What do you think?
Rate this book
Returning from the Abyss: Pivotal Moments in the Book of Jeremiah
The Pivotal Moments in the Old Testament series helps readers see Scripture with new eyes, highlighting short, key texts--pivotal moments--that shift our expectations and invite us to turn toward another reality transformed by God's purposes and action.
The book of Jeremiah tells the story of a prophetic mission that seems doomed to fail. God instructs Jeremiah to call to account a people who refuse to turn from their unfaithfulness until it is too late, and they encounter destruction at the hands of the Babylonians. Yet underlying the themes of warning and judgment is a steady refrain: God's desire to draw God's people back into covenant, even when things seem past the point of no return. What lessons can contemporary readers draw from the narrative of a stubborn people who cling to their exploitative ways and a God who, even so, relentlessly pursues them? In Returning from the Abyss, Walter Brueggemann explores the historical and literary context of the book of Jeremiah to illuminate the dual themes of Israel's long walk into, and out of, the trauma and devastation of exile.
Throughout, Brueggemann points out the role of the prophet in overturning a people's illusory sense of security in unjust structures that are not of God and leading those same people toward the hope of restoration and return. He also highlights the persistent themes of empire, self-sufficiency, and withholding from neighbor that inform the narratives of both Israel and American exceptionalism and examines how the holiness of God is at work in untamed historical processes that point us toward a costly hope for a just economic and political future.
The book of Jeremiah tells the story of a prophetic mission that seems doomed to fail. God instructs Jeremiah to call to account a people who refuse to turn from their unfaithfulness until it is too late, and they encounter destruction at the hands of the Babylonians. Yet underlying the themes of warning and judgment is a steady refrain: God's desire to draw God's people back into covenant, even when things seem past the point of no return. What lessons can contemporary readers draw from the narrative of a stubborn people who cling to their exploitative ways and a God who, even so, relentlessly pursues them? In Returning from the Abyss, Walter Brueggemann explores the historical and literary context of the book of Jeremiah to illuminate the dual themes of Israel's long walk into, and out of, the trauma and devastation of exile.
Throughout, Brueggemann points out the role of the prophet in overturning a people's illusory sense of security in unjust structures that are not of God and leading those same people toward the hope of restoration and return. He also highlights the persistent themes of empire, self-sufficiency, and withholding from neighbor that inform the narratives of both Israel and American exceptionalism and examines how the holiness of God is at work in untamed historical processes that point us toward a costly hope for a just economic and political future.
170 pages, Paperback
Published March 22, 2022
10 people are currently reading
11 people want to read
About the author
Walter Brueggemann
316 books572 followersWalter Brueggemann was an American Christian scholar and theologian who is widely considered an influential Old Testament scholar. His work often focused on the Hebrew prophetic tradition and the sociopolitical imagination of the Church. He argued that the Church must provide a counter-narrative to the dominant forces of consumerism, militarism, and nationalism.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 18, 2022
When you think of Christian interpreters of the Bible, and especially the Old Testament, Walter Brueggemann will likely be at top of the list of trusted interpreters. He has been a prolific author and speaker, who not only brings to life the biblical text but brings to bear a social justice interpretation.
"Returning from the Abyss," Brueggemann's study guide for the Book of Jeremiah is his third contribution to the Pivotal Moments in the Old Testament series edited by Brent Strawn. The first two books focus on the Book of Exodus and carry the titled Delivered out of Empire: Pivotal Moments in the Book of Exodus, Part One. This new volume, like the previous two volumes, offers a guide to studying a portion of Scripture with an eye to contemporary concerns. Strawn asks us to pause and pivot where Scripture pivots so that we might be pointed toward something deeper, something that will prove transformative. Thus, "these texts are places where the Bible, and we who read it, may pivot toward another world --- another divine world --- that can change our own world for the better, forever" (p. xiii).
To start with practical matters first, since this book is designed for use by study groups, we will need to know upfront what to do with a book of twenty-seven chapters. Whether it's Strawn or Brueggemann, they suggest a set of twelve sessions, with generally two chapters on tap each week. . Three sessions cover three chapters. Each chapter is relatively brief (about five pages) and includes a set of study questions either for personal or group use.
