Through the ESV Bible in a Year with Jackie Hill Perry

Episode: October 26 (Jeremiah 13–14; Psalm 107:1–22; Romans 8)
Date: October 26, 2025
Host: Crossway

Episode Overview

This episode features daily Bible readings from Jeremiah 13–14, Psalm 107:1–22, and Romans 8. The readings, presented in the English Standard Version (ESV), cover themes of judgment and restoration, God’s faithful deliverance, and the freedom and assurance believers have in Christ. The passage choices emphasize human unfaithfulness, divine steadfastness, and the unbreakable bond between God and his redeemed people.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Jeremiah 13–14: Symbolic Judgment and Honest Lament

• Prophetic Symbolism: God instructs Jeremiah to buy a linen loincloth, wear it, then spoil it by hiding it in the Euphrates, symbolizing Israel and Judah’s ruined closeness to God due to pride and disobedience (00:01–03:23).
  • "Even so will I spoil the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem... they shall be like this loincloth, which is good for nothing." (A, 02:46)
• Divine Warning: God warns Judah and Jerusalem that refusal to listen and persistent idolatry will lead to public shame, exile, and suffering (03:24–05:42).
  • "Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? Then also you can do good who are accustomed to do evil." (A, 05:13)
• Lament over Drought and Exile: Jeremiah describes agony—a land ruined by drought, a people desperate for restoration, even as God refuses to hear empty prayers due to persistent rebellion (05:43–09:41).
  • "Let my eyes run down with tears night and day, and let them not cease, for the virgin daughter of my people is shattered with a great wound..." (A, 08:44)

2. Psalm 107:1–22: God’s Steadfast Love and Redemption

• Universal Redemption: The Psalm opens with praise for God's enduring love, recalling how He gathers and delivers His people from global distress (09:42–10:05).
  • "Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so..." (A, 09:43)
• Rescue from Distress: Repeated refrains highlight varying situations—lost wanderers, prisoners, the ailing—each delivered when they cry to the Lord (10:06–13:18).
  • "Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress." (A, 10:54, 12:03, recurring)
• Thanksgiving and Praise: The Psalm culminates in an exhortation to give thanks in response to God’s acts of healing and salvation (13:19–13:54).
  • "Let them thank the Lord for His steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man." (A, 13:14)

3. Romans 8: The Life-Giving Freedom of the Spirit

• No Condemnation in Christ: Paul assures believers that union with Christ means freedom from condemnation—the Spirit delivers from the law of sin and death (13:55–15:09).
  • "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (A, 13:56)
• Life in the Spirit: Contrasting life “by the flesh” with life “by the Spirit,” Paul emphasizes that the Spirit brings true life and peace, and marks true belonging to God (15:10–17:41).
  • "For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace." (A, 15:35)
• Adoption and Inheritance: Through the Spirit, believers are adopted as God’s children and become heirs alongside Christ—even if suffering is part of the journey (17:42–19:05).
  • "You have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, 'Abba! Father!'" (A, 18:44)
• Hope in Suffering: Present suffering is contrasted with future glory; all creation longs for redemption, and the Spirit prays for believers in their weakness (19:06–22:11).
  • "The Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words." (A, 21:34)
• God’s Unstoppable Purpose and Love:
  • God works all things for the good of those called according to His purpose, securing them through foreknowledge, predestination, calling, justification, and glorification (22:12–23:39).
  • "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (A, 22:43)
  • "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?... In all these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." (A, 24:57)
  • "For I am sure that neither death, nor life... nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." (A, 25:27)

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On Human Helplessness and Divine Action:
  • "He [God] satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things." (A, 10:47)
• On the Scope of God’s Rescue:
  • "He shatters the doors of bronze and cuts in two the bars of iron." (A, 12:37)
• On Christian Assurance:
  • "For those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God." (A, 17:42)
• On Suffering and Glory:
  • "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us." (A, 19:12)

Important Timestamps

• Jeremiah’s Loincloth Parable: 00:01–03:23
• Jeremiah’s Lament Over Drought and Exile: 05:43–09:41
• Opening Praise in Psalm 107: 09:42–10:05
• Repeated Deliverances in the Psalm: 10:06–13:18
• Romans 8 — No Condemnation and Living by the Spirit: 13:55–17:41
• Adoption, Inheritance, and Hope: 17:42–19:05
• Suffering, Prayer, and God’s Love: 19:06–26:18

Tone and Presentation

The episode maintains a reverent, meditative tone throughout, conveying both the gravity of judgment and the hope of redemption and assurance. The readings are direct and solemn, allowing Scripture to speak for itself without additional commentary.

Summary

This episode brings listeners through the warnings of Jeremiah, the praise and thanksgiving of Psalm 107, and the triumphant promises of Romans 8. The unifying thread is the contrast between human faithlessness and God's unfailing love—a love that judges sin but offers deliverance, fills the longing heart, adopts us as His children, and guarantees nothing can separate us from Him. The readings together remind listeners of God’s sovereignty in history, His mercy in hardship, and His ultimate victory through Christ.