Paper Presentation
Topic: Critical Introduction to the Book of Jeremiah
Introduction:
Prophets are known as ‘Proclaimers’ and the Hebrew word nabi applied to the vast majority of Biblical Prophets. In the Old Testament they are known as ‘men of God’ and ‘Servant of God’ (1Sam. 9; 2 Kings 21:10).
The Book of Jeremiah talked about the Prophet Jeremiah who served the Lord in sincerity and truth, but the People of Judah were not so inclined. The inhabitant’s of the Southern Kingdom and their leaders it fell into patterns of wickedness. They worshiped Idols and failed to follow God’s guidelines set forth in the Ten Commandments. The Lord repeatedly sent Prophets to correct his people, but even after the Northern Kingdom of Israel fell to God’s judgment, the people of Judah refuse to repent. Through Jeremiah, God announced judgment was coming. Yet even in the midst of Judgment, the Lord extended the hope of redemption. In the midst of trying times, Jeremiah learned to take a stand for the Lord in a world hostile to His purposes and to remain firm in faith.
1.Introduction of the Book.
The book of Jeremiah is the longest book in the bible. The Book was written between 630 and 580 B.C. The contents of the book are not arranged in chronological order. The book consists of three primary types of material: poetry, biographical prose, and historical narrative. This material is arranged in four major sections- Chapter 1-25 present prophecies and visions of Jeremiah, Chapter 26-45 consist of biographical narratives about Jeremiah, Chapter 46-51 record prophecies against foreign nations, Chapter 52 is a historical narrative that closely parallels (2 Kings 24:18-25:30).
Jeremiah interpreted the Babylonian subjugation of Jerusalem in 605 BCE and the later destruction of Jerusalem in 587 BCE as acts of punishment by Yahweh, the God of Israel and Judah, for the people’s alleged failure to observe the divine will. Although the book of Jeremiah is largely concerned with destruction, it also holds out hope for the restoration of Israel and Jerusalem, especially in Jeremiah 30–33. The Hebrew Masoretic text (MT) is the standard form of Jeremiah in Jewish Bibles, but the Greek Septuagint (LXX) form of the book is approximately one-eighth shorter and displays a very different arrangements of materials (e.g., the oracles concerning the nations in MT Jeremiah 46–51 appear following portions of Jeremiah 25 in the LXX form of the book). The Dead Sea Scrolls likewise include remnants of early Hebrew forms of both of these versions. Scholarship consensus maintains that both versions grew out of a common original text, although the issue is still debated.
2. The Prophet Jeremiah:
Jeremiah was the son of Hilkiah, and was born about 650 B.C. at Anathoth, a priestly city in the land of Benjamin. He was the line of Abaithar who had served as high priest under David. The Prophet was thus born into a family of religious leaders. Ironically, a descendant of Priests established to intercede for Israel and its King became instead the instrument by which God announced the destruction of Jerusalem and the demise of its Kings. Jeremiah was a man of great insight and depth. He was also a sensitive and very Human individual who captures our sympathies by the glimpses he gives us into his inner most thoughts and feelings. A Prophet called by God to bear a message to people who often did not want to hear it, Jeremiah never the less had compassion on his listeners. He did not separate himself from God’s people but rather identified with them and lamented the Judgment that would befall them. Jeremiah has been called “The weeping Prophet.” His tears are evidence of his great love for God’s people. Jeremiah is indeed a figure of tragic sorrow, yet also a man of unconquerable hope.
3. Purpose of the book.
The Book of Jeremiah records the final prophecies to Judah, warning of oncoming destruction if the nation does not repent. Jeremiah calls out for the nation to turn back to God. At the same time, Jeremiah recognizes the inevitability of Judah’s destruction due to its unrepentant idolatry and immorality. The book of Jeremiah seems to involve two aims in its purpose. First Jeremiah announced the sin of Judah, which consisted basically in forsaking the Lord and devising a religious system that epitomized disobedience to the Lord. The second aim was to announce judgment if repentance was not forthcoming. The form of that judgment was the “evil from the north,” which Jeremiah eventually came to understand as being Babylonia.
4. Historical Background.
The book of Jeremiah is the second of the major prophetic books of the Hebrew Bible, although rabbinic tradition sometimes places it first following Kings and prior to Ezekiel due to its thematic focus on destruction. It presents the words of the prophet, Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, who lived in Jerusalem during the late 7th century BCE reigns of the Judean kings,
i) Josiah (640–609 BCE),
ii) Jehoahaz (609 BCE),
ii) Jehoiakim (609–598 BCE),
iv) Jehoiachin (597 BCE), and
v) Zedekiah (597–587/6 BCE).