This isn't a full-fledged commentary, and Brueggemann doesn't suggest that he's covering everything. After all, these are pivotal moments in the story of Jeremiah and the people of Judah. While not covering everything, we move step by step of the book. Jeremiah is a profound book that speaks to important concerns held by the people of Judah as they watch their country fall to the Babylonians and then watch as leading citizens, including its kings, are carried away into exile.
The book is complicated because it covers a lengthy period of time beginning with the reign of the good king Josiah and then we move to his successors, who do not rule with the same wisdom, leading to Jerusalem's fall. We learn, if we didn't know already, that Jeremiah represented the pro-Babylonian party. He recognized that Judah couldn't win the battle against the more powerful Babylonian army, so he counseled the kings to submit to the invaders for the good of the country. Of course, the leaders didn't listen to Jeremiah, and the nation fell and its leaders were taken into exile.
Brueggemann walks us step by step through the book, showing how Jeremiah spoke to Israel as it entered exile and then offered the promise of leaving exile. He takes note of the complexity of the book while following the basic plotline. We encounter Israel as it hears God's call to act justly, its failure, and its demise as a self-governing nation. We hear words of promise, including the promise of a new covenant. While Israel suffers exile, Jeremiah also foresees Babylon's fall. Ultimately Israel will be restored. This is the good news.
As this is typical Brueggemann, it will serve congregations well. Jeremiah has important messages to offer the church as it navigates a broken world. Brueggemann deftly guides us to the pivotal moments in Jeremiah's message. That is always valuable.
"Returning from the Abyss," Brueggemann's study guide for the Book of Jeremiah is his third contribution to the Pivotal Moments in the Old Testament series edited by Brent Strawn. The first two books focus on the Book of Exodus and carry the titled Delivered out of Empire: Pivotal Moments in the Book of Exodus, Part One. This new volume, like the previous two volumes, offers a guide to studying a portion of Scripture with an eye to contemporary concerns. Strawn asks us to pause and pivot where Scripture pivots so that we might be pointed toward something deeper, something that will prove transformative. Thus, "these texts are places where the Bible, and we who read it, may pivot toward another world --- another divine world --- that can change our own world for the better, forever" (p. xiii).
To start with practical matters first, since this book is designed for use by study groups, we will need to know upfront what to do with a book of twenty-seven chapters. Whether it's Strawn or Brueggemann, they suggest a set of twelve sessions, with generally two chapters on tap each week. . Three sessions cover three chapters. Each chapter is relatively brief (about five pages) and includes a set of study questions either for personal or group use.
This isn't a full-fledged commentary, and Brueggemann doesn't suggest that he's covering everything. After all, these are pivotal moments in the story of Jeremiah and the people of Judah. While not covering everything, we move step by step of the book. Jeremiah is a profound book that speaks to important concerns held by the people of Judah as they watch their country fall to the Babylonians and then watch as leading citizens, including its kings, are carried away into exile.
The book is complicated because it covers a lengthy period of time beginning with the reign of the good king Josiah and then we move to his successors, who do not rule with the same wisdom, leading to Jerusalem's fall. We learn, if we didn't know already, that Jeremiah represented the pro-Babylonian party. He recognized that Judah couldn't win the battle against the more powerful Babylonian army, so he counseled the kings to submit to the invaders for the good of the country. Of course, the leaders didn't listen to Jeremiah, and the nation fell and its leaders were taken into exile.
Brueggemann walks us step by step through the book, showing how Jeremiah spoke to Israel as it entered exile and then offered the promise of leaving exile. He takes note of the complexity of the book while following the basic plotline. We encounter Israel as it hears God's call to act justly, its failure, and its demise as a self-governing nation. We hear words of promise, including the promise of a new covenant. While Israel suffers exile, Jeremiah also foresees Babylon's fall. Ultimately Israel will be restored. This is the good news.
As this is typical Brueggemann, it will serve congregations well. Jeremiah has important messages to offer the church as it navigates a broken world. Brueggemann deftly guides us to the pivotal moments in Jeremiah's message. That is always valuable.
