This week, we shall continue the study of the book of Jeremiah in the
Old Testament.
We do not exactly know why the editor of the Book of Jeremiah chose to compile the collection of Jeremiah’s oracles from the Lord not precisely in a chronological fashion, however with the rebuke of Jehoiakim and his people previously given in Jehoiakim’s 4th year of reign, we are now given an account of the reception of Jeremiah’s message and ministry immediately following the death of Josiah—the beginning of a new era in Judah.
(1) When was this oracle given to Jeremiah? (v. 1)
(2) What kind of a transition was Judah going through? (See 2 Ki. 23:31-37)
(3) Where was Jeremiah going to preach this message? (v. 2)
(4) Why did the Lord have to caution Jeremiah not to “omit a word”? (v. 2) Was there any reason why Jeremiah might do so?
(5) What was the particular purpose of this oracle given in this particular time of transition? (v.3)
(6) Now the warning was given using Shiloh as an example (vv. 4-7):
a. How important was Shiloh once? (1 Sam. 1-4; especially 3:21)
b. Its subsequent destruction by the Philistines in 1 Samuel 4 presumably had rendered it irrelevant as a place of spiritual significance. How does this explain why the Lord specified where this particular oracle is to be delivered? (v. 2)
(7) What was the immediate response to Jeremiah’s preaching by the priests and basically all the people who heard his message? (vv. 7-9)
(8) What does it tell you about the spiritual reform that had taken place during Josiah’s life time which ended less than a year ago?
(9) How did Jeremiah defend himself? (v. 12)
(10) How did he plead with them? (v. 13)
(11) What warning did he give them? (v. 15)
(12) Judging from the description of v. 16, who were really the ones who desired Jeremiah’s death and why?
(13) How did the officials react differently from the priests and prophets? (v. 16)
(14) What had they learned from the example of Hezekiah? (vv. 17-19)
(15) Who was the one that rescued Jeremiah in this incident? (v. 24; see 2 Ki. 22:3-14)
(16) While Jeremiah’s life was spared, Uriah’s was not (vv. 20-23):
a. Why?
b. What kind of a spiritual condition was depicted by these two incidents?
(17) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“Then the officials and all the people said to the priests and the prophets, ‘This man should not be sentenced to death! He has spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God '.” (Jer. 26:16)
In the previous 25 chapters, we have already come across many threatening prophecies about the impending judgment that would befall Jerusalem and the temple because of the sin of the people. While we do get a sense that because of these messages, Jeremiah was not the most popular priest and prophet among them, most of these messages were likely delivered in the time of Josiah, the godly king who spearheaded one of the most comprehensive religious reforms in Judah (2 Ki. 22-23). As unpopular as Jeremiah’s messages were, no overt opposition surfaced because of Josiah.
Now that Josiah had just passed away and he was succeeded by a totally ungodly king, Jehoiakim, the opposition to Jeremiah quickly became open. While the Bible says, “the priests, the prophets and all the people seized him and said, ‘You must die!’” (26:8), it became obvious that the main opposition was stirred up by the priests, because when the officials intervened, they were addressing the priests only (26:16).
Why then would the priests, among all people, oppose Jeremiah? They were those who read and taught the law in the temple. Even some of the officials who were included in the rebukes by Jeremiah responded positively to the words of the Lord and respected his message because it was spoken in the name of the Lord (26:16); shouldn’t the priests be the first to endorse his message?
The truth of the matter was Jeremiah was one of them. His piety stood not so much as an example to his peers, but as an indictment. The fact that the Lord used him and not anyone of them as a prophet only served to fuel the fire of jealousy. It was jealousy that provoked them to seek violence against Jeremiah, and as we know, the same jealousy also propelled the chief priest and his associates (i.e. other priests) to persecute the apostles (Acts 5:17).
It is such a stern warning to all of us who serve the Lord in His house that we are just as vulnerable to the sin of jealousy. We should quickly nail to the cross any slightest hint of jealousy as we serve the Lord in His household.
