Welcome to Jeremiah & Lamentations

Understand the Context (Jeremiah 2:1-37)

Chapter 2 picks up with some of the prophet’s early preaching and continues through chapter 6. The dates for the early preaching are likely during the Reign of Josiah, King of Judah when Jeremiah began his ministry. The character of the sin the people had committed, what they were before they fell and the promises of coming judgement from God for those sins are the topics for this chapter. Care must be taken in interpreting the context of how “Israel” is used in these chapters as with all the writings taking place after 722, when Israel fell to Assyria, but before 445 BC, when Judah will fall to Babylonia. Jeremiah frequently uses Israel to refer to all of God’s chosen twelve tribes, at other times, He refers to Israel as the Northern 10 Tribes. Most often, the context of the specific passage will settle the author’s intent.

Another interpretation help is to understand that the literary type for 2:1 through 4:4 is poetry. That means there will be forced rhyming and poetic beat in the prose. That would include the repetition of the same idea said two ways in adjacent verses.

The sins of Judah were the same as Israel before it; they were idolatry, infanticide and violation of the first commandment concerning not having any other gods before Him.  Another sin seen often before the fall of Israel (722 BC) and the fall of Judah (586 BC) is the making of treaties between God’s people and foreign rather than relying on God’s promised protection. What happened in every case was that God took His hands off the situation and allowed Israel and Judah to pay the consequences for their sin. Verses 14-19 document some of those results.

Verse 20 begins with the truth of Judah’s continued drifting from obedience to the Lord and “playing the role of a harlot.” It was spiritual adultery for God’s people to worship any god but Jehovah. Nevertheless, Israel (before her fall) and Judah spent much of their existence worshipping false gods. The open sin against God through idolatry was a blatant sin against God because all people everywhere knew that the Jewish people belonged to Jehovah. 

The chapter ends with God assuring both houses of Israel that their sins were known and will have significant costs. 

Remember What Was (Jeremiah 2:1-3)

Jeremiah acknowledges the voice of the Lord calling him and directing him to go to Jerusalem and to preach loudly in their ears the message the Lord has for them. The message was to start with, “Thus Saith the Lord” (vs. 2). Jeremiah was to tell them that God remembers how eager they were to please Him when they were as young brides in their relationship to Him. He remembers how they showed their love for Him in every way they could. He recalled how they followed Him in the barren wilderness where nothing was sown because nothing would grow. The warmth of that relationship is always in the heart of God.

The Lord told Jeremiah to continue telling Jerusalem that He remembers how, in those days, the nation of Israel was holy (set aside) unto Him as the first of His children. They were obedient to Him and any who harmed His people would be declared guilty and punished quickly.  God finished His message to Jerusalem with, “I, the Lord, have spoken” (Jere 2:3, NLT)). 

God is describing His relationship with Israel as fresh, new and untarnished. It sounds like He remembered that relationship as having the same characteristics as the one God had with Adam and Eve before man sinned and became separated from Him. It was the way God had intended it from the beginning and will have with all of His saints again. God’s purpose in creating humankind was for fellowship with Him. After Adam sinned, the Lord entered the Garden calling for Adam and asking him where he was (Gen 3:9). God had no need for Adam to reveal his physical location; the Lord already knew it. The real question was for Adam to identify where he was spiritually after being disobedient to the only commandment God had given for life in the Garden. God said they could have all that He had created, “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Gen 2:17). But the serpent, who was more cunning than any creature successfully enticed him. 

Analyze What Happened (Jeremiah 2:4-8)

Verse 4 starts the analysis of what changed for Israel with the Lord directing that, “the House of Jacob, and all the families of Israel” shall hear these words. It is common for God to use the name Jacob before his conversion, but Israel afterward (Gen 35:10). Further, When Israel is behaving like a heathen or is being deceptive, God will return to using Jacob as his name. In Verse 4, God wants all the backslidden, deceptive, dishonest people (Jacob) and all the great and holy families of Israel to hear these words. “Thus saith the Lord” are the words of establishing total truth, doctrinal meaning or interpretation, or establishing new doctrine. It is the solemn word for “pay close attention to and honor” these words. It is God, Himself who is speaking from His highest office of authority. From that office, He asks, “What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they are going far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain?” (vs. 5). He notes that the people are not asking, “Where is the Lord that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, that led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and pits, through a land of drought, and of the shadow of death, through a land that no man passed through, and where no man dwelt?” (vs. 6). He continues in verse 7, “And I brought you into a plentiful country, to eat the fruit thereof and the goodness thereof; but when ye entered, ye defiled my land, and made mine heritage an abomination” (vs. 7). In these two verses the Lord is drawing attention to the fact that the people are addressing Him as the Savior who took them through all these issues that could have killed them had it not been for His protection. Recall the lead sentence asks, “What iniquity have your fathers found in me” etc.” that you can address me like this and act so vainly?  

But God says, not even “the priests are asking where is the Lord?” And those who handle the Law knew me not; the pastors who transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit.” So, not just the people but the priests, lawyers and prophets are walking in an unholy manner. These verses (2:4-8) state the charges by an unholy, ungrateful, disrespectful group of citizens and professionals on a holy, righteous, self-sacrificing God who has blessed them far beyond what they could have ever imagined.  

