After teaching an overview of the prophets in my Ladies' Bible Class, I really wanted to do a deeper study of Jeremiah. But Jeremiah is a daunting book. Perhaps not as daunting as Zechariah or Revelation, but close. It does not help that the book is not chronological. That means that even if you know your Bible history fairly well, you find yourself a bit confused in this book of figures, parables, sermons, and disordered historical events.
So when I came across this little (just over 200 pages) book by this brother of excellent scholarly reputation, I was anxious to give it a try. It has certainly delivered. However, that does not mean this is an easy study. What the author has done is make a study of Jeremiah as easy as it possibly can be.
Brother Mott divides Jeremiah into sections that are easily manageable by someone with limited time, sometimes one chapter more or less, sometimes two. Each section in turn is divided into smaller sections. My system went as follows. I read the introduction to the entire section in the book. Then I read the first small section in Jeremiah, usually four or five verses. After that, I read brother Mott's comments on those few verses, plus any other verses he may have referred to. I kept going in that manner through the section, then at the end, read the larger section one more time through. The questions I had were largely answered and my confusion about the time-frame straightened out.
But I am not finished with this book. Now I want to go through the whole process again, this time with a spiral notebook, making notes as I go so I will have a handy reference of my own in the future. After that I might even want to teach the women a whole class on Jeremiah. That's how good this handy guide is.
Thinking Through Jeremiah is published by DeWard Publishing.
Dene Ward
So when I came across this little (just over 200 pages) book by this brother of excellent scholarly reputation, I was anxious to give it a try. It has certainly delivered. However, that does not mean this is an easy study. What the author has done is make a study of Jeremiah as easy as it possibly can be.
Brother Mott divides Jeremiah into sections that are easily manageable by someone with limited time, sometimes one chapter more or less, sometimes two. Each section in turn is divided into smaller sections. My system went as follows. I read the introduction to the entire section in the book. Then I read the first small section in Jeremiah, usually four or five verses. After that, I read brother Mott's comments on those few verses, plus any other verses he may have referred to. I kept going in that manner through the section, then at the end, read the larger section one more time through. The questions I had were largely answered and my confusion about the time-frame straightened out.
But I am not finished with this book. Now I want to go through the whole process again, this time with a spiral notebook, making notes as I go so I will have a handy reference of my own in the future. After that I might even want to teach the women a whole class on Jeremiah. That's how good this handy guide is.
Thinking Through Jeremiah is published by DeWard Publishing.
Dene Ward
Comments