JEREMIAH
The Introduction
Jeremiah was the premier prophet of Judah during the dark days leading to her destruction. Though the light of other prophets (such as Habakkuk and Zephaniah) flickered in Judah, at that time Jeremiah was the blazing torch who, along with Ezekiel in Babylon, exposed the darkness of Judah’s sin with the piercing brightness of God’s Word.
We know more about Jeremiah the prophet than any other prophet in the Old Testament
Jeremiah had to learn to go when commissioned (1:6..."Then I said, "Alas, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, Because I am a youth." (NASB))
Jeremiah was “the weeping prophet” who had a broken heart for the sins of his people.
4:19-20..."My soul, my soul! I am in anguish! Oh, my heart! My heart is pounding in me; I cannot be silent, Because you have heard, O my soul, The sound of the trumpet, The alarm of war. Disaster on disaster is proclaimed, For the whole land is devastated; Suddenly my tents are devastated, My curtains in an instant." (NASB)
8:21-22..."For the brokenness of the daughter of my people I am broken; I mourn, dismay has taken hold of me. Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has not the health of the daughter of my people been restored?" (NASB)
9:1..."Oh that my head were waters And my eyes a fountain of tears, That I might weep day and night For the slain of the daughter of my people!" (NASB)
13:17..."But if you will not listen to it, My soul will sob in secret for {such} pride; And my eyes will bitterly weep And flow down with tears, Because the flock of the LORD has been taken captive." (NASB)
23:9..."As for the prophets: My heart is broken within me, All my bones tremble; I have become like a drunken man, Even like a man overcome with wine, Because of the LORD And because of His holy words." (NASB)
Jeremiah persevered under difficult circumstances, and when he was despised and persecuted (11:18-23; 12:6; 18:11-18; 19:14-20:6; 26:1-15; 37:11-15,16-21; 38:1-13).
He was not allowed to marry (16:1-4..."The word of the LORD also came to me saying, "You shall not take a wife for yourself nor have sons or daughters in this place." For thus says the LORD concerning the sons and daughters born in this place, and concerning their mothers who bear them, and their fathers who beget them in this land: "They will die of deadly diseases, they will not be lamented or buried; they will be as dung on the surface of the ground and come to an end by sword and famine, and their carcasses will become food for the birds of the sky and for the beasts of the earth." (NASB))
Jeremiah wanted to resign, but he had a burning desire to proclaim God’s word (20:7-9..."O LORD, You have deceived me and I was deceived; You have overcome me and prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all day long; Everyone mocks me. For each time I speak, I cry aloud; I proclaim violence and destruction, Because for me the word of the LORD has resulted In reproach and derision all day long. But if I say, "I will not remember Him Or speak anymore in His name," Then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire Shut up in my bones; And I am weary of holding {it} in, And I cannot endure {it.})" (NASB)
Jeremiah was finally exiled in Egypt (43:1-7..."But as soon as Jeremiah, whom the LORD their God had sent, had finished telling all the people all the words of the LORD their God--that is, all these words--Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the arrogant men said to Jeremiah, "You are telling a lie! The LORD our God has not sent you to say, 'You are not to enter Egypt to reside there'; but Baruch the son of Neriah is inciting you against us to give us over into the hand of the Chaldeans, so they will put us to death or exile us to Babylon." So Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces, and all the people, did not obey the voice of the LORD to stay in the land of Judah. But Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces took the entire remnant of Judah who had returned from all the nations to which they had been driven away, in order to reside in the land of Judah--the men, the women, the children, the king's daughters and every person that Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard had left with Gedaliah the son of Ahikam and grandson of Shaphan, together with Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch the son of Neriah--and they entered the land of Egypt (for they did not obey the voice of the LORD) and went in as far as Tahpanhes." (NASB))
We know more about Jeremiah the prophet than any other prophet in the Old Testament
Jeremiah had to learn to go when commissioned (1:6..."Then I said, "Alas, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, Because I am a youth." (NASB))
Jeremiah was “the weeping prophet” who had a broken heart for the sins of his people.
