JEREMIAH THE PROPHET
Jeremiah's Ministry
The OT tells us much about the life and ministry of Jeremiah the prophet. He was born in Anathoth (Jer. 1:1), a small village about 5 km (3.2 miles) north of Jerusalem. His father was a priest named Hilkiah (not to be confused with Hilkiah in Josiah's service, 1 Kings 22:8), and was probably a descendant of the high priest Abiathar whom Solomon banished to Anathoth (1 Kings 2:26). Jeremiah never married (Jer. 16:12) and dedicated his entire adult life to prophetic work. Jeremiah's ministry extended over four decades and addressed many different situations. It is helpful to divide his long ministry into four major stages.
The first stage of Jeremiah's ministry was during the reign of Josiah (639-609 bc). Jeremiah grew up about the same time as the king and entered prophetic service in the 13th year of Josiah's reign (Jer. 1:2). His work began five years before the king's reforms reached their height in 622 (2 Kings 22:3-23:23). 2 Chron. 35:25 mentions that Jeremiah lamented the king's death (2 Chron. 35:25). We may conclude, therefore, that the prophet must have supported the king's lengthy commitment to religious reform. During the reign of Josiah, Jeremiah openly condemned the injustice and idolatry of the nation and warned against false security (Jer. 120). He agreed with his contemporary, Huldah the prophetess (2 Kings 22:1520), that Judah and Jerusalem would be destroyed for her sins.
Josiah's untimely death in 609 led to the second stage of Jeremiah's ministry. Jehoahaz (called Shallum in Jer. 22:11) became king, but reigned only three months. King Neco of Egypt removed Jehoahaz from the throne for refusing to pay tribute and installed Jehoiakim (609-598) as his vassal in Jerusalem (2 Kings, 23:31-35). During this time, Jeremiah predicted that Jehoahaz would not return from Egypt (Jer. 22:1112). He condemned the sins and injustices of Jehoiakim's kingdom (Jer. 22:1823). He also predicted that Jehoiachin, next in the Davidic line to reign, would be exiled to Babylon (Jer. 22:2430). Because his ministry was so negative, the kings, government officials, and many of the common people opposed Jeremiah.
Jehoiakims fourth year (605) was a particularly important time for Jeremiah. Nebuchadnezzar defeated the Egyptians at Carchemish. He then took control of Judah and removed the selected nobles from Jerusalem to Babylon. Jeremiah announced that these events were the beginning of an exile that would not end for 70 years (Jer 25:1-14). Jeremiah produced a written record of his predictions
with the help of his secretary Baruch (Jer. 36:18). The scroll so enraged Jehoiakim that he burned the scroll (Jer. 36:926), but Jeremiah courageously wrote again adding more words of condemnation against the king (Jer. 36:27-23).
The third stage of Jeremiah's ministry was during the reign of Zedekiah (597-586 bc), the last king of Judah. The Babylonians installed Zedekiah as their vassal after taking Jehoiachin to Babylon (2 Kings 24:17-18). His advisers, however, urged him to turn against Nebuchadnezzar (Jer. 34:17). The false prophets Hananiah (Jer. 28:14) and Shemaiah (Jer. 29:2428) also proclaimed that the Babylonians were no threat. Jeremiah, however, insisted that Judah should submit to Babylon (Jer. 21:1-7; 37:17-21; 38:7-28). Zedekiah rejected Jeremiah's counsel and rebelled against Babylon in 589 bc. As a result, Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to Jerusalem. During this terrible siege, Jerusalem officials had Jeremiah arrested (Jer. 37:1121); he was saved from death only by the kindness of Ebedmelech, an Ethiopian eunuch (Jer. 38:113). In 586 the Babylonians overran Jerusalem and destroyed the Temple just as Jeremiah had warned.
The fourth stage of Jeremiah's ministry took place after the destruction of Jerusalem. Jeremiah found favour among Babylonian officials and chose to remain in Judah. Nebuchadnezzar appointed Gedaliah as the governor of Judah (Jer. 40:1 6), but rebels in Judah soon assassinated him. Fearing reprisal, the rebels fled to Egypt, taking Jeremiah with them as hostage (Jer. 42). The prophet urged them to stay in Judah, but they refused and settled in Tahpanhes of Egypt. Little is known about Jeremiah's final years. The last oracle recorded in his book took place in Egypt (Jer. 44:1-30). It is likely that he died there, having never returned to his homeland.
