The book of Jeremiah describes the son of a priest from Anatoth in the land of Benjamin.

He lived in the last years of the kingdom of Judah just prior to the destruction of the city of Jerusalem.

The city was taken over by Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.

The Book of Jeremiah

Jeremiah prophesized through the rule of many kings.

He began in the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah (626 BCE) and then through Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, Zedekiah and during the short rule of Gedaliah Ben Ahikam whose assassination in 585 BCE marked the final end of the remaining Jewish community in Judah and Jerusalem and symbolized the conclusion of the first temple period.

Jeremiah Continued…

Biography

Lived through the invasions by the Babylonians armies, the deportations of his people, the slaughter of Jews living in Jerusalem, and the destruction of the Temple

Preached during the period Judah suffered heavy disasters, and Jerusalem was made a heap of ruins by the invasions of the Babylonians.

Jeremiah wrote the book of Jeremiah, one of the canonical books of the Old Testament, and possibly Lamentations.

It is said that the aged prophet,

Jeremiah was put to death in

Egypt for preaching against idolatory. He was stoned by

his fellow Jews for constantly rebuking them.

The prophet Jeremiah allows us to see what is going on in his heart and life. We can sense his feelings and the thoughts in his mind. As you read his book he appears to be totally obsessed with the message that God has given him to preach. The other prophets cannot be accused of hiding behind their work, but Jeremiah out of all of them allows us to see evidence of his own spiritual condition.

Jeremiah Continued…

His Call to Action Jeremiah and his call to action were God spoke to him in the womb and said before you

were born I knew you. So, this is thought to mean that he was chosen as a prophet even before his birth.

Now the word of the LORD came to me saying,     5"Before I (H)formed you in the womb I knew you,         And (I)before you were born I consecrated you;         I have (J)appointed you a prophet to the nations."     6Then (K)I said, "Alas, Lord GOD!         Behold, I do not know how to speak,         Because (L)I am a youth."     7But the LORD said to me,         "Do not say, 'I am a youth,'         (M)Because everywhere I send you, you shall go,         And (N)all that I command you, you shall speak.     8"(O)Do not be afraid of them,         For (P)I am with you to deliver you," declares the LORD.

 9Then the LORD stretched out His hand and (Q)touched my mouth, and the LORD said to me,         "Behold, I have (R)put My words in your mouth.     10"See, (S)I have appointed you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms,         (T)To pluck up and to break down,         To destroy and to overthrow,         (U)To build and to plant." http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah%201%20;&version=49;

The words, “I am too young,” are very famous, including the Lord’s reply, “Say not that you are too young…For I am with you to deliver you.”

Jeremiah: Mission

• Jeremiah preached around the years of 627 to 585 BC.• He preached during the period of the city’s destruction by the Babylonians.• He proclaimed that in the near future, the city of Jerusalem and The Temple would be overthrown.• He preached while wearing chains around his neck to illustrate the captivity and the chains which the nation faced. • Jeremiah declared that their defeat was a “moral necessity” since the people had turned away from God.

Mission

• His writings are collected in the Book of Jeremiah and the Book of Lamentations.• He is known as “the broken-hearted prophet” because he tried without success to reform the social, political, and religious life of his people. • Jeremiah taught that the heart of religion is an individual’s personal relationship with God. • He emphasized the importance of each individual.

Mission

• In chapters 1-24 of the Book of Jeremiah, he recorded his prophecies.• In chapters 25-44, Jeremiah retells about his experiences and the rest of the chapters are prophecies against nations.• In the Book of Jeremiah, he reveals his inner feelings as he faced numerous failures.• An important part of the Book of Jeremiah are the autobiographical passages in which he talks about his emotions about God and his mission.• These accounts are known as the “Confessions of Jeremiah” because they are complaints that Jeremiah addresses to God.

Mission

• Jeremiah emphasized the temporary nature of devastation and the comfort to be found in the certainty of the nation’s return to their land. • He scolded the people for putting worldly desires before God and the Torah. • His main message was that the king and the people must reform their ways and return to worshipping God or else Jerusalem would be destroyed and its people would be exiled or killed. • He explained that God would replace the old covenant with the new covenant.• The new covenant would include not just the Jews, but the entire world.

Symbolism of the Almond TreeSymbolism of the Almond Tree

• The word almond, when The word almond, when translated into Hebrew is “watch” translated into Hebrew is “watch”

• Which can mean be interpreted Which can mean be interpreted either as God’s watchfulness or either as God’s watchfulness or humans watchfulness for Gods humans watchfulness for Gods gracegrace

http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0021-9231(194206)61%3A2%3C99%3AJFOTAR%3E2.0.CO%3B2-K

Another Interpretation of the Almond TreeAnother Interpretation of the Almond Tree

People have interpreted the use of the almond tree in Jeremiah as havingPeople have interpreted the use of the almond tree in Jeremiah as having

importance in the fact that it blooms early in the spring alluding to the early importance in the fact that it blooms early in the spring alluding to the early

watchfulness of Yahweh.watchfulness of Yahweh.

God’s eye watching us

The blossom on an almond tree

http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0021-9231(194206)61%3A2%3C99%3AJFOTAR%3E2.0.CO%3B2-K

Foreshadowing SymbolismForeshadowing Symbolism

• In Chapter 18 Jeremiah observes a potter destroy a piece of clayIn Chapter 18 Jeremiah observes a potter destroy a piece of clay then rebuild it into a beautiful vesselthen rebuild it into a beautiful vessel

• He relates this to Judah and how it should let God take it apart He relates this to Judah and how it should let God take it apart and reshape it his own wayand reshape it his own way

http://biblestudyguide.org/ebooks/jeffsmith/jeremiah.pdf

More Symbolism Relating to His PropheciesMore Symbolism Relating to His Prophecies

He carried a yoke around his neck to show Judah they shouldHe carried a yoke around his neck to show Judah they should

let Babylonia rule over them.let Babylonia rule over them.

He also purchased a plot of land when he knew it was worth nothingHe also purchased a plot of land when he knew it was worth nothing

because the Babylonians were going to take over as a sign of hopebecause the Babylonians were going to take over as a sign of hope

for the future.for the future.

http://biblestudyguide.org/ebooks/jeffsmith/jeremiah.pdf

The Iron Pillar

When people criticized the faith of Jeremiah, God gave him the strength to fight against these people.

This strength was represented as the iron pillar.

The iron pillar represents the strength God gives us to defend our faith and beliefs.

The Boiling Pot

God also shows Jeremiah a “seething-pot boiling” and Jeremiah understands what it means.

The world, unless it follows the will of God, is a seething boiling pot, ready to bubble over unless God intervenes.

Jeremiah sees that God will be the one to control the judgment day because he controls the Boiling Pot.