Jeremiah the Weeping Prophet

The Date of Jeremiah
• Jeremiah prophesied from 626 B.C. (Josiah’s 13th year) to 586 B.C. (Zedekiah’s 11th year)
• His final oracle was delivered in Egypt (Jer. 40-44)

Major Events During Jeremiah
• Jack P. Lewis (The Major Prophets) points to 2 Kings 22:3-25-26; 2 Chronicles 34:1-36:21 as reporting the major events during the timeframe of this book
• The prophet is only mentioned in 2 Chronicles 35:25; 36:12, 21-22

Observations from Chuck Horner
• The “golden age” of prophets was the black age of apostasy in Israel
• No prophet had such a range of emotions for his nation
• Jeremiah had great devotion to God
• Prophecy, history and elegy (deep grief particularly following destruction of Jerusalem)
• Chapters are not in chronological order
• 5% of the Bible is in Jeremiah and Lamentations

A Time of Moral Corruption and Chaos
• Burning cities, countries being brought down by Babylon
• War
• Destruction of homes and taking flocks
• Jeremiah warns Jerusalem of impending destruction

Manasseh’s Reign
• Hezekiah’s reforms are reversed
• Manasseh, during his 55 years, introduced the most abominable idolatry
• Manasseh repented when carried away into Babylon, but it was too late to save the people (15:4)

Josiah’s Reign
• Josiah destroyed idolatry after finding the book of the law in the temple
• He was killed in battle by Necho of Egypt

Jehoahaz and Jehoiakim
• Jehoahaz (Shallum) reigned 3 months
• Jehoiakim reigned 11 years
• He led his country into ever greater idolatry
• Rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar and was driven from his throne

Jehoiachin (Jeconiah or Coniah)
• Jeconiah succeeded his father Jehoiakim
• Reigned 3 months in Jerusalem before being taken captive to Babylon and confined for 37 years
• Chief men and artisans were deported with him
• Jerusalem left desolate and impotent with only a shadow of her former glory

Zedekiah, the Puppet King
• Conspired with Egypt to rebel against Babylon
• Nebuchadnezzar besieged and destroyed Jerusalem
• Zedekiah was dragged to Riblah where he saw his sons slaughtered and his eyes were put out
• He was placed in a dungeon in Babylon

Gedaliah
• was appointed governor of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar
• He was murdered by Ishmael, a Jewish prince
• Anarchy followed
• Small bands of refugees escaped to asylum in Egypt

Jeremiah’s Life Spanned the Reigns of Five Kings
• Josiah 639-608 BC 31 yrs
• Jehoahaz 608 BC 3 mos
• Jehoiakim 608-597 11 yrs
• Jehoiachin 597 3 mos
• Zedekiah 597-586 11 yrs

Jeremiah, the Man
• Born into a family of priests in Anathoth, about 3 miles northeast of Jerusalem
• Called to the office of prophet at an early age, he originally shrank from the task
• He was forbidden to marry or to be present in homes of mourning or feasting

Jeremiah, the Prophet
• He stood alone apposed by princes, the people, false prophet and priests
• He was hated, despised and threatened wherever he appeared
• He delivered God’s message with a bleeding heart
• A plot was formed against him in his own village
• He began in Jerusalem 13th year of Josiah (66), ended when temple destroyed (586)
• Following the fall of Jerusalem 560 BC, or 26 more years - Jeremiah 52:31

Jeremiah’s Message
• Every class of Hebrew society was condemned as inexcusably guilty
• Babylonian captivity was inevitable and all Hebrews needed to humbly submit, since it was a chastisement from God for their unfaithfulness
• Israel would one day be delivered by the Messiah
• True Israel will trust in God, not the arm of the flesh
• Jeremiah is the only prophet to say the Babylonian captivity would last 70 years - 25:11

Jeremiah’s Purpose
• Mostly wrote to Judah - Jeremiah 2-45
• 10 pagan nations - 46-51 - Egypt, Babylon, Philistia, Moab, Ammon, Edom, Damascus, Kedar, Hazor, Elam
• Tried to bring Judah to repentance - 7:2-7
• Warned of approaching destruction - 21:1-10

Early Training and Call
• He was brought into the company of priests and students of God’s word
• God called him, saying he would send, command and be with Jeremiah

Jeremiah’s Character
• He had a good education
• Very emotional
• Shunned by family and opposed by priests and prophets
• His life was a tragic experience
• He continually urged his fellow citizens to turn to God

Practical Lessons
• God’s tender heart is severely hurt by the sight of chosen ones who have forgotten the vows of their early days
• Genuine repentance must precede God’s giving of blessings in individual lives
• True religion is inward, spiritual and shown in a genuine response in the heart to the righteous God
• Sin cannot triumph, since God will have the ultimate victory over sin

More Practical Lessons
• Each must stand before the righteous judge
• The new covenant will work on the heart
• The minister who suffers most and leans most heavily on God knows the deeper truths of God
• God helps one run with footmen before challenging to run with horses
• Sin always results in ruin and leads to an inevitable judgment

The Prophets - Rom. 15:4
• The prophetic office was ordained by God - Deut. 18:9-22
• God placed his word in their mouthes
• Their mission was to teach the people
• They were persecuted by their hearers

The Priests - Rom. 15:4
• Priests and the law were always related - Malachi 2:7
• The two-fold duty of priests:
• To declare and interpret the law, which involved helping judges settle disputes by explaining the law
• To tend to the sacrificial duties of worship

NT Statements about Prophets
• 2 Peter 1:20-21
• Acts 3:18, 22-26
• Acts 13:27
• Acts 7:52; Matthew 23:37; Nehemiah 9:31
• Acts 28:23
• Romans 16:25-27; Luke 24:27
• Jude 14-16

Principles for Understanding the Prophets
• The prophet cannot introduce strange religions - Deut. 13:1-5
• The false prophets oracles do not come to pass - Debt. 18:20-22
• Prophecies are conditional - Jer. 18:5-10; 1 Kings 21:29 may be delayed by repentance
• Christ’s coming and beginning of the church are in prophecy - Rom. 1:1-4; 1 Pet. 1:10-12

Judgment Because of Judah’s Wickedness
• Jeremiah 1:16 encapsulates all of the book
• The people say God promised to defend them
• Is God now too weak to defeat the Babylonians?
• They had sinned, therefore had not met the conditions God set

Jeremiah’s Call
• 1:4-5 God chooses whom he will to do his purposes on earth (Gal. 1:15-16) “formed” - process
• 1:6-8 Jeremiah’s objection because unqualified and inexperienced (Ex. 3:11; 4:10)
• 1:9 God’s response - inspiration
• 1:10 Six verbs, 4 showing Judah’s end and 2 showing God’s beginning
• God is in control - he starts nations and stops them

The Almond Tree and Boiling Pot
• 1:11-12 The almond tree was called the “awake” because 1st to blossom in spring (Isa. 55:11), God wakefully watches Jeremiah
• 1:13-16 Trouble is coming from the N
• Israel’s relationship with God was based on his grace and promises
• God commanded faith and obedience from his people
• Judah’s evil will be punished

You Do Your Part and God Will Do His!
• 1:17-19 Prepare to rise and speak
• God sends his prophets to bring his people back to him
• God knows people will fight against his spokesman, but promises to be with him

Judah’s Sin and Ingratitude
• 2:1-3 God’s people had once been faithful - they were his holy, firstfruits and any who attacked them would be guilty, ultimately overcome by God
• 2:4-5 What injustice did God commit that Israel went into idolatry?
• Idols are nothing and those who worship them become nothing (Hos. 9:10; Psa. 115:1-8)

Three Classes of People Are Condemned
• 2:7 God brought Israel from the sparsity of the wilderness to the blessings of the promised land
• 2:8 In prosperity they broke the bond with God and were led astray by their priests, rulers and prophets
• Nations usually die at the top first

Astonishing Israel
• 2:9-11 Even Gentiles do not change their gods, though they are no gods
• Israel had the real thing and changed their God
• She had forgotten her history
• Grace demands faith and obedience