Jeremiah's message
The lord called Jeremiah to proclaim a twofold message. 'I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant' (Jer. 1:10). As this commission indicates, the prophet's ministry was negative and positive. He was to announce the destruction and establishment of nations. Jeremiah spoke of the nations surrounding Israel (Jer. 4651), but the chief concern of his ministry was the nation of Judah. He spoke primarily of Judah's fall and re-establishment.
Jeremiah addressed specific issues at different times, but his basic pattern remained consistent because he relied heavily on the covenant theology of Deuteronomy. Jeremiah was undoubtedly familiar with the deuteronomic laws that played such an important role in Josiah's reforms (2 Kings 22:8). He shaped the emphases and structure of his theology according to these laws.
The book of Deuteronomy depicted the relationship between God and his people on analogy with international covenant treaties of the Ancient Near East. The lord was the supreme suzerain, or emperor, and Israel was his vassal, or servant nation. Divine benevolence formed the basis of this covenant relationship. God had brought Israel out of Egypt (Eg Deut 4:20), given them the law and had brought them to Canaan. In response to these blessings the people of Israel were to show gratitude by giving exclusive allegiance to the Lord and his law. This relationship was not an
arrangement of salvation by good works for Israel had not earned deliverance from Egypt. Rather, obedience was to be the result of appreciation for gracious blessings already received. Nevertheless, the deuteronomic covenant offered further blessings to those who obeyed the Law, and curses for those who flagrantly disobeyed the Law (e.g. Deut. 2728). Obedience furthered the covenant relationship, and disobedience reflected ingratitude and violated the convenant. These patterns of covenantal blessings and curses formed the fundamental structures of Jeremiah's various messages.
Deut. 4:2531 conveniently summarizes the twofold framework of Jeremiah's message. First, Moses warned that covenant curses will be brought against Israel when future generations provoke the lord to anger (Deut. 4:25). They will not experience peace in the land (Deut. 4:26), but will be driven into Exile (Deut. 4:27 28). In line with these perspectives, Jeremiah spent much time insisting that Israel's covenant was conditional. False prophets had popularized the idea that God's covenant with Israel ensured their safety (Jer. 28:1-17). Jerusalem would never be destroyed; the lord would protect his Temple from devastation (Jer. 7:1-29). By contrast, Jeremiah frequently pointed out the severe sins of the people, especially their idolatry (e.g. Jer. 16:10-13, 20; 22:9; 32:29; 44:2-3). He announced the inevitability of Jerusalem's devastation and Exile because of their continuing violations of the covenant (e.g. Jer. 6:130; 13:1527; 25:114). Jeremiah lived to see his predictions of judgment become reality when the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem in 586.
Second, the deuteronomic covenant held out hope for the people of God even after suffering the punishment of Exile. Moses promised that God will forgive and return Israel to the land, if those driven away would seek God in repentance (Deut. 4:2930). God would not forget the promises made to the fathers; he would be merciful once again (Deut. 4:31). For this reason, Jeremiah also proclaimed hope for Israel in the future. He assured the people that God would one day bring about a new era (Jer. 30:133:26). God would return both Judah and Israel to the land of promise (Jer. 30:3^4). He purchased land in his home town to demonstrate his certainty of this future (Jer. 32:1-44). He announced a renewal of the covenant (Jer. 31:31-34) and the restoration of the throne of David (Jer. 33:15). From Jeremiah's perspective, the eventual return was as certain as the fixed laws govern ing the day and night (Jer. 33:25-26).
Jeremiah's message of restoration was especially important for NT writers. Three times the 'new covenant' (or 'renewed covenant', as it may be translated) of Jer. 31:31 is identified with the new covenant in Christ (2 Cor. 3:3; Heb. 8:8-12; 10:1 li) Jeremiah's words are often misunderstood as a prediction that Christ brought something entirely new or different from Israel's previous covenants with the LORD. The context of Jer. 31:31-34, however, points in a different direction. The new covenant will be different from the past because the covenant with moses degenerated into a facade of external religion through disobedience (Jer 31:32-33). The new covenant, however, will be a restoration to the original deuteronomic standard of devotion from the heart (e.g. Deut 6:4; 30:11-14). The NT writers taught that this renewal of the covenant took place among those who followed Jesus, the mediator of the new and better covenant.
Jeremiah's character
We know more about Jeremiah's character than most of the prophets in Scripture. Two sides of his personality stand out in the records of his book. On the one hand, many of Jeremiah's prophecies and the narratives about his life reveal the strength of his devotion to the lord. Jeremiah's pronouncements of doom met such resistance in Judah. His preaching was never popular. Despite these difficulties, Jeremiah continued to announce boldly that Judah's sins had condemned Jerusalem to destruction and her population to Exile.
