The Lord Calls Jeremiah
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I. The Time of the Call (1:1-3)
>1. Who is the prophet Jeremiah?
* Jeremiah 1:1 "The words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin."
* "Jeremiah" - See introduction for more information.
* "Hilkiah" - Hilkiah means "the Lord is my portion" and is a common Old Testament name.
* "one of the priests" -Ezekiel and Zechariah were also prophets from the priestly line of Levi.
* "Anathoth" -Anat(h) was a Canaanite god that had been all but forgotten by Jeremiah's time. Anathoth was one of the Levitical towns in Benjamin. (Joshua 21:17-18)
* "the territory of Benjamin" -Jerusalem was on the border between the territories of Benjamin and Judah. The northern king had been taken into exile a generation before Jeremiah's time when Assyria conquered it. The territory of Benjamin also suffered at the hands of Assyria. Slowly after that Assyria's control over the area north of Jerusalem dwindled and the territory of Benjamin grew to proportions even larger than before Assyria's influence.
>When did he prophecy?
* Jeremiah 1:2-3 "The word of the LORD came to him in the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah, and through the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, down to the fifth month of the eleventh year of Zedekiah son of Josiah king of Judah, when the people of Jerusalem went into exile."
* "The word of the LORD" -The prophets needed to distinguish their words were from the Lord because there were many false prophets and prophets of other gods and idols.
* "The word of the LORD" -Divine law (the principles God established when he made the universe) has been revealed to mankind through seven mediums: nature (Psalms 19:1), conscience (Rom. 2:15), stone tablets (Exodus 24:12), Jesus the living Word (John 1:14), the entire scriptures (Rom. 15:4), on man's heart (Heb. 8:10), and Christian's as living epistles (2 Cor. 3:2-3). The word of the Lord that come to prophets is described this way, "And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." (2 Peter 1:19-21)
* "The word of the LORD came to him" -One of the main function of a prophet was to deliver God's word to the people. The Lord gave messages to his prophets. Just how they came to them is seldom noted. Since the prophets were "carried along by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:21) those who are now full of the Spirit can experience that same thing. Jesus said, "But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." (John 14:26)
* "the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah" -627/626 B.C.
* "Josiah" -Josiah reigned the Kingdom of Judah from 640-609 B.C. He was eight years old when he became king. The elders and the high priest ruled the country until he was old enough to do so. He was a righteous king in the eyes of God. During his reign he ordered that the temple be repaired, during which the book of the Law was found. (The first five books of the Bible must have been lost during Manasseh, Josiah's grandfather's reign. Manasseh was the most evil king Judah ever had.) The repentance that took place during Josiah's reign was to little, to late. For reasons not stated in the Bible, Josiah attached Egypt in 609 B.C. while Egypt was marching north to fight on the side of Assyria who had been engaged in battles against Babylon. Judah was defeated and Josiah died because of wounds obtained during the battle. Five years later Egypt and Judah fell to Babylon. (2 Kings 22:1-23:30; and 2 Chronicles 33:35-35:27)
* 2 Kings 23:29-30 "While Josiah was king, Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt went up to the Euphrates River to help the king of Assyria. King Josiah marched out to meet him in battle, but Neco faced him and killed him at Megiddo. Josiah's servants brought his body in a chariot from Megiddo to Jerusalem and buried him in his own tomb. And the people of the land took Jehoahaz son of Josiah and anointed him and made him king in place of his father."
* "Amon" -Amon (642-640 B.C.), Josiah's father was an evil king. (2 Kings 21:19-26; 2 Chronicles 33:21-25)
* 2 Chronicles 36:1-4 "And the people of the land took Jehoahaz son of Josiah and made him king in Jerusalem in place of his father. Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. The king of Egypt dethroned him in Jerusalem and imposed on Judah a levy of a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. The king of Egypt made Eliakim, a brother of Jehoahaz, king over Judah and Jerusalem and changed Eliakim's name to Jehoiakim. But Neco took Eliakim's brother Jehoahaz and carried him off to Egypt."
