READ IT! - Introduction to Jeremiah 1-7

Readings for this week

Monday: Jeremiah 1
Tuesday: Jeremiah 2
Wednesday: Jeremiah 3
Thursday: Jeremiah 4
Friday: Jeremiah 5
Saturday: Jeremiah 6
Sunday: Jeremiah 7

Introduction to Jeremiah 1-7 

Jeremiah… The Man 

He was a d descendant of Abiathar, David’s high priest. Jeremiah was probably about the same age as King Josiah when he began his ministry. Jeremiah’s ministry spans more than forty years, and took place during the reign of Josiah as well as his four successors, the last kings of Judah. Jeremiah saw the destruction of Judah by the Babylonians. Jeremiah did not want to be a prophet.

Jeremiah… The Book 

The book of Jeremiah is arranged according to theme rather than chronology. The book of Jeremiah existed in at least two canonical forms in ancient times. The Greek version is about one-eighth shorter than the Hebrew version. This indicates that the book was still being written at the time it was first translated from Hebrew into Greek. The two versions are arranged in different orders.

Chapter 1 

First twenty-nine chapters of the book are made up of oracles of judgment. First, we here about Jeremiah’s call. He writes:

The word of the Lord came to me, saying, 

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
before you were born I set you apart;
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

“Alas, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.”

But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord. 

Chapters 2-6 

The next section within these oracles of judgment is a group of sermons on sin, judgment, love, and forgiveness. First, Jeremiah tells the parable of the failing marriage:

“‘I remember the devotion of your youth,
how as a bride you loved me
and followed me through the wilderness,
through a land not sown.”

“What fault did your ancestors find in me,
that they strayed so far from me?
They followed worthless idols
and became worthless themselves.”

Jeremiah then tells a parable about two sisters. Israel was wicked so God exiled her. Judah learned nothing from this, and became worse than her sister Israel.

Jeremiah then foretells of trouble coming from the north. God will send the Babylonians to destroy Judah. God challenged Jeremiah to find a single righteous person in Jerusalem. He says:

“They have turned their backs to me
and not their faces;
yet when they are in trouble, they say,
‘Come and save us!’” 

“Return, faithless people,” declares the Lord, “for I am your husband.”

But he also says that in the future, “they will call Jerusalem The Throne of the Lord, and all nations will gather in Jerusalem to honor the name of the Lord. No longer will they follow… their evil hearts.” 

Chapter 7 

The next section of Jeremiah’s oracles of judgment are a group of sermons on the outcome of Judah’s depravity. The people had turned God’s house into a “den of robbers” and believed God would keep them safe as they sinned. Just as God destroyed His house at Shiloh, so too will He destroy His house in Jerusalem. In the place where the people sacrificed their own children, God will pile up their bodies in slaughter.