JeremiahThe Weeping Prophet

By Luke Kim

Presentation Outline

Introduction Backgrounds: kings, nations, prophets Prophecies Fulfillments of Prophecies Jeremiah – The Man God in Jeremiah Conclusion

Outline of the Book

The Call of Jeremiah (1) Prophecies to Jerusalem and Judah (2-35)

Warnings and Exhortations to Judah Promises of Restoration

The Sufferings of Jeremiah (36~38)The Fall of Jerusalem

Prophecies to Foreign Nations (46~51) Historical Appendix (52)

Introduction“’This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,’ declares the LORD. ‘I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts I will be their God, and they will be my people’” (31:33)

Author: Jeremiah (“Yahweh lays a foundation.”)

Date: 626 BC ~ sometime after 586Written, destroyed (by King Jehoiakim), rewritten and edited in a state of constant turmoil and danger

Theme: The Judgment of God

Kings Josiah (640-609) Jeremiah came in the 13th yr of his reign

Jehoahaz (609)

Jehoiakim (~597): A puppet king under Egypt and Babylon.

Revolted against Nebu. Died in captivity.Burned the scroll of God’s word. (36)

Jehoiachin (597) A political prisoner in Babylon for 37 yrs

Zedekiah (~587)

Jeremiah pleaded to submit to Babylon. Caused a famine. (32:36)Imprisoned Jeremiah. Jeremiah prophesies 70 yrs of exile (25). His sons were slain and his own eyes were put out. Carried in chains to Babylon.

Invasions

Josiah (640-609) Jehoahaz (609) Jehoiakim (~597)

Babylon becomes a super power nation.Babylon’s 1st invasion (606) – Daniel…

Jehoiachin (597)Babylon’s 2nd invasion (598)

Zedekiah (~587)Babylon’s 3rd invasion (588)The Fall of Jerusalem (586) – Jeremiah…

Prophets

Contemporary ProphetsBeginning: Nahum, Zephaniah, and HabakkukEnd: Daniel and Ezekiel

There were false prophets (i.e.:Hananiah in 28)Preached good things to the people (14, 23, 30-34)Prophesied lies in God’s name.People loved to hear them.

Prophets were persecuted and killed. I.e.) Uriah prophesied against the people of Judah and fled in fear to Egypt. But he was caught in Egypt and brought back. The king Jehoiakim had him struck down with a sword.(26)

Prophecies

“The word of the Lord came to me…”

Prophecies (1)

Judah’s Forsaking God / Idolatry God forsakes them. Coming Destruction Warnings Repentance The Broken Covenant Drought, Famine, Sword, and Captivity

Messages about Egypt, the Philistines, Moab, Ammon, Edom, Damascus, Kedar, Hazor, Elam, and Babylon (46-51)

Judah In Prophecies

Idolatry: sacrifices to other gods (7:18), idols inside the temple (7,32)

Sacrificed their own children!!! (7:31) Not One Is Upright (5:1) Godless and Lying Priests & Prophets (23)

“’Peace, peace,’ they say, when there is no peace.” (8:11)Use their power unjustly (23:10)Prophesied by Baal and led people astray (23:25)

False security: Jerusalem and the Temple = An magical inviolability = Safety

Judah In Prophecies (cont.)

Kings, priests, and his people refused to accept Jeremiah’s message.“They made their faces harder than stone and refused to repent” (5:3)

“A wild donkey sniffing the wind in her craving -- in her heat…” (2:24)

An unfaithful wife (3:20) Well fed lusty horses (5:7-9) A shameless prostitute (3:1, 6-8, 13:27)

Prophecies (2)

Promises of the Messiah “’when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch,’” (23:5)

“I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line;” (33:15)

“The LORD Our Righteousness” (23,33)

Restoration & Deliverance (30,33)

Fulfillments

Fulfillments of Prophecies

As a result… Jerusalem was besieged by Babylonian army

(588-586) By the sword, famine and plague the city of

Jerusalem was destroyed. The fall of Jerusalem (586) Judah went into captivity. (3,023 people

including King Zedekiah)

Fulfillments of Prophecies

Restoration & DeliveranceZerubbabel (538 BC)Ezra (457)Nehemiah (445)

The temple was rebuilt. (515)

Eventually by the Messiah (Righteous Branch)

Jeremiah

Jeremiah – The Man

Seventy years after the death of Isaiah A native of Anathoth, from a priest’s family A priest and prophet When he was very young, God called him.(1:5,6) Ordained by God 1:17~19 imply how hard his life of mission would be. Single (16:2) Forty years with great faithfulness

626 BC ~ sometime after 586

Jeremiah – His Struggles

No prophet wrote much about his own agony except Jeremiah. (12, 20) “O Lord , you deceived me, and I was deceived; you overpowered me and prevailed.” (20:7)“Cursed be the day I was born!” (20:14)

But “You are always righteous, O Lord” (12)“But the Lord is with me like a mighty warrior” (20:11)

Jeremiah – His Sufferings

Threatened and persecuted by people“Do not prophesy in the name of the Lord or you will die by our hands” (11:21)

Social rejection, Betrayed by his own relatives Mocked and ridiculed by people. Accused of treason, beaten, and imprisoned Thrown into a muddy cistern, sank in the mud,

and left starving for dead (Stoned to death in Egypt tradition)

Jeremiah = We

called when we were very young. kingdom of priests – Bible teachers carrying unpopular messages. rejected and ignored many times. struggle with sheep

God In Jeremiah

“Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless live at ease?” (12)

Creator of all things (10:12-16; 51:15-19) Omnipotent (32:27; 48:15; 51:57) Omnipresent (23:24) Sovereign Deliverer (20:11, 32:17-25) Lord of the Nations (5:15; 18:7-10; 25:17-28; 46-

51): The Potter and the Clay(18)

Conclusion (What I learned)

People like good things to hear. They deceive themselves having false security. (military power & economy)

How terrible idolatry is! It brings God’s wrath! Importance to accept the messages of warning and

repentance Having spiritual insight about my life and the world. Jeremiah’s life of mission

- used wholly as God’s instrument.- delivered messages from God to his people faithfully.- Obedience to the will of God until he died.

God’s yearning heart toward Judah.“Obey me and I will be your God and you will be my people” (7:23)

Appendix

More regular Order

1-20; 22; 23; 25; 26; 35; 36; 45; 24; 29; 30; 31; 27; 28; 21; 34; 37; 32; 33;38; 39; 40-44; 46-52.

References

Books The Bible Jeremiah. The Chokmah Synthetic Commentary

Websites http://www.gospelcom.net/eword/comments/jeremiah/ http://www.stpetersnottingham.org/bible/jeremiah.htm http://www.suffering.net/servjer.htm http://fly.hiwaay.net/~wgann/walk_ot/jeremiah.htm

Q&A