Chapters 27-29 provide information about Jeremiah’s direct confrontation with the false prophets, beginning with chapter 27 which presupposes the exile of 597 B.C. after which Zedekiah was put on the throne (2 Ki. 24:17):
27:1-3—The Historical Setting
(1) What important historical events preceded the reign of Zedekiah?
(2) If you were Zedekiah, how would you approach your “kingship” of Judah with both the historical situation and the many prophecies given by Jeremiah and other prophets in mind?
(3) Why would God send a message to these neighboring states of Judah? (see the Note below) What were the envoys likely doing in Jerusalem? (v. 3)
27:4-11—The Message to the Neighboring Nations
(4) How did the Lord introduce Himself? (v. 5)
(5) How might these neighboring kings of Israel look upon His self-introduction given the fact that Judah was just subdued by Nebuchadnezzar?
(6) How did the Lord explain the rise and fall of Babylon? (vv. 6-7)
(7) What would happen to the nations that will not be subject to the rule of Babylon as God has mandated? (v. 8)
(8) What if they do? (v. 11)
(9) Why would their diviners etc. foretell a different outcome? (vv. 9-10)
(10) Reflect on your thoughts on each of the above
questions, and see what you have learnt about the following:
a. God
b. His way
c. His sovereignty
d. How you might apply them to today’s events in the world
27:12-15—The Same Message to King Zedekiah
(11) Now that previous prophecies through Jeremiah have already come to pass, how should the king respond to this latest message?
(12) What might prevent him from submitting to the message?
(13) Would he allow this message to be delivered to the envoys? Why or why not?
(14) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Note:
“The historical background to the years 596/5-594/3 B.C. has been greatly illuminated by the Babylonian Chronicles (archeological findings). In 596/5 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar was attacked by an unnamed enemy, possibly Elam. In 595/4 he had to deal with a revolt within his own borders. In 594/3 he led a military campaign into Syria. They were troubled times for Nebuchadnezzar, and small states in the west thought they saw an opportunity to revolt and throw off the yoke of Babylon.”
(NICOT, 532)
“With my great power and outstretched arm I made the earth and its people and the animals that are on it, and I give it to anyone I please.” (Jer. 27:5)
I find it very amazing that the Lord would choose to send a message to warn the other nations about the need to submit to Nebuchadnezzar. Why would He care? Was Nebuchadnezzar not His tool to judge His people, Israel, only! Not only that, why would these other nations listen to Jeremiah’s warning and not the counsels of their own diviners and sorcerers?
Whether these envoys (who were gathering in Jerusalem likely to discuss the forming of an alliance to rebel against Nebuchadnezzar) would even bring the message back to their kings was a moot point. The more important thing is that God wants the nations to know these things:
- He is the Creator of the earth, including all its peoples and animals (v. 5).
- He is in absolute control of human history, including the rise and fall of Babylon (27:7).
- He cares about all the peoples He has created, not just Israel, and He always has their well-being in mind (27:11).
This is the same message the world needs to hear today in that in spite of all the atheistic attacks on our Creator and His Christ in particular. He remains the Lord of all creation, and He is still in absolute control of human history. Everything, including events and forces that seek to push Him and His Law out of human lives, is being steered towards the completion of His plan for the world. And, as much as judgment awaits this world of wickedness, He cares about the well-being of all the peoples He has created, and has provided a way out for them in the atoning sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ—if only the world would submit to Him!
Now the same message was delivered to the priests and the people:
(1) How had the priests, the contemporaries of Jeremiah, looked upon Jeremiah and treated him before the fall of Jerusalem in 597 B.C.? (26:7-9)
(2) Should they now listen to his words? Why or why not?
(3) Now that Jerusalem had fallen and the articles from the Lord’s house had been taken back to Babylon (see 2 Ki. 24:13; Dan. 1:1-2), why would the false prophets lie and say they would be returned soon from Babylon? (v. 16) What might be their motives?