Understand the Context (Jeremiah 18:1-20:18)

Jeremiah chapters 18-19 present an illustration provided by the Lord for Jeremiah to share with the people of Judah. It begins with God’s direction to Jeremiah to travel to a potter’s house (vs. 1).  For me, the Lord’s suggestion conjures up a vision of a potter sitting at his or her wheel, as it spins around, and the potter has his hands on the vase as he smooths the lumps out and contours the design. If the image becomes flawed, the potter would reshape it as often as he felt it needed. The action the potter took was based on the response of the vessel on the wheel.

God warned Judah that their response to Him was no longer sufficient to cover the imperfections of their walk with Him. His primary issue remained consistent though the centuries since He led them out of captivity in Egypt. Exodus 32 reports the incident of Moses being delayed in his conversations with God on Mount Sinai, and the people created an Egyptian god to worship. It had only been a matter of months since God freed them from Egyptian slavery, but they have already returned to worshipping the very idols God warned them against. And this was their sin before the fall.  They stopped worshipping God and worshipped false gods and served idols. 

Jeremiah was forced to endure persecution as well. The sin was so overwhelming in those days that the dead became food for the living. In chapter 19, the potter begins to see the image in his hands as being too flawed to recover. Israel is described as the potter’s broken jars. They could not be repaired; therefore, they would be turned over to their enemies.

In chapter 20, Pashhur, the priest responsible for the Temple at Jerusalem, took Jeremiah into custody and had him flogged and placed in stocks. The leaders of Judah were no longer working to honor God, but rather followed all sorts of false religions including those requiring the sacrifices of their little children to death.  Judah is modeled as the potter’s broken jar. It could no longer be placed back of the potter’s wheel. It would have to be broken and discarded and God’s chosen race would have to be rebuilt elsewhere. Israel fell in 722 BC and Judah would follow in 586 BC.

Remade (Jeremiah 18:1-4)

The Lord starts His illustration for Jeremiah by impressing upon him the question of whether He could treat Judah the way a potter would treat his clay. God tells Jeremiah to go down to the potter’s house and be prepared to receive a word from Him regarding the potter’s work (vss. 1-2). Verse 3 says Jeremiah left as the Lord instructed him and arrived at the potter’s house.  As he entered the home, he found the potter working on his wheel to fashion a vessel out of the clay he had spinning there. This was probably not the first time Jeremiah stood by the potter’s wheel and watched the artisan at his craft. But this time, Jeremiah was focused on the prophecy our Lord promised to give him. God said He would cause Jeremiah to hear His words, so Jeremiah watched with his eyes but held his mind open anticipating God’s word for him to be spoken forthwith.  

Verse 4 reveals the vision God had planned for Jeremiah’s eyes. As the potter worked on the vessel made of clay he had on the wheel, he found it marred in his hands. There was a flaw in the surface where the potter’s hand might get caught and damage the fine piece of art. The potter would just form it back into a clay ball and start reshaping the piece into a vase again. This is the image the Lord has for Israel. He is the One who put the ball of clay on the potter’s wheel. He is the One who has the idea of how it should look when it is done. The Lord is the One who decides who works day after day to make it just right. The verse continues that the potter could simply collapse the clay back in upon itself and started again. Jeremiah noticed that the potter repeated this process as often as it seemed right to him until he fashioned the perfect vessel he had in his mind from the start. 

Sovereign (Jeremiah 18:5-10)

Verse 18:5 reports that the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah just as He said it would. The Lord speaks to Israel to deliver that promised word. God says, “Is this not similar to what is happening with Judah?” He has Judah between His hands on a massive potter’s wheel and His hands are fashioning and shaping the clay into the form He intended from the beginning. He applies more pressure in some places and less in other places, but the work moves the object into that shape that the potter has in mind. It is the potter’s will that determines the shape and the potter’s will to decide whether it is still possible to reshape, or must he destroy it and make it a ball again.

In verse 5, the Lord applies a direct correlation between the action of the potter with his clay and the way He might behave toward Israel (Judah, in this case). This is like He has always treated Israel and Judah. He worked tirelessly to shape Israel into that form that He desired for her. God’s warning for Israel was that its shape was beginning to be flawed.  She was moving far away from what God intended her to be. He warned her that He might have to force it back into that ball of clay like she was in the distant past. As Jeremiah reported the words the Lord had for Judah, he was coming under deep persecution as well. The situation was getting so bad that Judeans were beginning to survive by eating the flesh of those who died ahead of them. God was asking them in verse 7 at what point He should decide “to pluck up, to pull down and to destroy.” 

“If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them,” says the Lord in verse 8. Likewise, God says in verses 9 – 10, “And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it; if it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them.” The Lord is making a clear statement that the end is not yet determined for Judah. There is still time (albeit, not much) for them to influence which decision God will make for their future. If they are to be built up because of their repentance or if they will be destroyed because of their refusal to repent,  are the options in their hands . As always, the Lord awaits His final judgement as long as there is still a possibility of resolution. 

Judah has the advantage that they have already seen how God allowed the Assyrians to overcome Israel and take many captive. Israel chose not to listen to the Lord’s warning that they needed to change. That they needed to stop worshipping false gods and idols made with their own hands. They chose not to repent, but to continue rejecting the God who created them. They were taken. 

