What Seest Thou, Jeremiah?
INTRODUCTION TO JEREMIAH
A. THE NAME, JEREMIAH – “Jehovah hurls” or “Jehovah founds.”
B. HIS ORIGIN:
1. From the town of Anothoth, a village about three or four miles northeast of
Jerusalem. Of a priestly family.
2. The prophet is called "the son of Hilkiah" (Jer. 1:1), who is, however, not the high
priest mentioned in 2 Kings 22 and 23, as it is merely stated that he was "of the
priests that were in Anathoth" in the land of Benjamin. In Anathoth lived a class of
priests who belonged to a side line, not to the line of Zadok (compare 1 Kings 2:26)
(I S B E).
C. CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MAN.
1. Apparently timid, a man who shrank from his calling, but one who had a high regard
for God’s use for him, and so he always responded (20:9). Of an emotional
temperment: buoyed up by success, and depressed by failure; but always conscious
of the heavy burden place on him by Jehovah. His life was one of continuous
martyrdom. But always he was a man of faith and courage.
2. The Book of Jeremiah gives us not only a fuller account of the life … of its author
than do the books of the other prophets, but we also learn more about his … personal
life and feelings … of … … any other prophet. He was, by nature, gentle and tender
in his feelings, and sympathetic. A decided contrast to this is found in the hard and
unmerciful judgment which it was his mission to announce. God made him strong
and firm and immovable like iron for his mission (Jer 1:18; 15:20). This contrast
between his naturally warm personal feelings and his strict Divine mission not rarely
appears in the heart-utterances found in his prophecies. At first he rejoiced when
God spoke to him (15:16); but soon these words of God were to his heart a source of
pain and of suffering (15:17 ff). He would have preferred not to utter them; and then
they burned in his breast as a fire (20:7 ff; 23:9).
… Not permitted to marry (Jer 16:1 f), he was compelled to forego the pleasures
of youth (15:17). He loved his people as nobody else, and yet was always compelled
to prophesy evil for it, and seemed to be the enemy of his nation. This often caused
him to despair. The enmity to which he fell a victim, on account of his declaration of
nothing but the truth, he deeply felt (9:1 ff; 12:5 f; 15:10; 17:14-18; 18:23, and
often). In this sad antagonism between his heart and the commands of the Lord, he
would perhaps wish that God had not spoken to him; he even cursed the day of his
birth (15:10; 20:14-18). Such complaints are to be carefully distinguished from that
which the Lord through His Spirit communicated to the prophet. God rebukes him
for these complaints, and demands of him to repent and to trust and obey Him (Jer
15:19). This discipline makes him all the more unconquerable. Even his bitter
denunciations of his enemies (11:20 ff; 15:15; 17:18; 18:21-23) originated in part in
his passionate and deep nature, and show how great is the difference between him
and that perfect Sufferer, who prayed even for His deadly enemies. … He, as a
priest, prayed for his people, until God forbade him to do so (7:16; 11:14; 14:11;
18:20). He was compelled more than all the others to suffer through the anger of
God, which was to afflict his people. (I S B E).)
D. HISTORICAL SETTING.
1. GENERAL: The Book of Jeremiah belongs to a chaotic time in the history of God's
Covenant People. Jeremiah's native land, the southern kingdom of Judah, was caught in a
power squeeze between three great powers of the ancient world: Egypt, Assyria, and
Babylon. As these empires struggled for dominance with one another, the noose grew
tighter around Judah's neck.
To protect its borders, Judah entered into an alliance with Egypt against the
Babylonians. But Jeremiah realized the alliance was too little and too late. For years his
beloved nation had risked disaster as it rejected worship of the one true God and turned to
pagan gods instead. Immorality, injustice, graft, and corruption prevailed throughout the
land. God revealed to the prophet that he intended to punish His Covenant People by
sending the Babylonians to destroy Jerusalem and carry the people into captivity. Jeremiah
preached this message of judgment faithfully for about 40 years.