Two Sins of Israel
• 2:12-13 Forsaking God = living waters, never ending, always fresh
• Hewn out cisterns - false gods = dead water, limited supply, always stale
• Cisterns always crack, water tasted of clay, full of worms

God Divorced Israel
• 2:14-16 Israel was not a slave, but beloved by God
• Assyria (lion)
• Noph (Memphis)
• The broken crown of head may represent Josiah’s death (2 Kings 23:29)
• 2:17-19 She became a prey because of her rebellion in seeking help from nations instead of Almighty God

Israel Was Like an Animal in Heat
• 2:20-22 They said they would not sin but laid down for adultery under every tree
• 2:23-25 Pagan worship was in Ben-Hinnom, the valley, outside Jerusalem
• They were like a wild camel pursuing sin
• Like a donkey in heat sniffing the wind for idols

Israel Made False gods Her Father
• 2:26-28 She was like a thief caught in the act
• Her father was a hunk of wood and her mother a stone (Jackson 120 amoeba and ape)
• 2:28 Let your gods help you
• 2:29 God’s mercy and blessings are always conditional

Failed Discipline
• 2:30 They put to death the prophets God sent to correct them (26:20-23; 2 Kings 21:14-16; Matt. 23:37)
• 2:31 God had not treated them poorly
• 2:32 Unlike a young bride, they had not cherished God’s gifts
• 2:33-35 They had skillfully pursued the love of false gods and thought they could come back to God after spiritual adultery

Apostasy Led to God Not Blessing Israel
• 2:36 Political apostasy goes hand in hand with religious apostasy
• Leaders had led astray
• 2:37 God would not bless them through their trusted earthly allies

Israel Was Bold in Sin
• 3:1-2 Man usually leaves wife, but Israel left God, her husband, yet he would take her back
• 3:3 God withheld blessings
• Harlot’s forehead represented boldness and the bold are never ashamed
• 3:4-5 God’s anger would finally cause him to turn from her

Backsliders, Apostates, Called Home
• 3:6-8 God had given a certificate of divorce to Israel
• Judah went the same way despite Israel’s example
• 3:9-11 She pursued false gods
• 3:12-14 God would take Israel (north) back if she really repented
• 3:15-17 Good leadership after ark (Moses’ law) removed and hearts would change

There Is Still Hope
• 3:18 There will be a remnant God will call back
• 3:19 A father desiring to give an inheritance to a son who has turned away from him
• Though he loves him, he cannot give the son the full inheritance

Backsliders Can Be Forgiven
• 3:20-22 If they return, God will forgive
• 3:23 False teachers have given them false hope
• 3:24-25 They have sinned and failed to obey God resulting in their failure to be blessed by him

God’s Promises Are Conditional
• 4:1-2 God’s promises are conditional - God would cancel the Babylonian invasion if…
• “If you will return” “And if you will put away your abominations” - “Then you shall not be moved”
• 4:3-4 Their hearts needed to be set toward the Lord

Prepare to Meet God
• 4:5-9 If they will not repent, God will send armies to punish them, trumpet sounding the alarm (Amos 3:6; 4:12)
• Lion = destroyer = he
• Desolate = waste = without inhabitant
• Judah has not turned, so God has not turned (4:8)
• Judah trusted in the temple (God’s dwelling place) to protect them

Jeremiah Hurts, But Judah Must be Warned
• 4:10 False prophets and leaders caused the people to think God was promising peace
• 4:11-13 God was sending punishment
• 4:14-18 Judah’s spiritual condition resulted in God using nations to punish
• 4:19 Jeremiah hurt for his nation
• 4:20-22 Jeremiah must proclaim coming doom, battle standards and war trumpets
• The people were “practical atheists”

Society Will be Brought Down, But There Is Hope
• 4:23-26 God’s spokesman says this great society will be left like the empty earth at the time of creation
• 4:27 Punishment is coming, but there is hope (Isa. 4:2; 6:13)
• 4:28-31 Destruction is coming from the very evil powers Judah has courted
• She screams like a young mother dying during a miscarriage

Not Even One Righteous Man
• 5:1-3 Jeremiah is to search for one just man who seeks truth (Gen. 18:22-33) so he can pardon her
• They swore falsely and stubbornly refused to change
• 5:4-6 All from poor to great men had broken the covenant with God
• Live like animals, die like animals
• Lion = fierce (Zeph. 3:1-3); wolf = ravenous (Hab. 1:6-8); leopard = cunning (Hos. 13:7)

Judah’s Spiritual Adultery Must be Punished
• 5:7-9 Judah had committed spiritual and physical adultery with false gods
• Likened to stallions in heat
• How could God pardon them?
• 5:10-13 A remnant would be preserved
• The people must be punished because they lied about the Lord and treated his prophets as hot aired windbags

Judah Will be Punished, But a Remnant Will Remain
• 5:14-18 That “hot air” would become a fire which would devour the people
• Babylon’s arrows would fill graves
• They would “eat up” everything
• Yet, a remnant would remain

Why Did God Forsake Them?
• 5:19-25 They had served foreign gods and would now serve in a foreign land
• They did not see nor hear though they had eyes and ears (Isa. 6:9-10; Ezek. 12:2)
• God had set boundaries for the ocean and it obeyed
• Judah did not obey and her sin caused God to turn away blessings

No Limits to Their Sin
• 5:26-29 They preyed on their brethren like hunters snaring birds
• They used deceit to fill their houses with wealth
• There was no limit to how far they would go in sin, even refusing to help orphans and widows
• They would face the judgment of God

Corrupt Leaders Lead People Astray
• 5:30-31 The prophets prophesied falsely (James 3:1)
• The priests followed
• The people enjoyed having a religion that made no demands on them
• In the end, they would face judgment

Sound the Warning
• 6:1-8 An alarm issues from Benjamin, in which Jerusalem was situated
• An invading army, like shepherds, will come, camp and consume
• “prepare” sanctify, like religious exercise
• This army will fight at night because they are anxious to punish
• God directs this army which will leave nothing behind

Unable to Blush
• 6:9-15 Babylon had to go back to completely glean Judah
• God could not warn people with uncircumcised ears
• Property and wives would be taken
• For money, false prophets declared prosperity to be a sign of peace with God
• So depraved they could not blush about their evil involvements

Rejecting the Old Paths
• 6:16-21 Rest/peace is found in the old path, but they refused
• Jackson referred to a writer who said God urged them back to the old paths through history (16), prophesy (17) and the law (19)
• Truth is a stumbling block to the unrighteous
• The righteous use truth as a stepping stone

People Are Coming from the North
• 6:22-26 They were gathering their war weapons
• They will show no mercy
• Judah’s hands went limp, they feared like a woman about to give birth, they would not leave their homes
• They were urged to begin mourning because the plunderer was coming

Test the Metals
• 6:27-30 Jeremiah was to put Judah to the test

• Because they were stubborn rebels, they failed the test • The dross of their sins was not burned up in the smelting process
• God would reject his worthless people (Matt. 5:13 salt lost savor)

The Temple Cannot Save
• 7:1-7 Jeremiah was to stand at the temple gate and speak to those coming to worship
• Amending her ways would result in being spared
• Liars said the temple would save them
• They should deal with one another fairly; help strangers, orphans and widows; avoid violence; and repudiate idolatry
• God would then let them remain in the land

The Temple Cannot Save
• 7:8-11 They trusted in liars and believed they could live as they pleased as long as the temple was there
• 7:12-16 They were hiding behind ritual and the temple must be destroyed for them to know God was not with them
• Shiloh and the tabernacle were gone, as was Israel where they were (Josh. 18:1; 1 Sam. 1:3; 4:1-18
• Jeremiah was not to pray for them (1 John 5:16)