Understand the Context (Jeremiah 21:1-25:38)

Judah was on its way down. The information in Jeremiah 23 is found in the Hebrew language as a part of the Book of Jeremiah in the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895 AD), the Petersburg Codex of the Prophets (916), Aleppo Codex (10th century), Codex Leningradensis (1008). Each of these groups of historic writings contain most of the contemporary Hebrew prophets testifying to their authenticity. The appearance of Zedekiah as King of Judah announces the full control of Babylon over Judah. He was selected and protected by the Babylonian Empire before they overtook Judah, destroyed Jerusalem and desecrated the Temple of God in 586 BC. When Jeremiah was asked to pray for the deliverance of Judah, Jeremiah responded that Babylon was being used by God for the judgement of Judah, not its deliverance. Jeremiah saw the choices at this point were to surrender to God’s will or die without Him (Jer 21). In chapter 22, Jeremiah strongly advises the Judean royals to the same. Their hanging on to their positions and wealth was a waste of time for them. King Josiah was wise in knowing when the fight was lost. He surrendered as suggested, but his son, Jehoiakim, refused and faced death and a shameful burial (22:23). 

Judah’s leaders were traitors to their own people. Chapter 23 says they were killing and scattering the sheep of the Lord flocks. Jeremiah prophesied of the coming of a righteous ruler; “a Righteous Branch of King David’s linage (23:3-8). As if to add support for the need of God’s action, Jeremiah adds more information on the failure of Judah’s prophets and priests to lead the people in a righteous direction (23:9-40). Chapter 24’s figure of the two baskets of figs prophesied triumph of the good over the evil, or better, the repentant over the unrepentant.  The good here would be those who return from captivity rather than simply practice good behaviors. And last, Chapter 25 reports the overwhelming disregard the people of Judah had for the prophecy and the Savior who stood with the offer. They rejected God’s prophets and His message. They chose to face the wrath of God and wrath is what they will receive 

New Shepherds (Jeremiah 23:1-4)

Verse 1 of Chapter 23 will ring out across all generations in its warning about unfaithful leaders of God’s people. It is a sacred charge to accept a position in leadership of God’s people, and such a call must be received in a spirit of reverence for the Lord as He trusts one to be a leader for Him. “Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! Saith the Lord” (Jer 23:1).  Is a warning that all pastors, throughout all time, must keep in front of their eyes as temptations challenge. Of course, no warning is heeded without an announcement of the consequences of disobedience and verse 2 pronounces such warnings. God says the payment to the pastors who feed His people, scatter His flock, drive them away and have not gone to visit them, is for those pastors to receive their evil doing upon themselves (vs. 2).

But to the people, He says, “And I will gather the remnant of My flock out of all countries where He has driven them, and will bring them again to their folds, and they shall be fruitful and increase” (vs. 3). There were five separate immigrant waves of Israelis to the Promised Land between 1881 and 1939 with Israel becoming a state in 1949 bringing over 1.5 million holocaust survivors to the land. In 1980, Israel declared Jerusalem complete and named it as capital of Israel. God endeavors to cause this prophesy to be fulfilled and He will not stop. Many people over the centuries have wondered how Israel, being so small, can be so prosperous. The truth is that the hand of God is still on His chosen people. He said to Abraham in Geneses 12:3, “And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” 

Verse 4 finishes this part of the prophesy saying that He will se up new shepherds over Israel that will certainly feed them, and they shall fear no longer, nor shall they be dismayed , nor shall they be lacking, saith the Lord. This is the pattern or appearance of serious movement by God. It is the answer to the questions of why a nation can be so small and nearly insignificant but still be so powerful and important in the world today. It is simply God completing this prophesy to watch over Israel for all time. It also explains why He is so determined to bless them forever.  

Righteous Branch (Jeremiah 23:5-8)

Jeremiah 23:5-8 contain some of the most obvious prophecy of the coming Christ than almost any part of the Old Testament. Verses 5-6 get right into the depth of it by stating that “the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise up unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.” 

First, the phrase “The Days shall come, saith the Lord” is a standard for the introduction of prophecy. It could be stated, “This is what God says is coming.” The first part tells us that God plans to raise up a man who is a descendant of King David. Second, this man will be a King who will reign during a time of prosperity. He will execute both judgment and justice across the whole earth. The span of control far exceeds a king of Judah or Israel. This King will execute across the whole earth. Judah will be saved from impending judgement, and Israel will once again live in safety. Next, we get a specific name for this King: it is Jehovah-Tsidkenu, meaning that which relates to the promised Messiah and Jerusalem. Recall that during the Seder Meal, the Rabbi always motions toward the empty chair at the end of the Seder Table and says, “Next year, with You in Jerusalem.” God’s promise of the coming Messiah is brightly displayed in the match up between the Rabbi’s wish and the stated definition of terms here.  

Verse 7 picks up on how some of the fulfillment will look. In those days, the people will update how they identified the Lord by dropping, “The Lord lives who brought them out of Egypt” in favor of, “The Lord lives who brought the seed of Israel out of the North country.” In other words, the Deliverer will be known by releasing Israel out of captivity instead of freeing them from Egypt. The memories of the historic work of Moses will be updated with the historic memory of how the Deliverer brought back Israel and Judah from their captivities to the restored promised land. Brought back from all nations to their restored land as if they never sinned.  

