The Books of Jeremiah and Lamentations by John Humphries
Guardian of Truth Founda tion 2002. All rights re served. No part of this book may be repro duced in any form without written permission from the publisher. Printed in the United States of America. ISBN 10: 1-58427-063-2 ISBN 13: 978-158427-0638 Second Edition 2008 Cover Photo: The ostraca displayed on the front cover are the Lachish Letters, correspondence between the city of Lachish and Jerusalem shortly before the fall of Jerusalem. Guardian of Truth Foundation CEI Bookstore 220 S. Marion St., Athens, AL 35611 1-855-49-BOOKS or 1-855-492-6657 www.ceibooks.com
Lesson Table of Contents Lesson 1: Introduction to Jeremiah...5 Lesson 2: The Prophet s Call and God s Case Against Israel...10 Lesson 3: Israel Called to Repentance...13 Lesson 4: God s Righteous Judgment...16 Lesson 5: The Temple Address (1)...18 Lesson 6: The Temple Address (2)...20 Lesson 7: The Covenant Disobeyed and the Consequences...22 Lesson 8: Sword, Famine, and Pestilence...26 Lesson 9: Jeremiah s Symbolic Action and Message...28 Lesson 10: Hard Clay and Broken Pottery...30 Lesson 11: Jeremiah s Frustration and Jerusalem s Doom...32 Lesson 12: Failure of Judah s Kings and Success of the Messiah...34 Lesson 13: Judgment Upon Judah and the Nations...37 Lesson 14: Threats, Bonds, and Yokes...39 Lesson 15: False Prophets and Jeremiah s Letter...41 Lesson 16: Restoration of Israel and Judah to Await the Messiah...43 Lesson 17: God s Faithfulness to His Word...47 Lesson 18: Unfaithful Zedekiah and the Faithful Rechabites...49 Lesson 19: Jehoiakim Burns God s Word and Zedekiah s Empty Hope...51 Lesson 20: Jeremiah Imprisoned and the Fall of Jerusalem...53 Lesson 21: Gedaliah the Governor...55 Lesson 22: A Remnant Flees to Egypt...57 Lesson 23: The Jews in Egypt and Assurance to Baruch...59 Lesson 24: Judgment on Egypt and Philistia...62 Lesson 25: Judgment on Moab, Ammon, Edom, Syria, the Bedouins, and Elam...65 Lesson 26: Judgment on Babylon and Details of Judah s Captivity...69 Lesson 27: The Funeral Dirge Over Jerusalem...73 Page
The Jewish nation was included in the plan of God to bring the Messiah into the world (Rom. 9:4-5). Due to wickedness and rebellion, the nation divided into the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah (1 Kings 12). The Northern Kingdom of Israel was taken into exile by the Assyrians in 722 B.C. (2 Kings 17). Judah continued on for another century or so before that nation, too, became ripe for judgment because of the people s wickedness and rebellion against the Lord. It was at this critical time that God called Jeremiah to the prophetic office. To say that Jeremiah s work was difficult is to make an understatement. As Amos well said, They hate the one who rebukes in the gate, and they abhor the one who speaks uprightly (5:10). The words of Isaiah were still very appropriate for the time of Jeremiah: Justice is turned back and righteousness stands afar off; for truth is fallen in the street and equity cannot enter. So truth fails and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey (59:14-15). It was not until later that the people of Israel realized and appreciated the fact that truly a prophet has been among them (Ezek. 33:33). In the meantime, Jeremiah did his work faithfully for more than forty troublesome years (cf. Matt. 13:57). Lesson 1 Introduction to Jeremiah The book of Jeremiah does not follow a chronological order of events or group its contents by subject matter. Instead, the book of Jeremiah is basically a collection of Jeremiah s speeches, letters, prayers, and personal reflections. Generally speaking, the first chapters (chs. 1-20) are usually associated with King Josiah. This godly king undertook the daunting task of ridding Judah and Jerusalem of idolatry. This effort was doomed to failure, as the people were unwilling to remove the idols from their hearts. In support of Josiah s reforms, Jeremiah spoke out against this hypocrisy and called upon the people of Israel and Judah to repent and turn to the Lord in sincerity and in truth. The book begins by noting Jeremiah s call to the prophetic office. His work immediately places him in an unfavorable light in the eyes of the people of Judah, as he speaks of their need for repentance and warns them of a powerful enemy from the north that very soon is going to destroy the city of Jerusalem. Jeremiah points out the ingratitude of