(4) What impact would these lies have on the king, the priests and the people and what consequence would they bring? (v. 17)
(5) What did Jeremiah urge these prophets to do? (v. 18) Why?
(6) What had King Nebuchadnezzar left in the temple of the Lord without removing them in his early siege? (v. 19) Why didn’t he take them as well?
(7) Will these things remain in the temple for long? Why or why not? (vv. 21-22)
(8) What will happen to them ultimately? (v. 22)
(9) What then is the message behind all these?
(10) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“Then I said to the priests and all these people, This is what the Lord says: 'Do not listen to the prophets who say, Very soon now the articles from the Lord’s house will be brought back from Babylon. They are prophesying lies to you'." (Jer. 27:16)
At the initial attacks by Nebuchadnezzar, he only took away vessels and other valuables from the temple that were small and easier to carry away, leaving the heavier fixtures and furnishings like the pillars and the seas behind. It appears that this had given rise to a sense of optimism among those who were left behind in Jerusalem, and some prophets seized this opportunity to refute the many prophecies of the total destruction of Jerusalem and the temple delivered by Jeremiah; they prophesied that those articles already taken by Nebuchadnezzar would soon be returned.
Perhaps, even at this point in time, if the prophets and the people saw the hand of God behind this punishment by Nebuchadnezzar and repented, there might still be hope and that was the reason why Jeremiah said of the false prophets, “If they are prophets and have the word of the Lord, let them plead with the Lord Almighty that the articles remaining in the house of the Lord and in the palace of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem not be taken to Babylon” (27:18). Such a plea by the prophets thus necessarily carried with it a confession of their sin and an expression of their repentance and not optimism.
These days many prosperity-preachers follow the footsteps of these false prophets of old, and teach their people that all they have to do is to claim the promise of God and whatever they desire will be theirs, forgetting that what is needed is not “claiming” but “pleading” which necessarily involves confession of sins and expression of repentance, and the result is up to the mercy of the Lord!
This account of the false prophet Hananiah is said to be given in the same year of chapter 27, but states that it is in fact the 4th year “early” in the reign of Zedekiah (see Note below). We have no idea who this Hananiah was except that he called himself a prophet:
28:1-4—His prophecy
(1) In whose name did he prophesy? (v. 2)
(2) What did he prophesy about?
(3) Was he precise in his prediction?
(4) What happened if it did not come to pass in two years?
(5) Did it come to pass as he said?
(6) What might be the reasons that he made such bold predictions?
(7) What might the reasons be that the people and their priests believed in his prophecies?
28:5-9—The Reply by Jeremiah
(8) Why did Jeremiah say “amen” to his prophecies? (v. 6)
(9) Can you name at least one prophet who spoke before Jeremiah about the impending disasters? (see 26:18)
(10) How then can one know if they are truly sent by the Lord? (v. 9)
(11) What then was the essence of Jeremiah’s refutation of Hananiah?
28:10-17—The End of the False Prophet
(12) It was obvious that Jeremiah was still wearing the yoke he used to prophesy to the convoys from the neighboring nations (see chapter 27).
a. What did Hananiah do to the yoke on Jeremiah’s neck?
b. Did he know what he was doing?
(13) Why didn’t Jeremiah stop Hananiah or respond to his action immediately?
(14) What was God’s subsequent message to Hananiah? (vv. 13-14)
(15) Did Hananiah’s lie have any impact on the nation? (v. 16; 2 Ki. 25:1)
(16) What was God’s punishment on this false prophet? (vv. 16-17)
(17) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Note:
K&D opines that the idea of “early” or “beginning” in the Zedekiah’s reign (of 11 years) does not preclude this from happening at the 4th year of his reign, because “beginning” is a relative term (see K&D, 246).
“This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon. Within two years'…” (Jer. 28:2-3)
One has to wonder how Hananiah dared to oppose Jeremiah, to prophesy in the name of the Lord, and to give a precise prediction of two years after which both the articles (taken by Nebuchadnezzar) and King Jehoiachin (who was taken captive) would be brought back to Jerusalem. The precise prediction of two years was particularly bold, because whatever he prophesied would be proven true or false very soon.
