Old Testament survey (24): Jeremiah

Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. (Jeremiah 1:5)

But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation (Jeremiah 10:10)

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9)

The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words.

Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel. (Jeremiah 18:1-6)



For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. (Jeremiah 29:10-11)

Overview

[1] Jeremiah, from Thru The Bible Radio with Dr. J. Vernon McGee ©, with free downloads Notes & Outlines (PDF), Complete 5-Year Study (MP3)

Jeremiah is a prophet whose prophecy is largely autobiographical. He gives to us much of his own personal history. Let me run through this list of facts about him so that you will know this man whom we will meet in this book.

1. He was born a priest in Anathoth, just north of Jerusalem (Jeremiah1:1).
2. He was chosen to be a prophet before he was born (Jeremiah 1:5).
3. He was called to the prophetic office while he was very young (Jeremiah 1:6).
4. He was commissioned of God to be a prophet (Jeremiah 1:9–10).
5. He began his ministry during the reign of King Josiah and was a mourner at his funeral (2 Chronicles 35:25).
6. He was forbidden to marry because of the terrible times in which he lived (Jeremiah 16:1–4).
7. He never made a convert. He was rejected by his people (Jeremiah 11:18–21; 12:6; 18:18), hated, beaten, put in stocks (Jeremiah 20:1–3), imprisoned, and charged with being a traitor (Jeremiah 37:11–16).
8. His message broke his own heart (Jeremiah 9:1).
9. He wanted to resign, but God wouldn’t let him (Jeremiah2 0:9).
10. He saw the destruction of Jerusalem and the Babylonian captivity. He was permitted to remain in the land by the captain of the Babylonian forces. When the remnant wanted to flee to Egypt, Jeremiah prophesied against it (Jeremiah 42:15–43:3); he was forced to go with the remnant to Egypt (Jeremiah 43:6–7); and he died there. Tradition says that he was stoned by the remnant. (Read the complete article)

[2] Book of Jeremiah, from gotquestions.org (this website is also available in Afrikaans, Arabic, Bengali, Burmese-Myanmar, Cebuano, Chinese - Simplified, Chinese – Traditional, Hausa, Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Malaysian, Persian-Farsi, Portuguese, Quechua, Sesotho, Spanish, Swahili, Tagalog, Tamil, Thai, Urdu, Vietnamese, Zulu, and 70 other languages)

The Book of Jeremiah is primarily a message of judgment on Judah for rampant idolatry (Jeremiah 7:30-34; 16:10-13; 22:9; 32:29; 44:2-3). After the death of King Josiah, the last righteous king, the nation of Judah had almost completely abandoned God and His commandments. Jeremiah compares Judah to a prostitute (Jeremiah 2:20; 3:1-3). God had promised that He would judge idolatry most severely (Leviticus 26:31-33; Deuteronomy 28:49-68), and Jeremiah was warning Judah that God’s judgment was at hand. God had delivered Judah from destruction on countless occasions, but His mercy was at its end. Jeremiah records King Nebuchadnezzar conquering Judah and making it subject to him (Jeremiah 24:1). After further rebellion, God brought Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian armies back to destroy and desolate Judah and Jerusalem (Jeremiah chapter 52). Even in this most severe judgment, God promises restoration of Judah back into the land God has given them (Jeremiah 29:10). Read the complete article

[3] Jeremiah, from Scofield Reference Notes (1917 Edition)

Jeremiah began his ministry in the 13th year of Josiah, about 60 years after Isaiah's death. Zephaniah and Habakkuk were contemporaries of his earlier ministry. Daniel of his later. After the death of Josiah, the kingdom of Judah hastened to its end in the Babylonian captivity. Jeremiah remained in the land ministering to the poor Remnant (2 Kings 24:14) until they went into Egypt, whither he followed them, and where he died, early in the 70 year's captivity. Jeremiah, prophesying before and during the exile of Judah, connects the pre-exile prophets with Ezekiel and Daniel, prophets of the exile.

Jeremiah's vision includes: the Babylonian captivity; the return after 70 years; the world- wide dispersion; the final regathering; the kingdom-age; the day of judgment on the Gentile powers, and the Remnant.

Jeremiah is in six chief divisions:

1. From the prophet's call to his message to the first captives. Jeremiah 1:1-29:32.
2. Prophecies and events not chronological, Jeremiah 30:1-36:2.
3. From the accession to the captivity of Zedekiah, Jeremiah 37:1-39,18.
4. Jeremiah's prophecies in the land after the final captivity of Judah, Jeremiah 40:1-42:22.
5. The prophet in Egypt, Jeremiah 43:1-44:30.
6. Miscellaneous prophecies, Jeremiah 45:1-52:34.

The events recorded in Jeremiah cover a period of 41 years (Ussher).

Discussion

[1] Key verses: Jeremiah 1:5; 10:10; 17:9 29:10-11; 52:12-13,

[2] Messianic prophecies are found in Jeremiah 23:1-8 (David's Righteous Branch); Jeremiah 31:31-40 (new covenant); and Jeremiah 33:14-26 (compare with Revelation 11:15 and Romans 11:26).