Jeremiah was a Levitical priest from Anathoth, who resided in Jerusalem during the last years of the kingdom of Judah. Major events during the period ascribed to Jeremiah include the outset of i) King Josiah’s reforms (c. 628 BCE),
ii) The death of Josiah (609 BCE),
iii) The Babylonian subjugation of Judah (605 BCE),
iv) Nebuchadnezzar’s first deportation of Jews to Babylon (597 BCE),
v) The Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem (587–586 BCE), and
vi) Assassination of Gedaliah (582 BCE).
5. Political Background.
The ministry of Isaiah was punctuated by the five Assyrian invasions into Israelite and Judean territory, was not marked by the level of anxiety, terror and tragedy that stalked Jeremiah’s long ministry for forty years. Whereas Isaiah had seen the destruction of Samaria and the exile of her citizens to the distant east, Jeremiah lived to see the awful destruction of Jerusalem, the city that had stood almost inviolable through the days of his predecessors in prophecy. The Assyria of Isaiah’s time was in the throes of death when Jeremiah’s call came to Him. The long reign of Asshurbanipal(668-631B.C), the last great King of Neo-Assyrian Empire, had ended, the Harbingers of a new era appeared on the international horizon. In Babylonia the Chaldeans, who’s cultural influence had already made deep impressions in that land, were prepared to feel the vacuum that was developing in Empirical politics. They had made their political prowess felt when Merodachbaladan, of Chaldean extraction, had seized the Babylonian throne, and the decline of Assyrian power in the last half of the seventh century clear the way for a comeback. It occurred when Nabopolassar took Babylon in 626. At that time Jeremiah was a novice at His profession, having received his call in the Thirteen year of Josiah (627-26 B.C) (Jer. 1:2; 25:3).
6. Theological Idea.
Jeremiah’s theology stands in contrast to the view point of the nation as a whole. The people and leaders alike generally held that God had given Judah the land in an unconditional covenant that would never fail. They believed that God would always protect His temple and His people, no matter how wickedly they lived. This perspective allowed some of the worst religious and social abuses to continue without correction. Jeremiah responded that the covenant depended on obedience to God and fidelity to Him. To break the covenant is to invite divine judgment (Jer.7:1-15).
Judgment, however, was not the only message Jeremiah conveyed. The Lord also revealed through His prophet the promise of a new covenant that would involve God’s giving His people a new heart, a promise fulfilled in Jesus Christ (31:31-34). Jeremiah taught that God is transcendent, holy, and righteous and also forgiving. The prophet recognized God as the sovereign Lord and also a personal God who patiently listens to our doubts, questions and complaints.
7. Prophecies and Message of Jeremiah:
Prophecies: Jeremiah's prophecies are noted for the frequent repetitions found in them of the same words, phrases, and imagery. They cover the period of about 50 years.
i.Threats against the "unfaithful shepherds" (i.e., the false prophets), the promise of peace and of the real shepherd (after 597), and warnings against false prophets and godless priests (perhaps in the time of Jehoiakim; 23:1-8, 9-40);
ii. Vision of the two baskets of figs, illustrating the fate of the captives and of those who were left behind, from the period after the first deportation by Nebuchadnezzar, in 597 (Chp. 24);
iii. Threats of punishments to be inflicted on Judah and the surrounding nations, the fourth year of Jehoiakim, i.e., the year of the Battle of Carchemish (605 BCE; Chp. 25);
iv. The first of the historical passages recounting Jeremiah's prophecy in the Temple (Chp. 7), his arrest, his threatened death, and his rescue, in which connection the martyrdom of the prophet Uriah is briefly mentioned (Chp. 26).
v. Protection for Israel following the period of destruction and exile.
vi. Utterances from the time of Zedekiah, the last connected prophecy of any length, in chapter 35, treating of the fidelity of the Rechabites and of the unfaithfulness of Judah. This dates from a somewhat earlier period, that of Jehoiakim (because certainly before 597), and thus forms a transition to the first passages of the narrative sections.
vii. Babylon will fall to invaders from the North. (Chp.51).
8. Message:
The Prophet Jeremiah had a most difficult message to deliver. Jeremiah loved Judah, but he loved God much more. As painful as it was for Jeremiah to deliver a consistent message of judgment to his own people, Jeremiah was obedient to what God told him to do and say. Jeremiah hoped and prayed for mercy from God for Judah, but also trusted that God was good, just, and righteous. We too must obey God, even when it is difficult, recognize God’s will as more important than our own desires, and trust that God, in His infinite wisdom and perfect plan, will bring about the best for His children (Romans 8:28).
