Ralph Porter
© 2003
AUTHOR
Jeremiah was from the tribe of Levi.
His family belonged to the priestly order.
His home was in Anathoth, about three miles from Jerusalem.
From childhood on, Jeremiah was familiar with Jerusalem and knew what
was happening
there.
Israel's throne had been occupied by rebellious men, separated from
fellowship with God.
The people followed the example of their kings.
God called Jeremiah when he was barely twenty years old.
He was too young to be a prophet.
In spite of the difficulty, he served God for more than forty years during a
period of great
apostasy.
They rejected his message and therefore he suffered considerable persecution.
He tried to forget the ministry several times but each time he felt obligated to
come back.
When Babylon conquered Jerusalem, he had a chance to leave with the captives.
He decided to stay to help those who were still in Jerusalem.
After the assassination of Gedaliah, the governor, those who escaped to Egypt
took Jeremiah
along with them.
There he preached his last message to them.
HISTORICAL SITUATION
International situation
When Jeremiah began his ministry, a world war was approaching.
There was considerable competition between the three main world powers:
Assyria had been in control for 300 years, but was losing control over the
other nations.
Babylon was getting stronger all the time.
Egypt wanted its old power back.
Babylon attacked Assyria; later Egypt came to help Assyria.
Babylonia defeated both and set up a new empire.
Israel was caught in the middle and suffered from all sides.
The competing nations crossed their national territory to make war.
After conquering the other two main powers, Babylonia invaded Jerusalem
three times.
The last time, Jerusalem was destroyed.
National situation
Israel's rebellion was apparent from the very beginning.
The northern kingdom was judged and taken captive in 722 B.C.
Instead of learning from their example, Judah followed in the same path.
Only two kings faithfully followed Yahweh after the fall of the
northern kingdom:
Hezekiah and Josiah.
Josiah was on the throne when God called Jeremiah.
Josiah's sons went right back to the old gods and their pagan customs.
The invasions from Babylon should have warned them, but they paid no
attention.
In 586 B.C., God judged them, sending Babylonia to destroy Jerusalem.
Israel's national lifestyle was marked by sin and idolatry.
They were practicing empty religious ritual.
They were not in fellowship with God, and didn't really want to be.
The rich became richer; they exploited the poor, widows and orphans.
Apparently nobody even cared about these conditions.
PURPOSE AND THEME
Written in the context of all this evil, the majority of the book, like other pre-exilic
prophets is an announcement of judgment in order to bring repentance.
Later, after the judgment, consolation and encouragement were given, to
motivate them to
turn back to God.
The book answers the question: Why has this happened to us?
God never permits His people to live in persistent sin.
Therefore, he sent messengers to warn the people.
In spite of this, they went on in their empty rituals, never looking for Him.
The warning is to give them one more chance to repent.
WHAT LESSONS SHOULD WE LEARN FROM THE STUDY OF THIS PROPHECY?
External rituals of worship aren't enough!
God wants the intimate communion that we enjoy when we trust Him.
People who genuinely trust God will desire to please Him.
God wants us to love Him and trust Him.