November 16, 2022
What does it take to do a sustained study of Jeremiah? What is the "primary plotline" of this major prophet? What has the book of Jeremiah has to say to modern society, and in particular to the modern USA? How would Jeremiah speak into a culture constantly tarnished by incidents of racism and economic injustice? Reflecting on chosen passages from the book of Jeremiah, author Walter Brueggemann aims to highlight how the ancient prophet's message to Israel then is also applicable to us today. Beginning with how Jeremiah describes the time of the kings, the author looks at the reign of several kings of Judah and Israel and extrapolates God's message of intent into the 21st Century. He invites readers to enter the abyss of the Israelite exilic experience, to show us the inexplicable gift of being able to return from such dire circumstances. Instead of a verse-by-verse or a passage-by-passage commentary style, Brueggemann opts for selective verses that help us pause and read via the ancient practice of Lectio Divina. With each verse, Brueggemann provides us a context for the thought process. He then highlights some of the spiritual ills or challenges facing ancient people of God and challenges us to recognize any modern equivalents. Brueggemann challenges us to identify the threats of atheism and idolatry, warning us against the mistake of identifying the lesser enemy. Other warnings include:
- The human tendency to disobey God's commands;
- Failure to see reality for what it is;
- The limits of modern "shame-filled" policing;
- Fallacies of wealth and worldly temptations;
- Ignoring neighbourly justice when we can do our part;
- Not to Forget prophetic poetry that prompts inner conviction;
- Dangers of supersessionism (aka replacement theology) that not only alienates Christians from Jews, but also masks a form of religious superiority;
- Injustice as if God is not watching;
- Failure of the government to do the right thing;
- ....
These and many more form the contour of thoughtful exegesis and contemporary applications.
My Thoughts
===============
As mentioned in the preface, even though there is an extended commentary on the verses, this book is not a typical commentary nor an abridged commentary. It is also more than simply a devotional because it does not just offer a thought or the main point. Brueggemann takes a verse, and with an anchoring title, guides us through a journey to discover ancient contexts that prompted God's responses. With hard-hitting questions to spur our study and meditative reading, he then presents us with a few hard-hitting questions to let us apply the truths of Jeremiah to our modern society and personal lives. In that sense, this book looks more like a series of sermons, modified for reading. It is also a unique form of Lectio Divina cum Bible study. Lectio Divina is an ancient practice of spiritual reading, especially when reading the Scriptures. Once practiced mainly in monasteries and spiritual centers of learning, this type of reading is slowly becoming more mainstream, especially for those who are dissatisfied with plain reading. This book pushes back against a culture of speed-reading and impatient browsing in favour of a more reflective and intentional meditative reading of scripture. That makes this book a particularly useful companion to our reading of Jeremiah, to pause as and when the texts make us pause. I appreciate the way Brueggemann exegetes the verse and guides us through the historical contexts and meanings for today. This is indeed his unique gift of exposition.
Out of 52 chapters, Brueggemann highlights for us 27 "pivotal moments" to learn about the ancient spiritual climate and how it applies to our modern world. In doing so, he not only injects new reasons for us to study the Jeremiah texts, he invites us to discover more "pivotal moments" in the rest of the prophetic book. Perhaps, as we discuss the questions at the end of each chapter in our small community group settings, we can discover more applications and learning moments.
Rating: 4.5 stars of 5.
conrade
This book has been provided courtesy of Westminster John Knox Press and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.
- The human tendency to disobey God's commands;
- Failure to see reality for what it is;
- The limits of modern "shame-filled" policing;
- Fallacies of wealth and worldly temptations;
- Ignoring neighbourly justice when we can do our part;
- Not to Forget prophetic poetry that prompts inner conviction;
- Dangers of supersessionism (aka replacement theology) that not only alienates Christians from Jews, but also masks a form of religious superiority;
- Injustice as if God is not watching;
- Failure of the government to do the right thing;
- ....
These and many more form the contour of thoughtful exegesis and contemporary applications.