Understand the Context (Jeremiah 26:1-29:32)

The evil Jehoiakim became king in 609 BC. God told Jeremiah to go to the courtyard of the Temple and announce the removal of the king and judgement against his domain quickly. Jeremiah was to announce God’s judgement on Jerusalem just as He did on Shiloh when they were warned but refused to repent. But rather than repent, the religious leaders arrested Jeremiah and threatened to execute him. Prophets across centuries have never been executed for announcing a judgement delivered to them by God. This would establish a new precedent in the land and the religious leaders recognized that it was not the right time to establish that precedent.

Zedekiah was the youngest of Josiah’s sons and took office in 597 BC. At his coronation, Jeremiah fashioned a yoke like those worn by oxen or horses. The yoke was ordered by God and meant to symbolize the fact that Babylon’s Nebuchadnezzar was on Zedekiah’s neck just as tightly as the beasts of the field wears their yokes. The warning went beyond Zedekiah to warn the leaders of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre and Sidon, as well. They needed to be aware that God knew of their unfaithfulness to God, their countrymen and their offices. The yoke was that of Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar and would last as long as his reign. Jeremiah also warned Zedekiah of God’s displeasure with their susceptibility to the words of the false prophets.

Chapter 28 focuses on the false prophet Hananiah and his constant disagreement with the truth God offered as sound prophecy. He announced that God would rescue Judah in a short two years. Jeremiah was forced to publicly stand against Hananiah’s prophecy. He also prophesied that God would break the back of the Babylonian Empire in two years. That prophecy was proven wrong as well. Hananiah would die because of these false prophecies and many others. The Bible provides the best test of the validity of prophecy is whether the prophecy of future events come true (Duet 18:20-21). Hananiah failed this test repeatedly.

Chapter 29 tells the truth of the length of the captivity in Jeremiah’s prophecy of 70 years. 

Thrive (Jeremiah 29:4-7)

Recall from the previous several lessons that Jeremiah was plagued by false prophets and priests/priestesses from many false religions, all of which were in constant disagreement with his prophecies from the Lord. The frustration for Jeremiah was that a primary test for whether a prophecy is true or false is whether it proves to be accurate. The negative impact of the false prophecies of peace and comfort over the next two years would not be proven wrong until the two years were completed. By that time, any redemptive impact of Jeremiah’s prophecy of pending calamity prior to a long period of captivity would be nearly eliminated. God’s warning through Jeremiah was intended to cause Judah to feel a desire to repent of their open infidelity to Jehovah with a plethora of false gods. That impact was lost in the opposing prophecies.

As can be seen by the passed tense used in verse 4, Judah and Jerusalem had already been taken in captivity to Babylon. Now, Jeremiah’s battle was that those same voices were saying the captivity was to be very short. Jeremiah states in verse 5 that the captives from Judah should plan to build houses, live in them, plant gardens and eat the fruit of them. Further, verse 6 says they should plan to marry in captivity, have children there, and even take wives for those offspring and bear grandchildren. Jeremiah says the purpose for all that is so that the people will not be diminished or reduced while in captivity, but rather will increase before their release. 

To stress the point of the lengthy stay for Judah in captivity, Jeremiah says that Judah should try to establish peace with that city and to pray for them to have extended peace because that would also mean peace for Judah as their captives. 

So, Jeremiah uses clear language that the captive nation should plan on a stay that will likely exceed two generations. Not only should Judah build houses for the stay but they should have children and grandchildren while there. Jeremiah’s final statement encouraging the captives to make peace and pray for their cities further emphasizes the point that Judah will be in this captivity long enough for them to enjoy their grandchildren while there.  

Ignore (Jeremiah 29:8-9)

Verses 8 and 9 reveal that the problem Jeremiah has been having with the false prophets continues even into captivity. Jeremiah singles out the prophets and diviners that are in their midst. These are not any prophets called by God to pass His word to them, but they are passing false information to the people of Judah with the intent of deceiving them (vs. 8). Jeremiah also brings a warning from God against the people believing their personal dreams or dreamers.  The start of verse 8 clearly uses the name of the LORD as the source of Jeremiah’s message to them. When the King James version uses the LORD in all caps, like this, it represents the Hebrew word Jehovah or Yahweh. Recall that the Hebrews would never write or speak the name of their God. They represented Him with four consonants in their writings, “JHWH.” In their alphabet, the J and the W are ambiguous and could be Y and V. Therefore, the name of their God and ours could be Jehovah or Yahweh. In English, we typically use Jehovah, but either is correct.

In any case, Jeremiah represents that “Thus saith the LORD” indicating that he did not invent or create this message, but God, Jehovah Himself is the authority behind his words in contrast to the words of the false prophets or seers who have only themselves as authorities for what they are saying. Nevertheless, human nature being as it is, when a person turns from God to worshipping false gods, they would choose to believe a message from the false god rather than the real God because believing the message of the real God would mean they would have to admit their error, acknowledge their sin and confess their infidelity to Him. All of us have the experience of not wanting to admit when we are wrong, or even worse that we might be following a fake god. 

Verse 9 emphasizes Jeremiah’s point because he invokes the name of Jehovah as his source even again. His warning is against the words they are hearing from their false prophets. Jehovah says they did not come from Him. Their prophets are speaking falsely to them, and they have absolutely no authority to speak the words they are saying. Again, any interaction the people of Judah have with a god other than Jehovah is idolatry and spiritual adultery. Will they admit it?