* "Jehoiakim son of Josiah" -Jehoiakim (609-597 B.C.) was ambitious, cruel and corrupt. (2 Kings 23:36-37; 2 Chronicles 36:2-8) Egypt's Pharaoh Neco made Eliakim son of Josiah king in place of his father Josiah and changed Eliakim's name to Jehoiakim. Jehoiakim paid Pharaoh Neco the silver and gold he demanded. In order to do so, he taxed the land and exacted the silver and gold from the people of the land according to their assessments. (2 Kings 23:33-34) In the third and fourth years of his reign Babylon defeated Egypt and besieged Jerusalem.
* 2 Chronicles 36:5-8 "Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. He did evil in the eyes of the LORD his God. Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon attacked him and bound him with bronze shackles to take him to Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar also took to Babylon articles from the temple of the LORD and put them in his temple there. The other events of Jehoiakim's reign, the detestable things he did and all that was found against him, are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. And Jehoiachin his son succeeded him as king."
* Daniel 1:1-3 "In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the articles from the temple of God. These he carried off to the temple of his god in Babylonia and put in the treasure house of his god. Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring in some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility"
* 2 Chronicles 36:9-10 "Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months and ten days. He did evil in the eyes of the LORD. In the spring, King Nebuchadnezzar sent for him and brought him to Babylon, together with articles of value from the temple of the LORD, and he made Jehoiachin's uncle, Zedekiah, king over Judah and Jerusalem."
* Jeremiah 46:2 "Concerning Egypt: This is the message against the army of Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt, which was defeated at Carchemish on the Euphrates River by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah:"
* "the fifth month of the eleventh year" -July and August 586 B.C.
* "Zedekiah son of Josiah" -Zedekiah (597-586 B.C.) was twenty-one years old when he became king, a puppet king of Babylon. (2 Kings 24:18-19) King Zedekiah took an oath of allegiance to the Babylonian but soon became disloyal. So Nebuchadnezzar besieged the city from 10 January 587 to 9 July 586 B.C. Jerusalem fell and approximately eighty distinguished leaders of the community were executed, the royal palace and the city were set on fire, and the survivors (except the poorest of the land) were taken into captivity.
* 2 Chronicles 36:11-14 "Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. He did evil in the eyes of the LORD his God and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke the word of the LORD. He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him take an oath in God's name. He became stiff-necked and hardened his heart and would not turn to the LORD, the God of Israel. Furthermore, all the leaders of the priests and the people became more and more unfaithful, following all the detestable practices of the nations and defiling the temple of the LORD, which he had consecrated in Jerusalem."
* "when the people of Jerusalem went into exile" -581 B.C. (2 Kings 25:22-26, and 2 Chronicles 36:15-21; Jeremiah 40-44)
* A summery is as follows: Israel was defeated by Egypt (south west of Israel) in 609 B.C. (2 Kings 23:33-34) Egypt made Jehoiakim king of Judah. Babylon (north east of Israel) attacked and defeated Egypt in 605 B.C. (2 Kings 24:1-7) This brought Babylonian influence to Judah, but was allowed to maintained its national, spiritual, and cultural identity. Jehoiakim attacked Babylon in 597 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar defeated him and tightened his control over Israel. One of the things he did was to take around 10,000 selected captives. Among these including Daniel and his friends mentioned in this chapter and even Ezekiel, the author of the proceeding book in the Bible. The captivity lasted 70 years dating from Nebuchadnezzar's first decent on Judah and Egypt.
* Jeremiah records the end of David's offspring earthly kingdom. In fact no Israelite or Jew reigned over Israel until 1948 A.D.
* Jeremiah was called by the Lord during the 13th year of the reign of Josiah, king of Judah. It was 627 BC. Josiah was now 21 years old. Assyrian king Ashurbanipal died in 627 B.C. leading to Assyrian's quick fall as the Middle East's power house.
