DC 2012 Monday Night Blog

Just as a way to set the stage for our reading of Jeremiah during the break...here is a brief overview of the Book of Jeremiah.  These notes were formed from a variety of sources including The Life Application Study Bible, NIV published by Tyndale house Publishers, Inc and Zondervan.

• Jeremiah ministered under Judah’s last five kings (Josiah, Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, Zedekiah). 
• There was a great contest for world supremacy in that day.
• False prophets were pervasive in the city of Jerusalem…who flattered the kings and prophesied that they wanted to hear.
• The nation was sliding quickly toward destruction and was eventually conquered by Babylon in 586 BC (2 Kings 21-25). 
• Jeremiah’s message was never a popular one.

• Chapters 1-25 The earliest and main core of Jeremiah's message
• Chapters 26-29 Biographic material and interaction with other prophets
• Chapters 30-33 God's promise of restoration
• Chapters 34-45 Mostly interaction with Zedekiah and the fall of Jerusalem
• Chapters 46-51 Divine punishment to the nations surrounding Israel
• Chapter 52 Appendix that retells 2 Kings 24.18-25.30

• Jeremiah confronts many people with their sins: Kings, false prophets, those at the temples, and those at the gates. 
• A lack of response made Jeremiah wonder if he was doing any good at all.  He often felt discouraged and sometimes bitter. 
• Jeremiah lived to seem may of his prophecies come true…most notably the fall of Jerusalem. 
• The fulfillment of this and other prophecies against the foreign nations came as a result of sin.

• Judah – captivity and restoration
• Cities – Jerusalem, Babylon, and Damascus
• Gentile Nations – Egypt, Philistia, Moab, Ammon, Edom, Elam , and Bablyon
• The Messiah…Jesus Christ

• To bring such gloomy messages to these people was a hard task.  We, too, have a responsibility to bring this news to a fallen world. 
• Those who continue in their sinful ways are eternally doomed. 
• Although we may feel discouraged at the lack of response, we must press on to tell others about the consequence of sin and the hope that God offers. 
• Those who tell people only what they want to hear are being unfaithful to God’s message. Those who refuse to confess their sin bring judgment upon themselves.

• This book is a combination of history, poetry, and biography…and not written in chronological order.
• Jeremiah often used symbolism to communicate his message. 
• Jeremiah is the longest book with respect to number of words.

Please post any improvement ideas you would want to see, and I will let you know if they can be improved.

• over 40 generations
• over 40 authors
• from many walks of life (i.e. - kings, peasants, philosophers, fishermen, poets, statesmen, scholars)
• Written…
• different places (i.e. - wilderness, dungeon, palaces)
• at different times (i.e. - war, peace)
• in different moods (i.e. - heights of joy, depths of despair)
• on three continents (Asia, Africa, and Europe)
• in three languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek)

• Genesis 12:1-3; Matthew 28:18-20; John 3:16; 10:10; Acts 16:30-31; Rev 22:14, 17

Bible Content

 

Category Coverage:

·         26% History

·         20% Law

·         17% Major Prophets

·         11% Gospels

·         10% Wisdom and Poetry

·         6% Paul’s Letters

·         4% Minor Prophets

·         3% Acts History

·         2% General Letters

·         1% Revelation

The word "God" appears in every book of the Bible except Esther and Song of Solomon

Integrated Design

·         The NT is in the OT Concealed, The OT is in the NT Revealed

·         "The New is in the Old contained; / "The Old is in the New explained”

·         "The New is in the Old latent; / The Old is in the New patent." – Augustine

·         Christ is on every page

·         In a real sense the New Testament cannot be well understood without the Old Testament.

·         Every detail is anticipated by deliberate, skillful, design; which demonstrates that its origin is from outside our time domain.

·         Jesus quotes the Old Testament twenty-two times:

o    19 times in Matthew,

o    15 times in Mark,

o    25 times in Luke,

o    11 times in John.

·         Revelation quotes the Old Testament 245 times.

·         The Letter to the Hebrews quotes or alludes to the Old Testament 85 times.

Understanding the Bible in one word - "AMPEC"

• Anticipation – OT summed up as the anticipation of Christ
• Manifestation – Gospels are the embodiment of Christ
• Proclamation – Acts (Beginning of the Church), Message of Christ is spread throughout the world
• Explanation – Romans through Jude, Letters to the Churches explaining new faith in Christ
• Culmination – Revelation, Reveals victory in Christ and final “arrival” of all things.