God Saw What They Were Doing
• 7:17-20 The whole family was involved in idolatrous worship, only ritualistically practicing their faith
• God’s anger will not be quenched
• 7:21-28 Judah could practice her faith without burnt offerings since the 10 commandments do not require them
• If they obey God’s voice, he will be their God
• 7:29-34 Failure to obey results in truth perishing, which leads to slaughter (32), shame (33), sorrow and suffering (34)

Reasoning that Leads to Ruin
• 8:1-2 Even those long dead would be treated shamefully, exposed before the gods they went after (loved, served, walked, sought and worshiped)
• 8:3 Their false sense of hope had to be destroyed so there could be real hope

Perpetually Backsliding
• 8:4-7 Men who fall usually get up
• God listened for his backsliding children to say they were coming home
• “Rather, like irrational horses that rush headlong into battle, so Judah unthinkingly moved toward judgment” (Jackson 131)
• Migratory birds sees the signs and go home, but Judah does not see the signs of coming judgment

Lying Scribes
• 8:8-13 “This is the first formal mention of that class known as scribes. They were proclaiming a false peace when war was on the horizon” (Jackson 132)
• They had rejected the word of the Lord and would be exposed
• They would be punished because of covetousness, falsely proclaiming peace and failing to be ashamed of the abominations in which they participated

Punishment Is Near
• 8:14-17 They would be put to silence like dead men, having been given a poison potion from the Lord
• Enemy horses could already be heard
• Results of false wisdom are seen in lack of peace and bounty of trouble
• God would send serpents (Num. 21:6-9)

The Rejected Balm
• 8:18-22 Jeremiah experienced deep sorrow
• The people wondered why they were captives, not realizing their salvation was gone
• Jeremiah moaned and wondered if there was no remedy (Gen. 37:25)
• The answer was near, but the people spurned God’s help (Matt. 23:37-38)

The Results of Not Knowing the Lord
• 9:1-6 Jeremiah grieved for his people (Rom. 9:1-5)
• He wanted a place where he could secretly go and be away from his unfaithful, treacherous brethren (Prov. 6:16-19)
• They went from evil to evil, not knowing God any more
• No one trusted their neighbors, they taught their tongues to lie, they lived in deceit because they did not know the Lord (Matt. 12:36)

Punishment and Tears
• 9:7-9 God would melt them in the refiner’s fire for their sins
• 9:10-11 Jeremiah wept for the desolate land in ruins that even visitors avoided
• 9:12-16 Only Jeremiah could tell why the Lord punished them
• They stubbornly followed their own hearts in pursuing Baal (the two go together)
• They would have to drink the bitter drink of their rebellion and be consumed

Judah’s Funeral
• 9:17-22 Call the mourners • Professional mourners wailing over being forced to leave the land, with houses destroyed
• More mourners would be needed, so women were to teach their daughters
• Death, like a stalker, looks through windows looking for victims
• Many dead await burial, but none remains to take care of the need

Glory in God
• 9:23-24 Man should not glory in his wisdom, might or riches
• Glory in knowing God (1 Cor. 1:31) because he exercises lovingkindness, judgment and righteousness
• 9:25-26 Judah would be punished with the physically uncircumcised because she was uncircumcised in heart (Rom. 2:28-29)

Worthless False Religions
• 10:1-5 “The Egyptians and Babylonians were ardent devotees of the ‘signs of the heaven’….Astrology, however, is in the same category as Baal worship (2 Kgs. 23:5). It is pagan superstition” (Jackson 135)
• Idols are made by men and not worthy of worship (Isa. 40:1-20)

God Versus the gods
• 10:6-10 God is almighty and sovereign (Gen. 17:1)
• He is the true king of all (Dan. 4:17, 25, 26, 32)
• False gods offer no wisdom, being made by men
• Whereas God made man, is true, living, everlasting and will judge the nations (Rom. 11:33-36)

God’s Majestic Power
• 10:11 This verse is in Aramaic, thus appearing to notify Babylon that her gods did not create and would not continue to exist
• 10:12-16 Jeremiah praises God the Creator
• “The hydrologic cycle (evaporation, condensation, and precipitation) was not generally recognized until the sixteenth to seventeenth centuries A.D.” (Jackson 135)
• Lightning is associated with rain making and the wind helps control temperatures and cleanses
• Israel’s God is a special provider

Judah Must Pack Her Bags
• 10:17-22 God told Judah to pack her bags before her violent ejection from the land
• Jeremiah hurt for his people
• Abandoned Jerusalem was like a tent broken down
• The leaders had failed their flocks
• The approaching enemy could be heard and would leave Jerusalem to be occupied by wild animals

What Kind of Justice Do You Want?
• 10:23-25 “God marks the road! BUT man looks for the side paths”
• “To correct - with justice = correction” • “to correct - with anger = punishment” (Chuck Horner)
• Jeremiah prayed God would bring justice to Judah’s enemies, which he ultimately did by using the Medo-Persian empire to defeat Babylon

Obedience Results in Blessings
• 11:1-5 God urged Jeremiah to remind the people of the covenant they committed to at Sinai • Failure to obey would lead to a curse (Deut. 27)
• “iron furnace” symbolized suffering in slavery (Deut. 4:20)
• Faithfulness to God is necessary to be known as his people
• The promised land was only theirs conditionally (Josh. 23:11-13)

Failing to Hear God Results in Failing to be Heard
• 11:6-8 “hear” = “obey”
• 11:9-13 “The people’s defection from Jahveh, their breach of faith towards the covenant God, is called conspiracy, because it had become as universal as if it had been initiated by a formal preconcertment” (Keil 213)
• God will not hear them either
• Judah would then cry out to the gods they had placed throughout the land

Do Not Pray for Judah
• 11:14-17 Jeremiah was forbidden to pray for Judah
• They practiced lewd acts toward false gods
• God intended for them to be a fruitful olive tree, but would now burn them with the fires of judgment
• They acted against their own best interests

Scheming Against Jeremiah
• 11:18-23 God told Jeremiah of the plots against him
• “Like a pet sheep accustomed to the home of its owners has no idea it is to be killed when they lead it out of the house” (Horner)
• God will not leave a remnant in Anathoth

Why Do the Wicked Prosper?
• 12:1-4 Jeremiah knew God judged rightly (Gen. 18:25)
• He could not understand why the wicked prospered (Ps. 73)
• They ritually worshiped, but not from their hearts
• Jeremiah urged God to give the arrogant, wicked their just reward
• 12:5-6 It is going to get even worse

God’s Sure Punishment Is Coming
• 12:7-13 God had left his house and people
• He was going to withdraw his loving protection from his people
• God does hate individuals - Ps. 5:5; 11:5; Deut. 25:13-16; Prov. 6:16-19
• The land is portrayed as mourning over the destruction

A Remnant Will Be Restored to the Land
• 12:14-17 God would pluck the punishing nations off their land and pluck his people out of their land (no respecter of nations)
• A remnant would enjoy God’s blessings - coming back under Zerubbabel (536 B.C.), Ezra (457 B.C.) and Nehemiah (444 B.C.)
• “If ” nations learn to properly worship, “then” they would be established
• “If ” they do not obey, God would totally destroy them

The Lesson of the Linen Belt
• 13:1-11 Get a clean linen belt (priestly cloth Ex. 28:39-40; 39:29), wear it, but do not wash it • Hide it at the Euphrates (250 mi.)
• When he gets it, it is marred
• Judah’s pride would similarly be marred in Babylonian captivity
• God wanted his people to cling to him like a belt, but they had refused

The Wine of God’s Wrath and the Lost Royal Claim
• 13:12-14 Bottles filled with the wine of God’s wrath
• 13:15-17 Turn back to God before punishment comes, or Jeremiah will weep at their captivity
• 13:18-19 The royal claim is lost because of failure to listen to God
• Punished for sin

Judah Would Be Like Straw in the Wind
• 13:20-27 Danger was coming from the North
• The leaders were not going to be able to explain how they lost the flock
• Sin had led to all Judah’s problems
• They were set in their ways like a man’s skin color or a leopard’s spots
• God was going to scatter his people like straw in the wind because of their unfaithfulness

The Drought
• 14:1-6 Children could find no water at the cistern
• Heads covered as in mourning
• Farmers had no harvest
• The female red deer (hind) , ordinarily most attentive to their young, left them do to no pasture
• “The wild donkeys, known for their stamina, stood in the bare heights panting for air, with glazed eyes” (Jackson 142)

Don’t Leave Us
• 14:7-9 Jeremiah confessed the transgressions of the people
• God was his people’s only hope
• Jeremiah asks why God should be like a stranger just passing through
• They pled with God not to leave

God Will Punish Because of Judah’s Sins
• 14:10-12 God says Judah has loved to wander and will now be punished
• Jeremiah is forbidden to pray for them
• They will be punished by war (sword, famine and pestilence)

War Would Consume False Prophets and People
• 14:13-18 False prophets whom the Lord did not send told the people there would be no war
• God said those prophets would die by war
• The people to whom they prophesied would die, the streets filled with unburied bodies
• Jeremiah wept, but the false prophets did not even recognize the land

God Would Not Hear and Baal Could Not Provide
• 14:19-22 The people claim to have repented, but it did not come from a lasting change of heart
• “throne of Your glory” - between the cherubim in the temple (2 Kings 19:15; Psalm 99:1)
• They had broken the covenant repeatedly and disgraced God’s name
• Why did the idols not bring rain?

All Judah Would be Driven Out of God’s Sight
• 15:1-4 Even Moses and Samuel could not successfully plead for these people (Ex. 32:7-14; 1 Sam. 12:18-25)
• Disease, sword, famine and captivity would take them all
• Manasseh had led Judah into terrible idolatry (2 Chron. 33:1-9)

God Wearied of Turning Away from Punishing
• 15:5-9 Once God turned away from Judah, who would care?
• God had turned away from punishing them to the point of weariness
• Winnowing fans blow away useless chaff
• Widows numberless like sand
• Woman with 7 children = complete contentment, turns to dying early

The Lonely Prophet Cries Out
• 15:10-18 Jeremiah was cursed like a loan shark
• God had taken care of him and would provide for him through the enemy
• Judah would not defeat the enemy from the north, but would be taken into bondage
• Jeremiah pleaded with God to take vengeance for him since he had done the Lord’s will as an isolated soul
• He wondered if the Lord would fail him like a dried up summer stream

God Rebukes His Prophet
• 15:19-21 Jeremiah is urged to return to his prophetic role
• He needed to separate the precious words of God from worthless words
• As God’s spokesman, he could not move to the people, they must move to him
• God repeated his promise to protect his spokesman (1:18-19)

No Wife, No Children
• 16:1-4 God made “an exception to the general principle that ‘it is not good for the man to be alone’ (Gen. 2:18). The reason for this ascetic life was that great tribulation was to come on the land and there would be much suffering (v. 3)” (Jackson 145)
• Many would die, bodies would not be buried

Why Has God Done This?
• 16:5-9 “Jeremiah was a living ‘visual aid.’ His life would be the example of the coming total disruption of family and social life as known to these people” (Horner 45)
• 16:10-13 Judah would ask why God was doing this to them
• God answers, because of idolatry and he would no longer show them favor

Images of Deliverance and Punishment
• 16:14-15 Israel remembered God’s deliverance from Egypt
• The day was coming when it would be deliverance from Babylon they remembered
• 16:16-18 God would use invading armies like fishermen and hunters who would find every part of their prey
• Judah deserved this for her wicked worship

God Is the Source of Strength, Existing by His Own Power
• 16:19-20 God is the true source of strength and refuge in time of trouble
• Gentiles would come saying their fathers had followed long repeated lies and asking if a man would make a god who was no god
• God would cause people to know that he is the one who exists by his own power

Judah’s Obvious Sins Would Lead to Captivity
• 17:1-4 Judah’s sins were not superficial, being clearly written on their hearts (Job 19:24)
• They had taught their children false religion
• Jerusalem (mountain) would be given to enemies
• They would be taken from their heritage to a foreign land

Trusting Man and Trusting God
• 17:5-8 Those trusting in man depart from God and become like a bush in the desert, a salt filled land
• The man who trusts in God will be like an evergreen, always yielding a harvest

Do Not Rely on Your Own Heart or Riches Wickedly Gained
• 17:9-11 Man who relies on his own heart is easily deceived
• God examines the heart and will judge the fruit of our actions
• A wives’ tale among the Jews said the partridge sat on another bird’s eggs
• Naturally, the hatched birds leave their “mother,” just like riches wickedly gained

Jeremiah Trusted God to Save Him
• 17:12-18 Trust God, the source of eternal life
• Those who forsake God will be temporary
• Only God could save Jeremiah
• His enemies taunted him
• Jeremiah had done his job, trusted in God and pled with him to bring sure destruction on the wicked ones

Jeremiah Warned Against Profaning the Sabbath
• 17:19-23 Jeremiah was to be a street preacher by the temple gates
• They could keep the Sabbath wherever they lived
• He was to warn the people not to profane the Sabbath (Ex. 31:12-18)
• They stiffened their necks and would not hear (Acts 7:51)

Live to be Blessed, or Live to be Cursed
• 17:24-27 “If ” they held the Sabbath sacred, “then” God would bless and they remain
• “If ” they would not hold the Sabbath sacred, “then” God was going to light a fire within Jerusalem’s gates that could not be put out

Learning from the Potter
• 18:1-4 Jeremiah went to the potter’s house and saw him working on the wheels
• The lump was marred, so the potter lumped back together and started again (Rom. 9:21)
• 18:5-11 The Creator has the same right over Judah
• He can plan to destroy because they seem to be unmoldable, but change when they repent and he can plan to build but change when they do evil
• So, God urged Judah to “return” from their evil doings

Judah Faced Destruction
• 18:12-17 Judah decided to go on in her evil
• Even Gentiles saw the Jews had turned from the paths of ease to the stumbling paths of idolatry
• Snow removed from Lebanon ceased to be snow as Judah removed from Jehovah would cease to be Israel
• People who saw the coming devastation would be shocked
• God would send a hot wind and turn his back on his people, as they had turned their backs on him

God Was Bringing a Slaughter
• 19:1-9 Pottery shops and pagan worship were in the Hinnom Valley, where Jeremiah is now to take the civil and spiritual leaders
• 5 sins (4-5) will result in making it the valley of slaughter through 5 acts (7-9)

Jerusalem to be Like a Broken Piece of Pottery
• 19:10-13 Jeremiah was to break the clay flask in the sight of the witnesses
• The Valley of Tophet was a place where broken pottery was thrown and bodies buried
• There would be no room to bury all the bodies
• Jerusalem would be like a broken piece of pottery that would never be restored

The Prophecy Regarding Pashur
• 19:14-15 In the temple court, Jeremiah said God was going to bring destruction to a stiff-necked who would not listen
• 20:1-6 Pashur, chief overseer of the temple, either struck or caused Jeremiah to be beaten (Deut. 25:1-3)
• He had him imprisoned then put into stocks (twisted)
• Jeremiah said God would cause Pashur to be known as “Fear round about” (Keil 313)
• He would witness the deaths of many, be led into captivity and die there with others to whom he lied

Jeremiah “the Prophet”
• Note 20:2 calls Jeremiah “the prophet”
• “The designation…occurs only where the mention of the man’s official character was of importance. It is used partly in contradiction to the false prophets,…to the elders, priests and false prophets,…to the king,…and partly to distinguish from persons of other conditions in life….” (Keil 312-313)

A Tormented Man Found Reason to Praise God
• 20:7-13 He was made fun of, ridiculed and scorned
• When he held in the word, it burned like a fire he could not hold in
• People viewed him as “Fear on every side” and his friends looked to catch him in a mistake
• He knew the Lord was with him and his tormentors would be punished
• He praised God the deliverer

Jeremiah Wished He Had Not Been Born
• 20:14-18 Jeremiah wished he had not been born (Job 3:1-19)
• The man who brought the news of his birth should be cursed and made like overthrown cities
• His birth resulted in sorrow and shame

