Biblical Literacy - Jeremiah

Ryan Miller

Biblical Literacy • Sermon • Submitted 5 years ago

Jeremiah

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Determining the authorship of the book of Jeremiah is complicated by several factors: the variety of types of literature found in the book, the differences between the Hebrew and Greek versions of the book, and the difficult lives Jeremiah and his scribe Baruch lived.

lived.

More about Jeremiah

Jeremiah was born and raised in Anathoth, a small town a few miles northeast of Jerusalem.

He was called to be a prophet c. 627 B.C. and served for over 40 years ().

At the time of his call he was a youth (), still financially dependent on his parents, so he could have been born c. 645 B.C., though no certain date can be established.

He became a priest and lived in an area allotted to the tribe of Benjamin (), so he was possibly a descendant of Abiathar, high priest during David’s reign.

Thus, Jeremiah was from a small town, served a small tribe, and perhaps came from a deposed priestly lineage. He lived close enough to Jerusalem to understand its people, their worship, and their daily activities. He was far enough removed from Jerusalem that he was not afraid to criticize what he saw happening there.

Purpose

Jeremiah was a man sent by God at Israel’s darkest hour and proclaimed God’s word at great personal cost for over forty years.

More than any other, he provides us with glimpses of a prophet struggling with the God he served faithfully and with the message he was commissioned to deliver.

•Jeremiah was a man sent by God at Israel’s darkest hour and proclaimed God’s word at great personal cost for over forty years. •More than any other, he provides us with glimpses of a prophet struggling with the God he served faithfully and with the message he was commissioned to deliver. •His piety and integrity stood out as beacons in a generation that was to feel the scorching heat of the wrath of God. •Jeremiah was their last chance, and he felt crushed under the weight of that responsibility. •Jeremiah had a difficult life. •His messages of repentance delivered at the temple were not well received (7:1–8:3; 26:1–11). •His hometown plotted against him (11:18–23), and he endured much persecution in the pursuit of his ministry (20:1–6; 37:11–38:13; 43:1–7). •At God’s command he never married (16:1–4). •A faithful preacher, he apparently had only two converts: Baruch, his scribe (32:12; 36:1–4; 45:1–5), and Ebed-melech, an Ethiopian eunuch who served the king (38:7–13; 39:15–18). These are the only two mentioned in the entire book who respond favorably to Jeremiah’s preaching. •Though the book does not reveal the time or place of Jeremiah’s death, he presumably died in Egypt, where he had been taken by his countrymen against his will after the fall of Jerusalem (43:1–7).

His piety and integrity stood out as beacons in a generation that was to feel the scorching heat of the wrath of God.

Jeremiah was their last chance, and he felt crushed under the weight of that responsibility.

Jeremiah had a difficult life.

His messages of repentance delivered at the temple were not well received (; ).

His hometown plotted against him (), and he endured much persecution in the pursuit of his ministry (20:1–6; 37:11–38:13; 43:1–7).

At God’s command he never married ().

He was faithful preacher, yet he apparently had only two converts: Baruch, his scribe (; ; ), and an Ethiopian eunuch by the name of Ebed-melech, who served the king (; ). These are the only two mentioned in the entire book who respond favorably to Jeremiah’s preaching.

Though the book does not reveal the time or place of Jeremiah’s death, he presumably died in Egypt, where he had been taken by his countrymen against his will after the fall of Jerusalem ().

nst his will after the fall of Jerusalem ().

Outline

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Key Theme - God and Man

Jeremiah includes virtually every biblical teaching about the nature of God and human beings.

Sovereignty - He presents God as the sovereign one who calls and equips his servant with his holy word ().

•Jeremiah includes virtually every biblical teaching about the nature of God and human beings. •Sovereignty - He presents God as the sovereign one who calls and equips his servant with his holy word (1:1–19). •One God - Jeremiah claims that God alone is a living God and that he alone made the world. All other so-called gods are mere idols (10:1–16). •God’s call - This Creator God called Israel to a special relationship (chs. 2–6), gave her his holy word, and promised to bless her temple with his name and presence (7:1–8:3). •God’s eternal rule - God rules the present and the future (1:4–16; 29:1–10), protects his chosen ones (1:17–19; 29:11–14; 39:15–18; 45:1–5), and saves those who turn to him (12:14–17). •Man’s depravity - Jeremiah proclaims that God is absolutely trustworthy; he keeps his promises. Therefore, Jeremiah assures readers that when people repent and turn to God, his grace triumphs over sin and judgment. •God as judge - Jeremiah’s view of human beings is grimly realistic. He claims that the human heart is sick and beyond curing by anyone but God (17:9–10). He writes that the nations worship idols instead of their Creator (10:1–16). Worse yet, he notes how Israel, the people with whom God made a special covenant (see below), sinned against him. They went after other gods (chs. 2–6), defiled the temple by their unwillingness to repent (7:1–8:3; 26:1–11), and oppressed one another (34:8–16). •Day of the Lord - Since Israel and the nations have sinned against God (25:1–26), the Creator also becomes the Judge of every nation on the earth he created (chs. 46–51). God will not allow human sin to continue unchecked. Jeremiah warns that punishment is coming. Chapters 21–29 probably contain the most urgent messages of this type for Judah, and chapters 46–51 present the most straightforward warnings to the nations. Thus, Jeremiah contributes to the OT’s teaching about “the day of the Lord” (4:5–12), a term that encompasses both judgments in history such as the fall of Jerusalem and transhistorical judgments like the final judgment. •Man’s opportunity - Given this situation, the prophet asks people over 100 times to “turn around” or “repent.” He promises that when people turn from their sins and return to God they will receive forgiveness and healing. He firmly believes that God will renew a repenting people, and he mourns the lack of repentance in his day (8:18–22). God comforts him with the knowledge that repentance and renewal would eventually come (33:14–26).