Understand the Context (Jeremiah 30:1-33:26)

Some scholars say that Jeremiah 30-33 should be called the “Book of Consolation” for the way it reveals the Lord allowing Judah to be taken captive but still maintaining His compassion and affection toward them. After hundreds, or maybe thousands, of years of the Father’s disappointment with Israel, He still offers consolation during their entrance into captivity. The example is one that can be applied to a wide range of situations. Consider parenting as just one.  Parents must have firm, consistent and predictable discipline in place for their children while they are very obvious about their unconditional love and forgiveness when the children fall short of the standards.  

Here, the Lord promises to provide a Leader after the line of King David to bring His people out of captivity for restoral in Canaan while harshly judging their enemies for their treatment of the chosen while in captivity. Nevertheless, God promises to find the captives regardless of where they were banished and bring them back under a new covenant unlike the one under which He took them out of Egypt, which they had broken (Jer 31). 

God told Jeremiah to redeem land belonging to his uncle Shallum (Jehoahaz) as a picture of God’s redemption of all Israel (Jer 32:6-8). This word from the Lord came to Jeremiah in the tenth year of Zedekiah’s reign which would place the date at 588-587 BC, only a year before the fall of Judah in 586. Jeremiah completed the transaction and presented the completed deed to Baruck, the son of Neriah, the son of Maaseiah, in the presence of Hanamel, his cousin. The deed was stored away waiting for many other as the land was returned to Judah after the completion of the captivity judgement.

A key characteristic of how the Lord will accomplish the end of the captivity is that He will require the judgements to be completed before redemption and restoral can be offered. Jeremiah’s word from God said the period was 70 years. That would be firm. 

Blessings Promised (Jeremiah 31:23-26)

So, in the next three slides, Jeremiah delivers the word of the Lord in terms of blessings promised (Jer 31:23-26), restoration (31:27-30) and a new covenant (31:31-34).  First, Jeremiah delivers the word of the Lord to people with God reminding them that He is, in fact, still the Lord (Heb: Jehovah) of hosts, the God (Heb: Elohiym) of Israel. God introduces this promise of blessings by reminding them of the fact He is “The LORD (Jehovah), thy God (Elohiym).” Jehovah or Yahweh being the completion of the four consonants Israel used in the Scriptures to refer to their God (JHVH or YHWH) because the name of their God is too holy to say or write down. Elohiym as reference back to the creation in Genesis 1, attesting to the fact that He is not just their God, He is the Creator of them and all that is. Given this level of authority, therefore, these are the words they shall use to describe God’s action of bringing the out of captivity to be restored in Judah. The words shall be, “The Lord bless thee, O habitation of justice, and mountain of holiness” (Jer 31:23). 

And in that day, the people shall live together in Judah, itself (vs. 24). That is, they will be returning specifically to Judah just as God promised when He put them into captivity that He would find them no matter where they were and bring them to the place from which they entered captivity (Jer 27:22). Here it says simply, “Judah itself.” Of the returning people, there shall be townspeople, farmers and shepherds all living together in peace and happiness (vs. 24). This is because God has now given them rest for the weary and joy to the sorrowing (vs. 25). 

So, Jeremiah wakes up from the sleep in which God delivered this vision for the people. But this time, it is not “the weeping prophet” who wakes up, but one who sees what has been said and done and pronounces an assessment that all can understand, the casual researcher and the in-depth investigator of all that has taken plan place. Jeremiah says simply, “My sleep had been very sweet” (vs. 26). Jeremiah dropped his weeping. He has found great comfort and peace in the quality of message he received from the Lord. “His sleep had been very sweet!” 

Restoration (Jeremiah 31:27-30)

The beginning of verse 27 announces a prophecy to follow: “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord.” In this prophecy, the Lord announces a change of mind and practice concerning the house of Israel and the house of Judah. He plans to greatly increase (or let increase) the human and animal populations there. Verse 28 reveals that the Lord has watched over these areas to uproot, tare down, overthrow and allow disaster to harm it, “He will now deliberately plant it and build it up” (Jer 31:28b, NLT). The idea of fruitful populations is usually associated with God’s blessing of a thing, a person or an area. After all, it was God who commanded each created order, including Adam and Eve, to be fruitful and multiply (Gen 1:22, 1:28, 8:17). So, therefore, God is removing His restraint against growth of Israel and Judah in favor of significant growth. 

This change in the Lord’s attitude toward Israel and Judah does not occur without some changes in how God will interact with them. In those days “the people will no longer quote the proverb: ‘The parents have eaten the sour grapes, but their children’s mouths pucker at the taste’” (vs. 29). This proverb was used to say that parents would sin, or commit the error, but their children would receive the sentence for it (speaking of the ramifications for sin). “No,” the Lord saith in verse 30. Instead, every person would be held accountable for their own sin in those days. Specifically, “All people would die for their own sins – those who eat the sour grapes will be the ones whose mouths will pucker” (Jer 31:30). Every individual would be personally responsible for their sin and the ramifications of committing that sin.  

So, the Lord will update His process of dealing with Israel and Judah in those future times. He once held them back and/or hindered their progress but wants to start supporting growth in human and animal populations. It sounds like the lord is saying He will now provide the blessing and the support to allowing prosperity in all Israel. Along with the blessings, the Lord is adding some new responsibilities for Israel and Judah. Now, the person who commits the sin, and not a descendant of the same, will be accountable for ramifications of that sin. 

Understand the Context (Jeremiah 36:1-39:18)

Chapters 36-39 sound more like a commentary on a series of conversations than a historic account of a period or event. In verses 1-3 of chapter 36, the Lord orders Jeremiah to get a new scroll and write down all the messages (prophecies) He gave Jeremiah to warn Israel, Judah and other countries about the oncoming calamities. He directed Jeremiah to begin with the reign of Josiah through the current, fourth year of Jehoiakim, Josiah’s son. His hope, according to verse 3, is that the people of Judah would read these messages and repent before the terrors He had planned for them actually took place. God adds that He is waiting to forgive them for their sins and wrongdoings. This reveals a key behavioral characteristic of our God that should be an encouragement for all. God stands ready for us to change our minds about the sin we are doing, so that He can forgive us. In other words, it is God’s standing will to hear us change our minds and confess (1 John 1:9), so He can forgive us. Therefore, His forgiveness is just a prayer away! 

Jeremiah began dictating all the prophecies he received from God and gave them to Baruch to copy into the new scroll (vs. 4). Jeremiah told Baruch that he must go to the Temple and read the scroll to all the people gathered from many nations for the day of fasting (vss. 5-6). He adds that his hope is like God’s that the people might hear the words and change their direction before it is too late. It was likely in late November or early December that this day took place. When the princes of the nation heard about Baruch’s readings, they asked him to come and read to them before continuing to read to the people. As he read, King Jehoiakim asked where he got the scroll. Baruch said they were word for word from Jeremiah (vss. 7-18). The reactions of Jehoiakim and other royal family members are in our focal passages for this study.

Chapter 37 describes how Jeremiah was called by Zedekiah and imprisoned by him until Nebuchadnezzar captured all Judah and Jerusalem. Chapter 38 sees Zedekiah asking Jeremiah to repeat God’s plan for Judah and 39 describes the taking captive of the nation, city and Temple. 

Delivered (Jeremiah 36:19-21)

So, it was Micaiah, grandson of Shaphan, who heard Baruch reading the new scroll to the people from the Temple. This scroll was the one the Lord directed Jeremiah to put together containing all the prophecies the Lord gave him from the reign of Josiah through the current reign of King Jehoiakim. The Lord hoped that the hearing of all the judgements and associated terrors would cause the people to repent of their evil ways and return to His leadership (36:1-3). When Micaiah heard the words of the scroll, he immediately told the governing officials what was being read to the people and sent Jehudi to ask Baruch to read the new scroll to the officials in the palace. They heard Jeremiah’s prophecies and suggested that Baruch and Jeremiah ought to immediately find a hiding place and tell absolutely no one where that place was. The prophecies of Jeremiah from the period God ordered told of all the destruction and terror Judah would soon experience along with the coming captivity of the entire nation. 

Meantime, the officials took Baruch’s scroll and gave them to the palace scribe, Elishama, for safe keeping (vs. 20). But, they also went to King Jehoiakim and summarized the words they heard for him. Upon hearing the words from Jehudi, the king directed the entire scroll to be brought to him. The king had Jehudi read the scroll to him and all the princes who stood near him in the throne room.  

Destroyed (Jeremiah 36:22-26)

The place of the reading of the scroll was the winterized portion of the palace during the nineth month; late November or early December.  Nearby, there was a fire burning to keep the king and his staff warm (vs. 22). As Jehudi read the scroll, the king would stop him after reading each set of three or four lines. The king had a small knife and would cut that portion from the scroll and throw it into the fire (vs. 23). He continued this process until the entire scroll was destroyed by fire.  

It was interesting that, although all of these people had heard the prophecies of Jerimiah read to them, they experienced no fear, nor did they tear their clothes in reaction to the words they heard. Further, neither the king nor any of those serving him have any other reaction. They did, however, beg the king not to destroy the entire scroll. He would not agree with them.  

Instead, the king commanded Jerahmeel, son of Hammelech, Seraiah, son of Azriel and Shelemiah, son of Abdeel to arrest Baruch, the scribe and Jeremial, the prophet. Nevertheless, the Lord had already made provisions to hide them away. The attempt, of course, was to destroy the physical scroll and eliminate those who had the capability to recreate it.  

Understand the Context (Jeremiah 46:1-52:43)

Here is the documented charges God has against each of these countries (Jer 46-52). In 46-48, Jeremiah lists the messages for three countries: Egypt, Philistia and Moab. All three are told of the charges and resulting judgements God has for each of them. Egypt stands out because God specifically names the king who would lead the destructive force of Babylon against her. In this case, Jeremiah says it is at the hands of King Nebuchadnezzar that Egypt falls. Moab stands out because that nation is the only one for whom Jeremiah receives a message of restoration. 

The first half of Chapter 49 (verses 1-22) shows that Ammon and Edom would come under harsh judgement by God, but like Moab, Ammon would be granted God’s restoral. Edom’s judgement is sufficiently harsh for it to be compared to the total annihilation of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.   