Jeremiah engaged in Prophetic activity and preaching during the days of King Josiah and the Deuteronomy reforms. However Jeremiah seems to have emerged as a significant and forceful voice only after the death of Josiah and the ensuing collapse of the Deuteronomy reform movement. Judah and Jerusalem’s fate was sealed because its King and ruling classes refused to listen to Jeremiah as he spoke the words he believed came from Yahweh Himself. Jeremiah’s overwhelming encounter with God gave him courage, confidence, and a sense of mission. He could discern the fundamental errors in the policies of the King and the ruling classes which intent on a foreign policy aimed at securing independence from foreign suzerainty at all costs. Jeremiah could see that part of the problem lay in a blind and foolish faith in the theology of the royal court, which clung to the dogma of the inviobality of Jerusalem.
Jeremiah strongly affirmed that events in Judah Egypt and Babylon were subject much more to divine sovereignty than to human politics could succeed only to the extent that they accorded with God’s will. This was what Jeremiah persistently tries to impress on Jehoiakim and Zedekiah Yahweh’s Sovereign Lord also reserved the right to change His plans. In the midst of God’s grand act of grace, Israel wandered in the wilderness for 40 years in judgment Jeremiah takes the principle of blessing and Judgment, apply to Israel in Deuteronomy 27-28, and extents it to cover God’s freedom in dealing with Nations in general.
Promises of Restoration: The future Hope- Jeremiah comforted those in captivity, telling them that though the exile would be long instead of short, the lord still had message of grace: ‘I know the plans for you... plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and future’ (29:11). He also expresses messianic hopes for the future. God will rise up a ‘righteous branch for David’ (23:5-6; 33:15-16). Jeremiah is probably drawing imagery from Isaiah and describing the messiah as ‘Branch’ (Is. 4:2; 11:1, 10); Zechariah would follow Jeremiah’s lead (Zech.3:8; 6:12). Jeremiah 23:5-6 presents a prophecy of the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ. The prophet describes Him as a Branch from the house of David (v. 5; Matthew 1), the King who would reign in wisdom and righteousness (v. 5, Revelation 11:15). It is Christ who will finally be recognized by Israel as her true Messiah as He provides salvation for His chosen ones (v. 6; Romans 11:26).
9. People’s Respond.
Jeremiah was commanded by God to stand in the courtyard of the Lord’s house and deliver God’s message of coming Judgment unless they repented (26:2-6). However, the people did not heed Jeremiah’s warning. Instead of following his prophecy, they declared that Jeremiah must die (26:7-8). The matter was presented formally to the officials of Judah (26:10-11). Jeremiah asserted that the prophecies he gave were those commanded by the Lord. If they killed him, they would be guilty of innocent blood (26:12-15). After Jeremiah’s reply, his word was recognized as coming from the Lord (26:16). The prophecy of the Lord, given in the time of Hezekiah, that Jerusalem would be destroyed as heard and believed by Hezekiah (Isaiah 37:1-7), and the result was that the disaster did not fall on them (Jer. 16:17-19). When Uriah delivered the same prophecies as Jeremiah, even though he fled to Egypt, he was brought back and killed (26:20-23) but Jeremiah was delivered through the influence of Ahikam and was not put to death (26:24). His prophecies were fulfilled in the Babylonian captivity.
Jeremiah 36:1-26. In obedience to the command from the Lord, Jeremiah dictated all his prophecies to Baruch who wrote them on a scroll (vv. 1-4). Jeremiah then instructed Baruch to read the Scroll before the house of the Lord to the people gathered there in hope that they would repent (vv. 5-7). In keeping the command of God, Baruch read the prophecies of Jeremiah (vv. 8-10). When it became known that his scroll read, Jehudi instructed Baruch to bring him the scroll (vv.11-14). When it was read the official told Jeremiah and Baruch to hide where they could not be found (vv.19).
When the scroll was read in the presence of the King, he cut it in pieces and threw it in the fire until it was burned (vv. 20-23). Though some protested, most of them did not; the King commanded that Baruch and Jeremiah be arrested (vv.26).
Jeremiah 37:1-17. None of the Kings attendants or the people paid any attention to the prophecies of Jeremiah (vv.1-2). Zedekiah, however, sent word to Jeremiah to pray for him (vv.3) because Pharaoh’s army had come from Egypt and attack the Babylonians, the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem was lifted (vv.4-5).