One God - Jeremiah claims that God alone is a living God and that he alone made the world. All other so-called gods are mere idols ().

God’s call - This Creator God called Israel to a special relationship (chs. 2–6), gave her his holy word, and promised to bless her temple with his name and presence ().

God’s eternal rule - God rules the present and the future (; ), protects his chosen ones (; ; ; ), and saves those who turn to him ().

Man’s depravity - Jeremiah proclaims that God is absolutely trustworthy; he keeps his promises. Therefore, Jeremiah assures readers that when people repent and turn to God, his grace triumphs over sin and judgment. Jeremiah’s view of human beings is grimly realistic.

Man’s depravity - He claims that the human heart is sick and beyond curing by anyone but God (). He writes that the nations worship idols instead of their Creator (). Worse yet, he notes how Israel, the people with whom God made a special covenant, sinned against him. They went after other gods (chs. 2–6), defiled the temple by their unwillingness to repent (; ), and oppressed one another ().

God as judge - Jeremiah’s view of human beings is grimly realistic. He claims that the human heart is sick and beyond curing by anyone but God (). He writes that the nations worship idols instead of their Creator (). Worse yet, he notes how Israel, the people with whom God made a special covenant (see below), sinned against him. They went after other gods (chs. 2–6), defiled the temple by their unwillingness to repent (7:1–8:3; 26:1–11), and oppressed one another (34:8–16). •Day of the Lord - Since Israel and the nations have sinned against God (25:1–26), the Creator also becomes the Judge of every nation on the earth he created (chs. 46–51). God will not allow human sin to continue unchecked. Jeremiah warns that punishment is coming. Chapters 21–29 probably contain the most urgent messages of this type for Judah, and chapters 46–51 present the most straightforward warnings to the nations. Thus, Jeremiah contributes to the OT’s teaching about “the day of the Lord” (4:5–12), a term that encompasses both judgments in history such as the fall of Jerusalem and transhistorical judgments like the final judgment. •Man’s opportunity - Given this situation, the prophet asks people over 100 times to “turn around” or “repent.” He promises that when people turn from their sins and return to God they will receive forgiveness and healing. He firmly believes that God will renew a repenting people, and he mourns the lack of repentance in his day (8:18–22). God comforts him with the knowledge that repentance and renewal would eventually come (33:14–26).

God as judge - Since Israel and the nations have sinned against God (), the Creator also becomes the Judge of every nation on the earth he created (chs. 46–51). God will not allow human sin to continue unchecked. Jeremiah warns that punishment is coming. Chapters 21–29 probably contain the most urgent messages of this type for Judah, and chapters 46–51 present the most straightforward warnings to the nations.

Day of the Lord - Thus, Jeremiah contributes to the OT’s teaching about “the day of the Lord” (), a term that encompasses both judgments in history such as the fall of Jerusalem and transhistorical judgments like the final judgment.

Man’s opportunity - Given this situation, the prophet asks people over 100 times to “turn around” or “repent.” He promises that when people turn from their sins and return to God they will receive forgiveness and healing. He firmly believes that God will renew a repenting people, and he mourns the lack of repentance in his day (). God comforts him with the knowledge that repentance and renewal would eventually come ().

Key Theme - Covenant

Old Covenant - Like the other true prophets in the Bible, Jeremiah believed that God had made a covenant with Israel.

A binding relational agreement between God and Israel, based on deeds done by God and promises made by God, which Israel accepted by faith in God, for the purpose of living for God as his unique people in the world.

