Through the ESV Bible in a Year with Jackie Hill Perry

Episode: November 11 (Jeremiah 49; Psalm 119:25–32; 2 Corinthians 3–4)
Host: Crossway
Date: November 11, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode offers selected readings from Jeremiah 49, Psalm 119:25–32, and 2 Corinthians 3–4 as part of the daily journey through the ESV Bible. The readings focus on God’s judgment and restoration of various nations in Jeremiah, a personal plea for renewal and faithfulness in the Psalm, and a powerful New Testament discourse on the surpassing glory and permanence of the ministry of the Spirit in 2 Corinthians. The tone throughout is reverent and meditative, with an emphasis on both God’s justice and His transformative mercy.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Judgment and Restoration of Nations (Jeremiah 49)

Timestamp: 00:01 – 05:45

• Prophecies Against the Ammonites and Edom:
  • The Lord declares impending judgement on Ammon and Edom for their pride, their dispossession of Israel, and their misplaced trust in their possessions and wisdom.
  • "Behold, I will bring terror upon you, declares the Lord, God of hosts, from all who are around you." [01:54]
• Consequences for National Sins:
  • Each prophecy details unique punishments: towns reduced to desolation, people taken into exile, and destruction likened to Sodom and Gomorrah.
  • "Edom shall become a horror. Everyone who passes by it will be horrified and will hiss because of all its disasters." [02:55]
• Hope of Restoration:
  • A recurring theme is God’s promise to eventually restore these nations after judgment.
  • "But afterward, I will restore the fortunes of the Ammonites, declares the Lord." [02:03]
  • "But in the latter days I will restore the fortunes of Elam, declares the Lord." [05:39]

2. Personal Petition and Faithfulness (Psalm 119:25–32)

Timestamp: 05:46 – 06:17

• Honest Lament and Request for Renewal:
  • The Psalmist expresses deep sorrow: "My soul clings to the dust. Give me life according to your word." [05:46]
  • There is a yearning for God’s teaching and sustaining strength amid personal weakness:
    • "Strengthen me according to your word. Put false ways far from me, and graciously teach me your law." [05:59]
• Commitment to Obedience and Faithfulness:
  • The Psalm concludes with a resolve to choose God’s ways:
    • "I have chosen the way of faithfulness. I set your rules before me. I cling to your testimonies... I will run in the way of your commandments when you enlarge my heart." [06:05–06:17]

3. The Glory of the New Covenant (2 Corinthians 3–4)

Timestamp: 06:18 – 09:13

• True Authentication as Believers:
  • Paul states, "You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts to be known and read by all." [06:22]
• Sufficiency from God:
  • A clear distinction is drawn between old and new covenants:
    • "Who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." [06:48]
• Surpassing Glory of the Spirit:
  • The glory of the new covenant is described as surpassing the glory of Moses and the old law:
    • "For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory." [07:09]
• Freedom in Christ:
  • The theme of unveiled access to God through Christ:
    • "But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." [07:44]
• Transformation and Perseverance in Ministry:
  • The passage stresses open proclamation of the gospel, endurance through suffering, and hope of resurrection:
    • "We have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed... persecuted, but not forsaken." [08:16]
    • "So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison." [09:02]
• Emphasis on the Unseen and Eternal:
  • "We look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal." [09:11]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Restoration Amid Judgment:
  • "But afterward, I will restore the fortunes of the Ammonites, declares the Lord." [02:03]
  • "But in the latter days I will restore the fortunes of Elam, declares the Lord." [05:39]
• On the Spirit’s Power:
  • "For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." [06:48]
  • "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." [07:46]
• Encouragement in Difficulty:
  • "We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed, perplexed, but not driven to despair... always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our bodies." [08:16–08:36]
• Perspective on Suffering and Glory:
  • "For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison." [09:03]

Important Segment Timestamps

• Jeremiah 49 Reading: 00:01 – 05:45
• Psalm 119:25–32 Reading: 05:46 – 06:17
• 2 Corinthians 3–4 Reading: 06:18 – 09:13

Tone and Language Notes

The readings maintain the solemn, poetic language of the ESV translation, highlighting God’s justice, the call to personal faithfulness, and the deep hope found in Christ. The effect is both sobering and uplifting—balancing warnings of judgment with the promises of renewal and glory.

Summary Takeaway

This episode draws together themes of divine judgment, personal spiritual struggle, and the hope of transformation found in the new covenant. It invites listeners to reflect deeply on God's sovereignty, their own faithfulness in adversity, and the surpassing riches of the life and freedom found through the Spirit in Christ.