the nation of Israel toward the Lord who had given the people so many blessings. They forgot the Lord, became unfaithful to him, and turned to the idols. Furthermore, instead of trusting in the Lord for the safety and well-being of the kingdom, Israel made protection treaties with pagan nations all around. Within the family of David, there were pro-egyptian political influences, as well as pro-assyrian sentiment. This lack of faith and trust in God for the protection of the nation did not sit well with Jeremiah, and he spoke out strongly against these ungodly developments within the nation. Throughout this ordeal of constant confrontation with the wicked political leaders of the nation and the apostate priests, Jeremiah was emotionally torn between his love for justice and the painful thought of seeing his people suffer at the hands of brutal pagan conquerors. Throughout this ordeal of constant confrontation with the wicked political leaders of the nation and the apostate priests, Jeremiah was emotionally torn between his love for justice and the painful thought of seeing his people suffer at the hands of brutal pagan conquerors. For this reason, many refer to Jeremiah as the weeping prophet. Indeed, he was a compassionate patriot who loved his nation and wanted to see the kingdom of Judah Introduction to Jeremiah 5
flourish and prosper. However, at the same time, he loved righteousness and justice and was greatly disturbed by the brazen disregard for God and man that was rampant in the nation of Judah. At times, attempting to balance these two sentiments placed Jeremiah on the verge of an emotional breakdown. He was often deeply troubled and wanted to run away from it all. Astonishingly, Jeremiah even expressed regret that he had been born at such a turbulent time in his nation. Yet, at the same time, he could not run away from his responsibility. He loved the Lord too much to turn from his post of being a prophet of God to his people. Jeremiah had a message from God to give to the people, and he had to deliver it regardless of the consequences. He was a true prophet of God in every sense of the word. In spite of the constant struggles within and without, he was able to remain focused upon his work as a prophet of God. Jeremiah warned the Israelites that the invader would be powerful, cruel, and at their doorstep very soon. When Babylon invaded Judah, there would be terrible suffering on the part of the Jews. There would be great loss of life in the battles around Jerusalem. The city would be surrounded by the enemy, leading to much suffering and loss of life due to famine and pestilence. Jeremiah understood this and did his very best to get the spiritually blind leaders and the rest of the children of Israel to see this impending calamity. His efforts were to no avail, as the Jews simply would not listen to his repeated warnings. Not only did Jeremiah speak out against the pagan mind set of the nation, but he also exposed the hypocrisy concerning the temple worship. He condemned the insincere attitude of the worshipers who would come to the temple, practice the rituals, but then go out and immediately engage in acts of violence and immorality. These calls for repentance caused Jeremiah to fall out of favor very quickly with the priests, his own priestly relatives, and the worldly-minded people. He was mocked, ridiculed, and physically abused by the Jewish people. Some watched and listened for anything that Jeremiah might say or do that could somehow be twisted, distorted, and used against him, either to discredit or to destroy him. Yet, even this did not turn this These calls for repentance caused Jeremiah to fall out of favor very quickly with the priests, his own priestly relatives, and the worldly-minded people. He was mocked, ridiculed, and physically abused by the Jewish people. godly prophet from his duty. He continued to speak out against the self-serving priests and hypocritical leaders at every opportunity. Jeremiah engaged in various symbolic actions designed to warn the people of Israel that they had failed to honor God s sacred covenant with them and that they would be severely judged for this apostasy. In addition, he spoke forcefully in an effort to drive home this message to the Jews. At the same time, there were many false prophets who directly contradicted Jeremiah and preached a spurious message of peace to the Jews. To these false