•Old Covenant - Like the other true prophets in the Bible, Jeremiah believed that God had made a covenant with Israel. •A binding relational agreement between God and Israel, based on deeds done by God and promises made by God, which Israel accepted by faith in God, for the purpose of living for God as his unique people in the world. •This covenant was rooted in God’s promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (). It was based on God’s redemption of Israel from slavery in Egypt (). It included standards of living () that the people who were called to be “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” () should uphold as they trusted God and lived for him. It included faith-based sacrifices () and prayers (; ; etc.) to deal with the people’s sins. It included clear accountability for this kingdom of priests in the form of benefits (blessings) and consequences (curses) (). •Messiah •As time passed, God’s covenant with Israel incorporated God’s promise to David of an eternal kingdom (; ). •From this promise came the concept of a Messiah, which literally means “anointed one.” Jeremiah does not mention the Messiah as often as Isaiah, but the concept is not missing altogether. Jeremiah conceives of a time when God will “gather the remnant” of Israel and raise up “for David a righteous Branch” who will reign over the faithful ones (). When he comes, this King will be “our righteousness” (23:6). In this way God’s eternal covenant with David will be kept fully at a time in the future that Jeremiah leaves unspecified (32:14–25). •God established this covenant with all Israel, irrespective of faith in God on the part of many individuals. However, the only persons that God was pleased with and redeemed spiritually were persons like Jeremiah who placed their faith in God, which was demonstrated by obedience to his word (). Such persons are part of the remnant that the Messiah will gather (). Sadly, as chapters 2–6 indicate, the nation of Israel had a long history of covenant breaking. Collectively they were not a faithful covenant partner, though Abraham, Moses, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and others proved that covenant faithfulness was possible through God’s grace. •New covenant •God used Jeremiah to deliver the good news that in future days God would “make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah” (31:31). This covenant would be different in one chief respect: the new covenant partners will not break the covenant, as most of the old partners did even though God was unwaveringly faithful (31:32). Instead, the new covenant partners will have the word of God so ingrained in their hearts through God’s power that they will know and follow God all their lives (31:33–34). •Thus, all the new covenant partners will be believers who are forgiven and empowered by God; he will “remember their sin no more” (31:34). quotes as evidence that the new covenant has come through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. The coming of Jesus the Messiah fulfills God’s promises to Abraham, Moses, David, and the prophets of a new faithful people of God in continuity with the old people of God.

This covenant was rooted in God’s promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (). It was based on God’s redemption of Israel from slavery in Egypt (). It included standards of living () that the people who were called to be “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” () should uphold as they trusted God and lived for him. It included faith-based sacrifices () and prayers (; ; etc.) to deal with the people’s sins. It included clear accountability for this kingdom of priests in the form of benefits (blessings) and consequences (curses) ().

Messiah

As time passed, God’s covenant with Israel incorporated God’s promise to David of an eternal kingdom (; ).

From this promise came the concept of a Messiah, which literally means “anointed one.” Jeremiah does not mention the Messiah as often as Isaiah, but the concept is not missing altogether. Jeremiah conceives of a time when God will “gather the remnant” of Israel and raise up “for David a righteous Branch” who will reign over the faithful ones (). When he comes, this King will be “our righteousness” (). In this way God’s eternal covenant with David will be kept fully at a time in the future that Jeremiah leaves unspecified ().

God established this covenant with all Israel, irrespective of faith in God on the part of many individuals. However, the only persons that God was pleased with and redeemed spiritually were persons like Jeremiah who placed their faith in God, which was demonstrated by obedience to his word (). Such persons are part of the remnant that the Messiah will gather (). Sadly, as chapters 2–6 indicate, the nation of Israel had a long history of covenant breaking. Collectively they were not a faithful covenant partner, though Abraham, Moses, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and others proved that covenant faithfulness was possible through God’s grace.

New covenant

God used Jeremiah to deliver the good news that in future days God would “make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah” (). This covenant would be different in one chief respect: the new covenant partners will not break the covenant, as most of the old partners did even though God was unwaveringly faithful (). Instead, the new covenant partners will have the word of God so ingrained in their hearts through God’s power that they will know and follow God all their lives ().

Thus, all the new covenant partners will be believers who are forgiven and empowered by God; he will “remember their sin no more” (). quotes as evidence that the new covenant has come through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. The coming of Jesus the Messiah fulfills God’s promises to Abraham, Moses, David, and the prophets of a new faithful people of God in continuity with the old people of God.

Say What?

Jeremiah 29:11–13 ESV

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

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Bringing Context

26:1–29:32 Jeremiah is opposing false belief.

Jeremiah speaks against believing that the temple’s existence indicates God’s approval of Judah ()

Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 1420). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

that Babylon will not conquer Judah ()

that Babylon’s power would cease soon ()

and that the exile would end quickly ()

Questions we should ask

What’s going on?

False belief

2. What’s going on with them?

Jeremiah speaks against believing that the temple’s existence indicates God’s approval of Judah ()

that Babylon will not conquer Judah ()

that Babylon’s power would cease soon ()

and that the exile would end quickly ()

that Babylon’s power would cease soon ()

3. How does this fit into God’s plan and promises?

and that the exile would end quickly ()

How does this fit into God’s plan and promises?

From the Garden, God promised to save his people. But this salvation is not from the judgement coming on those who do not follow God, nor on God’s people experiencing suffering.