4:19-20..."My soul, my soul! I am in anguish! Oh, my heart! My heart is pounding in me; I cannot be silent, Because you have heard, O my soul, The sound of the trumpet, The alarm of war. Disaster on disaster is proclaimed, For the whole land is devastated; Suddenly my tents are devastated, My curtains in an instant." (NASB)
8:21-22..."For the brokenness of the daughter of my people I am broken; I mourn, dismay has taken hold of me. Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has not the health of the daughter of my people been restored?" (NASB)
9:1..."Oh that my head were waters And my eyes a fountain of tears, That I might weep day and night For the slain of the daughter of my people!" (NASB)
13:17..."But if you will not listen to it, My soul will sob in secret for {such} pride; And my eyes will bitterly weep And flow down with tears, Because the flock of the LORD has been taken captive." (NASB)
23:9..."As for the prophets: My heart is broken within me, All my bones tremble; I have become like a drunken man, Even like a man overcome with wine, Because of the LORD And because of His holy words." (NASB)
Jeremiah persevered under difficult circumstances, and when he was despised and persecuted (11:18-23; 12:6; 18:11-18; 19:14-20:6; 26:1-15; 37:11-15,16-21; 38:1-13).
He was not allowed to marry (16:1-4..."The word of the LORD also came to me saying, "You shall not take a wife for yourself nor have sons or daughters in this place." For thus says the LORD concerning the sons and daughters born in this place, and concerning their mothers who bear them, and their fathers who beget them in this land: "They will die of deadly diseases, they will not be lamented or buried; they will be as dung on the surface of the ground and come to an end by sword and famine, and their carcasses will become food for the birds of the sky and for the beasts of the earth." (NASB))
Jeremiah wanted to resign, but he had a burning desire to proclaim God’s word (20:7-9..."O LORD, You have deceived me and I was deceived; You have overcome me and prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all day long; Everyone mocks me. For each time I speak, I cry aloud; I proclaim violence and destruction, Because for me the word of the LORD has resulted In reproach and derision all day long. But if I say, "I will not remember Him Or speak anymore in His name," Then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire Shut up in my bones; And I am weary of holding {it} in, And I cannot endure {it.})" (NASB)
Jeremiah was finally exiled in Egypt (43:1-7..."But as soon as Jeremiah, whom the LORD their God had sent, had finished telling all the people all the words of the LORD their God--that is, all these words--Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the arrogant men said to Jeremiah, "You are telling a lie! The LORD our God has not sent you to say, 'You are not to enter Egypt to reside there'; but Baruch the son of Neriah is inciting you against us to give us over into the hand of the Chaldeans, so they will put us to death or exile us to Babylon." So Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces, and all the people, did not obey the voice of the LORD to stay in the land of Judah. But Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces took the entire remnant of Judah who had returned from all the nations to which they had been driven away, in order to reside in the land of Judah--the men, the women, the children, the king's daughters and every person that Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard had left with Gedaliah the son of Ahikam and grandson of Shaphan, together with Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch the son of Neriah--and they entered the land of Egypt (for they did not obey the voice of the LORD) and went in as far as Tahpanhes." (NASB))
The Authorship
The author of the book is “Jeremiah son of Hilkiah” (Jeremiah 1:1). The exact meaning of Jeremiah’s name (yirmeyahu or yirmeyah) is disputed. Suggested meanings include “Yahweh establishes”, “Yahweh exalts”, or “Yahweh hurls down”. Jeremiah’s father, Hilikiah, was a member of The Levitical Priesthood and lived in Anathoth, a small village about three miles northeast of Jerusalem.
Jeremiah dictated his words to his scribe named Baruch.
