edmonds #edmondspres #pcusa