Jeremiah instructed the King that when Pharaoh’s army would go back to Egypt, the Babylonians would return, attack the city, and burn it down (vv.7-8). God stated through Jeremiah that they should not be deceived, that Babylon would certainly come and destroy them (vv.9-10). When Jeremiah attempted to leave Jerusalem he was arrested, beaten, and imprisoned (vv.11-15). Jeremiah, however, was proud in secret to King Zedekiah in order that he might know whether there was a word from God. “Yes” Jeremiah replied ‘you will be handed over to the King of Babylon’ (v.17). This prophecy was fulfilled (2 Kings 25:5-7).
Key Verses:
Jeremiah 1:5, “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.”
God’s opening words to Jeremiah himself unveiled a larger setting and a longer story. To be told before I formed you in the womb I knew you were to be given at once a new center of gravity, away from the sole self and from the confines of the immediate scene. The very expression I formed you, brought its own hint of the potter’s care and skill- lest it should ever seem to Jeremiah that his sensitive and vulnerable nature was a cruel accident. He was handmade for this task.
Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”
Only heaven sees us as we really are, and can deal with us as we should be dealt with. Here deceitful is compared to Jacob who deceived his brother Esau. The prophet described the heart as deceitful. There are many things and people that are likely to fool a man, but his own heart is the worst of all. The author once thought that although God could protect him from every danger as long as he trusted Him, there was no reason why he could not chose to leave God of His own accord now he realizes that if God does not protect him from himself, he is not under His care at all for he is left exposed before his most treacherous enemy, his own deceitful heart. Of all thing the heart is the most misleading.
Jeremiah 29:10-11, “This is what the LORD says: ‘When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”
With God there is nothing skimped or superficial. The two-year exile promised by the false prophets (28:3,11) would have been a cruelly pointless march and countermarch; but in a span of seventy years there was a role for Babylon on the world stage; there were great deeds and visions; and there was time for Israel’s heart-searching and for the kind of praying (Ish.63:7; 64:12). Those who returned would be, for all their faults, pioneers zealous for the purity of Israel; but the verse 12-13 look for a personal and heart-whole openness to God which neither Israel nor the church has often shown. God’s plan ‘to give you a future and a hope’ went deeper and further, as they still do, than prosperity; and the call of verse 13 to seek and find is a fresh as its promise is inexhaustible.
Evaluation:
The Book of Jeremiah is primarily a message of judgment on Judah for rampant idolatry (Jeremiah 7:30-34; 16:10-13; 22:9; 32:29; 44:2-3). After the death of King Josiah, the last righteous king, the nation of Judah had almost completely abandoned God and His commandments. Jeremiah compares Judah to a prostitute (Jeremiah 2:20; 3:1-3). God had promised that He would judge idolatry most severely (Leviticus 26:31-33; Deuteronomy 28:49-68), and Jeremiah was warning Judah that God’s judgment was at hand. God had delivered Judah from destruction on countless occasions, but His mercy was at its end. Jeremiah records King Nebuchadnezzar conquering Judah and making it subject to him (Jeremiah 24:1). After further rebellion, God brought Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian armies back to destroy and desolate Judah and Jerusalem (Jeremiah chapter 52). Even in this most severe judgment, God promises the restoration of Judah back into the land God has given them (Jeremiah 29:10).
Bibliography:
Bullock, C. Hassell. An Introduction to the Old Testament Prophetic Books. Chicago: Moody Press, 1986.
Dillard, Raymond B. and Tremper Longman III. An Introduction to the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Apollos, 1995.
Francisco, Clyde T. Studies in Jeremiah. Nashville: Convention Press, 1961.
Kidner, Derek. The message of Jeremiah. Leicester: Inter-Versity Press, 1987.
Kuist, Howard Tillman. “The Lamentations of Jeremiah” in The Layman’s Bible Commentary. Edited by Balmer H. Kelly. Richmond: John Knox Press, 1961.
Sanford La Sor, William. Old Testament Survey. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1982.
Sawyer, J.F.A. Prophecy and the Biblical Prophets. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993.
Walvoord, John F. Every Prophecy of the Bible. Secunderabad: OM Books, 1999.
Yarnell, Malcolm B. Explore the Bible. Nasville: Lifeway, 2005.
Webliography:
Bible.org/article/introduction-book-Jeremiah. 9.45pm, 7.3.2013.
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Book_of_Jeremiah&oldid. 8.13pm.7.3.2013.
www.gotquestion.org/book-of-Jeremiah.html. 9.57pm, 7.3.2013.