An Ounce of Prevention . . . Ralph Porter
|
Introduction
1 |
Prophecies concerning Judah
2-45 |
Prophecies concerning the Nations 46-51 |
Historical
Appendix
| ||
|
|
Accusation and Exhortation 2-20 |
Prediction of Captivity 21-39 |
Ministry in Jerusalem 40-45 |
|
|
|
Historical background 1-3
His calling 4-19
4-5
6
7-10
Enlightened 11-16
17-19 |
Eight messages of warning 2-19:13 Marriage on the rocks 2-3:5 Follow the leader 3:6-6:30 The gate of the temple 7-10 The broken covenant 11-12 Ruined and broken 13 Empty vessels and cracked ground 14-15 The unmarried prophet 16-17 The potter's rights 18-19
response 19:14-20:18 Condition declared 19:14-15 Condition demonstrated 20:1-6 Condition lamented 20:7-18
|
Eight messages of judgment 21-29 Answer for Zedekiah 21-22 Against spiritual leaders 23 Two baskets of figs 24 Prophecy of seventy years 25:1-14 Cup of God's wrath 25:15-38 In the temple court 26 Sign of the yokes 27-28 Letter to Babylon 29
30-33
contrasts 34-38
39 |
Release of Jeremiah 40:1-6
of Gedaliah 40:7-41:18
to Egypt 42-43:7
in Egypt 43:8-44:30
to Baruch 45 |
Introduction 46:1
against Egypt 46:2-28
against Philistia and the Coast 47
against Moab 48
against Ammon 49:1-6
against Edom 49:7-22
against Damascus 49:23-27
against Kedar and Hazor 49:28-33
Elam 49:34-39
Babylon 50-51
|
Defeat of Zedekiah 1-11
of Jerusalem 12-30
of Jehoiachin 31-34 |
Ralph Porter
George was a "good Christian person."
He was raised in a Christian home.
He attended church from the time he was a small child.
He participated in all the church activities.
He believed all the right doctrines.
He did, as much as he could, everything church people thought he should do.
In spite of all this, he didn't feel very good about himself.
He was afraid of God, and afraid of dying and facing God.
He came to realize that he was trusting in what he himself was able to do to be
accepted by God.
• Maybe he hadn't done enough!
Finally he realized that he had to stop trusting in himself, and start trusting in what
Christ had already done for
him.
When he began to trust in Christ, he began to sense the freedom that he was
looking for.
Now George is still serving God, but his motive has changed.
Instead of doing it to be accepted by God, he serves God because he loves Him.
The story of "George" has been repeated many, many times.
God is always seeking fellowship with people.
He has established a way by which we can come to enjoy that fellowship.
However, many, like George, try to set up their own way.
They try to please God by way of their religion.
The best example of this search is found in the history of Israel.
Israel wanted to make its own way to God (Rom. 10:4).
Therefore, they failed to find the way which He had given them.
They wanted to prove their own righteousness, but, as always, they were unable
to do that.
They sinned and came under God's judgment.
That's how it was in Jeremiah's time.
Israel dedicated itself to ritualistic worship and religious ceremonies, but
rejected God.
Jeremiah urged them to trust God rather than themselves.
We have to learn the same lesson.
Religion isn't enough.
We need intimate fellowship with God.
AUTHOR
God called Jeremiah as His spokesman to the nation.
He warned him in advance that they weren't going to pay attention to him.
However, he was to be faithful in proclaiming God's message, whether the
people paid
attention or not.
Like the other prophets, Jeremiah lived with continual tension.
He loved God, but at the same time, he loved his country.
This tension came into being because the two had parted ways.
He had to choose between following God or defending his own people.
Jeremiah was from the tribe of Levi.
His family belonged to the priestly order.
His home was in Anathoth, about three miles from Jerusalem.
From childhood on, Jeremiah was familiar with Jerusalem and knew what
was happening
there.
Israel's throne had been occupied by rebellious men, separated from
fellowship with God.
The people followed the example of their kings.
God called Jeremiah when he was barely twenty years old.
He was too young to be a prophet.
In spite of the difficulty, he served God for more than forty years.
He is presented throughout the book as a real human being, not perfect.
We find him struggling inside himself with life's problems.
Notice some of the descriptions of Jeremiah.
What kind of person can God use to accomplish His purposes?
1:4-6
1:9
9:1
11:21
15:16 20:1-2 20:7-11 26:8
38:6
Jeremiah decided to serve God.
He prophesied during a period of great apostasy.
They rejected his message and therefore he suffered considerable persecution.
He tried to forget the ministry several times but each time he felt obligated to
come back.
When Babylon conquered Jerusalem, he had a chance to leave with the
captives.
