Old Testament Overview Jeremiah and Lamentations

Old Testament Overview Jeremiah and Lamentations This afternoon, we will continue our study of the prophetic books - We discussed Isaiah last month - We will discuss Jeremiah and Lamentations this afternoon Remember, there are major prophets and minor prophets - This is based on length, not importance - They are all God-breathed Listen for repeated themes in these books - Confrontation of sin - Call to repentance Let s pray and get started 1 Isaiah and Jeremiah are extremely long books to read - The only other book to surpass these is Psalms What do we know about Jeremiah? - He was born into a priestly home (1:1) - He was appointed to be a prophet before his birth (1:5) - He never married this was an object lesson to the nation around him (16:1-4) Jeremiah lived and ministered during the same time as Zephaniah, Habakkuk, Daniel, and Ezekiel 2 - So we will expect there to be some overlap in their messages This time of Jeremiah was roughly 627-580 BC - This was about 300 years after the division of Israel and Judah 3 Like Isaiah, Jeremiah focuses his ministry on the southern kingdom of Judah - Much of what we saw through Isaiah will be built upon in this book 1 This lesson references material from Capitol Hill Baptist Church s core seminar on the Old Testament. http://www.capitolhillbaptist.org/sermon/class-1-introduction-to-the-old-testament/ 2 Gerard Chrispin, The Bible Panorama, 309. 3 John MacArthur, The MacArthur Bible Handbook, 82-83. Page 1 of 22

Jeremiah ministered 50-100 years after Isaiah - You might remember that Isaiah had warned that judgment might come if the people don t repent - Jeremiah warns the people that judgment will come because of their lack of repentance 4 The historical background for Jeremiah is found in 2 Kings 22 - He began his ministry during the reign of King Josiah - Josiah was a good king who sought to bring about some good reformations in the country - Yet, his reforms were short-lived Josiah was the last of the good kings - Following him were many evil, wicked kings who were not receptive to God or to His prophets Jehoahaz - Reigned three months before being deposed and sent to Egypt Jehoiakim - Was a puppet king for Egypt until they were overthrown by Assyria - He was then a puppet king for Assyria - Obviously, he was not receptive to Jeremiah s prophecies Jehoiachin - Reigned for three months before Nebuchadnezzar captured Jerusalem and deported him to Babylon Zedekiah - Last king of Judah before the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple There were three (3) stages in Jeremiah s ministry 5 - He prophesied while Judah was threatened by Assyria and Egypt - He proclaimed God s judgment while Judah was threatened by Babylon - He ministered in Jerusalem and Egypt after Judah s downfall We read of the trials that came upon Jeremiah 6 - He had a death threat by his people (11:18-23) - He was beaten and put in stocks (19:14-20:18) - He was arrested (26:7-24) - His authority was openly challenged (28:10-16) - His written word and authenticity were discarded (36:1-32) 4 Dr. Alan B. Stringfellow, Through the Bible in One Year, 79. 5 Wilkinson & Boa, 199. 6 MacArthur, 193. Page 2 of 22

- He was imprisoned (37:11-16) - He was not given food (38:1-6) - He was thrown into a pit (38:6-13) - He was bound by chains (40:1) - He was rejected (42:1-43:4) God gave a number of illustrations to Jeremiah to portray some lesson to Judah - One of the most memorable was having the prophet visit the potter s house (18:1-4) - God used this to signify that Judah could still change, much like wet clay can still be reformed - But when the marred clay is hardened, it is fit only to be thrown away (19:10-11) We also appreciate the honesty and candor that we see from this prophet - He wanted to quit at times! Jeremiah saw the sins of God s people - He saw that they lacked true repentance - He saw the consequences of those sins if God s people failed to repent But Jeremiah couldn t quit - Let s read Jeremiah 20:7-9, O LORD, You have deceived me and I was deceived; You have overcome me and prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all day long; everyone mocks me. 8 For each time I speak, I cry aloud; I proclaim violence and destruction, because for me the word of the LORD has resulted in reproach and derision all day long. 9 But if I say, I will not remember Him or speak anymore in His name, then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire shut up in my bones; and I am weary of holding it in, and I cannot endure it. When Jeremiah wanted to quit, the Word of God becomes like a burning fire shut up in my bones - He can t stop proclaiming what God told him to say Perhaps the most common sin alluded to in this book is idolatry - There are so many passages that refer to this From the very beginning, the Lord alerts the reader to the predominant sin of Judah idolatry - 1:16, And I will pronounce My judgments on them concerning all their wickedness, whereby they have forsaken Me and have offered sacrifices to other gods, and worshiped the works of their own hands Imagine bowing down to some of the food that we just ate 7 - How foolish that would be! 7 Mark Dever, The Message of the Old Testament, 594. Page 3 of 22