36:1 - 4..."In the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, "Take a scroll and write on it all the words which I have spoken to you concerning Israel and concerning Judah, and concerning all the nations, from the day I {first} spoke to you, from the days of Josiah, even to this day. "Perhaps the house of Judah will hear all the calamity which I plan to bring on them, in order that every man will turn from his evil way; then I will forgive their iniquity and their sin." Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah, and Baruch wrote on a scroll at the dictation of Jeremiah all the words of the LORD which He had spoken to him." (NASB)
36:27 - 32..."Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah after the king had burned the scroll and the words which Baruch had written at the dictation of Jeremiah, saying, "Take again another scroll and write on it all the former words that were on the first scroll which Jehoiakim the king of Judah burned. "And concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah you shall say, 'Thus says the LORD, "You have burned this scroll, saying, 'Why have you written on it that the king of Babylon will certainly come and destroy this land, and will make man and beast to cease from it?'" 'Therefore thus says the LORD concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah, "He shall have no one to sit on the throne of David, and his dead body shall be cast out to the heat of the day and the frost of the night. "I will also punish him and his descendants and his servants for their iniquity, and I will bring on them and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the men of Judah all the calamity that I have declared to them--but they did not listen." Then Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to Baruch the son of Neriah, the scribe, and he wrote on it at the dictation of Jeremiah all the words of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire; and many similar words were added to them." (NASB)
51:64..."...and say, 'Just so shall Babylon sink down and not rise again because of the calamity that I am going to bring upon her; and they will become exhausted.'" Thus far are the words of Jeremiah." (NASB)
Jeremiah does not arrange his material in chronological order, but in topical order:
Call of Jeremiah (1)
Prophecies of doom (2-29)
Prophecies of hope (30-33)
Siege and fall of Jerusalem (34-39)
Post Jerusalem fall (40-44)
Prophecies to foreign nations (46-51)
Fall of Jerusalem (52)
Jeremiah dictated his words to his scribe named Baruch.
36:1 - 4..."In the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, "Take a scroll and write on it all the words which I have spoken to you concerning Israel and concerning Judah, and concerning all the nations, from the day I {first} spoke to you, from the days of Josiah, even to this day. "Perhaps the house of Judah will hear all the calamity which I plan to bring on them, in order that every man will turn from his evil way; then I will forgive their iniquity and their sin." Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah, and Baruch wrote on a scroll at the dictation of Jeremiah all the words of the LORD which He had spoken to him." (NASB)
36:27 - 32..."Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah after the king had burned the scroll and the words which Baruch had written at the dictation of Jeremiah, saying, "Take again another scroll and write on it all the former words that were on the first scroll which Jehoiakim the king of Judah burned. "And concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah you shall say, 'Thus says the LORD, "You have burned this scroll, saying, 'Why have you written on it that the king of Babylon will certainly come and destroy this land, and will make man and beast to cease from it?'" 'Therefore thus says the LORD concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah, "He shall have no one to sit on the throne of David, and his dead body shall be cast out to the heat of the day and the frost of the night. "I will also punish him and his descendants and his servants for their iniquity, and I will bring on them and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the men of Judah all the calamity that I have declared to them--but they did not listen." Then Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to Baruch the son of Neriah, the scribe, and he wrote on it at the dictation of Jeremiah all the words of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire; and many similar words were added to them." (NASB)
51:64..."...and say, 'Just so shall Babylon sink down and not rise again because of the calamity that I am going to bring upon her; and they will become exhausted.'" Thus far are the words of Jeremiah." (NASB)
Jeremiah does not arrange his material in chronological order, but in topical order:
Call of Jeremiah (1)
Prophecies of doom (2-29)
Prophecies of hope (30-33)
Siege and fall of Jerusalem (34-39)
Post Jerusalem fall (40-44)
Prophecies to foreign nations (46-51)
Fall of Jerusalem (52)
The Date
Jeremiah’s ministry extended from “the 13th year of the reign of Josiah” (Jeremiah 1:2) until The Exile of The Jerusalemites (Jeremiah 1:3). Thus he prophesied from about 627 B.C. until at least 580 B.C.