My Thoughts
===============
As mentioned in the preface, even though there is an extended commentary on the verses, this book is not a typical commentary nor an abridged commentary. It is also more than simply a devotional because it does not just offer a thought or the main point. Brueggemann takes a verse, and with an anchoring title, guides us through a journey to discover ancient contexts that prompted God's responses. With hard-hitting questions to spur our study and meditative reading, he then presents us with a few hard-hitting questions to let us apply the truths of Jeremiah to our modern society and personal lives. In that sense, this book looks more like a series of sermons, modified for reading. It is also a unique form of Lectio Divina cum Bible study. Lectio Divina is an ancient practice of spiritual reading, especially when reading the Scriptures. Once practiced mainly in monasteries and spiritual centers of learning, this type of reading is slowly becoming more mainstream, especially for those who are dissatisfied with plain reading. This book pushes back against a culture of speed-reading and impatient browsing in favour of a more reflective and intentional meditative reading of scripture. That makes this book a particularly useful companion to our reading of Jeremiah, to pause as and when the texts make us pause. I appreciate the way Brueggemann exegetes the verse and guides us through the historical contexts and meanings for today. This is indeed his unique gift of exposition.
Out of 52 chapters, Brueggemann highlights for us 27 "pivotal moments" to learn about the ancient spiritual climate and how it applies to our modern world. In doing so, he not only injects new reasons for us to study the Jeremiah texts, he invites us to discover more "pivotal moments" in the rest of the prophetic book. Perhaps, as we discuss the questions at the end of each chapter in our small community group settings, we can discover more applications and learning moments.
Rating: 4.5 stars of 5.
conrade
This book has been provided courtesy of Westminster John Knox Press and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.
July 19, 2022
'Return From The Abyss,' by Walter Brueggemann is a stunning commentary on the prophetic book of Jeremiah, emphasizing the recurring themes of destruction and restoration that underpins the narrative.
The words of Jeremiah speak as provocatively into today's sociopolitical climate as it did centuries ago, if we only have ears to hear it. However, even as we see the relevance of this text in the world around us, we must remember that the text was not first written to us, as Bruggemann emphasizes,
Instead of a verse for verse commentary, Breuggemann tackles only a few verses per chapter or couples longer sections when appropriate, in order to hold the narrative thread for the reader, provide historical context, and demonstrate the parallels in the unfolding of today's political plot. Although he is primarily writing to an American audience, the book in its entirety is an equally helpful tool in navigating Jeremiah's text, for readers outside of the US (like myself).
Brueggemann's work in this commentary serves not to pirate the spotlight from the biblical text or to embellish it, but to enhance the grains in the metaphorical wood and create an invaluable companion to read alongside it.
The words of Jeremiah speak as provocatively into today's sociopolitical climate as it did centuries ago, if we only have ears to hear it. However, even as we see the relevance of this text in the world around us, we must remember that the text was not first written to us, as Bruggemann emphasizes,
"Without 'applying' the text of Jeremiah to our circumstance with any specificity, it is possible and useful to allow this ancient text to seed our imagination in fresh discernment concerning both our past and present historical realities and our future historic possibilities."
Instead of a verse for verse commentary, Breuggemann tackles only a few verses per chapter or couples longer sections when appropriate, in order to hold the narrative thread for the reader, provide historical context, and demonstrate the parallels in the unfolding of today's political plot. Although he is primarily writing to an American audience, the book in its entirety is an equally helpful tool in navigating Jeremiah's text, for readers outside of the US (like myself).
Brueggemann's work in this commentary serves not to pirate the spotlight from the biblical text or to embellish it, but to enhance the grains in the metaphorical wood and create an invaluable companion to read alongside it.
August 1, 2022
Returning from the Abyss: Pivotal Moments in the Book of Jeremiah by Walter Brueggemann is a phenomenal look at the book of Jeremiah. The book of Jeremiah is filled with such devastation and recovery. This author examines the Scriptures and brings them to life in his signature way. I highly recommend this book. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.
February 13, 2025
I’m fully aware that my star rating for this is an emotional response to finally being done with this book.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews