We’ll be starting a new bible study in Jeremiah next Wednesday evening (August 23), which may move some to ask, “Why Jeremiah?”
It’s about much more than the morbidly curious prospect of whether I am capable of teaching a 52-chapter book in 11 weeks! There may be many reasons to study Jeremiah, but here are four that make this book particularly pertinent to our lives.
- Jeremiah lived in a difficult time.
The Northern kingdom of Israel had already been dispersed by Assyrians. The Southern kingdom of Judah had received the proverbial death sentence from God for following in Israel’s footsteps. Under king Manasseh’s reign the people had engaged in such horrible offenses against God that He finally announced, “I am bringing upon Jerusalem and Judah such disaster that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle” (2 Kings 21:12).
One scene demonstrates how far removed the people had become from faithfulness to Yahweh. When the high priest under king Josiah found a copy of the law of Yahweh in the temple, it was as if an ancient time capsule had been unearthed (2 Chron 34:8-21).
The culture was steeped in idolatry and injustice from the kings to the prophets to the priests to the people (Jer 2:8-13; 5:26-31).
This makes for a somewhat straightforward contextual application to our lives, does it not? We, too, live in a culture filled with idols, set on dishonoring God and wronging those made in His image. Ours is a world where the Word of God is an archaeological relic, rather than a living, double-edged sword the Spirit. The obstinate spirit of pre-exilic Judah may not be so different from the modern West.
2) Jeremiah was given a difficult task.
Jeremiah was given a life-saving message for a truth-denying age. His message was relatively simple. Judgment is imminent unless you repent (Jer 4:1-4). If you repent, even now, He will relent of the disaster He has pronounced against you (Jer 26:12-13). But the people denied that Jeremiah’s message was from God, preferring instead to listen to false prophets (5:31; 43:1-4; 44:16).
Proclaiming an unpopular message to an unfavorable culture… Isn’t this the calling of all believers? The gospel is naturally offensive to fallen people, especially when any number of alternative human philosophies and religions can be found to justify them in their sin. The difficulty of Jeremiah’s task is very much like the difficulty we face in being faithful to open our mouths in this modern culture.
Additionally, the central hope of Jeremiah—the new covenant—is sorely needed in our culture. The parallels between ancient Judah and the modern West only serve to remind us that both man’s need and God’s solution are timeless. Study of this great book can move us to be faithful in this difficult task as was Jeremiah.
3) Jeremiah experienced much opposition in his ministry.
At his calling, God promised Jeremiah a metaphorical body of armor against the opposition he would face from kings, official, priests, and people (Jer 1:18). The prophet was accused of being a false prophet himself (Jer 43:1-4), despised as a traitor (38:4), rejected and threatened by his own kinsmen (11:18-12:6), and banned from the temple (36:4-6). Moreover, he was beaten, imprisoned, and left for dead in a cistern (37-38).
Many of us have and/or will experience difficulty in our endeavors to be faithful ministers of the gospel. Some have known strained or lost relationships with family members or close friends. Others have lost jobs or missed opportunities for advancement. It can be encouraging to see that if/when we suffer, we follow in the steps of others like Jeremiah.
More importantly…
4) Jeremiah experienced much kindness from God.
When God promised to protection to Jeremiah, the nature of that protection was God’s own presence: “…for I am with you, declares the LORD, to deliver you” (Jer 1:19). God vindicated Jeremiah from false accusations (27:1–28:17; 29:24-32), rescued him from near death (38:7-13), answered his troubled questions (15:1-21), and provided for him in the aftermath of destruction (39:11-14). On top of this, there was the glorious blessing of being the mouthpiece heralding a new and better covenant (30-33).
The branch of David (Jer 23:5; 33:15) is the Jesus of the gospel. The God who helped the prophet is the God who helps us. As we see God’s faithfulness to Jeremiah, we are encouraged to trust Him to sustain us in our gospel work.
We’d love to see you next Wednesday at 6:30. Bring a Bible, a notebook, and a pen!
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