prophets, Jeremiah was a pesky troublemaker (even a traitor to his nation) who only discouraged the people of Israel (including the army defenders) and was, therefore, worthy of death. There were numerous calls for Jeremiah s execution. The prophet Jeremiah was not permitted to marry and have a family. God told Jeremiah that refraining from these intimate social blessings would dramatically impart a message to the Jews of the horrors of the impending judgment against them. This would mean that Jeremiah was very much alone, as far as help meet (Gen. 2:18) companionship was concerned. Because of his embarrassing prophecies against Jerusalem, Jeremiah s family at Anathoth even turned against him, so he had no family at all to lean upon. He did have his faithful scribe, Baruch, who took down his messages. Chapters 21 through 39 relate to matters during the time of Jehoiakim and Zedekiah. As mentioned earlier, there is no chronological sequence of events in this section. Throughout this section of the book, the message of repentance is continually sounded forth by Jeremiah, mingled with ominous warnings of disaster approaching from the north (Babylon). King Jehoiakim s wickedness and the spiritual failure of his successors to the throne are contrasted with the righteous throne of the great descendant of David (the Messiah). Jehoiakim s lack of faith is seen in his blasphemous treatment of Jeremiah s prophecies as the wicked king burns the prophet s inspired writings and further threatens Jeremiah s life. In 6 The Book of Jeremiah
spite of such harsh treatment, the prophet of God continues faithfully to warn the nation of Judah that the captivity is certain and will be at the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. Yet, in the midst of such dire warnings, the promise is also given to the Jews that, following the seventy-year captivity, they will be allowed to return to Zion and rebuild Jerusalem and the temple. This return to Zion would be to await the much longed-for appearance of the Messiah, who would bring God s mercy and grace (along with the new covenant) to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. Furthermore, we have the Book of Consolation (chs. 30-33), in which are found the promises of deliverance and the happy return of Israel and Judah to Zion, where peace and prosperity will be enjoyed once again. These promises blend into the coming of the Messiah and the new covenant that God will make with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. The troubles endured by Jacob (Israel) will be past and forgotten, as God will mercifully protect and comfort his people. By his word and symbolic actions, Jeremiah strongly denounced the political entanglements with foreign nations that King Zedekiah brought about in the vain hope that he might successfully resist Nebuchadnezzar. The prophet s words are again and again contradicted and twisted by the false prophets and others so as to discredit Jeremiah and make him appear to be a traitor to his country. Jeremiah is publicly humiliated and eventually thrown into prison. At one point, he is ruthlessly cast into a boggy cistern and left to die. He is rescued from the cistern, and rather than take flight he bravely continues his efforts to warn the nation of Israel that the only hope for avoiding the destruction of the city of Jerusalem is to surrender to the Babylonians. King Zedekiah apparently wanted to have the blessings of Jeremiah but, sadly, did not have the faith and courage to heed the prophet s warnings and act on his guidance. Some suggest that Zedekiah was so weakened as a leader that he could not have surrendered the city even if he had wanted to. Either way, this was a great frustration to Jeremiah as he, nevertheless, continued to do his best to minister to the king and the people of Jerusalem. Jeremiah was to remember that the justice of God required that the wicked be warned of the coming destruction of the city of Jerusalem. At the same time, the mercy of God required that the faithful remnant be encouraged to faithfully persevere in spite of the hardships endured when the city fell. The doubleedged sword of God s word had to be wielded by Jeremiah in rebuking the ungodly but also exhorting the righteous to continue in faithfulness to God. Just as Jeremiah had warned would happen, Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians. The city was looted of all