Instead, he decided to stay to help those who were still in Jerusalem.
After the assassination of Gedaliah, the governor, those who escaped to Egypt
took Jeremiah
along with them.
There he preached his last message to them.
HISTORICAL SITUATION
International situation
When Jeremiah began his ministry, a world war was approaching.
There was considerable competition between the three main world powers.
Assyria had been in control for 300 years, but was losing control over the
other nations.
Babylon was getting stronger all the time.
Egypt wanted its old power back.
They all wanted to control the world.
Babylon attacked and conquered Assyria.
Later, Egypt arrived to try to help Assyria.
Babylonia dominated them both and set up a new empire.
Since Israel was caught in the middle, they suffered from all sides.
The competing nations crossed their national territory to make war.
They only slowed down to demand submission and taxes.
After conquering the two main powers, Babylonia invaded Jerusalem
three times.
The last time, Jerusalem was destroyed.
National situation
Israel's rebellion was apparent from the very beginning.
The northern kingdom was judged and taken captive in 722 B.C.
Instead of learning from their example, Judah followed in the same path.
Only two kings faithfully followed Yahweh after the fall of the northern
kingdom:
Hezekiah and Josiah.
Josiah was on the throne when God called Jeremiah.
Josiah's sons, who took over the throne after his death, reveal the real nature
of the people's
repentance under their father's leadership.
They went right back to their old gods and to their pagan customs.
The invasions from Babylon should have warned them, but they paid
no attention.
In 586 B.C., God judged them, sending Babylonia to destroy Jerusalem.
In the meantime, Jeremiah was worried.
Their national lifestyle was marked by sin and idolatry.
They were going through the motions of empty religious ritual.
They were not in fellowship with God, and didn't really want to be.
The only king interested in pursuing righteousness had just died.
His children were going after pagan deities.
Even the religious leaders of Israel were encouraging the people to
worship these pagan
gods.
The whole nation was taking part in the pagan festivities.
The people were not taking God into account.
Injustice was on the rise.
The rich became richer; they exploited the poor, widows and orphans.
Apparently nobody even cared about these conditions.
It seems impossible that this situation would exist among God's people.
Hadn't God called them to be a light, in the midst of the other nations?
How could God permit these conditions to continue?
How long would He let it go on like this?
These questions troubled Jeremiah every day.
Let's look at some descriptions Jeremiah uses to depict the situation in Israel:
2:11
2:13
2:32
25:4
25:7
The destruction of Israel was not an arbitrary judgment on God's part.
He was motivated to do something by their sin and idolatry.
Although they were trusting in the temple and in their religious
ceremonies, their
heart wasn't seeking fellowship with God.
PURPOSE AND THEME
In the light of this situation, what was Jeremiah's message?
Announcement of judgment in order to bring repentance
After the judgment, consolation and encouragement were given, to motivate
them to
turn back to God.
The book answers the question: Why has this happened to us?
God never allows His people to continue living in persistent sin!
Therefore, he sent messengers to warn the people.
In spite of this, they went on in their empty rituals, never looking for Him.
The warning is to give them one more chance to repent.
ORGANIZATION
The book doesn't present the events in historical order, as they occurred.
The author put the subject matter in logical order, according to the main topics
God wants
them to hear.
The first chapter describes the prophet's call
God informs him that He is about to judge the people of Israel.
Jeremiah is to call them to repentance, although they aren't going to listen.
The majority of the book deals with prophecies concerning Judah (2-45)
He begins with eight messages that condemn the people for their confidence
in the
temple and in their empty ceremonial ritual, without seeking fellowship with God,
nor obedience to His Word (2-20)
The result of their rebellion will be the Babylonian captivity (21-39).
As he announces the coming judgment, the prophet makes clear that there
will be
restoration afterwards.
Then the people will seek God and will receive the blessings which He has
promised
to them.
