Jeremiah 1
A
Kings: Josiah [killed at Megiddo [2 Kings 23:29] in an
attempt to interfere with Egypt’s initiative against Assyria]; then his sons Jehoahaz [reigned three months]and
Jehoiakim appointed by Neco
of Egypt; Jehoikim [reigned 11 years and “did evil in
the sight of the Lord”] died prior to being exiled to Babylon and was replaced
by his son Jehoiachin who was deported to Babylon;
replaced by Zedekiah, his uncle and a son of Josiah. He rebelled, saw his sons executed just
before being blinded and was taken in chains to
B
Nations –
C Prophets contemporary –
·
Zephaniah prophesied during the days of Josiah,
early in the time of Jeremiah.. Like Jeremiah,
Zephaniah looked to a thorough chastening of the remnant; he combined
prophecies of utter destruction {Zeph 1:2-3; 17, 18]}
with judgmental chastening of certain aspects of the life of
·
Habakkuk – He dealt with the evil of
D Leading theological idea – The eternal nature of the covenant of God and the need for its expression in a new manifestation that consummates its natural moral requirement of a genuine heart for God on the one hand and the necessity of forgiveness on the other [Jeremiah 31:31-34]. The need for both of these had been gradually unfolded in God’s covenantal dealings with Adam [Genesis 3:21; 4:6], Noah [Genesis 6:5-8; 8:21], Abraham [Genesis 15:18:17-19], Isaac, Jacob , Moses [Deuteronomy 6; 10:12-22; 30:11-20], and David [2 Samuel 7:8-16; cf. Jeremiah 33:14-22]
E Jeremiah –
1 Son of Hilkiah, the priest, possibly from the family of Abiathar exiled by Solomon [1 Kings 1:7, 19; 2:26, 27] to Anathoth
2 Began to prophesy in the 13th year of reign of Josiah [ca. 626 B. C.] throughout the time of Judah’s tumultuous conflicts with Egypt and Babylon and finally was taken into Egypt [587] by the party that executed Gedaliah, governor by appointment from Nebuchadnezzar; Jeremiah continued to preach and prophesy there
· This is an appointment for service. Such an appointment is not always for salvation, but in the case of Jeremiah, as in Paul’s, they were commensurate. God knows [sets his heart upon] his elect before the foundation of the world; he consecrates them [cf. Galatians 1:15] and appoints them to particular service.
C Jeremiah’s Objection 6 – He plead that his youth disqualified him from knowing what to say. He assumed that experience would make him more qualified to understand and speak wisely. His call was extraordinary, however, and did not necessitate the experience and training normally set forth in the New Testament as necessary for gospel ministry. He would speak by direct revelation (“Whatever I command you, you shall speak.”). His youth meant that he would be able to have several decades of continuous witness and would see his prophecies come to pass.
D
God’s response 8
“Do not be afraid etc.” The promise to deliver meant that he would
experience opposition and even attempts on his life and that God would sustain
him even in those times to continue his witness against the refusal of
A God’s initiative in putting his words in Jeremiah’s mouth 9 cf. Isaiah 6:6 – We must never doubt that God can do this, and often had done it. It was part of the promise that Christ gave to his disciples [Matthew 10:19] and what Paul was confident God had done through his own preaching. [Galatians 1:11, 12]
B Six actions accomplished by the word of God; four are negative, two are positive - This dynamic is consistent with the Law/Gospel rubric in the Bible. Compare also Romans 3:20; 7:7-9; Galatians 2:19; 2 Timothy 4:2. The Christian life consists of a constant putting off of the old man and its actions and putting n the new man. It means correcting the old mind captive to Satan, this world, and the flesh and putting on a new mind reclaiming the divine image of true knowledge and holiness [Ephesians 4:22-24; Colossians 3:9]. Our situation truly is desperate and the destructive powers of the word will always accompany those truth that build up. We “lay aside every weight” as we “look to Jesus” (Hebrews 12:1f) We resist conformity while we seek transformation (Romans 12:2).
IV
Two Visions
A The
Almond rod – God is watching over his word –He will bring to pass all that he
has told
B The
Boiling Pot – The nations [specifically
A A command and a threat 17 Jeremiah is commanded to speak to them all that he reveals; He is not to be dismayed or God will dismay him before them. That the message of God is offensive to every stuck-up generation should not make us dilute the full truth of both judgment and the sinner’s absolute dependence on divine mercy and Christ’s righteousness for salvation. This is Jeremiah’s call not to be ashamed of the gospel (Cf. Romans 1:16, 17; Philippians 1:19, 20)
B A promise of strength 18 He will speak to every level of society and will be a fortified city against them: Kings, officials, priests, and people [cf. Isaiah 6:8-13]
C A promise of strong but futile opposition 19; this must be put in the context of the Bible’s relentless presentation of the certainty of the perishing of this age and the infinite superiority and incorruptibility of the eternal inheritance. See Jesus’ words in Luke 10:17-20, Paul in 2 Timothy 4:18 and Peter in 1 Peter 1:3-7; At times Jeremiah felt that his adversaries had the upper hand [Jeremiah 36, 38, 43].For a striking example of Jeremiah’s triumph through the Word see Jeremiah 28:5-17
A.
B. Jeremiah’s ministry will illustrate the necessity of an omnipotent internal operation of the Spirit for the production of an obedient heart. Jeremiah’s clarity, passion, compassion and solemnity in declaring what he knew God had said convinced none to repent, but he was met only with anger and resistance. His own experience demonstrated the mercies of the new covenant (See Jeremiah 32:33, 36-42)
C. Jeremiah’s commission illustrates the effectual power of God’s will as expressed through revealed word [cf. Hebrews 4:12, 13; James 1:17, 18; 1 Peter 1:23-25]