[3] The word “backsliding” is used in Jeremiah 3:6, 8, 11-12, 14, 22; 8:5; 31:22; 49:4.

[4] Bible references to backsliding of Israel:

Exodus 17:7; Numbers 14:43; Deuteronomy 4:25-31; 31:16-30; 32:5-6, 15, 18; Judges 2:12; 10:12-14; 2 Chronicles 24:20; 2 Kings 18:1, 12; 2 Chronicles 13:11; 27:2; 29:6, 8; Ezra 9:10, 13, 14; Nehemiah 9:26; Psalms 78:10-11, 40-43, 56-64; 106:13, 14; Isaiah 1:4-7, 21-22; 2:6; 5:12-30; 9:13-21; 17:10, 11; 24:5-6; 30:9, 15; 31:6; 43:22, 24; 50:1; 51:17-20; 63:17; 65:2-3; Jeremiah 2:5, 11-13, 17, 19, 21, 27, 31-32; 3:1-25; 5:1-31; 6:30; 7:12-34; 8:1-22; 10:17-22; 11:9-17; 12:7; 13:24, 25; 14:7, 10; 15:1-14; 18:13-15; 19; 32:30-31; 50:6; Ezekiel 2:3-8; 5:1-17; 11:1-21; 15; 16:43; 22:18; 23; Hosea 1:1-9; 2; 3; 4:6, 10, 16; 5:1-15; 6:4-11; 8:14; 9:1-17; 11:2, 7; 13:16; 14:1; Amos 2:4; Zephaniah 1:6; Malachi 1:6; 3:7; Hebrews 3:16-18

Further study (Be like the Bereans! Acts 17:11)

[1] Materials by David Malick

• An Introduction to the Book of Jeremiah
• An Argument of the Book of Jeremiah

[2] Jeremiah: The New Covenant, by Donald E. Curtis

[3] The Major Prophets, by J. Hampton Keathley, III, Th.M. (also available in Chinese)

Sermons on Jeremiah (Be like the Bereans! Acts 17:11)

Jeremiah 1:5

[1] Life Begins When? By Michael Stark, New Beginnings Baptist Church

[2] A Matter of Perspective, by John Kane, Sun Oak Baptist Church

[3] Leadership Lessons from the Call of Jeremiah, by Mike Crews

[4] I Knew You, by Michael R Dean

[5] Chosen Before Birth, by Phillip W. Mansfield

[6] Experiencing God 07 - God takes the initiative, by Richard DeRuiter

[7] Overcoming Fear, by Luke Harris

[8] Why am I here, by Robert Govoni

[9] The Call: Created for Good Works--Jeremiah 1, by David Sincerbox

[10] A Child Over the Nations, by Jonathan Luis Hack

[11] The Power Of God's Call 2, by Flanvis Johnson, Jr.

[12] Beauty Is Only Skin Deep 2-18-07, by Brent M. Bryant, Sr.

[13] Sermon illustrations, from bible.org

Related materials on Jeremiah 1:5

[1] Where did life come from? Is evolution the best scientific answer?

[2] Did humans evolve from fish and is this “ancestry” reflected by so-called “embryonic recapitulation” and “vestigial” organs?



Jeremiah 17:9

[1] Following Your Heart, by Daniel P. Johnson

[2] Diagnosis, by Terry W. Wiese

[3] Jeremiah The Consequences of Choice, by Craig Wilson

[4] Heart, spiritually clean, by Roy Holladay

[5] Jeremiah 17:7-10, by Peter Mountain

[6] Sermon illustrations, from bible.org

Jeremiah 18:1-6

[1] Fully Devoted-2: A Moldable Heart, by Richard DeRuiter

[2] The Potters Clay, by Stephen House

[4] The Potter’s Hand, by Arthur D. Angst

[5] Sermon illustrations, from bible.org

For other available sermons, please surf to Sermon / Preaching resources. Sermons are also available from South McGehee Baptist Church, McGehee, Arizona; Central Baptist Church, Lowesville; First Baptist Church, Mountain View, Missouri; Swift Creek Baptist Church; Word of Life Baptist Church, Pottsville, Philadelphia; Palm Springs Baptist Church, California; South Woods Baptist Church; Grove Baptist Church, Ulster; Dudley Baptist Church, United Kingdom; Independent Fundamental Baptist Sermons, Fundamental Christian Radio Broadcasts, Off-Site Audio Page and The Christian Radio Tuner

Notes: (1) This ministry does not necessarily endorse or share all the views and opinions expressed in the materials, resources or links mentioned in these posts. Please always refer to the Articles of Faith and Biblical distinctives of Baptists when you study these materials. (2) This lesson is part of the projected 300 plus lessons. From time to time, the lessons will be updated, revised, combined, formatted, and edited to comply with the VOA Simplified English word list. Later on, these lessons will be categorized, numbered sequentially, and made available as PDF downloads.