Yet, that is what the LORD says Judah is guilty of! - They are guilty of worshipping the words of their hands! 2:13, For My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, to hew for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water - Judah has forsaken the LORD - Judah has dug their own wells in order to find water Over and over throughout this book, Jeremiah cries out against the sin of idolatry in the lives of God s people - They have become brazen in their sin - They have lost the shame of sin 8 Judah also perverts the worship of the LORD - Their sin becomes so much a part of their lives that they stop listening to God s prophets! - Judah becomes stiff-necked, arrogant, and unashamed of their sin What happens when God s people become offensive? - They begin selecting teachers who will teach them something else! - Look at Jeremiah 5:30-31, An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land: 31 the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule on their own authority; and My people love it so! But what will you do at the end of it? It was bad enough that the prophets were prophesying falsely - It was bad that the priests were ruling with their own authority - But God s people love it so! - They give hearty approval Other sins that are mentioned include: 9 - Dishonesty - Adultery - Injustice - Slander - Offering children to false gods What would be God s remedy for this stubbornness and failure to repent? - Believe it or not, God would allow His people to go away in exile 8 Dever, 596. 9 MacArthur, 195. Page 4 of 22

Many people have struggled to understand how God could still be righteous in sending His own people away into exile - God even uses a pagan nation, Babylon, to accomplish His purposes! - Amazingly, the LORD even refers to Babylon as My Servant on three occasions (25:9; 27:6; 43:10) Babylon is referred to by name 169 times in Jeremiah - Their geographical location, north, is referred to 25 times Jeremiah is known as the weeping prophet - Why does this seem to be a fitting title for this man? Let s look at two passages that deal with Jeremiah s tears - 9:1, Oh, that my head were waters, and my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people! - 13:17, But if you will not listen to it, my soul will sob in secret for such pride; and my eyes will bitterly weep and flow down with tears, because the flock of the LORD has been taken captive. Jeremiah wept for the southern kingdom of Judah because they refused to repent - The prophet knew what would take place - He knew that judgment would come But despite those tears, he was a man of great courage - He oftentimes spoke up for God when it could have cost him his life - As we mentioned earlier, he suffered greatly and was persecuted for speaking what God had made known to him God gave this heart-broken prophet a heart-breaking message for the nation of Judah 10 - For more than 40 years, he warned them of the impending dangers that would come for their sins But Jeremiah doesn t laugh when he speaks of judgment - He cries - These tears of compassion should have indicated to the nation of Judah that he cared deeply for them - Even more than Jeremiah s cares and concern, the LORD Himself loved Judah The prophet was even viewed as a traitor by his own people - Why was this? 10 Bruce Wilkinson & Kenneth Boa, Talk Thru the Bible, 198. Page 5 of 22

The LORD had told Jeremiah that Judah would be taken away into exile by the Babylonians - Thus, Jeremiah told Judah to surrender to the enemy - Obviously, this wasn t a popular message! One of the hard elements of the book of Jeremiah is that it does not follow a chronological or topical outline - It comes at us in waves, like the ocean - Various topics will resurface, time and time again - The book could be viewed like a series of letters The book of Jeremiah is referenced in the NT at least seven times 11 - It has a very clear message that the NT highlights The book of Jeremiah promises hope to those who do believe in this coming Messiah - The book speaks of a new covenant that would be enacted with God s people (31:31-34) - I will put My law within them, and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people (31:33) The New Covenant is different than the Old Covenant in several significant ways Old Covenant Present Written on physical tablets Looking forward to Christ New Covenant Future Written on human hearts Looking backward to Christ Notice the repeated use of the Divine I will in Jeremiah 31-31:31, I will make a new covenant - 31:33, I will make with the house of Israel I will My law within them I will write it I will be their God - 31:34, I will forgive their iniquity I will remember no more Also notice the repeated use of My by the LORD - 31:32, My covenant - 31:33, My Law My people Much like the covenant at Sinai, the New Covenant was initiated by God Himself - God pursues His people - God shows grace and mercy to His people 11 MacArthur, 193.. Page 6 of 22

