(Part 2 of 3) 
(Part 2 of 3)
BULLSEYE!
(Part 2 of 3) (Part 2 of 3)
BULLSEYE!
Question:
“WHY IS JEREMIAH CALLED THE WEEPING
PROPHET?”
JEREMIAH
He
wore a brilliant and lovely girdle that became worn and dirty and was
good for
nothing. He then buried it in the river. A type of Jesus Christ who was
worn
and discarded, but arrived beautiful and glorious.
A
prolonged drought had stripped the land of food (v1-5). Although
rejected,
hated, ridiculed and mocked Jeremiah’s heart ached for Israel to see
them
suffer. Jeremiah prayed for the people but the Lord told him not to
(v7-12).
False prophets were saying there will not be sword or famine in the
land but
God says the opposite (v13-16). Jeremiah pleads (V19-22) that the Lord
will not
forsake. He ends up waiting on the Lord.
The
Lord says that even if Moses and Samuel were standing before him, it
would make
no difference (v1). The Lord says he will use sword, dogs, fowls ands
beasts to
decimate Judah because of the sins of Manasseh (v2-6). Iron shall break
Northern iron (v12) refers to Babylon and possibly the Scythian
invasion in
626BC? The Lord says for Jeremiah to separate and they can come to you
but you
will not join them again. They will fight you but they will not prevail
(V15-21) and I will deliver you, Jeremiah.
Jeremiah
not to marry and have children and they would die grievous deaths
(v1-4). Not
to mourn either as the Lord has taken
their peace (v5). Jeremiah to separate, not mourn and not feast either
(v7-9).
They serve other gods and God has withdrawn favour (v11-13).
They
want the word of the Lord but it is too late (v15). They have stiff
necks
(v23). But if they will return to the Lord, God will still accepts them
(v24-27).
Israel
is but a marred pot that can be destroyed (v1-7). God frames evil
against them
if they will not repent (v11). They devise evil against
Jeremiah and so
he says for the Lord to destroy them (v18-23).
As
a potter breaks a pot that cannot be reclaimed or reformed (v11) so
Israel is
like this in God’s eyes. Other object lessons used by Jeremiah were 1.
Marred
girdle (ch 13); abstaining from marriage (ch 16); Potter’s clay (ch
18); two
baskets of figs (ch 24); bonds and bars (ch 27); buying a field (ch 32)
Put
in stocks (v1) Pashur’s name changed to Magormissabib = “I will make
thee a
terror to thyself and thy friends.” (v4). Jeremiah doubts his mission
and
debates? But certainly remonstrates with God. Jeremiah curses the day
he was
born (v14) and so on.
This
chapter concerns the last days of Jeremiah’s life with King Zedekiah
being the
last of the Judah kings. Alarmed at the approach of the Babylonian
army,
Zedekiah appeals to intercede with God. Jeremiah advises the king to
yield and
submit in order to save the people from death (v9).
Shallum
a northern king reigned only 1 month. This was facing Judah. A very
swift end.
Jehoiakim’s miserable death (v18-19); an amazing prophecy that none
from the
line of Jeconiah would sit again on David’s throne (v30).
False
pastors but God will raise up Jesus Christ the righteous branch (v6);
false
prophets speak out of their own heart and say there is no danger
(v16-17, 26);
the burden of the Lord, mentioned 5 times (v 33, 34, 38) shall be their
own
words. Jeremiah you shall not say this phrase any more.
The
good figs will be Babylon’s captive and will survive (v5-7) and the
evil figs
will remain in Jerusalem and be wiped off the earth (v7-10).
38
verses = time of testing eg 38 years in the desert, a man with
paralysis for 39
years; This is 604 BC in the 4th year of Jehoiakim’s reign;
the king
of Babylon is God’s servant (v9); exact prophecy told of 70 years
captive of
Babylon (v11); the Babylon punished (v12-14); as well as all the other
nations
(v15-26); God’s anger will prevail (v27-38)
Brought
before the princes and told not to diminish a word (v2) and they, and
all the
people, wanted him dead (v8). ‘Kill me if you want’ (v14) he says.
Jeremiah
puts on a yoke around his neck and says for the others to do also.
