Jeremiah & God’s Enduring Truth
-Introduction
-About 100 years after the fall of the northern kingdom of Israel to the Assyrians, Jeremiah began
proclaiming his prophetic messages to the southern kingdom of Judah.
-Within the book of Jeremiah, we also find prophecies regarding other nations. However,
the emphasis lies on Judah and its rebellious people.
-Jeremiah’s primary work in the southern kingdom of Judah lasted about 40 years.
-He began in the 13th year of Josiah’s reign and continued his work until the 11th year of
Zedekiah when the Babylonians prevailed and took the people captive. (586 BC)
-However, some of Jeremiah’s work extended beyond the fall of Jerusalem and Judah and
therefore extended beyond the 40 years.
-The Kings During the Time of Jeremiah
-Josiah was Judah’s last good king - 2 Kings 22:1-2; 2 Chron 34:1-7.
-It was Josiah who ordered the refurbishing of the temple. This was when the book of the law
was found by Hilkiah, the high priest. He gave it to Shaphan, the scribe, who then read it
before the king.
-The king then had it read to the people - 2 Chron 34:29-33
-When Josiah was killed in battle (2 Chron 35:20-24) his son, Jehoahaz, was appointed as king.
-2 Kings 23:32 says that “…he did evil in the sight of the Lord”.
-Jehoahaz was dethroned by the king of Egypt after only three months. The Egyptians then
appointed another son of Josiah, Eliakim to the throne. His name was changed to Jehoiakim.
-Jehoiakim reigned for 11 years and did evil in the sight of God (2 Kings 23:36-37).
-During his reign, the Babylonians fought against Judah and took some of the people
(including Daniel). Initially, the Babylonians were going to take Jehoiakim but then
allowed him to remain.
-Upon the death of Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin reigned in his place.
-He reigned for only three months and did that which was evil - 2 Kings 24:9.
-During his reign, the Babylonians besieged Jerusalem.
-Jehoiachin and his family were among the 10,000 people (2 Kings 24:14) taken into
captivity.
-The Babylonians appointed Mattaniah to the throne and changed his name to Zedekiah.
-Zedekiah reigned 11 years until the overall fall of Jerusalem and Judah to the Babylonians.
-Zedekiah also did evil in the sight of God.
-These were troubled times politically.
-More tragically, following Josiah, the times were troubled spiritually.
-These were the days of Jeremiah.
-God’s Words to Jeremiah
-Jeremiah 1:4-10, 17-19
-In response to these verses, we might get the idea that Jeremiah could openly walk about
proclaiming God’s message without any threat of persecution or tribulation.
-Perhaps this is what Jeremiah initially thought.
-Two-fold message: repentance (Jer 7:1-7); impending doom & defeat (Jer 25:1-11, Jer 21:3-10)
-Jeremiah urged the people to repent. However, due to their refusal to do so, Jeremiah’s
message warned of many hardships to come and eventual defeat and captivity at the hands
of the Babylonians.
-The people preferred the messages of the false prophets – Jer 14:13-15.
-As a result his message, Jeremiah was considered a traitor and was severely persecuted.
-Jeremiah’s Hardships
-Jer 11:19-23 - like a lamb before the slaughter
-They were threatening Jeremiah by telling him that if he continued to prophesy in the name
of the Lord, he would die. Notice, this group was from Jeremiah’s hometown of Anathoth.
-Jer 12:6, 16:1-2 - Jeremiah was alone - brothers against him, instructed not to marry.
-Jer 20:1-6 – placed in stocks
-Jer 26:8-16 – had his life threatened
-Jer 28:1-4 – opposed by false prophets
-Jer 29:24-29 – also opposed by false prophets taken into Babylonian captivity
-Jer 32:1-3 – imprisoned by Zedekiah
-Jer 36:5 – “I am shut up” – hindered in some fashion from going to the temple
-Jer 36:26 – Jeremiah and Baruch were sought after but hid by the Lord.
-Jer 37:4, 11-15 – falsely charged as a traitor, arrested, beaten and imprisoned
-Jer 38:6 – cast into a dungeon – This seems to be a cistern that no longer had water in it but mud
that Jeremiah was left to stand in without food or water.
-Jeremiah was then rescued from that location but still held in prison.
-He was still in prison when Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians.
-The Babylonians released him and allowed him to remain in the land.
-Jer 43:1-7 – false accusations made about Jeremiah – taken into the land of Egypt
-The Truth Endures and Prevails
-Truly, these were times of great turmoil and trouble.
-This was a time when Jeremiah’s message – God’s truth – was not well received.
-The truth didn’t contain the message the people wanted to hear, yet they needed to hear it.
-Others proclaimed false messages that were much more attractive and convenient for the
people.
-Yet, the false message was proven to be just that – false, empty, without profit.
-Also, the false message became one without prophets as well. – Jer 37:16-21
-When the message was proven false, the false prophets no longer stood to it.
-In Jeremiah 36, Jehoiakim burned the scroll containing Jeremiah’s words. Yet, that didn’t
change the message. Another scroll was produced – Jer 36:32.
-Here it is over 2,500 years later and we’re reading and studying the words of Jeremiah.
-The truth does not go away. The truth will not go away. (1 Pet 1:24-25)
-May we never forget the power in God’s word! Let us not be timid in defending it and
proclaiming it.
-Summary and Invitation
-The message was rejected and God’s messenger, Jeremiah, was severely persecuted. Yet, the
truth remains today.
-We should be extremely thankful for all of those who God involved in His revelation of the
truth – Jeremiah and all the prophets, the apostles – and especially Jesus, the Son of God.
-Not a word of Jeremiah was left unfulfilled – the Babylonians came, the 70 years of captivity
took place, a remnant returned to the land and the time of great hope – the Gospel age – arrived.
-Jer 33:15-16
-Now, in the Gospel of Christ, we can have the ultimate
peace with the hope of an eternal home in heaven.
To receive it and abide within it we must respond to God’s enduring truth.
-False messages will not help but will be proven vain – empty, without profit.
-It is only through the truth that we can be set free – John 8:31-32.
-Have you responded to the truth? Are you abiding in the truth right now?
(October 23, 2005)