I can think of two possible reasons for his bold predictions:
- First, whatever he said obviously did not come from God, but perhaps from a lying spirit (1 Ki. 22:23). However, if such were the case, the Bible would have mentioned about it.
- The other possibility is more likely, in that Hananiah did not take seriously that the oracles of Jeremiah were directly from the Lord. He probably looked upon Jeremiah as a prophet like him, who studied the word of the Lord, and normally got a sense of the way of the Lord, and made predictions not really from a direct vision from the Lord, but from his best educated guess. As a result, some might come true and others not!
Now, with Jeremiah’s dramatic exhibition of wearing a yoke upon his own neck, presumably Hananiah had enough of this showmanship of Jeremiah, and felt obliged to pierce through what he perceived as the phoniness of Jeremiah, breaking the yoke of Jeremiah by his own hand. But that was not enough for him, he backed up his so-called oracle from the Lord by boldly proclaiming a two-year return of the exiled king and the articles from the temple.
I sense a similar skepticism toward the claim of special visions or spiritual encounters by many Christians. Certainly there are many who, either out of deception or ignorance, claim that they have heard from God directly or seen some kind of vision from God. However, it does not necessarily mean that all such claims are false. While God speaks primarily through His words in the Bible these days, He still, in special cases, speaks directly to us through visions, dreams or other forms of epiphany. Of course, any such experience has to jive with the teachings and principles in the Bible, or else they have to be false. In all other cases, the soundness of one’s teaching and the purity of one’s life is necessary to authenticate the genuineness of one’s claim.
To claim falsely, as Hananiah did, carries significant consequences in that it would lead others astray (28:15) and invite the punishment of God (28:17), but on the other hand, those who preach honestly and live faithfully like Jeremiah, do deserve our attention and respect.
This is a message delivered to the exiles also during the time of King Zedekiah (see 2 Ki. 24:10-16 again for its background):
(1) In this letter, Jeremiah addressed the Lord as “the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel”. What might be the significance of such an address at a time like this?
(2) Who was really responsible for their exile? (v. 4)
(3) As they were exiles and captives in a foreign land, consider the following:
a. How should they feel? Should they not feel bitter against their victors?
b. What might be their desires? Should they not wish to return to their homeland?
(4) What did the Lord ask them to do instead? (vv. 5-6) Why should they?
(5) Instead of wishing their enemies ill, they should seek the peace of the city:
a. How should they seek peace for the city practically?
b. In so doing, they were asked to pray for the city. Why?
c. What might be the application for us today?
(6) In asking them not to listen to the diviners in their midst, what does the Lord mean by “the dreams you encourage them to have”? (v. 8)
(7) Since God has promised their return in seventy years (see also 25:11-12), why should they seek peace for the city of Babylon? (v. 10)
(8) The Lord points out that whatever happens is “the plan I have for you” (v. 11). What does it mean?
(9) What was God’s plan for them, even though they were in exile? (v. 11)
a. Can such a promise be applicable to us, God’s children, today?
b. Why or why not?
(10) What is God’s ultimate desire with His plan? (vv. 12-13)
(11) Has this promise in v. 14 been fully fulfilled? Why or why not?
(12) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” (Jer. 29:7)
The letter delivered by Jeremiah to the elders of the exiles was most unusual. As captives in exile whose homeland was ransacked and completely destroyed, they could only harbor bitterness and hatred to their conquerors, and if they ever prayed for the Babylonians, they would only pray for their ill and not their good. The desire to overthrow the conquerors and to return to their homeland had to very intense. Yet, the Lord through Jeremiah urged them basically not only to accept their fate passively, but actively! One wonders why and how these people would even entertain such an idea which could amount to treason!
However, the contents of the letters are very powerful and convincing indeed:
- It points out clearly that the God of Israel is none other than the “Lord Almighty”—that is to say it was not an accident or the power of Babylon that carried them into exile. The Lord says, “I carried(you) into exile” (29:4).
- While God has promised to return them to Jerusalem, it would take another 70 years (29:10), i.e. two generations before it would happen, and it would happen not because of their revolt, but because, as God says, “I will come to you and fulfill my good promise” (29:10), meaning that there is nothing they could do or should do.
- Instead and for their own good, they should seek the peace and prosperity of the city, “because if it prospers, you too will prosper” (29:7).
I believe there is an important message to us as well today, as many of us have immigrated to a country or a city away from our homeland or hometown. On the surface it was either our choice or through circumstances beyond our control, but the truth of the matter is, it was not an accident. It’s part of God’s plan for us. As much as we may long for the return to our hinterland, as long as we live in our present place of abode, it is God’s desire that we should seek the peace and prosperity of the city. Not only that, we should “pray” for the city and the people of the city, and we know that we need to pray beyond the material prosperity of the city, but the spiritual well-being of the city!
29:15-19—False Hope Raised by Prophets
(1) What is being implied in the letter concerning the exiles’ view about there still being a king (Zedekiah) in Judah and that not all the people had been taken captive? (v. 15)
(2) How then would they greet the positive news of the prophets among them? (v. 16)
(3) God’s word shattered their false hope (vv. 17-19).
a. God would pursue them not only by sword, but with famine and plague (v. 17): What is the difference between the former and the latter?
b. In likening them to rotten figs (have you even handled rotten fig?)
- What does the Lord use to describe their utter rejection by all the nations on earth in v. 18?
- How true has it been in history?
(4) What was the reason given for their plight? (v. 19)
29:20-23—Rebuke of False Prophets
(5) While we know nothing more about these two prophets, where were they at the time?
(6) Apart from prophesying falsely in God’s name, what outrageous things had they done? (v. 23)
(7) What would be their fate? (v. 22)
29:24-32—Rebuke of Shemaiah, another False Prophet
(8) While we know nothing more about Shemaiah, he was obviously an influential prophet whose words had persuaded the people to trust in his lies (v. 31).
a. To whom did he send a message? (v. 25)
b. What did he challenge Zephaniah to do? (Zephaniah was likely the officer in charge of the administration of the temple.)
c. Why was he particularly upset with Jeremiah? (v. 28)
(9) What would be the fate of Shemaiah? (v. 32)
(10) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“I will pursue them with the sword, famine and plague and will make them abhorrent to all the kingdoms of the earth, a curse and an object of horror, of scorn and reproach, among all the nations where I drive them.” (Jer. 29:18)
The vivid description given here of the fate of Israel, the people of God, has certainly come true in history to these days, and it is also true that it is not accidental but has been foretold over and over by God because of their sins against Him (29:19). However, this is no justification for any anti-Semitic feeling or attitude.
- For one, this judgment is of God, and it is not up to us to exercise what solely belongs to God.
- We are no better than Israel; it is purely God’s grace that salvation has been bestowed upon us.
- The Apostle Paul makes it clear that God has not totally rejected His people, Israel, of whom he is one (Romans 11:1); and one day, “until the full number of Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved...” (Rom. 11:25-26).
It is true that the overwhelming majority of Jews still reject Jesus Christ as their Messiah, and if I understand the words of our Lord correctly, the severe tribulation foretold in Matthew 24:15ff still awaits the Jews shortly before the second coming of our Lord; but it is all the more the imperative that we pray for the early conversion of as many of them as possible, so that they may be spared that tribulation that is “unequalled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again” (Matt. 24:21).
Chapters 30-33 are a collection that has been called, “The Book of Consolation”. While Jeremiah has spoken earlier of future hope, it is here that this hope of future restoration is given in detail. The exact time and situation under which this message of hope is delivered (chapters 30-31 in the form of a poem, chapters 32-33 in prose) is highly debatable:
30:1-3—Superscription
(1) What is the importance of committing these verbal inspirations by the Lord to writing? Consider the following especially:
a. When God’s words were largely rejected by the people at the time
b. When the people would eventually return to God’s Promised Land
(2) Judging from the announcement in this introduction or prologue, what would you expect to hear from the poem and prose that follow?
