Sermon Tone Analysis

Author

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 ().