The Historical Background
Internally, The Nation of Judah was gripped by the idolatry that King Manasseh had promoted during his 55 year reign (2nd Kings 21:1 – 9). Israel had already fallen to Assyria in 722 B.C. Material prosperity led to religious apostasy, political, moral and social decay, indifference and forgetting God; idolatry was rampant (1:16). Judah holds awhile longer because of the righteous reforms of Hezekiah and Josiah. Hezekiah’s reforms were short-lived. The wicked kings Manasseh and Amon led God’s people back into sin and idolatry. It is now the “midnight hour” for Judah (3:11..."And the LORD said to me, "Faithless Israel has proved herself more righteous than treacherous Judah." (NASB)). Jeremiah is God’s spokesman in the last 40 years of Judah’s history; its darkest days
Josiah’s reforms (about 9 in all) failed to produce a real change of heart, and did not completely eradicated the sins of the people (2 Kings 23:26; 24:3ff; Jer. 3:6-10; 15:4). Thus, Judah was destined for judgment (Jer. 7:23-24; 8:11-12). Jeremiah lived in perilous times (Jer. 16:1-4..."The word of the LORD also came to me saying, "You shall not take a wife for yourself nor have sons or daughters in this place." For thus says the LORD concerning the sons and daughters born in this place, and concerning their mothers who bear them, and their fathers who beget them in this land: "They will die of deadly diseases, they will not be lamented or buried; they will be as dung on the surface of the ground and come to an end by sword and famine, and their carcasses will become food for the birds of the sky and for the beasts of the earth." (NASB)). The princes, priests, prophets and people were corrupt (1:18; 2:26; 4:9; 5:31; 14:13-16; 23:9-40).
Background in 2 Kings 22-25; 2 Chronicles 34-36.
Jeremiah is mentioned by name in...
2nd Chronicles 35:25..."Then Jeremiah chanted a lament for Josiah. And all the male and female singers speak about Josiah in their lamentations to this day. And they made them an ordinance in Israel; behold, they are also written in the Lamentations." (NASB)
2nd Chronicles 36:12, 21, 22..."He did evil in the sight of the LORD his God; he did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet who spoke for the LORD...to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its sabbaths. All the days of its desolation it kept sabbath until seventy years were complete. Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia--in order to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah--the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he sent a proclamation throughout his kingdom, and also {put it} in writing, saying..." (NASB)
Ezra 1:1..."Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he sent a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also {put it} in writing, saying..." (NASB)
Daniel 9:2..."...in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, observed in the books the number of the years which was {revealed as} the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, {namely,} seventy years." (NASB)
Matthew 2:17..."Then what had been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled..." (NASB)
Matthew 16:14..."And they said, "Some {say} John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets." (NASB)
Matthew 27:9..."Then that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: "AND THEY TOOK THE THIRTY PIECES OF SILVER, THE PRICE OF THE ONE WHOSE PRICE HAD BEEN SET by the sons of Israel..." (NASB)
Internationally, The Assyrian Empire, which had dominated The Ancient Near East for centuries, was on the brink of collapse. Assyria and Egypt had been the main threat to Judah in recent times (Jer. 2:18,36-37). Babylonia was struggling with Assyria for her independence and would finally conquer Asshur in 614 B.C., Ninevah in 612 B.C., and Haran in 610 B.C. Egypt controlled Palestine from 609 to 605 B.C. Pharoah Neco fought with Josiah in Megiddo in 609 B.C. (2 Chron. 35:20 - 25..."After all this, when Josiah had set the temple in order, Neco king of Egypt came up to make war at Carchemish on the Euphrates, and Josiah went out to engage him. But Neco sent messengers to him, saying, "What have we to do with each other, O King of Judah? {I am} not {coming} against you today but against the house with which I am at war, and God has ordered me to hurry. Stop for your own sake from {interfering with} God who is with me, so that He will not destroy you." However, Josiah would not turn away from him, but disguised himself in order to make war with him; nor did he listen to the words of Neco from the mouth of God, but came to make war on the plain of Megiddo. The archers shot King Josiah, and the king said to his servants, "Take me away, for I am badly wounded." So his servants took him out of the chariot and carried him in the second chariot which he had, and brought him to Jerusalem where he died and was buried in the tombs of his fathers. All Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah. Then Jeremiah chanted a lament for Josiah. And all the male and female singers speak about Josiah in their lamentations to this day. And they made them an ordinance in Israel; behold, they are also written in the Lamentations." (NASB)). Egypt challenged Babylon’s power in the battle of Carchemish, but was defeated in 605 B.C. (Jer. 46:2-13). Babylon controlled Palestine from 605 B.C. to 539 B.C. Babylon was used by God to punish Judah (“Babylon” mentioned 143 times in Jeremiah!)