God Would Fight Against Them
• 21:1-7 Zedekiah inquired through Pashur and Zephaniah the priest if God might make Nebuchadnezzar go away
• Jeremiah sent word to the king that his weapons would be ineffective
• God was going to fight against them
• Zedekiah and the servants who remained would be taken captive

Do Justice
• 21:8-10 The people could choose life by surrendering, or death by staying in the city to fight
• God’s face was against them
• “If a government ignores justice and morality the fire of Jehovah is sure to come on that political system. We may feel it is slow in coming, but only the Lord knows when our iniquity has become full and it is time for His interference in the political process” (Horner 49)

Choose Blessings or Destruction
• 22:1-9 If the king would do righteousness and justice, delivering the plundered, God would bless him
• If the king would not listen, God would leave his house desolate
• A lush environment would be turned into a wilderness
• Other nations would wonder why it had happened and they would be told it was because God’s peopleviolated their covenant with him

Forgotten in Death, No Marker for His Tomb
• 22:10-12 No need to weep for Josiah, a righteous king
• Weep for Shallum (Jehoiakim) a wicked king who would die in captivity
• 22:13-19 The sins of the king are listed
• He would be dragged out and buried like a dead donkey, dragged to the garbage heap and left for scavengers and rot

Judah Should Mourn Her Condition
• 22:20-23 Judah was to mourn her condition north (Lebanon), east (Bashan) and south (Abarim)
• The foreign nations they loved were also destroyed
• God had spoken to them, but they would not obey
• They would be destroyed along with all the other nations they had loved

Coniah Would Die in Captivity
• 22:24-30 Coniah (Jeconiah, Jehoiachin 2 Kings 24:6-8) reigned 3 months before being taken into captivity by Nebuchadnezzar
• He and his mother would die in a distant land (2 Kings 24:15)
• He had 7 sons (1 Chron. 3:17-18)No Descendant of Coniah Would Prosper on David’s Throne in Jerusalem
• Not one of Coniah’s descendants would rule on David’s throne in Jerusalem and prosper
• He was thus regally childless
• 2 Samuel 7:12-16 was conditional (Psalm 132:11-12)

Bad and Good Shepherds
• 23:1-4 Judgment is coming for shepherd who failed to attend to God’s flock
• Following evil leaders resulted in God using them to scatter his people
• A remnant would have good shepherds placed over them (Ezra, Nehemiah, etc.)

A Branch of Righteousness
• 23:5-8 “behold, the days are coming” (7:32; 9:25; 16:14; 19:6; 23:5, 7; 30:3; 31:31, 38; 33:14; 48:12; 49:2; 51:47, 52) - often deals with hope, particularly in the Messiah
• The Messiah would be a branch, or shoot, out of Jesse - Isaiah 11:1
• He is righteous - Isaiah 9:6-7; Psalm 72:1-7; Hebrews 7:2
• God was going to bring a remnant out of captivity

Prophets and Priests
• 23:9-12 Jeremiah shook like a drunk when he thought of the false prophets’ treatment of God’s word (Isa. 8:20)
• Sexual and spiritual adultery filled the land, resulting in a curse from God
• Prophet and priest had caused God’s house to be filled with wickedness (Ezek. 8:7-11)
• They had chosen a slippery path and God would punish them

False Prophets
• 23:13-15 Samaria’s prophets led them in Baal worship, resulting in destruction
• Judah deserved destruction, so God would give them a poison drink (Babylon)
• 23:16-22 False prophets delivered made up visions and prophesied lies
• Failure to listen to the Lord’s counsel would result in destruction
• Had they listened to God, they could have turned Judah away from evil

Dreams Versus God’s Word
• 23:23-32 God is omnipresent • False prophets claimed to have had a dream from God, but used lies to make them forget the Father
• Their dreams were chaff, while God’s message was wheat
• “Heaven’s word is like a warming, illuminating, purifying fire; its power like a hammer that can break a rock to pieces” (Jackson 161)
• 3 times God says “I am against”

The “Burden” of the Lord
• 23:33-40 “oracle” can also be translated “burden
• God urged them to quit calling his word a burden and ask what he said
• Because they continued calling it a burden, he would throw them off as a burden
• They would become an abiding shame

The Vision of the Fig Baskets
• 24:1-7 Jeconiah and 10,000 captives, including many craftsmen, were taken from Judah (2 Kings 24:8-16)
• God showed Jeremiah 2 baskets of figs sitting in front of the temple
• The prophet said he saw very good figs and very bad that could not be eaten
• The good figs represented those carried to Babylon who would come to know God and return to him with their whole hearts

The Bad Figs
• 24:8-10 Zedekiah, the puppet king, his officials, those left in Jerusalem and those who fled to Egypt were the bad figs
• They would be tossed to and fro in various nations
• They would be cursed by those around them, which Keil sees as a fulfillment of Deuteronomy 28:37
• They would be destroyed

Nebuchadnezzar Will Conquer
• 25:1-11 Daniel (1:1) used the Babylonian method of counting, while Jeremiah used the Jewish which counted the year of ascension as the first year of reign
• Jeremiah had been prophesying for 23 years, with no good response • The people of Judah and Jerusalem had not listened to any of God’s prophets
• God was going to conquer them through Nebuchadnezzar and they would be in captivity for 70 years (605-536 B.C.)

Babylon Will be Conquered
• 25:12-14 “perpetual” “does not mean absolute, timeless future—it refers to all thinkable, foreseeable future” (Horner 53)
• Babylon would be repaid in kind for what she had done to the nations

The Nations Will Face God’s Wrath
• 25:15-26 God had Jeremiah take the cup of his wrath to give to the nations
• He begins southward, moving north to northeast, saying they will stagger under his judgment
• Jerusalem and Judah, Egypt, Uz, Philistia, Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, Sidon, Dedan, Tema, Buz, Arabia, Zimri, Elam, Medes and Sheshach (Babylon)

God’s Judgment Is Certain
• 25:27-31 Drunkenness is used to show the results of God’s judgment
• If God started with his own people, he would surely punish the nations (1 Peter 4:17)
• God would be like a lion, a treader of grapes and a judge planning to use capital punishment

Each Nation Would Face God’s Wrath
• 25:32-38 God would judge the nations one by one
• The leaders should howl at what was coming
• Leaders would not escape
• No peaceful places would be left
• Either, the lion left his lair and would finish the hunt, or he left his dwelling and it was destroyed

Jerusalem’s Destruction Is Coming
• 26:1-7 This discourse is similar to that of Jer. 7 delivered early in Jehoiakim’s reign (608-597 B.C.), which speaks of the destruction of the temple
• “here in brief incisive words he intimates the destruction of the city of Jerusalem as well; and the present chapter throughout gives the impression that by this, so to speak, peremptory declaration, the prophet sought to move the people to finally decide for Jahveh its God” (Keil 390)

Priests and Prophets Call for Jeremiah’s Death
• 26:8-15 “The priests and the prophets call for the death penalty for what they perceive as false prophecy. Notice they concentrate on his anti-Jerusalem prophecies but quickly forget to include his call for their repentance” (Horner 54)
• Jeremiah says he only delivered God’s word
• There were many of them who could kill him, but they would be shedding innocent blood

Jeremiah Stands Firm in Perilous Times
• 26:16-24 The princes, people and wise men said Jeremiah did not deserve to die
• Micah had prophesied against Jerusalem (3:12), but Hezekiah did not kill him
• Uriah, another prophet, fled to Egypt, but Jehoiakim had him brought back, killed and his body thrown into the graves of the common people in the Kidron valley (2 Kings 23:6)
• Ahikam, an official in Josiah’s court (2 Kings 22:12, 14), kept Jeremiah safe

The Nations Would be Taken Captive by Babylon
• 27:1-11 Likely a scribal error replaced Zedekiah with Jehoiakim (27:3, 12; 28:1)
• Jeremiah was to make a yoke and bands to show what Nebuchadnezzar was going to do to Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre and Sidon
• God was the creator who had given all the kings of these lands their power

