Verse of the Day (September 20, 2019)

Verse of the Day (September 20, 2019) – A literary pivot turns the book in a new direction, from pain to promise. God now speaks, showing concern for his land and his people (v. 18) by promising to bless them (vv. 19-24), restoring what the locusts had consumed (vv. 25-26) along with his own reputation (v. 27). In the midst of this, they are still to call on him (vv. 21-24). Rather than using rivers like the neighboring Egyptians (the Nile) and Mesopotamians (the Tigris and Euphrates), Israel depended on rain to provide water to irrigate its fields (Lev 26:4). The early autumn rains in September-October softened the soil for plowing after the summer dry season, while the later spring rains allowed spring and summer crops to mature. They both are God’s blessing (Jer 5:24). (Zondervan Study Bible) #BMSeminary