The prophecies regarding Judah end with a description of the life of the
people after the
destruction of Jerusalem (40-45)
The prophet has a message concerning the other nations around them also (46-51).
They will be judged according to the way they treat Israel.
A series of judgments is described, which will come against the nations
that mistreat
God's people.
The book ends with an historical commentary that demonstrates how God
fulfills his
Word.
The preservation of king Jehoiachin indicates that there is still hope for
God's people.
By way of introduction, Jeremiah identifies himself and tells the basis of his
authority.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND 1:1-3
He describes his personal background.
HIS CALLING 1:4-19
He describes God's call.
Called 4-5
His message is not that of his own choosing.
He proclaims the message God commanded him to present.
Resistant
6
Jeremiah really didn't want the job.
He was aware of his own inadequacy and sought to escape.
Enabled 7-10
God makes it clear that He knows Jeremiah well.
His capacity to minister will come from God's presence with him, not from
his own
skills.
Enlightened
11-16
God uses two illustrations to clarify the nature of Jeremiah's mission:
The almond rod indicates that God will wait no longer.
His judgment is coming soon.
The boiling pot indicates that God will send a damaging judgment which
will pour
down on His people from the north.
Sent 17-19
God concludes the discussion by issuing the final commission.
Jeremiah is to go and tell the people whatever God tells them.
He forewarns him that they will refuse to listen and will try to fight him.
Nevertheless, he is to be faithful to deliver God's message.
God will protect him.
Obedient to God's command, Jeremiah begins to present God's message to
Judah.
ACCUSATION AND EXHORTATION 2-20
He first accuses them of their sin and warns them to repent.
Eight messages of warning
2:1-19:13
Jeremiah begins with eight messages to impress them with the seriousness
of the
course they are following.
These represent eight final barricades to try to stop Israel from total
destruction at the
end of the road.
Marriage on the rocks
2-3:5
1st message of warning: Jeremiah uses the example of a marriage on the
rocks as a
graphic example of Israel's dangerous relationship with God.
The marriage began well.
However, the wife became unfaithful.
She sought after other lovers and left her husband.
Thus the marriage was ruined.
In spite of the wife's unfaithfulness, God's love continues and He awaits
her return.
Follow the leader
3:6-6:30
2nd message of warning: Uses Israel's captivity as a warning to alert Judah.
Judah witnessed this demonstration of the danger of unfaithfulness.
A little over 100 years earlier, Israel was destroyed by Assyria.
In spite of Israel's example, Judah followed the same path.
She refused to repent.
Therefore, Judah merited more serious discipline than Israel.
God will bring a foreign nation to judge them.
The gate of the temple
7-10
3rd message of warning: Accuses them of false confidence in the temple
and failure to
obey God's voice.
Although they refused to submit to God, they kept offering their
sacrifices.
They were trusting in the temple and in their sacrifices for
protection.
God doesn't want that kind of sacrifice.
He wants love and submission to His authority.
In spite of the presence of the temple, God will destroy it and judge
His people.
The broken covenant
11-12
4th message of warning: condemns them for violating the conditions of the
Mosaic
covenant.
The enjoyment of God's blessing is based on submission to God's
authority.
Since the people were in rebellion, God will punish them.
Ruined and broken
13
5th message of warning: Jeremiah uses two object lessons, the linen waste
band and
the broken jug, to demonstrate the effects of the coming judgment.
The linen waist band, or girdle (1-11), was intimate clothing, worn
against the
body.
It demonstrates the close relationship God desired to maintain
between His
people and Himself.
However, it was separated from Him.
The result is that it became ruined and totally useless.
So it will be with them.
Their separation from God will make them useless to Him.
The symbol of the broken jug (12-27) was based on a popular saying,
"Every jug
will be filled with wine!"
The saying refers to a time of prosperity when every jug
would be filled.
Jeremiah says that they will be full, but not like they think.
They will be drunk.
They will become like a bunch of full jugs, carried by one
person on his
back.