Submit to Babylon and Live
• 27:12-22 Jeremiah urged Zedekiah to submit to Babylon so he and his people would not die a harsh death
• False prophets said the temple vessels would soon return, which was a lie
• Jeremiah challenged them to show they were true prophets by asking God to return the vessels now
• God said more would be taken and only returned when he brought them up to restore the temple and city (Ezra 1:7-11)

Hannaniah Delivers a False Prophecy
• 28:1-11 Hannaniah falsely prophesied that God had broken the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar • Within 2 years, everyone would come home
• Jeremiah longed for the message to be true, yet other prophets had delivered the same message as Jeremiah
• The test of prophecy is whether it comes to pass (Deut. 18:21-22)
• Hannaniah then broke Jeremiah’s yoke and said Judah would be set free

Hannaniah Is a Liar and Will Die
• 28:12-17 The prophet revealed yokes of wood would be replaced with yokes of iron
• They would serve Babylon, as would even the beasts
• Jeremiah called Hannaniah a liar, telling him God would cast him from the earth
• He died within 2 months (28:1)

Settle Down and Wait
• 29:1-14 Jeremiah sent a letter to the Jews in exile
• God wanted them to settle in for a long stay
• They were to carry on normal family life so a remnant would remain
• They were to pray for peace for the cities in which they lived
• When they truly sought God with all their hearts, he would cause them to return to their homeland (vs. 10 says 70 years)

False Prophets in Babylon Would be Proven Wrong
• 29:15-20 False prophets told Jews in Babylon that captivity would not last long since a king was still on the throne in Jerusalem and the temple still stood
• God was going to send sword and famine, making them like rotten figs that could not be eaten
• Because they had not listened to his words, they would be scattered among the nations as a curse
• So, those in Babylon should listen to the Lord

Two Liars Would be Executed
• 29:21-23 Ahab and Zedekiah were lying to the people in Babylon
• “Those who resist Jehovah’s judgment, or the hope He offers, will be brought to a terrible end” (Horner 57)
• Nebuchadnezzar would burn them in the fire
• God stood as witness of their evil deeds

Shemaiah’s Coming Doom
• 29:24-32 This may be a second letter to the captives, brought on by the letters of Shemaiah
• He had urged the priests to place Jeremiah in stocks for his false prophecies about Jerusalem’s long captivity
• Zephaniah, the acting priest, read the letter to Jeremiah
• God said he had not sent Shemaiah
• He would be punished and neither he nor his family would see the restoration to Judah

A Restoration of God’s People
• 30:1-3 “during the restoration following the exile, refugees from both Israel and Judah…returned to Palestine. When the restored temple was dedicated, sacrifices were offered for the twelve tribes (Ezra 6:17)” (Jackson 175)
• Ultimately, this points to the greater joining of the people under the Messiah

God’s People Would be Delivered
• 30:4-11 “Jacob’s trouble” seems to refer to Babylon’s coming destruction and the final judgment
• The yoke of bondage would be broken and David (Messiah - Isa. 55:3-4; Ezek. 34:23-24; 37:24-25; Hos. 3:5) would sit on his throne
• Jacob would return home and have rest
• God would make a complete end of the nations, but not his own people

The Deserved Wound
• 30:12-17 No lawyer or physician could help Judah with her wound
• Foreign powers once wooed could not help either
• God had given her a deserved wound because of her sins
• Those who plundered her would become plunder
• God would finally heal Judah for his name’s sake

God Would Rebuild the Land
• 30:18-24 Jerusalem would be rebuilt
• Thanksgiving and joy would be heard in the city
• They would assemble again and their oppressors would be punished
• Their “prince” (ASV) would be from among them, the Messiah, and they would be God’s people
• God’s tornado would come for the wicked, which would be understood later

Israel Will Be Reunited
• 31:1-6 Jeremiah continues to talk about the new Israel under the Messiah
• “‘virgin’ (which suggests purity) hints that the prophet is speaking of a new kind of Israel—a spiritual Israel, not the old, physical nation (2 Cor. 11:2)” (Jackson 178)
• Watchmen will call for people to come to Zion (the church)

Great Rejoicing in Spiritual Israel
• 31:7-14 People will praise God, calling for the salvation of the remnant
• Assyria was in the north
• Ephraim was made firstborn in terms of priority by Jacob (Gen. 48:17-20)
• The nations should declare God had restored his people
• Great rejoicing and bountiful blessings would exist in spiritual Israel, with both leaders and people being satisfied by the Almighty

God Will Take Penitent Ephraim Back
• 31:15-20 Rachel was grandmother of Ephraim and mother of Benjamin
• Her weeping is over the loss of her children to captivity
• God tells her to stop weeping because the children are coming back • Ephraim learned from discipline, asking to be restored and allowed to return
• Striking the thigh is a sign of grief (Ezek. 21:12)
• God promises mercy for Ephraim

The Dream of a Good Homecoming
• 31:21-26 Mark the way home
• A change in relationship was coming between God and Israel, they would lovingly embrace God
• Those in the promised land would again be able to ask for God’s blessings on others
• Each soul would be fully satisfied
• Jeremiah saw this as a sweet dream

“Behold, the days are coming”
• 31:27-30 The expression is used frequently, often referring to restoration (23:5, 7; 30:3; 31:27, 31, 38; 33:14)
• Israel would grow in the midst of prosperity
• God had uprooted them, but would now plant and build
• Each would answer for his own sins

The New Covenant
• 31:31-34 God could not deal with man through the covenant made at Sinai because man continually broke it, thus rejecting him as Lord
• Moses’ law was written on stone but the new would be implanted in the mind of man
• To be part of the new covenant man must already know God through teaching
• God also would forgive sin under the new covenant because of Jesus’ sacrifice

God Will Faithfully Keep the People of the New Covenant
• 31:35-40 The orderly universe is faithful to its Creator
• If that order ends, the Israel of the new covenant will cease to be his nation
• Heaven and the depths of the earth cannot be measured and neither will God cast off the people of the new covenant
• The new Jerusalem will be built containing even the vilest of sinners, now forgiven
• It will never be defeated, obviously not a reference to physical Jerusalem (70 A.D.)

Zedekiah Confronts Jeremiah
• 32:1-5 This is written in the middle of 587 B.C., about 1 year into the Babylonian siege
• Jeremiah had been imprisoned
• Zedekiah knew the Lord’s words and would have known the answer, so he is not asking a question for information
• “Visit” in verse 5 may suggest coming punishment

Jeremiah Redeems Some Land
• 32:6-15 God told Jeremiah Hanamel, his uncle’s son, was coming to ask him to buy a field in Anathoth
• Leviticus 25:25; Ruth 4:1-6
• While in prison, he bought the field for 17 shekels silver (c. 7 oz)
• Baruch was given the 2 copies of the deed to place in an earthen jar
• God said people would live there again

Jeremiah’s Prayer
• 32:16-25 Jeremiah’s prayer includes praise for God the creator
• Source of loving kindness, all-seeing, rewarding each according to deeds
• Worker of miracles (plagues)
• Brought Israel out and gave them the land
• Israel refused to obey and now is under siege
• One personal thought, purchased the land but Chaldeans were going to conquer

Reasons for Judah’s Coming Defeat
• 32:26-35 God responded by saying he was omnipotent
• He would give Jerusalem to the Chaldeans because they had offered to idols
• They had turned their backs to him, though he lovingly taught them
• They defiled the temple with idols and sacrificed their children in the Valley of Hinnom

God Will Again Bless His People
• 32:36-44 God would bring his people out of captivity
• He would establish an everlasting covenant with them (31:31-34)
• He would bring good on his people
• They would again buy land

