Topic 5: The Prophet Jeremiah

1. Background

• Son of Hilkiah, a priest from Anathoth.
• Called about 626 BC during the reign of King Josiah; prophesied until after the fall of Jerusalem (586 BC).
• Known as the "weeping prophet" because of his grief over the people's sin.

2. The Call of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1)

• God said He had known and appointed Jeremiah before birth.
• Jeremiah objected that he was too young and could not speak.
• God touched his mouth, put His words there, and promised to be with him.
• Two visions: the almond branch (God watches over His word) and the boiling pot (disaster from the north).

3. Jeremiah's Messages

1. Condemned idolatry and injustice; called Judah to repent.
2. Temple Sermon (Jer 7, 26): the Temple would not save them without true repentance.
3. Warned of judgment by Babylon as punishment for sin.
4. Letter to the exiles (Jer 29): build lives in Babylon; restoration after seventy years.
5. The New Covenant (Jer 31:31-34): God would write His law on hearts and forgive sin.
6. Opposed false prophets such as Hananiah who promised quick peace (Jer 28).

Symbolic Acts

• Potter's house (Jer 18): God can reshape a nation.
• Broken jar (Jer 19): Jerusalem would be shattered.
• Yoke (Jer 27): submit to Babylon.
• Buying a field (Jer 32): hope of eventual restoration.

4. Sufferings of Jeremiah

• Plots by people of Anathoth.
• Beaten and put in stocks by Pashhur.
• Mocked as a traitor; his scroll burnt by Jehoiakim (Jer 36).
• Imprisoned and thrown into a cistern (Jer 37-38); rescued by Ebed-melech.
• Taken to Egypt after the fall of Jerusalem.
• Personal "confessions" show his struggle and complaint to God.

5. Lessons for Christians Today

• God knows and calls each person for a purpose.
• Be faithful to God's message despite persecution.
• Beware of empty religion: true worship needs a changed life.
• God offers a new heart and forgiveness through the New Covenant, fulfilled in Christ.
• Pray honestly to God in times of discouragement.