21. Jeremiah

   

   Paragraph Numbers: On | Off
Printer-friendly version

21. JEREMIAH

I. OUTLINE-BRIEF

1. Call to Repentance. 1-10.

2. Persecution Begins. 11-12.

3. Captivity Foretold. 13-18.

4. More Persecutions. 19-38.

5. Delivered by Nebuchadnezzar. 39,40.

6. In Egypt. 41-45.

7. National Threatenings. 46-51.

8. Zedekiah. 52.

II. OUTLINE-COMPLETE

1. Inaugural Visions. 1:1-19.

A. Call of Jeremiah. 1:1-10.

B. Visions of Rod and Pot. 1:11-16.

C. Encouragement to Jeremiah. 1:17-19.

2. Early Oracles. 2:1-6:30.

A. Israel's Faithlessness. 2:1-37.

B. Plea for Repentance. 3:1-4:4.

C. Foe from the North. 4:5-31.

D. Israel's Sinfulness. 5:1-31.

E. Threats and Warnings. 6:1-30.

3. Vanity of the Cultus. 7:1-8:3.

A. The Temple Sermon. 7:1-20.

B. Sinful Rites. 7:21-8:3.

4. Miscellaneous Materials. 8:4-10:25.

5. Events in Jeremiah's Life. 11:1-12:6.

A. Jeremiah and the Covenant. 11:1-14.

B. Plot against his Life. 11:15-12:6.

6. Israel and her Neighbors. 12:7-17.

7. Parables and Warnings. 13:1-27.

8. Drought and Catastrophes. 14:1-15:4.

9. Lamentations of Jeremiah. 15:5-21.

10. Threats and Promises. 16:1-21.

11. Sundry Materials. 17:1-27.

12. Parables and Imprisonment. 18:1-20:18.

13. Oracles about Kings. 21:1-23:8.

14. Oracles about Prophets. 23:9-40.

15. Vision of the Figs. 24:1-10.

16. Warnings to Judah. 25:1-14.

17. Yahweh's Wrath. 25:15-38.

18. Conflict with Leaders. 26:1-29:32.

19. The Book of Comfort. 30:1-31:40.

A. Terror of Yahweh. 30:1-11.

B. Salvation of Israel. 30:12-22.

C. Slaves of Yahweh. 30:23-31:14.

D. Rachel's Weeping. 31:15-22.

E. Restoration of Land. 31:23-28.

F. New Covenant. 31:29-37.

G. Rebuilding Jerusalem. 31:38-40.

20. Jeremiah Foretells the Downfall of Jerusalem. 32:1-44.

21. Promises of Restoration. 33:1-26.

22. Warning to Zedekiah. 34:1-7.

23. The Broken Pledge. 34:8-22.

24. The Rechabites. 35:1-19.

25. Prophetic Scrolls. 36:1-32.

26. Fall of Jerusalem. 37:1-40:6.

27. Assassination of Gedaliah. 40:7-41:18.

28. Flight to Egypt. 42:1-43:7.

29. Jeremiah in Egypt. 43:8-44:30.

30. Oracle of Baruch. 45:1-5.

31. Oracles against Nations. 46:1-51:64.

32. Historical Appendix. 52:1-34.

III. AUTHORSHIP

1. Jeremiah and his secretary, Baruch, wrote the original book.

2. Baruch's scroll was cut up and burned by King Jehoiakim, but Jeremiah re-dictated it. This was in December 605 B.C.

3. The book was added to up to the times of Zedekiah.

4. After the fall of Jerusalem a Deuteronomic editor revised the book and gave it the flavor of the "cult."

5. The memoirs section may have been written by Baruch while in Egypt.

6. The D editorship was completed about 550 B.C.

7. All of Chapter 24 seems to be the product of the D editor. This is also probably true of Chapter 45.

8. A common date of Jeremiah is 620 B.C.

IV. JEREMIAH AND HIS MESSAGE

1. Jeremiah was born during the reign of Josiah (640-609) and lived during the days of the downfall of empires.

2. Josiah was killed at Megiddo in the battle with Neco of Egypt.

3. Jehoiakim (son of Josiah) was placed on the throne by the king of Egypt, and his eleven years covered much of Jeremiah's activities.

4. This king was pompous and proud and rejected most of the council of Jeremiah.

5. After the battle of Carchemish he transferred his loyalty to Babylon.

6. When Jerusalem neglected to pay tribute, the king of Babylon took the city. He put another son of Josiah on the throne-Zedekiah. He was more friendly to Jeremiah.

7. Finally, the Babylonians captured Jerusalem and appointed Gedaliah governor. (August 587 B.C.)

8. In five years the governor was assassinated and Jeremiah with others fled to Egypt.

9. Jeremiah was born and grew up in a village two miles northeast of Jerusalem-Anathoth.

10. Jeremiah was influenced by Hosea-and quotes from him.

11. When Jeremiah prophesied trouble from the "north," the Jews thought he referred to the Scythians, but later decided that it was the Babylonians.

12. Jeremiah was never in full favor with the kings. Even Josiah consulted Huldah, the prophetess. (2 Kings 22:14-20)

13. Jeremiah was not an advocate of Josiah's Deuteronomic reforms-in fact, opposed some of them.

14. Jeremiah always counseled submission to the Babylonians.

15. Jeremiah was always opposed to sacrifices.

16. When Jeremiah advised surrendering to the Babylonians, they cast him into a prison, where he sank in the mire up to his armpits.

17. To show his faith in the ultimate return from captivity, Jeremiah purchased a field in his native village.

18. The Babylonian governor took Jeremiah out of prison and gave him his liberty.

19. He was taken to Egypt against his will.

20. There is a legend that Jeremiah was stoned to death in Egypt by his exasperated fellow countrymen.

21. Jeremiah was not a mystic. He had a strong personality. We know more about the "inner life" of Jeremiah than of any other prophet.