A Time of Healing Is Coming
• 33:1-9 LXX adds “the earth” to “made it,” “formed it,” and “to establish it”
• God will answer (Mt. 7:7)
• Jerusalem will be filled with bodies, but in the future it will be healed
• Healing iniquities only comes through shed blood (Heb. 9:22)
• The “nations” (Gentiles) will notice there is a God
A Time of Healing Is Coming
• 33:10-13 In the place where there was destruction, there would again be joy
• “in the future peaceful conditions would prevail, as in the case where the shepherd is able to make his flock lie down for quiet rest (v. 12)….and the shepherds could peacefully count the flock as it was gathered in at evening time (v. 13)” (Jackson 190)

A Good King and Godly Priests Promised
• 33:14-18 Another likely reference to restoration
• Jesus, out of David’s lineage, would rule (not on earth 22:28-30) righteously among righteous people
• Godly priests would once again serve God’s people

God Will Keep His Covenants
• 33:19-26 God established day and night in the beginning (Gen. 1:3-5)
• As surely as that does not change, he will not forget his covenant with David
• David’s descendants will be like unnumbered stars
• God will remember his people and cause them to return

Zedekiah Would be Taken Captive
• 34:1-7 Zedekiah rebelled in year 9 of 11 year reign and Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem • Jeremiah was to tell him Babylon would burn the city with fire
• He would be taken captive and die there in peace

God Would Punish Those Who Failed to Keep the Covenant
• 34:8-22 Hebrew slaves were to be released in the 7th year (Ex. 21:2)
• All did this, but reverted to enslavement after
• God proclaimed their liberty through sword, disease and famine
• Those who “cut a covenant” but did not keep it would die
• The Babylonians had temporarily withdrawn because of Egyptian threat but would return to make Judah desolate

Keeping the Father’s Command Results in Blessing
• 35:1-19 Rechab was the father of Jonadab who made an alliance with Jehu (2 Kings 10:15, 23)
• They would not drink wine of live in houses because Jonadab had commanded them not to
• They fled to Jerusalem out of fear
• Judah had not kept the word of the Lord
• Judah faced doom but the descendants of Jonadab would have a man before God always

Baruch Reads the Words of the Book
• 36:1-10 God instructed Jeremiah to write down everything he had spoken against Israel, Judah and the nations
• Perhaps the people would repent when they heard all God had said
• Baruch was to read it all to the people on a fast day, likely called to seek the Lord’s attention

The Princes Hear the Words in the Book
• 36:11-19 Michaiah presented a summary to the princes
• They asked Baruch to bring the scroll and meet them
• He was invited to sit and read
• They urged Baruch and Jeremiah to hide
• Jehoiakim had already killed Urijah (26:20-23)

Jehoiakim’s Futile Acts
• 36:20-26 The princes put the scroll away and went to report to the king
• He sent for the scroll, heard 3 or 4 columns and began to cast pieces into the fire
• His men were not afraid
• 3 princes begged him not to burn the book, to no avail
• “the king commanded” “but the Lord hid them” (1:18-19)

Burning God’s Word Does Not Destroy Its Power
• 36:27-32 Josiah heard God’s word and led the nation in repentance (2 Kings 22:3-23:25)
• Jehoiakim, Josiah’s son (36:1), burned the word and nation destroyed
• Jeremiah and Baruch rewrote the book, plus many similar words
• Jehoiakim and Judah would be punished

Jerusalem Will Fall
• 37:1-10 Nebuchadnezzar set up Zedekiah as a puppet king (2 Kings 24:17-18)
• He and the people did not pay attention to God’s word
• The king asked for prayers to the Lord
• Babylon broke off to fight Egypt
• God said Egypt would go home and even Babylon’s wounded could burn the city with fire

Is There Word from the Lord?
• 37:11-21 Jeremiah headed north on business, but a captain accused him of defecting, which Jeremiah denied
• The princes beat him and put him in the house of Jonathan the scribe
• Zedekiah asked if there was word from the Lord
• Jeremiah said the king would be taken by Babylon
• He then asked about the false prophets
• He begged not to be returned to prison where he would die
• The king granted his request and provided bread

Ebed-Melech Saves Jeremiah
• 38:1-13 Jeremiah kept proclaiming God’s word from the court of the prison
• Some princes accused him of seeking to harm the nation
• Zedekiah submitted and Jeremiah was put in a cistern, sinking in the mud
• Ebed-Melech, an Ethiopian, pled with the king for the prophet
• He went with 30 men and freed him

Zedekiah Was a Fearful King
• 38:14-28 Zedekiah told Jeremiah to hold nothing back, swearing to protect him
• If the king surrendered, he would live and Jerusalem would not be burned
• The king feared the Jews who had already gone over to Babylon, but Jeremiah said he would not be delivered into their hands
• Obey and live, or fail and be responsible for Jerusalem burning
• The king asked Jeremiah to tell the princes he had sought not to return to the dungeon

Jerusalem’s Wall Breached
• 39:1-10 Nebuchadnezzar’s forces breached the wall in 1 1/2 years
• Zedekiah and the men of war fled during the night, but were caught in the plains of Jericho
• His sons and nobles were killed before his eyes at Riblah
• Zedekiah’s eyes were put out and he was taken in bronze chains to Babylon
• Jerusalem was destroyed and most people taken captive, leaving only some poor to tend the land
God Blessed Jeremiah and Ebed-Melech
• 39:11-18 Nebuchadnezzar ordered the captain of the guard to find Jeremiah, do him no harm and do what he told him to do
• He was delivered to Gedaliah, whose father, Ahikam, had protected him earlier (26:24)
• During Jeremiah’s time in prison, God told him to tell Ebed-Melech, who had rescued Jeremiah (38:7-13), the city would be destroyed but he would be delivered

God Punished His People
• 40:1-6 Perhaps Jeremiah living among the people was mistaken for one bound for Babylon
• Nebuzaradan freed him in Ramah and told him God had punished his people for sinning against him
• He could go wherever he pleased
• He was given food and a gift

Ishmael Accused of Plotting Against the Governor
• 40:7-16 Some roaming soldiers heard Gedaliah was governor and went to him at Mizpah
• He told them they could serve Babylon and live without fear
• People returned from nearby lands
• Johanan warned Gedaliah that Baalis, king of the Ammonites, had sent Ishmael to murder him
• He was concerned for Judah’s safety and offered to go kill Ishmael, but Gedaliah said he was wrong about him

Ishmael’s Evil
• 41:1-10 Ishmael and ten men came to Mizpah
• Gedaliah invited them to eat and was killed along with all the Jews with him
• 80 men from Shiloh came to worship
• Ishmael killed 70, but spared 10 who said they had hidden provisions
• He took all the rest of the people at Mizpah, leaving to go to the Ammonites

Johanan Rescues the Captives
• 41:11-18 Johanan and the captains with him pursued Ishmael
• His captives turned to Johanan
• Ishmael and 8 men went to the Ammonites
• Johanan took everyone with him to go to Egypt, fearing what the Babylonians would do

The People Asked Jeremiah to Petition the Lord
• 42:1-6 Johanan and those with him approached Jeremiah
• They asked him to petition God to discover the way he wanted them to go
• They swore they would do his will
• Jeremiah said he would not hold back anything God said
God Answered Jeremiah’s Petition
• 42:7-17 God spoke to Jeremiah after 10 days
• He called Johanan and the people
• If they remained in the land, God would build and not destroy
• God said “do not be afraid” (3) because he would deliver
• If they went to Egypt, the very things they feared would come to pass

God’s Fury Pours Out on the Disobedient
• 42:18-22 God had poured his fury on the disobedient of Judah
• He would pour his fury on the disobedient going to Egypt
• They were hypocrites who would not obey despite their oath
• Nebuchadnezzar was going to make war on Egypt

Fleeing to Captivity
• 43:1-13 Jeremiah was accused of speaking lies and Baruch of influencing him
• Johanan led in rebellion, taking the people to Tahpanhes in eastern lower delta of Egypt
• Jeremiah hid stones outside Pharaoh’s house over which Nebuchadnezzar would set his throne
• Death and captivity was coming for the rebels