30:4-11—Not to Despair
(3) Cries of fear and terror (vv. 4-7)—What will descend upon the people?
a. What is being used to depict the horror, the fear and the terror? (v. 6)
b. What does it point to?
c. Will there be a way out? (v. 7)
(4) David their king (vv. 8-9)—Where salvation will come from:
a. What will happen that will cause their yoke and bonds to be broken? (v. 9)
b. Who is that king? (see Hos. 3:5; Ezek. 34:23-24; 37:24-25; Isa. 9:6-7)
(5) Discipline in due measure (vv. 10-11)—But, what must happen first:
a. How does the Lord address Jacob?
b. What will happen to the nations where they are scattered? (v. 11)
c. As horrific as their plight is, how should they look at it? (v. 11)
30:12-17—Healing of an Incurable Wound
The harsh reality vividly depicted:
(6) How deep is their wound inflicted by the Lord? (v. 12)
(7) Why is it beyond cure? (vv. 13-14)
(8) Who is the one who has inflicted it and why? (vv. 14-15)
But this is not the final word:
(9) How will the fortune of their enemies and theirs be reversed? (v. 16)
(10) Since their wound is incurable and their injury beyond healing (v. 12), how then could their health be restored and their wounds be healed? (v. 17)
30:18-22—Restoration of Jacob (see Note below)
(11) What will happen to their places, i.e. their tents and dwellings, their city and their palace? (v. 18)
(12) What will their lives be marked by? (v. 19)
(13) What will happen to their number? (v. 19)
(14) What will happen to their shame? (v. 19)
(15) What will happen to their family and community? (v. 20)
(16) What will happen to their oppressors? (v. 20)
(17) What will it mean to the people that their leader is one of their own? (v. 21)
(18) What will be common between the leader and the people? (vv. 21-22)
(19) Should the hearers of Jeremiah find hope in this message? Why or why not?
(20) Are you encouraged by this Messianic hope? (NICOT, 562)
(21) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Note:
30:23-24 is reminiscent of 23:19-20 but it is incorporated here as an introduction to the next chapter.
‘Write in a book all the words I have spoken to you. The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will bring my people Israel and Judah back from captivity and restore them to the land I gave their ancestors to possess,’ says the Lord.” (Jer. 30:2b-3)
Although we do not have a clear idea when these words of the future restoration of Jacob were declared by the Lord through Jeremiah, it is a section (from chapter 30 to chapter 33) that is most detailed in its focus on the glorious hope of Israel. It is logical to assume that the message was delivered after at least some of the people had already been taken into exile, and that means it was delivered during the reign of Zedekiah. However, it is obvious that this glorious hope extends beyond the return from Babylon after the prophesied seventy years fulfilled in time of Cyrus (see Ezr. 1), because only 40,000+ of the people in exile returned and from subsequent accounts in both Ezra and Nehemiah, the people had not turned to the Lord with all their hearts, and many of the promises in these four chapters of hope have yet to be fulfilled. Rightfully, scholars like J.A. Thompson remark that these are pointing to the Messianic hope to be fulfilled when Israel is reigned by “David their king” (30:9)—the Messiah/Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
While it is true that much of this Messianic hope has been fulfilled in our age, as we, Gentile believers have taken on the role of “spiritual Israel”, I tend to agree with those commentators who see a double fulfillment in these prophecies. They will come true literally upon the return of Christ, where God will make the nations His inheritance (e.g. Psalm 2:8), and He will reign over Israel so that they will be God’s people and He will be their God (30:22), just as God intended and promised in the beginning (Lev. 26:12).
Therefore, it is really meaningful if you can re-read today’s message, putting yourself in the shoes of the people of Israel, reading it as if you were going through the period of tribulation before the return of the Messiah Christ (Matt. 24:15-31).