Jeremiah was a prophet called by God in the 13th year of King Josiah of Judah. He prophesied during a tumultuous time as Judah faced invasion from Babylon. Jeremiah counseled against revolting against Babylon and staying faithful to God, but was rejected. Babylon destroyed Jerusalem in 587 BC, exiling many, fulfilling Jeremiah's warnings. The book captures Jeremiah's struggles to accept his role and messages of a new covenant, God's forgiveness, and discerning true prophecy.
2. Structure
âą The call of Jeremiah
â Jeremiahâs struggle and call in the tradition of
the Hebrew people
âą Oracles in the Days of Josiah
â God loves his people with tenderness; sin
disturbs the covenantal relationship
âą Oracles against the nations
â God is in control and will overcome all those
who are opposed to him and his people.
3. Sources
âą Jeremiahâs own words
âą Writings of his scribe, Baruch
âą Sermons of Jeremiahâs disciples, reflecting on
Jeremiahâs words and actions
4. Biography of Jeremiah
âą Jeremiah was born, perhaps about 650
B.C., of a priestly family from the village
of Anathoth, two and a half miles
northeast of Jerusalem.
âą The name, Jeremiah, means:
The Lord raises up
5. âą He was called to his task in the thirteenth year
of King Josiah (Jer 1:2). Josiahâs reform, begun
with enthusiasm and hope, ended with his death
on the battlefield of Megiddo (609 B.C.) as he
attempted to stop the northward march of the
Egyptian Pharaoh Neco, who was going to
provide assistance to the Assyrians who were in
retreat before the Babylonians.
6. âą Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, fell in 612 B.C., preparing
the way for Babylon, which was soon to put an end to
the independence of Judah.
âą The prophet supported the reform of King Josiah (2 Kgs
22â23), but after the death of Josiah the old idolatry
returned. Jeremiah opposed this as well as royal policy
toward Babylon. Arrest, imprisonment, and public
disgrace were his lot.
7. âą In the nationâs apostasy Jeremiah
saw the sealing of its doom.
Nebuchadnezzar captured Jerusalem
(598 B.C.) and carried King
Jehoiachin into exile (Jer 22:24).
8. âą During the years 598â587, Jeremiah
counseled Zedekiah in the face of bitter
opposition. The false prophet Hananiah
proclaimed that the yoke of Babylon was
broken and a strong pro-Egyptian party in
Jerusalem induced Zedekiah to revolt.
Nebuchadnezzar took swift vengeance;
Jerusalem was destroyed in 587 and its
leading citizens sent into exile.
9. âą The prophet remained in Jerusalem, but
was later forced into Egyptian exile. We
do not know the details of his death. The
influence of Jeremiah was greater after his
death than before. The exiled community
read and meditated on the lessons of the
prophet; his influence is evident in Ezekiel,
some of the psalms, Is 40â66, and Daniel.
10. Main Players
âą Jeremiah, The Prophet
âą Josiah: king of Judah (641â609 BC), who
instituted major reforms. Josiah is credited by
most historians with having established or
compiled important Scriptures during the
Deuteronomic reform that occurred during
his rule.
11. âą Jehoiakim â Son of Josiah, King of Judah who
revolted against Babylon, which led to
capture of Jerusalem in 597
âą Nebuchadnezzar -was king of the Babylonian
Empire c. 605 BC â 562 BC. He is credited
with the construction of the Hanging
Gardens of Babylonand for the destruction of
the First Temple.
12. âą Jehoiachin â king of Judah dethroned by
Babylon and taken into captivity
âą Zedekiah â warned by Jeremiah not to join
the Egyptians in revolt against Babylon,
which led to destruction of Jerusalem and the
Temple in 587. When he and the people
were carted off to Babylon, Jeremiah
remained and wanted to stay in Jerusalem.
He was physically dragged to Egypt where he
later died.
13. âą Gedaliah â governor of Judah, appointed by
Nebuchadnezzar who encouraged the
cultivation of fields and vineyards to bring
stability to Judah. He was attacked and
killed by a group of Jews, further angering
the Babylonians.
14. Main Sections
âą Poetry sermons focused on Exodus and the
covenant â very personal, agonizing
âą Confessions â arguments with God over his
call as a prophet
âą Narrative sections compiled by Baruch that
outline Jeremiahâs theology.
15. Purpose of the Book
âą Jeremiahâs writings provided a voice of
compassion and prayer to a tumultuous
age.
âą Linked fidelity to covenant to oneâs own
heart
âą Jeremiahâs life is the message.
17. Jeremiah, in his life, shows us:
âą
âą
âą
âą
âą
âą
Joyful Optimism
Honest, painful struggles with God
Courage in confronting rulers
Agony over the fate of Jerusalem
Perseverance amid continuous rejection
Irritability, and sometimes a desire for
revenge
âą Sensitivity to the beauty of nature
âą The joys and struggles of celibacy
18. Jeremiahâs Journey
âą Jeremiah changes, adapts to work out Godâs
purpose in his life and the life of the
community.
âą His discernment is much like our own, and
the life of everyone who seeks God sincerely.
19. Jeremiahâs Message
âą The New Covenant
â Suffering, coming days, completion
â Covenant that is written on hearts, not stone
â Influences understanding of what it means to
be a member of Godâs family
20. Jeremiahâs Message
âą Sin and Atonement
â Sin brings its own sorrow
â People are transformed, for good or ill, by the
things they seek
â Punishment for sins can bring purification and
change
â Godâs compassion leads us to hope in
forgiveness and restored life in grace.
21. Jeremiahâs Message
âą Faith and Prayer
â Wrestling with God, baring soul and heart
before God
â Confronting God with bold questions, but
never wavering in his reliance on Godâs
faithfulness and care for him and the
community.
â Godâs relationship is the only one he can
really count on.
22. Jeremiahâs Message
âą True and False Prophecy
â Jeremiahâs message was not popular or
acceptable.
â Classic example of rejected prophet
â Lasting impact.
23. In the Lectionary
âą 33 appearances
â 9 Sunday
â 25 weekday
â 12 Ritual Masses