The NT alludes to this New Covenant on several occasions - Matthew 26:26-29 - Hebrews 8:6-7, 8-12 - Hebrews 9:14-15 The New Covenant is fulfilled with the sending of the Holy Spirit - The church age is built on the foundation of this new covenant Jeremiah does point us to Christ - He speaks of the coming King as the Branch (23:3-6; 33:15) - Christ will usher in this new covenant by His own blood, as Hebrews alludes to - This Branch would come through the Davidic lineage Part of this New Covenant will be the reestablishment of God s people in their own land on Earth - Jeremiah 31:38-40, Behold, days are coming, declares the LORD, when the city shall be rebuilt for the LORD from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate. 39 And the measuring line shall go out farther straight ahead to the hill Gareb; then it will turn to Goah. 40 And the whole valley of the dead bodies and of the ashes, and all the fields as far as the brook Kidron, to the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east, shall be holy to the LORD; it shall not be plucked up, or overthrown anymore forever. Something else that is interesting is that Jeremiah 22 speaks of a curse being placed upon Jehoiachin, also called Coniah - This man did have 7 sons (1 Chr 3:17) - But God did not allow this man to have any sons who would reign after him Jehoiachin s uncle, Zedekiah, would be Judah s last king - God pruned away that portion of the Davidic lineage 12 Matthew traces the genealogy of Christ through Solomon to Jeconiah to Joseph (1:1-17) - Joseph s lineage was traced back to this man with a curse Luke traces Christ s genealogy backward from Mary to Nathan, David s other son (3:23-38) - Jesus blood right to the throne was not through Joseph, but through Mary s line - Thus, He bypassed this curse The neat thing is that Joseph was not Jesus physical father - Christ was born of a virgin 12 Charles H. Dyer, The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Jeremiah. Page 7 of 22

Being born without the seed of Joseph, Jesus thereby bypasses the curse that was placed upon Jehoiachin! 13 Let s get into the Text a little bit 14 I. The Call of Jeremiah (1) Let s back up and look at the beginning of this book - To see how the LORD called Jeremiah to be a prophet Let s read Jeremiah 1:4-10 - Now the word of the LORD came to me saying, 5 Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations. 6 Then I said, Alas, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, because I am a youth. 7 But the LORD said to me, Do not say, I am a youth, because everywhere I send you, you shall go, and all that I command you, you shall speak. 8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the LORD. 9 Then the LORD stretched out His hand and touched my mouth, and the LORD said to me, Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. 10 See, I have appointed you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant. What a way to begin this prophecy! - Jeremiah hears the word of the LORD; however, Jeremiah doubted his ability to speak (1:6) - That reminds me of Moses, who also made excuses about his speaking abilities Also note the strong emphasis on God s sovereignty - 1:5, God formed Jeremiah in the womb - 1:5, before Jeremiah was formed, God was already achieving His purposes - 1:7, God is the One commanding Jeremiah Jeremiah s ministry would be two-fold, according to verse 10 - Judgment ( to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow ) - Encouragement ( to build and to plant ) Idolatry is already mentioned here in the first chapter (1:16) - It was a very common issue in the days of Jeremiah 13 Wilkinson & Boa, 200. 14 This outline is from MacArthur, 847. Page 8 of 22

II. The Prophecies of Judah (2-45) The LORD tells Jeremiah to give fourteen (14) different messages to Judah - They receive the bad news first God s own people needed to hear that there would be consequences for their actions - God would hold them accountable God s people were guilty of committing a host of sins - God was using Jeremiah to call them to repentance Object lessons are given to teach Judah various truths 15 - Linen waistband (13:1ff) - Empty, dry cisterns (14:1ff) - Refusal to allow Jeremiah to marry (16:1ff) - Potter s house (18:1ff) - Potter s clay (19:1ff) - Two baskets of figs (24:1ff) - Bonds and yokes on necks (27:1ff) - Purchase of property (32:6ff) - Hidden stones (43:8ff) These visual images served to drive the truth of God s Word home - Jeremiah was involved with these to show that He was God s messenger But not all of this opening section was bad news - There was good news promised We discussed the promise of the New Covenant earlier - Jeremiah 31 promises that God would initiate a new covenant with His people - A change of the heart, not just outward obedience But this opening section ends with more bad news - There is the promise of exile Jeremiah is very clear that Judah will go into exile because of their sins - Idolatry - Disobedience to God s covenant - Empty, ritualistic worship of God - Lack of trust in God - Lack of keeping the Sabbath 15 Wilkinson & Boa, 201. Page 9 of 22

