Anyone who has ever pored over the book of Jeremiah knows that it is not exactly what you would call a "cheery read." The English language has even adopted the term "jeremiad" to describe any excessively woeful, wrathful, bad-news-bearing message or messenger. Jeremiah is renowned as a prophet of doom and gloom. He berates the people for a litany of sins and bad behavior. He preaches constantly about the divine judgment and destruction that awaits them because of their attitudes.

Frankly, Jeremiah had good reason. His prophetic laments stretched over the tumultuous transition that saw the end of the hated Assyrian empire and its dominating presence in Judah. Unfortunately, a new, even stronger Babylonian regime moved in to destroy the struggling remnants of the Southern Kingdom. Ill-advise…