A Warning to the Refugees
• 44:1-10 God said the Judean refugees had seen the destruction he brought because of idolatrous worship
• Prophets had warned, but Jerusalem was wasted
• He asks why they are burning incense to idols in Egypt
• They had failed to be humbled and refused to obey God

Burning Incense to the Queen of Heaven
• 44:11-19 They had turned to Egypt, so the Lord would turn from them
• All except the few who escaped would die in Egypt
• The men and women said they would not listen to God
• They would burn incense to the queen of heaven (Astarte of Canaan, Hathor of Egypt) since she prospered them
• Women said they had worshiped with husbands’ permission

God Would Punish the Idolatrous Rebels
• 44:20-30 They needed to remember the false worship that led to destruction
• People said they would keep their vows to idols
• God vowed they would no longer speak his name and he would remember them in punishment, with only a remnant returning
• They would know God’s word was true when Pharaoh Hophra was delivered to his enemies’ hands

God’s Message to Baruch
• 45:1-5 Words to Baruch when he recorded Jeremiah’s words (36:1-8)
• Baruch was grieved by what he saw and heard of God’s punishment of the people
• He should not be involved in self-interest, but know that God would give him his life as a prize wherever he would go

God Will Sacrifice Egypt at the Euphrates
• 46:1-12 Prophecies against the nations (1:5, 10; Ps. 22:28)
• Egypt was defeated about 605 B.C. at Carchemish by the Euphrates
• God told them to get ready for battle, but even the swift would not escape
• Egypt would rise up like a river with her allies
• God would offer her as a sacrifice
• Necho would not find medicine in Gilead or his own land for his hurts
Egypt Will be Defeated, But Israel Return
• 46:13-28 Nebuchadnezzar invaded Egypt 568-557 B.C. and her many mercenaries could not stand against God and went home
• Even Egyptians saw Necho as braggart
• Sure as Tabor and Carmel stood, Egypt would fall
• Both heifer and serpent were worshiped in Egypt, but it would fall to Babylon
• God would make an end of the nations, but Israel would return

Philistia Will Be Punished
• 47:1-7 Babylon was coming like a flood from the north
• Fathers would leave children in attempt to escape
• No allies could help since they too would be defeated
• Philistia asked when the sword of death would be put up
• Jeremiah said when its work is finished

Moab Will Be Punished
• 48:1-10 Moab descended from Lot (Gen. 19:36-37)
• Balak asked Balaam to curse Israel (Num. 22:16-17)
• Cities like Nebo, Kirjathaim and Madmen would meet destruction at the hands of Heshbon (likely Babylon)
• Even their war god, Chemosh, would be taken into captivity
• Babylon was God’s instrument

Moab’s Ease Will be Ended
• 48:11-25 Like wine in a bottle, Moab has been at ease
• God was going to empty the bottles and break them
• God, the real King, would bring swift destruction
• Aroer, south of Dibon, would be stunned and ask what happened
• “Horn” and “arm” represent power, which would be broken

Moab’s Pride Will be Broken
• 48:26-35 Moab had opposed God, who now would make them drunk on his wrath
• They should hide like doves in caves
• “Pride, loftiness, arrogance and haughtiness cause enormous loss and grief. Cf. Jas 4:8-10; Pro 16:18-19” (Horner 73)
• God was grieved over the people and would bring false worship to an end
• Their riches would be brought to an end

Chemosh Cannot Deliver
• 48:36-47 Jeremiah sorrowed like at a funeral for Moab
• Babylon like ravenous bird of prey (eagle)
• Mighty men would be seized with terror like a woman seized in pain of childbirth
• Chemosh could not deliver them
• “latter days” often refers to the Messiah and his kingdom

The Ammonites Will be Judged
• 49:1-6 Ammon descended from Lot (Gen. 19:38)
• Moab took part of Gad in the name of Milcom (god)
• The Lord would retake the land, destroying Rabbah and Ai (east of Jordan)
• “valleys” likely is really “strength,” which they trusted along with their wealth
• God will also bring part of them back

Edom Would be Destroyed
• 49:7-22 Edom, known for sages, the Lord asked if wisdom had left Teman (north)
• Dedan (south) would see everything taken (compare grape gatherers and thieves)
• Bozrah, capital (synechdoche) would be destroyed
• Nations would come against Edom and she would be unimportant
• They were proud and unafraid on their 3,500 foot plateau, but God would bring them down

Damascus, Kedar and Hazor
• 49:23-33 Other Syrian cities heard Damascus was trying to flee in terror
• Ben-Hadad’s (title for king) palace would burn and men be killed
• Kedar nomadic tribe (Gen. 25:13) and Hazor kingdom in Arabian Peninsula would be defeated by Nebuchadnezzar
• He was commanded to plunder these wealthy who felt secure in the desert

Prophecy for Elam
• 49:34-39 “Elam was a loose confederation of city-states that lay to the east of Babylon. They were a pagan and cruel people (Ezek. 32:24-25)” (Jackson 226)
• In 597 B.C., God said he would break the archers’ bows
• They would be scattered (Babylon and Medo-Persia) among nations and God would rule in their land
• Messianic hope fulfilled Acts 2:9

Babylon Will be Defeated by a Northern Alliance
• 50:1-10 Babylon will be defeated from the north and God’s people will repent
• God’s people had strayed to idolatry because of poor leadership
• Babylon said they were justified because God wanted it, but motives were impure
• God wants his people to be like rams leading the flock back to him
• Persian archers were expert and God would use them to conquer Babylon

Babylon Will be Uninhabited
• 50:11-26 Babylon rejoiced in Israel’s punishment, so she would be uninhabited
• Babylon would be punished like Assyria, but Israel would return home
• God would pardon those returning
• “Merathaim” is “double rebellion” and “Pekod” is “punishment”
• Sound of approaching armies, trap set for Babylon (Cyrus 538 B.C. and Darius 520), ultimately only leaving mounds of dirt

God Delivers His People and Punishes the Proud
• 50:27- Young warriors slaughtered
• Jews in Zion declare God’s victory
• God was against proud Babylon and would destroy her and surrounding cities
• God, like a kinsmen redeemer, would deliver his people giving quiet in Israel and disquiet in Babylon
• No one would live in destroyed capital, though Alexander tried to rebuild
• Nations would tremble at the news

Moab Will Be Punished
• 51:1-19 Winnowers would empty Babylon
• The land of Israel testified against Jews, but now bidden to return home
• Destruction is blessing from God
• Babylon was on the Euphrates and had irrigation canals that led to wealth
• God was going to fill her enemy soldiers like locusts
• God is the only true God

God Would Smash His Battle-ax
• 51:20-32 God used Babylon as his battle-ax, but he would repay them for the evil done in Zion
• He would leave no useful stone in that mountain like city
• God calls an army to attack the city filled with fearful soldiers
• Reports of her fall and the closing of escape routes over the water would come back to the king

God Would Thresh Babylon
• 51:33-49 God was about to thresh Babylon as Israel cried over things done to her
• God would make her a heap without inhabitant
• They would be drunk when defeated (Dan. 5)
• Sheshach (Babylon) would face wave upon wave of enemies
• “Dwelling of Bel” and “Bel Protects” on her walls (Plumptre quoted by Jackson)
• The plunderer would be plundered (Hab.)
Babylon Will Sink and Not Rise
• 51:50-64a Israel’s exiles urged to return home
• Babylon cannot build defenses against God
• The cry of war would silence Babylon’s proud voice and great walls brought down
• Seraiah, went with Zedekiah to Babylon, was to read prophecy, tie a rock to it and throw it in Euphrates
• Babylon will sink and not rise

A Recounting of Judah’s Fall and Exile
• 51:64b-52: Jeremiah’s words ended here
• This largely parallels 2 Kings 24:18-25:30
• Zedekiah’s reign and Jerusalem’s fall recounted
• The city was destroyed, the temple looted and leaders executed
• 3 waves of exiles - 597, 586 and 581 (after Gedaliah’s death?)
• Evil-Merodach released Jehoiachin and gave him and his 5 sons rations, which is supported by archeology