Josiah’s reforms (about 9 in all) failed to produce a real change of heart, and did not completely eradicated the sins of the people (2 Kings 23:26; 24:3ff; Jer. 3:6-10; 15:4). Thus, Judah was destined for judgment (Jer. 7:23-24; 8:11-12). Jeremiah lived in perilous times (Jer. 16:1-4..."The word of the LORD also came to me saying, "You shall not take a wife for yourself nor have sons or daughters in this place." For thus says the LORD concerning the sons and daughters born in this place, and concerning their mothers who bear them, and their fathers who beget them in this land: "They will die of deadly diseases, they will not be lamented or buried; they will be as dung on the surface of the ground and come to an end by sword and famine, and their carcasses will become food for the birds of the sky and for the beasts of the earth." (NASB)). The princes, priests, prophets and people were corrupt (1:18; 2:26; 4:9; 5:31; 14:13-16; 23:9-40).
Background in 2 Kings 22-25; 2 Chronicles 34-36.
Jeremiah is mentioned by name in...
2nd Chronicles 35:25..."Then Jeremiah chanted a lament for Josiah. And all the male and female singers speak about Josiah in their lamentations to this day. And they made them an ordinance in Israel; behold, they are also written in the Lamentations." (NASB)
2nd Chronicles 36:12, 21, 22..."He did evil in the sight of the LORD his God; he did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet who spoke for the LORD...to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its sabbaths. All the days of its desolation it kept sabbath until seventy years were complete. Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia--in order to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah--the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he sent a proclamation throughout his kingdom, and also {put it} in writing, saying..." (NASB)
Ezra 1:1..."Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he sent a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also {put it} in writing, saying..." (NASB)
Daniel 9:2..."...in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, observed in the books the number of the years which was {revealed as} the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, {namely,} seventy years." (NASB)
Matthew 2:17..."Then what had been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled..." (NASB)
Matthew 16:14..."And they said, "Some {say} John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets." (NASB)
Matthew 27:9..."Then that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: "AND THEY TOOK THE THIRTY PIECES OF SILVER, THE PRICE OF THE ONE WHOSE PRICE HAD BEEN SET by the sons of Israel..." (NASB)
Internationally, The Assyrian Empire, which had dominated The Ancient Near East for centuries, was on the brink of collapse. Assyria and Egypt had been the main threat to Judah in recent times (Jer. 2:18,36-37). Babylonia was struggling with Assyria for her independence and would finally conquer Asshur in 614 B.C., Ninevah in 612 B.C., and Haran in 610 B.C. Egypt controlled Palestine from 609 to 605 B.C. Pharoah Neco fought with Josiah in Megiddo in 609 B.C. (2 Chron. 35:20 - 25..."After all this, when Josiah had set the temple in order, Neco king of Egypt came up to make war at Carchemish on the Euphrates, and Josiah went out to engage him. But Neco sent messengers to him, saying, "What have we to do with each other, O King of Judah? {I am} not {coming} against you today but against the house with which I am at war, and God has ordered me to hurry. Stop for your own sake from {interfering with} God who is with me, so that He will not destroy you." However, Josiah would not turn away from him, but disguised himself in order to make war with him; nor did he listen to the words of Neco from the mouth of God, but came to make war on the plain of Megiddo. The archers shot King Josiah, and the king said to his servants, "Take me away, for I am badly wounded." So his servants took him out of the chariot and carried him in the second chariot which he had, and brought him to Jerusalem where he died and was buried in the tombs of his fathers. All Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah. Then Jeremiah chanted a lament for Josiah. And all the male and female singers speak about Josiah in their lamentations to this day. And they made them an ordinance in Israel; behold, they are also written in the Lamentations." (NASB)). Egypt challenged Babylon’s power in the battle of Carchemish, but was defeated in 605 B.C. (Jer. 46:2-13). Babylon controlled Palestine from 605 B.C. to 539 B.C. Babylon was used by God to punish Judah (“Babylon” mentioned 143 times in Jeremiah!)
The Structure / Style
1.) The lack of chronological arrangement – The book has no chronological progression. It was simply compiled in stages.
2.) Autobiographical nature – Jeremiah revealed the nation’s response to his ministry and his personal feelings about his messages.
