Jeremiah, Here the Word of the Lord (Paperback)

If you've been to the movies in the last twenty years or so, you've probably seen the Dolby and THX name on the screen and heard their signature sound, letting you know that you are about to be entertained with the ultimate sound experience in movie theaters. The hallmark of this sound system technology developed by Lucasfilm and THX, the introduction begins with what sounds like a single tone. It starts relatively soft, and then builds as it moves from one bank of speakers to another until it feels like the whole theater is going to shake apart from the sound. And then they bring up the words, "The audience is listening." In a time of crisis for God's people, God uses Jeremiah to try to get them to pay attention. This message Jeremiah delivers really is the same message - the same tone - that prophets before him had delivered. It is the message proclaimed by Moses in Deuteronomy. It is the message of Samuel, Elijah, and Hosea: Love the Lord your God with all your heart. Jeremiah wants desperately to get their attention. He calls out repeatedly, "Hear the word of the Lord," but the people stubbornly refuse to listen. To them, nothing is wrong. God steadily cranks up the volume, bringing the Babylonians against Jerusalem to destroy it. Their whole world is shaking apart, but the line that appears on the screen is, "The audience is not listening." The book of Jeremiah continues to speak to people in Babylonian Exile, preserved so that future generations of believers can have the opportunity to hear the message. Perhaps they will listen. God is hopeful. God is optimistic. He is waiting for the audience to listen. "Jeremiah, Hear the Word of the Lord" reminds us that the message from God inJeremiah's book is for us (Christians) and not just for them (the Israelites).