gold, silver, and other valuables. The temple of God was also looted and, along with the city of Jerusalem, burned. The suffering and distress occasioned by the taking and destruction of Jerusalem were exceedingly severe, as the Babylonians were ruthless and barbaric in their methods. The Babylonians had no regard for young or old, and their army brutalized both men and women. The people of Judah were, therefore, completely humiliated and crushed by their pagan conquerors. Many were taken into captivity, and what was left of Judah s army was scattered. There was a small remnant of Judah left to till the land under the control of a Babylonian-appointed governor. After the fall of Jerusalem, Jeremiah faithfully continued to preach to the remnant of Judah that was left in Canaan. However, there was trouble among the remnant, as renegade Jews who were working for the Ammonites viciously assassinated the governor, Gedaliah. This was probably an effort on the part of the Ammonites to take over the territory of Judah now made vulnerable by the war with Babylon. The Jews who killed Gedaliah eventually escaped to Ammon. The Jews who were left in Judah panicked and fled to Egypt (contrary to Jeremiah s advice) in order to avoid the anticipated retaliation by the Babylonians. The next section of Jeremiah (chs. 46-51) contains God s judgments against the nations. Just as with Isaiah (chs. 13-23), Ezekiel (chs. 25-32), and Amos (chs. 1-2), Jeremiah inserts these prophecies in order to demonstrate that the God Introduction to Jeremiah 7
of Israel is also the all-powerful God of the nations. This is exceedingly important, as the exiled Jews needed reassurance that God had not failed to protect them from the nations because the gods of the nations were more powerful than he. God certainly would not have failed to protect an obedient nation of Israel. God had, indeed, protected his people from powerful invaders many times in the past. The Jews defeat and captivity, therefore, did not indicate forgetfulness, failure, or weakness on God s part. Jeremiah correctly pointed out that Israel s captivity came about because of the nation s spiritual failure. The prophets were emphatically clear in their message that God brought the nations against the Jews in order to punish his wayward people. This section of Jeremiah also makes very clear the fact that the nations, in turn, were answerable to the God of Israel for their conduct. If God punished Israel for their sins, then he would punish the wicked, ungodly nations, as well. Not only were the small nations to be punished, but also the large, powerful nations, such as Babylon, were to be judged by the Lord. These nations gods were helpless to save them from the Lord s fierce judgments against them. The only hope for the nations as the Lord smites them is for the individuals within the nations to turn to the Lord for spiritual healing. Many of the discourses concerning God s scattering or smiting the nations conclude with the promise of restoration and healing by the Messiah in the latter days. This looked to the preaching of the gospel of Christ to all of the nations (Matt. 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16; Luke 24:46-47; Acts 1:8; 2:16-17, 21, 38-39). To the Lord be the glory in the church (Eph. 3:21). Questions 1. Why was Jeremiah so unpopular with the people of his day? 2. Why do some call Jeremiah the weeping prophet? 3. Who or what was the danger from the north that Jeremiah spoke of so often? 4. There were many prophets in Judah how would you characterize their work? 5. Jeremiah worked at the time of several kings. How would you characterize these kings? 6. Besides the exile in Babylon, what other great events were promised by Jeremiah? 7. In addition to preaching to the people, what other means of teaching did Jeremiah employ? 8. Discuss the family situation of Jeremiah. 9. Name some of the hardships which Jeremiah faced as a prophet of God. 8 The Book of Jeremiah
10. After the fall of Jerusalem, what did Jeremiah do? 11. Why did Jeremiah include in his book a large section devoted to the nations? 12. What did Jeremiah preach concerning the hope of Israel? 13. What did Jeremiah preach concerning the hope of the nations? 14. Are there two hopes: one for Israel and another for the Gentiles (Eph. 2:11-22; 3:6; 4:4-6)? 15. What is this one hope (1 Pet. 1:3-5; Col. 1:5)? Introduction to Jeremiah 9
