HOPE AMONG RUINS Lesson One: Introduction to the Book of J eremiah

transcript

HOPE AMONG RUINS

Lesson One: Introduction to the Book of Jeremiah

A study of the book of Jeremiahby Pastor Kris Holroyd

Sunday evenings at 6:00 p.m.

Book Recommendations

• Jeremiah and Lamentations: From Sorrow to Hope by Philip Ryken

• A Commentary on Jeremiah: Exile and Homecoming by Walter Brueggemann

• Jeremiah by Louis Stulman• Jeremiah by Jack Lundbom (3 vols.)• ESV Bible Atlas and ESV Study Bible

• Historical Context• Some themes from the book

Historical Context

• Manasseh 687-642 (2 Kings 21)– Reigns 55 years– Pagan worship flourishes– Aligns himself with Assyria– Assyria weakening, as Egypt declares

independence

Historical Context (cont.)

• Amon 642-640 (2 Kings 21)– Like his father– Pro-Assyrian– Assassinated by anti-Assyrian party

• Josiah 640-609 (2 Kings 22-23)– Assyria begins to regain power– Josiah put on throne at 8 years old by those

seeking political independence and a return to the worship of YHWH

• Josiah 640-609 (cont.)– 622 BC widespread religious and nationalistic

reformation• Repair of the temple• Centralized worship in Jerusalem• Book of the Law restored• Political independence

• Josiah 640-609 (cont.)– Meanwhile, in Assyria• Rapidly losing power• Big military defeat in 626

– Babylon rebels– Nabopolassar defeats Assyria in battle and becomes

Babylonian king• Nineveh falls in 612 to Bablon/Medes coalition

• Josiah 640-609 (cont.)– Meanwhile, in Assyria (cont.)• Egypt (Pharaoh Neco II) helps Assyria retake a city in

609, but both defeated• Egypt perhaps delayed in battle with Judah at Megiddo;

Josiah dies

• Jehoahaz 609 (2 Kings 23)– Made king when father Josiah dies in battle– Egypt, however, takes control of Judah while

returning after loss to Babylon– Jehoahaz taken to Egypt

• Jehoiakim 609-598 (2 Kings 23-24)– Jehahaz’s older brother– Put on throne by Pharoah Neco II– Egypt demands heavy tribute

• Jehoiakim 609-598 (cont.)– Four years later, Babylon surprise Egyptian army at

Carchemish (605), soundly defeating them– Referenced in Jer. 46:2

• Jehoiakim 609-598 (cont.)– Babylon growing in strength, Nabopolassar dies,

Nebuchadnezzar takes over– Jehoiakim switches allegiance to Babylon for three

• Jehoiakim 609-598 (cont.)– 601 BC, Babylon and Egypt continue their war

closer to Egypt– Babylon retreats north– Pro-Egyptian party encourages Jehoiakim to rebel;

he declares independence– Babylon retaliates; Jehoiakim dies (perhaps

assassinated)

• Jehoiachin (Jeconiah) 598-597 (2 Kings 24-25)– Placed on the throne when Jehoiakim dies– Full Babylonian army surrounds the city (Dec. 598)– Three months later, the city surrenders– Temple looted– Deportation:• Jehoiachin• Queen mother• High officials and skilled laborers

• Zedekiah 597-586 (2 Kings 24)– Jehoiachin’s uncle– Placed on throne by Nebuchadnezzar– National turmoil

• Zedekiah 597-586 (cont.)– Coalition hoped Babylon rule short lived,

encouraged insurrection– Pro-Egyptian factions clash with Pro-Babylon– Exiles believed Jehoiachin still rightful king– Jeremiah, “pro-Babylon,” encourages patience, no

rebellion

• Zedekiah 597-586 (cont.)– 589 BC Zedekiah declares independence and

rebels– Babylon responds; Egypt attempts to help– 586 (after a 3 year siege), Jerusalem falls; temple

and palace destroyed; more deportation

• After the Fall of Jerusalem– Gedaliah governs Judah• Family helped Josiah’s reforms• He supported Jeremiah’s ministry• Assassinated after about four years

– Jeremiah says to stay in the land– He is accused of treason and hauled off to Egypt

with those fleeing the land, perhaps fleeing a third Babylonian deportation

• After the Fall of Jerusalem (cont.)– Jeremiah prophecies in Egypt (chapter 44),

particularly against those worshiping the queen of heaven

– Jeremiah’s message to Egyptian exiles: the future of Judah lies with those in Babylon

SOME THEMES IN JEREMIAH

• God’s incredible and long-suffering love– “Suffering love grows out of divine vulnerability

and weakness…it reflects a situation of anguish occasioned by a broken relationship.” Stulman, 23-24)

– Chapters 2-3 and Israel as an unfaithful wife

SOME THEMES IN JEREMIAH (cont.)

• God’s sovereign reign over the nations– Chapters 26-52– God’s judgment on Judah– God’s judgment on the nations– God’s directing of the nations for his plans and

people

• Theodicy– Why do bad things happen?– How can a good God let bad things happen?

• Jeremiah as example– Living faithfully when life gets hard– Jeremiah faces such hardships as:• Humiliation• Reproach• Threats on his life• Anxiety, sorrow, longing for death

• How to live in a non-”Christian” society– Jeremiah 29 and the letter to the exiles– How do the exiles live in pagan Babylon?– What can we learn from Jeremiah’s instructions to

them with regard to living in our non-Christian culture today?

• The Covenant God makes with his people– The “new” covenant for the exiles– The new covenant as it points to the coming of

Christ

• The formation of the Word of God– Jeremiah 36 and the burning of the scroll– The formation of the written word of God– True prophets versus false prophets: discerning

truth in a world of falsehoods

• Hope– Ultimately, Jeremiah is a book of hope for a

people suffering judgment

HOPE AMONG RUINS Lesson One: Introduction to the Book of J eremiah

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