THE MESSAGE OF JEREMIAH
Grace in the end
By Christopher JH Wright
Inter-Varsity Press. 444 pages. £12.99
ISBN 978 1 783 590 322
The Message of Jeremiah by Chris Wright is a new volume in the popular Bible Speaks Today (BST) series of commentaries. It replaces an earlier, much slimmer work (176 pages) by Derek Kidner.
Like the best volumes in this series, Wright’s work will have a wide appeal. It provides a sure guide for the general reader wanting to get to grips with one of the longest books in the Bible. There is a helpful introduction which, while it deals with some technical detail, does so in a way that provides useful orientation for the reader.
The main text of the book opens up Jeremiah with a vivid sense of its pertinence for its times – both before and after the Exile. At the same time it challenges the reader to reflect upon the application of its message for today. As one would expect from Wright there is a strong emphasis upon the theology of mission in Jeremiah.
The book will also appeal to preachers. The introductory material, the highlighting of themes and guidance on the structure of the book, will provide great help for anyone planning a sermon series on Jeremiah. It seems that with Wright the needs of the preacher are never far from his mind.
A highlight of this particular entry in the BST series is a section at the end of each chapter on theological and expository themes. This provides much more provocation to reflect on the message than the usual bland study guide.
Wright takes us to the heart of Jeremiah’s mission. More importantly he takes us to the heart of God by reminding us that it is not so much the prophet who weeps, but God.