At the beginning of his prophetic ministry, it appeared briefly that conditions might
improve. King Josiah (ruled 641/40-609 B.C.) began reforms based on God's Law, but at
his death the dark days of paganism returned. Josiah's successors continued their reckless
pursuit of idolatry and foolish alliances with Egypt against the Babylonians. At the
decisive battle of Carchemish in 605 BC, the Egyptians were soundly defeated. About 18
years later the Babylonians completed their conquest of Judah by destroying the capital
city of Jerusalem. Just as Jeremiah had predicted, the leading citizens of Judah were carried
to Babylon, where they remained in captivity for half a century.(Nelson's Illustrated
Bible Dictionary)
The Scythians swept down the Mediterranean coast as far as Egypt. Nabopolassar,
king of Babylon, revolted against Ninevah in the year 625 B.C. The Chaldeans now
became a threat to Judah. Nabopolassar and the Medes overthrew and destroyed Ninevah
612 B.C. War between Chaldea and Egypt followed. Jerusalem paid tribute, being
brought under Babylon 606/605. That year the first group was carried into Babylon from
Judah. Judah revolted, Nebuchadnesser carried a second group into captivity, 597. Again
Judah revolted, and Nebuchadnezzer sacked the city; the final captivity, 586. However,
Wright sets the date at 587. (Earnest Wright, Biblical Archaeology, p. 177, 1957).
2. JUDAH: (Read 2 Kings 22-25; 2 Chron. 34-36). Moral reform was undertaken by
Josiah, but it lacked permanency; it was outward. He destroyed altars and high places.
Jeremiah was his contemporary; he worked on the hearts. Both moral and religious
conditions were at a low ebb. From a human point of view the prophet was fighting a
losing battle throughout his forty to fifty years of work.
3. THE KINGS OF JUDAH during the period of Jeremiah’s period:
Josiah, 640-608 – Reformer, a good king. Killed by Pharoah-necho at Megiddo.
(2 Kings 22:1 – 23:30; 2 Chron. 34-35).
Jehoahaz, 608 – Ruled 3 months. Taken to Egypt by Pharoah-necho.
(2 Kings23:31-33; 2 Chron. 36:1-4).
Jehoiakim, 608-597 – Eliakim (God establishes), son of Josiah, whose name
Pharoah-necho changed to Jehoiakim (Jehovah establishes). Served Nebuchadnezzer three
years, rebelled. Nebuchadnezzer invaded Judah, took a large group into Babylon. (2
Kings 23:34-24:7; 2 Chron. 36:5-8).
Jehoiachin, 597 – Ruled 3 months. Wicked, the last of his particular lineage.
Political captive in Babylon 37 years; released by Evil-Merodach; ration tablet found. (2
Kings 24:8-17; 2 Chron. 36:9-10).
Zedekiah, 597-586 – Uncle of Jehoiachin. Wicked. Judah fell, Babylonian
Captivity, 586. (2 Kings 24:17 – 25:7; 2 Chron. 36:11f.).
4. The Message and Teaching of Jeremiah.
a. A message of doom. Jeremiah was the prophet of the fall; therefore, in the
main, his message was one of doom.
1) Israel, by divine choice, was a people peculiar to Jehovah.
2) Israel had proved faithless. Religious and moral apostasy.
3) Complacence and blind trust in externals avail nothing.
4) In view of this condition, the book is one of lamentation and tears.
b. A message of hope. Beyond the night of calamity and distress the prophet saw
a brighter day.
1) Preservation of the remnant.
2) Restoration from exile.
3) New Jerusalem built on the ashes of the old.
4) The ideal king, on the throne of David.
5) The New Covenant, with the shortcomings of the Old removed.
c. Jeremiah reemphasized the individuality of religion.
1) Personal responsibility.
2) The destiny of foreign nations.
3) Disappearance of external symbols.
