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Snapshot
- Outline and Summary
- Jeremiah Purified
- Jeremiah and the Potter
- Jeremiah Prepared
- Jeremiah Prophecies Persecution of Jews
- Jeremiah Pulverises Popularity Prophets
- Jeremiah Prays, Preaches and Laments
- Jeremiah Prophecies Messiah, New Covenant
Objectives
Key Theme: Divine judgment is at hand
Key Purpose -To:
- Demonstrate God’s judgment over Judah as it gets overthrown by its enemies
- Highlight that this is only for purification purposes as God waits for His people to repent
- Unveil the promise of the Messiah (Jesus) and new covenant as hope in darkness
Jeremiah’s Audience
Jeremiah proclaims a message of:
- Doom to the rebels before the Babylonian captivity (Jer. 1-39)
- Hope to the remnant who were discouraged(Jer. 40-52) (Lamentations 3)
He completely identified with Israel’s sin (Lamentations)
Jeremiah was finally exiled in Egypt (Jeremiah 43:1-7)
Jeremiah Authorship
- Jeremiah means “Jehovah throws”
- Several ancient writers say that Jeremiah was stoned to death (by the Jews), in Tahpanhes, Egypt.
- Jeremiah’s life spans pre-exile and exile reflected in his prophecies
- Jeremiah prophesied approximately 46 years, between 627-580 B.C. The book Jeremiah was also written during the time.
- Lamentations was likely written between 586 and 575 B.C., during or soon after Jerusalem’s fall.
Jeremiah, Lamentations Outline
Jeremiah dictated his words to his scribe, Baruch (Jeremiah 36:1-4,27-32; 51:64)/ Not chronological, the books cover:
- Call of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1)
- Prophecies of doom (Jeremiah 2-29)
- Prophecies of hope (Jeremiah 30-33)
- Siege and fall of Jerusalem (Jeremiah 34-39)
- Jeremiah laments but hopes (Lamentations)
- Post Jerusalem fall (Jeremiah 40-44)
- Prophecies to foreign nations (Jeremiah 46-51)
- Fall of Jerusalem (Jeremiah 52)
Jeremiah the Man
- Jeremiah, facing intense persecution and rejection, wanted to resign, but he had a burning desire to proclaim God’s word (Jeremiah 20:7-9)
- The pagan king of Babylon took better care of him (Jeremiah 39:11,12)
- He was not allowed to marry (Jeremiah16:1-4)
Timeline of the Prophets
See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.
Jeremiah Commissioned
Jeremiah and the Potter
Jeremiah 18:5 Then God’s Message came to me: “Can’t I do just as this potter does, people of Israel?” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsDrZF2lY4w
The Potter Throws Down and Rebuilds
Jer 33:3 ‘Call to me and I will answer you…’
- 4 I will slay in my anger and wrath.. because of all its wickedness.
- 6 “Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it
- 7 I will bring Judah and Israel back from captivity and will rebuild them.
Jeremiah Prepared
The Potters Field [1]
| Jeremiah, Zechariah | Matthew | |
| 1 | In Jeremiah 19:1 Chief priests and elders purchase from the potter a pot – a symbol of God’s judgments against themselves | In Matt 27:7, chief priests and elders purchase plot – a symbol of God’s judgment |
| 2 | In Jeremiah 19.10 the earthen container bought from the potter was cast down in front of his opponents again in his case as a symbol of judgment and as a portent of destruction of Jerusalem. Also refer Zechariah 11:12,13 | In Matthew 26:15 and 27:3,5, Judas betrays Jesus for 30 pieces of silver and casts the 30 pieces of silver down to the elders in the temple |
| 3 | In Jeremiah 19:6 the valley where the casting down took place had its name changed to the Valley of Slaughter | In Matt 27:8, the field bought by the chief priests was known as field of blood |
| 4 | And in Jeremiah 32:7-14, the field’s title deeds were put in an earthen container similar to that bought from the potter in Jeremiah 19:1. This signified that after judgment had come, mercy would follow so that fields would have value again | After Christ’s death and subsequent judgment to the Jews, mercy would follow and they will be the light of the nations once again. |
Jeremiah laments (identifies with Israel's state)
“Lamentations 1:20″ See, Lord, how distressed I am!
I am in torment within,
and in my heart I am disturbed,
for I have been most rebellious.
Outside, the sword bereaves;
inside, there is only death.
21″People have heard my groaning,
but there is no one to comfort me.
All my enemies have heard of my distress;
they rejoice at what you have done.
May you bring the day you have announced
so they may become like me.
Lamentations 1,4
Hope in Despair
Lamentations 3:22 The Lord’s loving kindnesses indeed never cease,
For His compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
All Powerful God
Lamentations 3:37 Who is there who speaks and it comes to pass, unless the Lord has commanded it? 38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
That both good and ill go forth?
Lamentations 3 - Right Response
Jeremiah Pulverises Popularity Prophets
It’s all hot air. Lies, lies, and more lies.
They make it all up.
Not a word they speak comes from me.
They preach their ‘Everything Will Turn Out Fine’ sermon
to congregations with no taste for God,
Their ‘Nothing Bad Will Ever Happen to You’ sermon
to people who are set in their own ways.– The Message
Jeremiah Prophesies Jesus’ Rule
he will do what is just and right in the land’
Jeremiah’s Prophesies New Covenant
Jeremiah Prophecies Persecution of Jews
Alas! For that day is great,
So that none is like it;
And it is the time of Jacob’s trouble, But he shall be saved out of it.
Jeremiah Prophesies Nations Uniting to Worship Christ
Feast of Tabernacles 2016 - 20 nations
Jeremiah Prophesies Good Shepherds
Jeremiah Prophesies Regathering of Israel
Jeremiah 23:7–8 “Therefore, behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “that they shall no longer say, ‘As the Lord lives who brought up the children of Israel from the land of Egypt,’ but, ‘As the Lord lives who brought up and led the descendants of the house of Israel from the north country and from all the countries where I had driven them.’ And they shall dwell in their own land.”
Discussion
- What are common features of Jeremiah’s time and today’s age
- How can we respond to God’s commission in the current times to the saved? Unsaved?
- What responses can we expect from the saved? Unsaved?
- What motivates the prophets to lead a lonely life of constant rejection?
References: Babylonian Captivity
| Date | Deportation | Captives Taken |
| 605 (1st year)* | First | Nobles, Daniel (2 Kings 24:1; Dan. 1:1-2) |
| 597 (7th year)* | Second | Jehoiachin, Ezekiel (2 Kings 24:12; Jer. 52:28; Ezk. 1:1-2) |
| 586 (19th year)* | Third | Jerusalem (2 Kings25:8; Jer. 52:29) |
| 582 (23rd year)* | Fourth (Minor) | Small Group of 745 Jews (Jer. 52:30) |