Jeremiah 49:23-39 continues with God’s judgement against a set of Syrian cities; namely, Damascus, Hezar, Hazor and Elam. Elam joins Moab and Ammon as being the only one in this list to face judgement and restoral. 

Babylon has a special place in the announcement of judgement because God used them as an instrument of His judgement against His chosen people. Again, He says the level of destruction of Babylon will receives matches that of Edom’s as being as harsh as His judgement against Sodom and Gomorrah (Jer 50:1-51:64).  

Chapter 52 details the destruction of Judah because they had God’s word and warnings but would not turn from their false religions. Jeremiah specifically calls out the judgement facing King Zedekiah because it was his revolution again Babylon that prepared the way for Babylon’s destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple, and the slaughter of many Jews and exiling many more. The book ends on a single positive note with Nebuchadnezzar pardoning King Jehoichin (31-34). 

Vengeance Exacted (Jeremiah 50:11-16)

Our section on “Understanding the Context” and the title of this section provide ample evidence for what to expect here. Not only was Babylon used by God to defeat Judah, but she was glad and rejoiced at the doing of that task. They enjoyed executing the destruction of Jerusalem and the pillaging of God’s Temple. Even though they were being used of God to execute His judgement, they did not realize or show any respect for how important these things were to the Hebrew heritage (vs. 11). Jeremiah calls Babylon’s attention to how the nation that birthed them might feel about what they have done. Jeremiah says, “Your mother (your birthing nation) shall be sore confounded; she that birthed you shall be ashamed: behold the hindermost of the nations shall be a wilderness, a dry land, a desert” (vs. 12, author’s parenthises). Once, the beauty of Babylon was a wonder to look at, but as a result of this judgement on the land, Babylon will become the least of all the nations, a wastland wilderness, a dry and desolate nothingness. 

God’s judgement will render Babylon an uninhabitable wasteland that causes people who see her to experience horror and shock (vs. 13). Jeremiah encourages the surrounding nations to attack Babylon with multitudes of arrows for she has sinned against God and is reaping what she has sown (vs. 14). Simply shouting war cries against her will cause her to surrender. Her walls have fallen, and the vengeance of the Lord is clear as she is now receiving exactly what she once forced upon other nations (vs. 15). Those who plant crops and those who harvest those crops are deserting the land and leaving it to return to where they lived before (vs. 16). Those who once attacked Babylon will leave her with nothing left to offer visitors and even current residents will look elsewhere. The picture Jeremiah paints with his words leaves little to the imagination. The great land that was once called a wonder of the world will be brought down to little more than a trash heap. God plans to rip all attractiveness from this land because it so richly enjoyed causing it to become one of the least desirable nations in the known world. Babylon was once far beyond just being a beautiful, rich nation; it was an expansive empire occupying most of the Mideast. 

Return Promised (Jeremiah 50:17-20)

Israel (both Israel and Judah) has now been scattered like sheep as lions can drive them away from the safety of their pastures into the dangers of the wilderness. This was first accomplished at the hands of the Assyrians and now has been done through Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylonia. Assyria devoured the flesh of the nation and Babylonia broke up the bare bones (vs. 17). Now the Lord God of Israel, the Lord of hosts will exact harsh punishment against Babylonia and its king just as completely as He brought down the king of Assyria and his land (vs. 18).  

In verse 19, the Lord promises to bring Israel back to inhabit the land once promised to them. They shall once again dine with joy and safety on Mount Carmel and in Bashan. Israel’s soul will again be lifted high as it experiences the full satisfaction of Mount Ephriam and Gilead. In those days and at that time, the Lord says, many will look for the sins and iniquity of Israel, but as hard as they might search, they will find none (vs. 20). They will do the search for the sins of Judah and return just as disappointed for the sin of Judah will be no more. 

This is the picture of God’s forgiveness and the thorough completeness of it. Godless people who are so totally consumed by their own sin get great joy out of being able to point out the sins of others. It is their way of tasting the peace they can never have without God. So, they find some degree of peace in looking at the errors of others and making sure they are fully pointed out. The problem is that there is no overcoming of personal nor corporate sin by finding fault with others. Recall the words of God from the study two weeks ago. God revealed to Jeremiah, “29 In those days they shall say no more, ‘The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children's teeth are set on edge.’ 30 But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge” (Jer 31:29-30). So, no matter how much a sinner wishes to point out the sins of someone else, he will still be held fully accountable for his own sin, just as everyone else will. The question is, “Are you still wearing your sins?” 

You see, in the rest of the passage from Jeremiah 31:29-30 God states this, “31 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: 32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: 33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more” (Jer 31:31-34). This passage also shows up in the New Testament in Hebrews 8:6-12 and 10:7-18. God says to Jeremiah in verse 50:20 that the enemies looked for sin in Israel but could find none. The passages referenced in this paragraph explain why. God promises to “forgive our iniquity and remember our sins no more.” Just like He abolished all sin from Israel and Judah in those days, He can do for us in these days. We do not have to wear the sins once we realize we sinned (1 John 1:9).