3.) Different literary material used:
A) Chapters 1 – 25...poetic and prose discourse with occasional narrative
B) Chapters 26 – 29...prose discourse and narrative
C) Chapters 30 – 31...poetic discourse
D) Chapters 32 – 33...prose discourse
E) Chapters 34 – 36...prose discourse and narrative
F) Chapters 37 – 45...narrative in chronological order
G) Chapters 46 – 51...poetic discourse
H) Chapter 52...narrative in chronological order
4.) Logical arrangement of material – The arrangement developed Jeremiah’s theme of God’s judgment. Chapters 2 – 45 focused on God’s judgment on Judah and chapters 46 – 51 focused on God’s judgment on the Gentile’s nation.
2.) Autobiographical nature – Jeremiah revealed the nation’s response to his ministry and his personal feelings about his messages.
3.) Different literary material used:
A) Chapters 1 – 25...poetic and prose discourse with occasional narrative
B) Chapters 26 – 29...prose discourse and narrative
C) Chapters 30 – 31...poetic discourse
D) Chapters 32 – 33...prose discourse
E) Chapters 34 – 36...prose discourse and narrative
F) Chapters 37 – 45...narrative in chronological order
G) Chapters 46 – 51...poetic discourse
H) Chapter 52...narrative in chronological order
4.) Logical arrangement of material – The arrangement developed Jeremiah’s theme of God’s judgment. Chapters 2 – 45 focused on God’s judgment on Judah and chapters 46 – 51 focused on God’s judgment on the Gentile’s nation.
Theme / Verses / Purpose
Key Theme: divine judgment is at hand
Key Verses (NASB):
1:10..."See, I have appointed you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms, To pluck up and to break down, To destroy and to overthrow, To build and to plant."
18:7 - 10..."At one moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to uproot, to pull down, or to destroy {it;} if that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent concerning the calamity I planned to bring on it. "Or at another moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to build up or to plant {it;} if it does evil in My sight by not obeying My voice, then I will think better of the good with which I had promised to bless it."
24:6..."For I will set My eyes on them for good, and I will bring them again to this land; and I will build them up and not overthrow them, and I will plant them and not pluck them up."
31:28..."As I have watched over them to pluck up, to break down, to overthrow, to destroy and to bring disaster, so I will watch over them to build and to plant," declares the LORD."
45:4..."Thus you are to say to him, 'Thus says the LORD, "Behold, what I have built I am about to tear down, and what I have planted I am about to uproot, that is, the whole land."
Key Purpose:
Historical purpose: How God judged Judah by using the Babylonians (1:13 - 16..."The word of the LORD came to me a second time saying, "What do you see?" And I said, "I see a boiling pot, facing away from the north." Then the LORD said to me, "Out of the north the evil will break forth on all the inhabitants of the land. "For, behold, I am calling all the families of the kingdoms of the north," declares the LORD; "and they will come and they will set each one his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all its walls round about and against all the cities of Judah. "I will pronounce My judgments on them concerning all their wickedness, whereby they have forsaken Me and have offered sacrifices to other gods, and worshiped the works of their own hands." (NASB); 25:9..."...behold, I will send and take all the families of the north,' declares the LORD, 'and {I will send} to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, My servant, and will bring them against this land and against its inhabitants and against all these nations round about; and I will utterly destroy them and make them a horror and a hissing, and an everlasting desolation." (NASB))
Doctrinal purpose: Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach … (Proverb 14:34..."Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a disgrace to {any} people." (NASB))
Messianic purpose: Christ will bring a new covenant (31:31-34..."Behold, days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them," declares the LORD. "But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days," declares the LORD, "I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. "They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them," declares the LORD, "for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more." (NASB))
Key Verses (NASB):
1:10..."See, I have appointed you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms, To pluck up and to break down, To destroy and to overthrow, To build and to plant."
18:7 - 10..."At one moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to uproot, to pull down, or to destroy {it;} if that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent concerning the calamity I planned to bring on it. "Or at another moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to build up or to plant {it;} if it does evil in My sight by not obeying My voice, then I will think better of the good with which I had promised to bless it."
24:6..."For I will set My eyes on them for good, and I will bring them again to this land; and I will build them up and not overthrow them, and I will plant them and not pluck them up."