Josiah, in his 18th year of being king, 5 years after Jeremiah was called as a prophet, ordered the temple repaired and clensed of idols. That is when the lost book of the Law, the first 5 books of the Bible, the Lord's covenant with Israel was found. The prophetess Huldah told the king that all that the Lord warned them in the book they found would come true. King Josiah decided to start a revival because of this. He knew Judah had broken the covenant.
Jeremiah was called to be a prophet 5 years before the lost covenant was found, while Judah and the remnants of Israel were spiritually corrupt, economically rich, and militarily more secure in years because Assyria, the regional power was on a downward cycle that lead to its eventual end.
Jeremiah was a young lad when he was called, probably 12. The LORD said he made him to be a prophet to the nations, not just Israel and Judah.
Jeremiah didn't want to accept the role because he was untrained and young. He was afraid. The Lord reassured him with a promise and a sign. Then the LORD gave Jeremiah his first message to deliver.
The call of the Lord can be frightening. He often tells us to do that which seems impossible and/or very hard. I can form excuses and simply refuse to do it.
Just as with Jeremiah I can be reassured because the LORD is with me and will equip me to do all he asks. It will require faith for it will not be easy. Yet he is with me.
* The oracles in Jeremiah are not arranged in chronological order. Had they been so arranged, the sequence of sections within the book would have been approximately as follows, also showing the kings of Judah.
JOSIAH 1:1-7:15
JEHOIAKIM ch. 26; 7:16-20:18; ch. 25; chs. 46-51; 36:1-8; ch. 45; 36:9-32; ch. 35
JEHOIACHIN (aka Shallum) & ZEDEKIAH (aka Mattaniah) chs. 21-24
ZEDEKIAH chs. 27-31; 34:1-7; 37:1-10; 34:8-22; 37:11-38:13; 39:15-18; chs. 32-33; 38:14-28
JERUSALEM UNDER FINAL SEIGE 39:1-14, 52:1-30; 39:15-18
GEDAKIAH, governor, not a king chs. 40-44; 52:31-34.
>Review God's plans, promises, and blessings for his people in Exodus 19:5-6 and Deuteronomy 6:5, 10-12.
* Exodus 19:5-6 "Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites."
* Deuteronomy 6:5 "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength."
* Deuteronomy 6:10-12 "When the Lord your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you--a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant--then when you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery."
* God had made a conditional covenant with Israel at Mt. Sinai, after he led them out of Egypt. They continually broke the covenant. God did not. From God's point of view he was using the captivity to punish Israel and Judah.
* Nebuchadnezzar might have thought that he could defeat Israel so easily because their God was weak. He did not know the truth. Even thought he thought like this God did not exclude him from being an instrument in bringing about his plan.
* Blessings are from God, but they don't mean that we are always right.
>Why had they not maintained God's blessing?
* They forgot the Lord their God who gave them everything. This means that they forgot to thank God and keep him first in their lives at all times. After Christians accept Jesus as Savior and Lord, after Jesus leads us out of slavery of sin and the fear of death, we need to remember him and not forget his gift. Seeing how the Lord dealt with Israel and Judah how should we react to what he has done for us?
* They became lazy and relied on themselves and their heritage rather than continuing to walk with the Lord and relying on him.
* If we do not handle God's blessing right we will be punished by God.
* Blessings from God can become snares and traps if we hold onto them.
>What did the Lord want his people to do? (Deuteronomy 4:29; Joshua 24:13-14)
* Deuteronomy 4:29 "But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul."
* Joshua 24:13 "So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant. Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.'"
* Love, fear worship, serve, and obey the Lord their God.
* Keep our side of the covenant.
* Offer our blessings back to God. Do not hold onto them.
* This is the difference between practical and theoretical.
II. I am Only a Child (1:4-12)
>2. When was Jeremiah appointed to be a prophet? (4-5)
* Jeremiah 1:4-5 "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."
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>How old was he when the Lord first called him to service?