On the other hand,
however, the book of Jeremiah presents a portrait of a man with deep inner
struggles. Jeremiah was plagued by feelings of inadequacy, depression, doubt and
despair. A number of passages (often called 'Jeremiah's Confessions') reveal
severe inner conflicts. Jeremiah lamented the betrayal of his friends and family
(Jer. 11:1812:6). He wondered about the purpose of his
ministry (Jer. 15:1021). He grew impatient
for the word of the lord to be
fulfilled (Jer.
17:1218).
He prayed for vindication from the
lord against his opponents
(Jer. 18:18-23). In his last recorded
complaint (Jer. 20:7-18), Jeremiah cried to the
lord,
'You deceived me' (Jer. 20:7), and cursed
the day of his birth (Jer. 20:14-18).
These disclosures reveal important
dimensions of Jeremiah's character. Jeremiah
wrestled with the discouragement of a
ministry not well received. He suffered for
his message time and again, and seldom
received much encouragement. In all of his
trials, however, Jeremiah faced his misery
with admirable honesty. He did not treat his difficulties superficially,
but felt and expressed his deepest discouragements. Nevertheless, Jeremiah
showed himself a man of faith by bringing his perplexing,. questions to
God in prayer. He sought solace in the God who had called him to
speak.
The Complete Whos Who in the Bible. Ed P Gardner
Jeremiah 25 to 29. An Overview
In these five chapters we see the culmination of the first half of his ministry, death threats, the exile. Jeremiah prophesy a length of time to the captivity in Babylon, Judah's enemy. We're going to survey the chapters and then focus on one section.
Chapter 25: This chapter is the point at which the "culmination of Jeremiah's first 23 years ministry is reached (627-605BC)."
The end is now coming. So close it can almost be touched! God is going to use Nebuchadnezzar as his servant (25:9). It happened in 605 BC when Babylon defeated Egypt & Judah's day was numbered. But Babylon's fall came in turn when Babylon was captured by Cyrus, the Persian in 539 BC (25:12)
· Read verses 15 to 16. This chapter is about the wrath of God.
Chapter 26: Biography of Jeremiah Early in reign of Jehoiakim (around 609BC)
· The priests and the prophets say v11 - Jeremiah should be sentenced to death
· The officials and people say no! v16. He lives.
Chapter 27: Early in reign of Zedekiah (around) Jeremiah sets himself of the task of denouncing and correcting the notion that it was possible to overthrow the power that had become supreme in the East. Symbolised in 27:2 the yoke of straps and crossbars and put on his neck.
Chapters 28 & 29: Two false prophets 28 and 29:24-end. Prophets who prophesy wrongly are seen to die. Sandwiched around the words from the true prophet.
The Letter to the Exiles - Jeremiah 29:1-32
1. How do you respond when someone who is supposed to speak for you expresses an opinion or idea that is not your own?
2. To whom did Jeremiah, who is living in Jerusalem, send a letter? (29:1-2)
3. Who was able to carry a letter to the exiles? (29:3)
4. What specific commands did God give the exiles regarding how they should
settle down? (29:4-6)
5. How did God want the Israelites to think about and react to the foreign
country in which they lived? (29:7)
6. By whom were the exiles in danger of being deceived? (29:8-9)
7. After what period of time did God promise to bring the people back to the land? (29:10)
8. What was the nature of God's plans for Israel? (29:11)
9. Why would Judah's seeking for God be fruitful after this period of exile? (29:12-13)
10. How would the people of Israel be "reconstituted" after seventy years of exile? (29:14)
11. What did Jeremiah's letter inform the exiles about God's judgment of those who remained behind? (29:15-19)
12. What did God have in store for two specific false prophets who were telling the exiles they would soon be home? (29:20-21)
13. What deeds of the false prophets had not escaped God's all-seeing eye? (29:22-23)
Get It
14. Why was it important for the exiles to know that God planned to prosper them and not to harm them?
16. What kind of prophet (false or true) told the people what they wanted to hear while requiring nothing of them in return?
17. What emotional reaction would most people have if asked to pray for the prosperity of their captors?
18. How do you think God would have us pray for our country?
19. Why does God want us to seek Him with our whole heart?
20. What does it mean to you to seek God with your whole heart?
21. How should we react whenever someone promises us something for nothing in spiritual matters?
Apply It
22. How can you maintain a healthy skepticism toward people who promise too much for God?
23. How does God's promise of a hope for the future enable you to persevere through the current difficulties in your life?