31:28..."As I have watched over them to pluck up, to break down, to overthrow, to destroy and to bring disaster, so I will watch over them to build and to plant," declares the LORD."
45:4..."Thus you are to say to him, 'Thus says the LORD, "Behold, what I have built I am about to tear down, and what I have planted I am about to uproot, that is, the whole land."
Key Purpose:
Historical purpose: How God judged Judah by using the Babylonians (1:13 - 16..."The word of the LORD came to me a second time saying, "What do you see?" And I said, "I see a boiling pot, facing away from the north." Then the LORD said to me, "Out of the north the evil will break forth on all the inhabitants of the land. "For, behold, I am calling all the families of the kingdoms of the north," declares the LORD; "and they will come and they will set each one his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all its walls round about and against all the cities of Judah. "I will pronounce My judgments on them concerning all their wickedness, whereby they have forsaken Me and have offered sacrifices to other gods, and worshiped the works of their own hands." (NASB); 25:9..."...behold, I will send and take all the families of the north,' declares the LORD, 'and {I will send} to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, My servant, and will bring them against this land and against its inhabitants and against all these nations round about; and I will utterly destroy them and make them a horror and a hissing, and an everlasting desolation." (NASB))
Doctrinal purpose: Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach … (Proverb 14:34..."Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a disgrace to {any} people." (NASB))
Messianic purpose: Christ will bring a new covenant (31:31-34..."Behold, days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them," declares the LORD. "But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days," declares the LORD, "I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. "They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them," declares the LORD, "for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more." (NASB))
Jeremiah and The New Testament
The Outline (Bible Knowledge Commentary on The Old Testament - Walvoord, Zuck, Cook)
Pt 1: Introduction (Jer. 1)
A) The Prophet’s background (1:1 – 3)
B) The Prophet’s call (1:4 – 10)
C) The Prophet’s confirming vision (1:11 – 16)
D) The Prophet’s challenge (1:17 – 19)
Pt 2: Prophecies concerning Judah (Jer. 2 – 45)
A) Divine judgment on Judah (2 – 25)
B) Personal conflict with Judah (26 – 29)
C) Future comfort for Israel and Judah (30 – 33)
D) Present catastrophe of Judah (34 – 45)
Pt 3: Prophecies concerning The Nations (Jer. 46 – 51)
A) Prophecy against Egypt (46)
B) Prophecy against Philistia (47)
C) Prophecy against Moab (48)
D) Prophecy against Ammon (49:1 – 6)
E) Prophecy against Edom (49:7 – 22)
F) Prophecy against Damascus (49:23 – 27)
G) Prophecy against Kedar and Hazor (49:28 – 33)
H) Prophecy against Elam (49:34 – 39)
I) Prophecy against Babylon (50 – 51)
Pt 4: Conclusion (Jer. 52)
A) The Fate of Jerusalem (52:1 – 23)
B) The Fate of certain people (52:24 – 27)
A) The Prophet’s background (1:1 – 3)
B) The Prophet’s call (1:4 – 10)
C) The Prophet’s confirming vision (1:11 – 16)
D) The Prophet’s challenge (1:17 – 19)
Pt 2: Prophecies concerning Judah (Jer. 2 – 45)
A) Divine judgment on Judah (2 – 25)
B) Personal conflict with Judah (26 – 29)
C) Future comfort for Israel and Judah (30 – 33)
D) Present catastrophe of Judah (34 – 45)
Pt 3: Prophecies concerning The Nations (Jer. 46 – 51)
A) Prophecy against Egypt (46)
B) Prophecy against Philistia (47)
C) Prophecy against Moab (48)
D) Prophecy against Ammon (49:1 – 6)
E) Prophecy against Edom (49:7 – 22)
F) Prophecy against Damascus (49:23 – 27)
G) Prophecy against Kedar and Hazor (49:28 – 33)
H) Prophecy against Elam (49:34 – 39)
I) Prophecy against Babylon (50 – 51)
Pt 4: Conclusion (Jer. 52)
A) The Fate of Jerusalem (52:1 – 23)
B) The Fate of certain people (52:24 – 27)