Last Judgment – Who wants to hear about that?
One last call – one more prophet sent to God’s people with the awesome and awful message that God was watching. And what He saw was a people who cared much about themselves and cared not for His Word, His ways, His call. Now His time was ripe. Only immediate and sudden repentance would avoid disaster.
“Jeremiah – this is your job. Tell them judgment. Root them up, tear them down. Let them know they will be displaced and terrorized. Name the invading army. Help them see that my sacred city will not be spared. My Temple will lie in ruins. And yes, remind them that I will not abandon them even as a captive nation – because I will be faithful to my promises.” Thus the call of Jeremiah (1:4-16)
From The People’s Bible – Jeremiah / Lamentations:
Jeremiah is hard reading because his was a hard message. This message was delivered over a period of forty-one years. It was not given all at once, so more than one generation had time to grasp it. Because it was delivered over such a long period of time and to many difference audiences, there is much repetition. As with rich food, it is best to eat and rest, and then to east some more and rest again. A slow and thoughtful reading will bring great profit.
From The Lutheran Study Bible:
Blessings for readers:
· As you read Jeremiah’s prophecies, gain new appreciation for the importance of daily repentance and devotion. In Jeremiah’s day, the people of Judah strayed because they neglected God’s Word until they forgot what true faith and worship were. Jeremiah, the “iron” prophet, withstood the worst conditions because God’s Word burned like fire within him (20:9) and continually guided his faith and life. Patient Jeremiah stands for us as an enduring example of faithfulness to the Lord amid all trials.
· Recognize that no matter what troubles assail you, your faithful God stands with you (1:8). The heart of Jeremiah’s message is that the Lord always has our everlasting salvation in view. God fulfilled Jeremiah’s prophecies of the new covenant (31:31-34) in the life, death, and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ, who welcomes us into His kingdom and gives to us the new testament in His blood.
Challenges for readers:
· Order and Chronology – Jeremiah is not written in strict chronological order. His prophecies span three decades (25:3) and are presented in collections or “books.”
· Repetition – Though Jeremiah speaks in many unique and surprising ways, he also often repeats favorite expressions, even saying the same thing word for word. This is simply an element of his style. Perhaps it is also a result of the way his prophecies were recorded, as he likely dictated to his scribe, Baruch. One may also note that ch. 52 is essentially a quotation from 2 Kings 24-25, 27-30, which was appended to demonstrate the fulfillment of Jeremiah’s prophecies.
· The Prophets and liberal Protestantism – At the close of the 19th century, some Protestant interpreters of the Bible gave special attention to the prophets, regarding them as the essence of biblical faith. These interpreters set up a false contrast between an established, spiritually dead priestly religion in Israel and renewed ethical religion that the prophets preached. Jeremiah’s passion and civil disobedience drew special attention. He became the model prophet, an example of true preaching and “social justice.” These ideas and emphases still find expression in marches and rallies, which too often encourage violence. However, thoughtful readers should note that Jeremiah and the other prophets did not call for the destruction of the temple of the end of the priesthood but prophesied God’s wrath against people’s sins and called them to repentance (cf. 2:8). For the prophets, reform and justice were never merely social – based on a society’s ethics. They were matters of sin, repentance, and justification before God. True prophets such as Jeremiah were often members of priestly families. They preached faithfulness to the Lord’s teachings as embodied in the books of Moses and in no way should be considered leaders of an antiestablishment movement or models for violent protests. (For more on this issue of interpretation, see page 5 of The Lutheran Study Bible.)
· Doom and Hope – Judgment and lamentation are the constant themes of Jeremiah. This can make the book unpleasant for some readers. However, consider how these dark themes are important to Jeremiah’s writing strategy. Jeremiah may have written or arranged his book to intensify the contrast between prevailing gloom in chs. 1-29, 34-52, and the light of hope in chs. 30-33. Known as the “book of comfort,” these central chapters record beautiful and powerful Gospel prophecies that burn all the brighter amid the surrounding darkness of other prophecies. In this way, Jeremiah highlights his most important message: God promises restoration and a new covenant in the coming Davidic King, the “righteous Branch” (33:15). This prophecy is fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
Seventy Years …
· You’ve heard the fact often – God had promised that the Babylonian Captivity would end after 70 years. That prediction is made in this book – ch. 25. He explicitly states that it will be Babylon (and the lesser known Chaldeans), that the captivity will be horrible, and then the deliverance will be unheard of.
· This is the second great national delivery that marked the Jews as God’s people. The first salvation was from Egypt under Moses: the Ten Plagues, the Passover, the entrance into the Promised Land. Jeremiah predicts the second great salvation: deliverance from Babylon after 70 years. (see also 16:14-15). Neither of these events happens to nations! And the Jews had it happen twice!
· The final salvation He gives will not be national, it will be international. It will not be political, it will be spiritual. The final salvation will be delivered by the Son of Abraham, the Son of David, the Son of Mary, the Son of God, Jesus the Christ.
In Ten Words or Less:
A strong message: Repent!
There will be a new covenant.
Reading Plan for Jeremiah
This is the longest reading assignment of the entire OT. Because of repetition, we will suggest an abridged reading plan, and a second reading plan of selected chapters. Neither reading plan includes all 52 books. If you choose to read the entire book (and God’s blessings to those who read or listen to the entire book!) the reading time will be just under four hours.
The reading plan is for six days – with a day of rest. Remember that this book was spoken to the people originally. Think about listening instead of reading!
Whole Book: / Selected Chapters:Sunday / Chapters 1-5 / Chapters 1-2
Monday / Ch. 7-11 / Ch. 11-12
Tuesday / Ch. 12-18 / Ch. 16, 18
Wednesday / Ch. 23-26, 29 / Ch. 23, 25
Thursday / Ch. 30-33 / Ch. 30-33
Friday / Ch. 37-43 / Ch. 38-39
Saturday / Make-up Day / Day of Rest
Total chapters: / 33 / 14
It takes 245 minutes to read Jeremiah aloud; 4 hours and 5 minutes.