Lesson 2 The Prophet s Call and God s Case Against Israel Jeremiah 1:1-2:37 Jeremiah identifies himself, names his birthplace, and gives the time span of his prophetic work. God calls him to preach the prophetic message of God not only to Judah and Israel, but to the Gentile nations, also. Jeremiah is hesitant, but God assures him that his work as a prophet of the Lord will succeed in spite of serious opposition. In a vision to Jeremiah, God reveals that he will use a powerful nation that will invade Judah from the north. God further reveals that the invasion is imminent. Josiah, the godly king of Judah, is sincerely trying to remove idolatry from the land. However, the spirit of idolatry is set in the hearts of the people, and thus the reforms are only superficial and temporary. Just as soon as Josiah is dead and his descendants inherit the throne, the open practice of idolatry is continued. Thus the nation of Judah is ripe for judgment from God. The people of Judah are not interested in listening to Jeremiah s constant warnings of coming judgment against the nation. Jeremiah s work, therefore, will be long and difficult. He will meet strong resistance against his messages that call for repentance on the part of the people of Judah. However, the Lord not only calls Jeremiah to this difficult task of preaching to a rebellious people, but he also promises to be with the prophet and encourages him with the guarantee that the prophetic message will be fully presented and preserved for all time. God reminds the Israelites of their commitment to him when they first came out of Egypt. God also calls their attention to the fact that he has always acted in a righteous way toward them and has been good to the nation of Israel. However, in spite of these earlier acts of commitment and kindness between Israel and God, the Jews soon became unfaithful to the Lord and turned to the idols. Furthermore, instead of trusting in God for their protection, they were making political agreements with pagan nations. The people further angered God by rejecting him and calling upon the pagan gods for blessings. God chastened them, but they would not turn from their apostasy. The Jews had forgotten the Lord and continued to deny any guilt before him. They would pay a terrible price for their transgressions by being taken into exile. Questions 1. At the time that Jeremiah began his ministry, who was the king of Judah and what were the conditions in the land (1:1-2)? 2. How did Jeremiah react to his call as a prophet of God (1:6)? 3. In what way was Jeremiah over nations and kingdoms (1:10)? 4. What two items illustrated God s judgment against Judah and what did they mean (1:11-15)? 10 The Book of Jeremiah
5. Why was God bringing such severe calamity against the cities of Judah (1:16)? 6. What did God tell Jeremiah to preach to the people (1:17)? 7. Did the Lord forget his people and their commitment to him (2:2)? 8. But what did the nation of Israel do in return for God s blessings (2:5)? 9. What did the people of Israel turn to when they rejected the Lord (2:5, 8)? 10. What three groups of leaders failed the Lord and the people (2:8)? 11. What very unusual thing did Israel do as a nation (2:10-11)? 12. How did the Lord illustrate this terrible action on the part of the people (2:13)? 13. Whose fault was it that the Lord brought judgment upon Israel (2:17)? 14. How obvious was the people s involvement with idolatry (2:20)? 15. Could the people avoid the guilt of their apostasy by simply denying it (2:22, 23)? 16. How did God illustrate the Jews rebellious determination to follow the idols (2:23-24)? 17. When the rebellious nation of Judah was about to fall to the Babylonians, what challenge did the Lord issue to the people (2:28)? 18. How widespread was the idolatry in Judah (2:28)? The Prophet s Call and God s Case Against Israel 11
19. Did God attempt to correct the nation (2:30)? If so, was his attempt successful? 20. What illustration did the Lord use to point out the forgetfulness of the people (2:32)? 21. Did the Lord take notice concerning the shedding of innocent blood (2:34)? 22. Did the people of Judah recognize that they had sinned against God (2:23, 35)? 23. Would the nation s political agreements with the pagan nations protect Judah from invasion by the Babylonians (2:36)? 24. To the oriental mind, what did the placing of the hands upon the head signify (2:37)? 12 The Book of Jeremiah