Understand the Context (Lamentations 1:1-5:22)

Lamentations is an appropriate name for a Book of the Bible containing a list of how the prophet Jeremiah laments or expresses his sorrow and grief over the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple of God at Jerusalem. There were no real concerns by either Hebrew or Christian scholars concerning the addition of Lamentations to the Old (Hebrew) or New (Greek) Testament Canons as represented in the Latin Vulgate or the Greek Septuagint. The noun “lament” means sorrow or grief over something. Lament may also be a verb which would be the act of sorrow of grief, and lamenting is the practice of doing the sorrowing of grieving. Lamentation is the representation of the sorrow or grief. Lamentations, then, is the list or compilation of the items Jeremiah is feeling sorrow or grief over. 

The subjects of Chapter 1 are Jeremiah’s sorrow and grief over the suffering of the people of Jerusalem, and the loss of worship because of the destruction of the Temple at Jerusalem. He speaks of the great splendor the city had earned. The issue was that the great splendor was lost due to their open sin. As we have studied, all Israel was taken into idol worship (idolatry) which denied the sovereignty and uniqueness of God, and Israel’s commandment from God not to worship or bow down to gods who are not the God of Israel. This constant desire or drive to sin against God is what drove Israel into ruin. The splendor they once enjoyed was taken away from them as a part of God’s judgement against them. While God had protected and defended Israel above all other nations, He allowed the destruction of Israel (722 BC) and Judah (586 BC) along with the destruction of the City of God (Jerusalem) and the Temple of God where He was worshiped.  

In Lamentations, Jeremiah documents God’s specific role in executing His judgement on the people of Israel for their refusal to return seeing Him as their only God. Jeremiah goes on to describe how God used Babylon to execute that judgement on Israel. At the same time, God cautions the people of Edom not to rejoice in this work of God for they would be next in line to receive God’s judgement on them. Jeremiah begs God for His mercy on Israel. Jeremiah walks through the city and sees God’s devastation of the city through the suffering, loss and death of Israel. Jeremiah knows the character of God and His sovereignty and pleads for God to see the suffering of the people. He asks God for the restoral of Israel rather than the rejection she has earned. 

From Despair to Hope (Lamentations 3:19-24)

In Chapter 3, Jeremiah oscillates between a personal lament or sorrow (vss. 1-39), and a community lament (vss. 40-47) and then back to the personal lament (vss. 48-66). Verses 1-18 are often titled “The Experience of God’s Wrath,” and describes how Jeremiah feels well qualified to characterize the sorrow of Israel because he feels like he has personally experienced it. In verses 1-3, he feels like God has treated him like an animal and driven him out from Him cruelly and repetitively. Verses 4-6 he feels like the Lord has given him a severe and crippling illness, so that he is “like those long dead” (Lam 3:6b, NLT). In verses 7-9, he is like a helpless animal weighed down by his heavy chains and unable to move. He feels like he is pursued and driven away by God, while those who witness his life believe he is persecuted by God and must be deserving of such treatment (vss. 10-14). God gave him to drink, but it was bitter (wormwood) and to eat but it like stones and ashes (vss. 15-16). He sums in verse 18, “My splendor is gone! Everything I had hoped for from the Lord is lost!” 

In 19, he continues that he remembers all of the affliction and it was very bitter. In his deepest parts the memories have brought him very low (vs. 20). But with all of this suffering and pain, his mind brings into focus that his hope in the Lord is not diminished or reduced (vs. 21). The Lord continues to love him and soften the worst of the treatment to a level far below what he can endure, and His mercy and faithfulness are renewed every morning (vs. 22).  The Apostle Paul testifies the same truth for each of us when he says, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it" (1 Cor 10:13).  So, through it all, Jeremiah is able to testify, great is the faithfulness of the Lord.  That is his inheritance, and he can continually find his hope in it and in Him (vss. 22-24).

From Waiting to Seeing (Lamentations 3:25-30)

In verses 25-30, Jeremiah transitions into two different examples of Hebrew poetry: comparative doublets and cause-and-effect. Verse 25 could be completed as “The Lord is good unto them that wait for Him” and “The Lord is good unto those whose souls seeketh him.” And in verse 26, “It is good that a man should hope for the salvation of the Lord” and “It is good that a man should quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.” In both verses, the idea is stated and then a similar idea is expressed that can be fashioned as a repetition of the first idea. Hence in verse 25, the Lord is good to those who wait for Him and seeketh him. And 26, it is good that a man should hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. Parallel ideas as separate thoughts.  

Verse 27 is a truth spoken by each of us who have raised children while we were young and watched others who struggle to raise them in older years; that is, “It is good for a man that he bear the yoke (of child raising) in his youth. Another truth in verse 27 is that it is good for a person to submit to the yoke of the Lord’s discipline while young.  

Jeremiah continues the same style in 28 as verses 25 and 26.  He says, “He sitteth alone because he hath borne it upon him” (pause) “He keepeth silence because he hath borne it upon him.” In verses 29 and 30, he switches to a cause-and-effect style. That is, if you do this one thing, it results in the other.  In verse 29, “He putteth his mouth in the dust” (pause) “If so be there may be hope.” And last, “He giveth his Cheech to him that smitteth him” (pause) "He is filled full with reproach” (vs. 30). In each of the latter cases, Jeremiah suggests that doing the first thing will cause the other thing. Regardless of the style used, Jeremiah, like Solomon in Proverbs, is sharing wisdom with the readers. Briefly, the actions of believers have eternal results.