Jeremiah also announces that the Babylonian Captivity will last 70 years - This was in contrast to the false prophets who were telling God s people that there would be no exile But the prophet does proclaim that restoration will take place in the future under the new Shepherd, Jesus Christ III. The Prophecies to the Other Nations (46-51) Prophetic utterances are proclaimed against nine (9) other nations 16 - Egypt - Philistia - Moab - Ammon - Edom - Damascus - Arabia - Elam - Babylon God uses His prophet Jeremiah to call His own people to repentance first - Then He uses Jeremiah to discuss those who are not His people - Various nations would be facing God s judgment God would use the nation Babylon to punish His people - Remember, Judah would go to captivity/exile in Babylon for 70 years But even the nation of Babylon would have to answer for how they mistreated Judah - They were just a tool in the hand of God - But they would be judged for their actions IV. The Fall of Jerusalem (52) Much of this chapter is identical to 2 Kings 24:18-25:30 17 The city of Jerusalem is captured, destroyed, and plundered - Everything that Hezekiah had shown to the messenger of Babylon was taken away, just as Isaiah foretold (Isa 39:5-8) 16 MacArthur, 847. 17 Ibid., 880. Page 10 of 22

We know from our previous studies that Judah did return to the land after Babylonian exile - Some people died during their time in exile - Little ones were born during the time of exile Nebuchadnezzar was a brutal king of Babylon - We read about some of his brutality in chapter 52 52:9 says that Nebuchadnezzar captured the king of Judah - 52:10 tells us that Nebuchadnezzar slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and he also slaughtered all the princes of Judah in Riblah - 52:11, Nebuchadnezzar blinded the eyes of Zedekiah (the last thing he saw was the death of his sons) who was taken away in bronze fetters like a slave - 51:13, Nebuchadnezzar had the house of the LORD burned - 51:14, the walls around Judah were destroyed Verse 17 and following talk about how Nebuchadnezzar stole many of the artifacts from Solomon s Temple Verse 24 and following discuss the deporting of Jews to Babylon - A total of 4,600 persons are listed in verse 30 - This may have referred only to males; we aren t told for sure In the closing verses of this chapter, we are reintroduced to Jehoiachin - He has been a captive of Babylon since 597 BC - The timeframe for these later verses may be around 561 BC Nebuchadnezzar is dead by this point - The next king of Babylon shows Jehoiachin much grace in allowing him to eat at the king s table Even after such a discouraging book and ending chapter, God is still faithful to His Word - He had not forgotten the Davidic lineage, even during exile For 44 chapters, Jeremiah puts his focus on Judah - These were God s own people! Jeremiah doesn t just skip over the sins of God s people as if they were insignificant - If we would have written Jeremiah, we would have probably focused on the sins of the other nations - Especially the sin of Babylon! But God has His prophet begin with the sins of His own people - Think of it! - The bulk of the book is dedicated to their sins! Page 11 of 22

This is similar to 1 Peter 4:17, For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? - Sometimes we begin to think that God will somehow just overlook our sin - There is forgiveness, but there are also consequences for our actions! If God had Jeremiah spend so much time dealing with the sins of His own people, dare we neglect in looking at our own hearts? 18 - Dare we focus on the problems with unbelievers around us when we haven t dealt with our own sin? Can you imagine ministering to a people who are arrogant, stiff-necked, and unrepentant? - Jeremiah was sent by the Lord to Judah - For 40 years, he proclaimed the Word of the LORD to them Very little, if any, fruit is visible from the life of Jeremiah - He didn t attract a large following - He didn t win any awards What Jeremiah did was remain faithful - He proclaimed what the LORD had made known to him In a word, Jeremiah was trustworthy - That is what the Lord expects from each of us Most likely, none of us will be called to proclaim a message of warning and judgment to kings and presidents - But we still have a message to proclaim You see, if you are a Christian, God has entrusted you with a message - Every one of us is a spokesman for God Listen to these precious words from 2 Corinthians 5, Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were entreating through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (5:20-21) - We are all ambassadors for Christ - We have all been entrusted with the ministry of reconciliation 18 Dever, 600. Page 12 of 22

The Gospel has a two-fold emphasis that needs clarification - The bad news and the good news - Before we tell people what is good about the Gospel, we need to tell them what is bad about themselves Isn t this what Jeremiah proclaimed faithfully for forty years? - Repentance of sin was called for - Only after hearts were broken could there be hope of restoration Yes, there is a coming judgment - But there is a way of escape - There is hope for those who repent Really, the book of Jeremiah is a great reminder of the message of the Gospel! - That is why I think it is critical for us to apply its message After the break, we will discuss the book of Lamentations Page 13 of 22