They bang against each other and break, spilling their
contents everywhere.
Judah also is going to be broken and scattered.
Empty vessels and cracked ground
14-15
6th message of warning: uses a real drought as an illustration to
demonstrate the
certainty of coming judgment.
God will leave the land desolate because of their sin.
The unmarried prophet
16-17
7th message of warning: uses the prophet's celibacy as an object lesson.
God prohibits him from marrying.
He may not participate in their mourning, nor in their rejoicing.
Because of their sin, and the coming judgment, he should separate from
them
completely.
The potter's rights
18-19
8th message of warning: contains a final appeal to repentance.
Observation of life around the potter's house provides two distinct lessons
for God's
people.
First, it's noted that the potter makes the vessels according to his
plan (18).
When they didn't turn out right, he destroys them and starts
over.
God is working with Israel according to His will.
He invites her to repent.
When she rejects His invitation, He judges her and starts to
work on her again.
The second lesson learned at the potter's house is that hardened clay
becomes
useless (19:1-13).
Jeremiah buys one of the jars.
He smashes it in front of the people.
He compares Israel to a damaged jug.
It cannot be repaired.
The people of that generation have become hard and will not return to Him.
Therefore, He will break them, as one would break a useless
pottery jug.
These eight messages were delivered to Judah because they have turned to
sin and
idolatry.
They have hardened their hearts and stiffened their necks, so as not to hear
God's voice,
nor obey His law.
They only want Him as a life preserver, useful for emergencies.
Therefore, God will curse them, in order to correct them and bring them back
to
Himself.
Israel's response 19:14-20:18
Following the messages of warning, Judah's response to the warnings is
described.
Condition declared
19:14-15
Though they should have repented, they refused to listen and obey.
Upon return from Topheth, an area to the south of Jerusalem known for
Baal worship
and child sacrifices, he declares that due to their stiff-necked condition, God is
going to destroy them.
Judah will not submit to God's authority.
She rejects His Word.
Therefore, she will be destroyed.
Condition demonstrated
20:1-6
This condition is illustrated by Passhur's treatment of Jeremiah.
As chief officer in the house of the Lord, Passhur was responsible to
maintain order in
the temple.
When he rejected the message of Jeremiah, he represented the people.
This was an official rejection of God's message and messenger (1-2).
Passhur ordered that Jeremiah be beaten and placed in stocks.
Even the beating symbolized the rejection of the message.
He was then placed in stocks, two pieces of wood that bound neck,
hands and feet.
They would leave the prisoner's body bent all night without being able
to move.
Jeremiah, as God's spokesman, delivered His response to this rejection.
Because of the seriousness of the offense, Passhur's name is changed to
"terror on
every side."
His name would be a reminder and he would be a symbol of the
coming
Babylonian captivity.
Condition lamented
20:7-18
Jeremiah is not happy about the role God has given to him.
He laments Judah's sad condition.
He wants to leave his ministry but he can't.
He is compelled to go on.
He would prefer not to have been born so he would not suffer.
He submits to God's will but wishes God had called someone else.
PREDICTION OF CAPTIVITY 21-39
The second major section of prophecies directed to Judah and Jerusalem deals
specifically with the captivity.
He moves from exhorting them to repent, to a direct warning that judgment
is coming.
While there is still the possibility of repentance, which would bring
restoration, these
message are founded on the assumption that they will not repent.
Eight messages of judgment
21-29
Jeremiah delivers a second series of eight messages which inform them
concerning
God's plan to send captivity upon His people.
The messages are designed to prepare them for what is about to come and
to
demonstrate that God is in control.
It is especially important that they be aware of God's plan, so that they
will trust Him
when the time of restoration arrives.
Answer for Zedekiah
21-22
1st message of judgment: an answer to Zedekiah's question concerning
what they
should do about Babylon.
Jeremiah answers that God Himself is fighting against Judah.