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.