* Jeremiah 1:6 "Ah, Sovereign LORD," I said, "I do not know how to speak; I am only a child."
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>Did he want to accept his mission?
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>What can we learn about the Lord's sovereignty in our lives? (Psalm 22:9-10, 139:13-16)
* Psalm 22:9-10 "Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you even at my mother's breast. From birth I was cast upon you; from my mother's womb you have been my God."
* Psalm 71:6 "From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother's womb. I will ever praise you."
* Psalm 139:13-16 "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."
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>3. How did the Lord rebuke Jeremiah?
* Jeremiah 1:7-8 "But the LORD said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a child.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you.
8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the LORD."
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>What did he promise him?
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>What does Jesus promise us in our mission? (Matthew 28:18-20)
* Matthew 28:18-20 "Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
* Psalm 73:23-24 "Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory."
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>4. What visual aid did the Lord give Jeremiah? (9)
* Jeremiah 1:9 "Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, "Now, I have put my words in your mouth."
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>To what extent was Jeremiah's mission? (10)
* Jeremiah 1:10 "See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant."
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>What can be learned about the power of the word of God? (Hebrews 4:12-13)
* Hebrews 4:12-13 "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account."
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>5. What did the Lord show Jeremiah? (11)
* Jeremiah 1:11 "The word of the LORD came to me: "What do you see, Jeremiah?" "I see the branch of an almond tree," I replied."
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>What did it mean?
* Jeremiah 1:12 The LORD said to me, "You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled."
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>How is it reassuring to know that the word of God is always fulfilled? (1 Peter 1:3-6)
* 1 Peter 1:3-6 "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials."
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III. Get Yourself Ready (1:13-19)
>6. What was the second thing the Lord showed Jeremiah? (13)
* Jeremiah 1:13 "The word of the LORD came to me again: "What do you see?" "I see a boiling pot, tilting away from the north," I answered."
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>What did it mean? (14)
* Jeremiah 1:14 "The LORD said to me, "From the north disaster will be poured out on all who live in the land."
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>What countries were to the north of Israel? See a map.
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>7. What did it mean to set up thrones in a city's gates? (15)
* Jeremiah 1:15 "I am about to summon all the peoples of the northern kingdoms," declares the LORD. "Their kings will come and set up their thrones in the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem; they will come against all her surrounding walls and against all the towns of Judah."
* 1 Kings 22:10 "Dressed in their royal robes, the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were sitting on their thrones at the threshing floor by the entrance of the gate of Samaria, with all the prophets prophesying before them."
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>Why would foreign kings be sent against God's people? (16)
* Jeremiah 1:16 "I will pronounce my judgments on my people because of their wickedness in forsaking me, in burning incense to other gods and in worshiping what their hands have made."
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>For how long had the Lord warned them about the result of their sins? (7:25-26)
* Jeremiah 7:25-26 "From the time your forefathers left Egypt until now, day after day, again and again I sent you my servants the prophets. But they did not listen to me or pay attention. They were stiff-necked and did more evil than their forefathers."
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>8. What did the Lord tell Jeremiah again? (17)
* Jeremiah 1:17 "Get yourself ready! Stand up and say to them whatever I command you. Do not be terrified by them, or I will terrify you before them."
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>Did Jeremiah have a choice to make?
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>9. What did need to do in order for Jeremiah to preach to his people? (18)
* Jeremiah 1:18 "Today I have made you a fortified city, an iron pillar and a bronze wall to stand against the whole land--against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and the people of the land."
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>What was Jeremiah told would happen during his ministry? (19)
* Jeremiah 1:19 "They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the LORD."
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>What does Jesus tell us about the gospel mission? (Luke 21:16-19; John 15:18-21)
* Matthew 10:21-23 "Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. I tell you the truth, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes."
* Luke 21:16-19 "You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. All men will hate you because of me. But not a hair of your head will perish. By standing firm you will gain life."
* John 15:18-21 "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me."
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