22. It is possible that he was forbidden to marry. (16:1-13)

23. He suffered many seasons of bitterness and despair. But he was no "weeping prophet."

24. The idea of his being a "weeping prophet" comes from ascribing authorship of the book of Lamentations to him.

25. At one time he did pray for vengeance on his enemies-even on their wives and children.

26. Jeremiah was comforted by a very loyal negro servant.

27. Jeremiah came from a wealthy priestly family.

28. The kings and princes regarded Jeremiah as a traitor.

29. He proclaimed a "new covenant" to be "written upon men's hearts."

30. And this is the beginning of individual religion, as contrasted with nationalistic religion.

V. JEREMIAH'S THEOLOGY

1. Jeremiah was not a theologian, but his writings were theologically sound.

2. He did not adore God with awe like Isaiah and Ezekiel; he wrestled with God like Jacob.

3. He believed in the sovereignty of God-God as the Creator of the natural order.

4. Yahweh was the controller and director of history.

5. He was "a God at hand and a God afar off"-both immanent and transcendent.

6. A God of love-justice, mercy, and power.

7. The Father of Israel.

8. "I have loved you with an everlasting love."

9. God wants not sacrifice and ritual, but repentance and obedience.

10. Jeremiah was a real monotheist.

11. He taught religion for the individual-rather than for the nation.

12. He taught a new covenant for the heart of each individual.

13. Yahweh deals with man's heart-seat of both mind and the emotions.

14. Jeremiah was the prophet of personal religious experience.

15. You will find God if you "seek him with a whole heart."

16. He taught the religion of sin, repentance, and salvation.

17. Human nature is fickle. "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately corrupt." 17:9.

18. He regarded man as being innately stubborn.

19. Repentance means "conscious turning away from all evil."

20. Jeremiah is author of the proverb about the Ethiopian changing his skin or the leopard his spots.

21. Motivation becomes a big part of religious experience.

VI. SUMMARY OF JEREMIAH'S LIFE

Jeremiah lived 100 years after Isaiah, during the capture and destruction of Jerusalem. His life (640-587) brought him in contact with events in the reigns of the last of the Judean kings:

1. Manasseh. 687-642. 2 Chron. 33. Jer. 15:4.

2. Amon. 642-640. 2 Kings 21:18-23. 2 Chron. 33:21-24. Jer. 1:2.

3. Josiah. 640-609. 2 Kings 21:24-26; 23:29,30. Jer. 25:3.

4. Jehoahaz II. 609 - 3 mo. 2 Kings 23:31-34. Jer. 22:11.

5. Jehoiakim. 609-598. 2 Kings 23:36-24:6. Jer. 22:18.

6. Jehoiachin. 598 - 3 mo. 2 Kings 24:6-15. Jer. 52:31-34.

7. Zedekiah. 598-587. 2 Kings 24:17-20. Jer. 2:1-7; 34:1-11; 52:1-11.

VII. SELECTED TEXTS

1. The start of Jeremiah's work. '"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.'" 1:5.

(Note: This text recalls teachings of the Urantia Book, respecting Thought Adjusters getting advance projections regarding their prospective human subjects, as found on (1185.4) 108:1.2

2. Broken cisterns. "'My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.'" 2:13.

3. What was wrong. "'From the least to the greatest of them, every one is greedy for unjust gain; and from prophet to priest, every one deals falsely. They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, "Peace, peace," when there is no peace.'" 6:13,14.

4. No peace. "'We looked for peace, but no good came, for a time of healing, but behold, terror.'" 8:15.

5. No balm in Gilead. "'Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has the health of the daughter of my people not been restored?'" 8:22.

6. We glory in the Lord. "'But let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practice kindness, justice, and righteousness in the earth; for in these things I delight.'" 9:24.

7. The deceitful heart. "'The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately corrupt; who can understand it?'" 17:9.

8. Jeremiah in stocks. "Then Pashhur beat Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks that were in the upper Benjamin Gate of the house of the Lord." 20:2.

9. Pashhur's fate. "'And you, Pashhur...shall go into captivity...and there you shall die...you and all your friends, to whom you have prophesied falsely?'" 20:6.

10. A God at hand. "'Am I a God at hand...and not a God afar off?...Do I not fill heaven and earth?'" 23:23,24.

11. Jeremiah surrenders. "'Only know for certain that if you put me to death, you will bring innocent blood upon yourselves.'" 26:15.

12. Finding God. "'You will seek me and find me; when you seek me with all your heart.'" 29:13.

13. Joy for mourning. "'I will turn their mourning into joy, I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.'" 31:13.

14. Eating sour grapes. "'In those days they shall no longer say: "The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge." ...Each man who eats sour grapes, his teeth shall be set on edge.'" 31:29,30.

15. Jeremiah's scroll. "Then Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to Baruch ...who wrote on it at the dictation of Jeremiah all the words...which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire." 36:32.

16. Jeremiah in the pit. "They took Jeremiah and cast him into the cistern... And there was no water in the cistern, but only mire, and Jeremiah sank in the mire." 38:6.

17. The fate of Zedekiah. "He put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him in fetters...The Chaldeans burned the king's house...and broke down the walls of Jerusalem." 39:7,8.

18. Jeremiah goes to Mizpah. "Then Jeremiah went to...Mizpah, and dwelt... among the people who were left in the land." 40:6.

19. Go to Egypt against Jeremiah. "And they came into the land of Egypt, for they did not obey the voice of the Lord." 43:7.