Readings:
Jeremiah 42-44
Hebrews 9

Jeremiah 42-44

Jeremiah is approached by the people left in the land and asked for advice on where they should go. So he goes away and prays for 10 days, and gets a word from God and tells them to stay in the land of Judah.

It seems like a large portion of them wanted to go to Egypt, because Jeremiah specifically addresses that plan and tells them not to. They probably wanted to go there because at this time Egypt was a regional power and living there would offer stability and protection. But God told them to stay in the land, probably because the exile of the rest of their nation wasn’t permanent, and they were told it would last 70 years. So without a caretaker population the land would go fallow in those years, and the buildings would be in disrepair. But by having the remnant stay in Judah it would keep the land in good condition for their eventual return.

Whether an open secret or revealed to him by God, it isn’t said in the text that they wanted to go to Egypt until Jeremiah says not to. But despite promising to listen to whatever God tells them to do, the leaders were angry that they were told not to go to Egypt and they went anyway.

Jeremiah then prophesies over them in Egypt because they are living again amongst pagan peoples and sacrificing to their gods. He reminds them that the reason their families have been taken captive to Babylon and their city burned to the ground, is because of the idolatry that they’re continuing to do here in Egypt. But the people double down when they here him speak. They say they will continue offering incenses to the idols and drink offerings to the Canaanite gods like their fathers and mothers did, because back then they had food and no bad thing happened to them.

This reminds me of the Israelites crying in the desert with Moses, that in Egypt they had plenty of food, while conveniently ignoring the fact that in Egypt they were slaves and mistreated greatly. This new generation of Israelites are saying nothing bad ever happened to them when they worshipped idols, while completely ignoring the fact that they’re saying these words in Egypt because their homes in Judah have been destroyed. That’s something bad.

Jeremiah rightly calls them out on this. He reminds them of their current predicament and it’s because of idolatry.

Hebrews 9

The author of Hebrews in this chapter begins by describing the tabernacle and by extension the temple of Jerusalem because it was modeled after the tabernacle, he uses the term “tent” to refer to the tabernacle in the past and the temple in the present.

He goes on to explain how the priests entered the outer tent daily, this was to make the twice daily sacrifices for the people, and that only the high priest went to the inner sanctuary and only once a year. This was on the day of atonement, now called Yom Kippur.

“And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.” The lifting up of Jesus on the cross signifies and announces his lifting up by his Ascension into heaven, and indeed begins it. Jesus Christ, the one priest of the new and eternal Covenant, “entered, not into a sanctuary made by human hands. . . but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.” There Christ permanently exercises his priesthood, for he “always lives to make intercession” for “those who draw near to God through him”. As “high priest of the good things to come” he is the center and the principal actor of the liturgy that honors the Father in heaven.

CCC 662

But Jesus entered into this inner tent in the Heavenly Sanctuary, which the tabernacle was a reflection of as we saw in the previous day’s readings. He offered his own precious blood in the heavenly sanctuary and that’s hat secured our redemption. His blood is offered as not just a redeeming sacrifice like the day of atonement, but also as a sealing of the new covenant like the blood sealed the mosaic covenant at Sinai.

He finishes with a reminder that Christ will come again, but this time it’s not to deal with sin because that’s already been handled, it’s to come for those who eagerly seek his return.

Tomorrow’s Readings:
Jeremiah 45-47
Hebrews 10