Hananiah a
false prophet takes yoke off Jeremiah to say “God will not let us be
captive to
Babylon”. Accuses Jeremiah of rebellion. But he dies within two months
(28:1,
17).
Written
after Jehoiachin and the best of the captives taken to Babylon,
advising them
to be peaceful and obedient and they will return after 70 years (v10).
But even
in Babylon the false prophets kept up their fight against Jeremiah
(v21-32).
Jacob’s
trouble of 7 years of tribulation (v2-7); Israel brought back out of
the North
country (31:7-11); new covenant with the house of Israel (31:31-34)
The
time is 607BC – one year before captivity. Jeremiah buys a field saying
“we
shall return” and this is the word of the Lord. The deed shall be put
into safe
keeping with witnesses (v25), and the land will be cultivated again.
There is
nothing too hard for the Lord (v27).
The
Branch (v15) will come with the promise of cleansing.
Jerusalem
will be burnt (v2); Zedekiah will not be killed by sword (v4) but Judah
will be
captive (v21-22)
Will
be saved and will stand before God for ever (v19).
Jeremiah
writes down all the prophecies spoken against Judah in a book (v2).
Jehoiakim
the king cuts up and burns the book (v13). But Jeremiah writes it again
with
extra added (v28, 32).
During
the siege, Babylon temporarily withdraws (v5). God told Jeremiah to
separate
from Jerusalem and go to Anathoth (v12). On suspicion Jeremiah is
arrested as
being a traitor as it looked he was going to join Babylon (v13). Put in
prison
on bread and water (21). Rescued from prison by Ebedmelech (38:7-13).
The king
Zedekiah was friendly to Jeremiah but he was a weak king (v16, 24).
Zedekiah
tries to escape but captured and eyes put out (v4-7). Jerusalem burned
(v8).
The poor people left to cultivate the ground (v10).
Gedaliah
assassinated (41:4). Ishmael did it. He escapes (41:15). People afraid
of
Babylon as Gedaliah and been killed and looked to go into Egypt (41:18).
Fearful
of Nebuchadnezzer they go to Egypt although warned not to be Jeremiah
(42:10-11, 19; 43:2,4). They took Jeremiah with them (43:6).
The
place and manner of Jeremiah’s death is not known. The queen of heaven
is
Ashtoreth (v17-19, 23). A small number will escape from Egypt and the
sword and
return (v28).
Chapter
45 Baruch the scribe
Told
not to seek great things for himself (v5) or he will given as prey to
others.
Nebuchadnezzer
defeats Pharaoh-necho of Egypt in the 4th year of Jehoiakim
at
Carchemish in 605BC, and this was in the middle of Jeremiah’s life
(v1-22).
Egypt will rise up (v8) and Nebuchadnezzar will invade Egypt (v13-26).
Israel
is not to fear and will be restored (v27-28).
This
prophecy was fulfilled 20 years later when Nebuchadnezzar took Judah.
Other
prophets who mentioned the Philistines were Isaiah 14:28-32; Amos
1:6-8;
Ezekiel 25:15-17; Zephaniah 2:4-7; Zechariah 9:1-7
Moab
helped Nebuchadnezzar against Judah but was later destroyed by him in
582BC.
It’s restoration (v47) along with Ammon (49:6), may have been fulfilled
with a
general absorption back into a general absorption of an Arab race.
Prophecies
that were fulfilled against these nations by Nebuchadnezzar. Ammon is
in
Ezekiel 25:1-11 and Edom in Obadiah.
As
in Isaiah 13:17-21 the fall is predicted in Jeremiah 51:37-43. The
Medes were
the conquerors (50:9; 51:11, 27, 28). The words of the doom of Babylon
were
written down by Jeremiah and sent to Babylon to be read publicly and
then cast
into the Euphrates. “Thus shall Babylon sink and never rise”.
(51:59-64).
Zedekiah
tries to flee but captured and eyes are put out (v8-11). The poor were
left to
look after the land (v16). Jechoiachin survived and fed by the king of
Babylon
(v31-34).
**** ****
Harley Hitchcock
This
website’s front page is:
www.
www.AustralianBibleMinistries.com
