Jeremiah: A Few Statements Worth Revisiting

In my earlier article, Tear Drops, I pointed out a few things about Jeremiah's tears and the circumstances surrounding his ministry.

Yesterday, our agenda was to focus on his why — why he spoke, acted, and wrote the things he did. He communicated what God had placed in his heart through these three approaches. If the people could not hear the message, they could see it through his actions. If they neither heard nor saw it, they would at least read about it later. One brother by the name of Baruch was instrumental in writing down Jeremiah's messages. We see this relationship introduced in Jeremiah 36, and the opening verses of the book (1:1–3) also give us a narrator's account of Jeremiah's ministry.

We are now about sixty years after Isaiah's death. Isaiah was the high-end prophet who spoke about the doom that was coming and the dawn that would eventually follow. Jeremiah comes in to witness that doom unfolding literally. Daniel and Ezekiel will speak during the captivity, while Esther will quietly sneak into the storyline around the same period. Quite a cast, if you ask me!

Jeremiah made several key statements, and it is important that we understand them within their original context. Some of these statements have become very popular, and we often quote them without asking what was happening when they were first spoken. So, allow me to throw in a few questions to help us process them.

1. In line with his calling:

"Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations." (Jeremiah 1:5)

Does this statement apply to every reader, or was God speaking specifically to Jeremiah about his prophetic calling?

2. In line with his mission:

"See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant." (Jeremiah 1:10)

Is this Jeremiah's vision statement, or is it a general assignment for anyone who reads the Bible and feels inspired? Are we all supposed to start uprooting and pulling down things?

3. Concerning the people of Judah

"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9)

Why did God say this about their hearts? What was happening among the people that made this statement necessary?

4. The case against the Israelites:

"My people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water." (Jeremiah 2:13)

What had these people abandoned, and what had they put in its place? What were the broken cisterns in their lives?

5. His battle with God's message:

"His word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay." (Jeremiah 20:9)

What was going on with Jeremiah here? He had reached a point where he wanted to keep quiet, but God's message would not let him. This is like a swallowing-a-hot-potato moment. You want to keep it in, but wueh, it is too hot!

6. God's concern over their hard hearts:

"Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?" (Jeremiah 8:22)

Questions require answers. What exactly was God asking here? Was the problem that there was no remedy, or that the people were unwilling to respond to the remedy available to them?

7. The hope in exile:

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." (Jeremiah 29:11)

This is one of the most widely quoted statements in Jeremiah. It is often used as a general promise to anyone going through a difficult season. But who was God speaking to? What was happening to these people, and what future was He promising them? Should we generalise this statement without first understanding its original audience?

8. The call to prayer:

"Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not." (Jeremiah 33:3)

Who was being asked to call? Did they call? What did God reveal to them? Is this simply a general invitation to prayer, or was there something specific happening when God made this promise?

9. The New Covenant:

"I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people." (Jeremiah 31:33)

Was this promise concerning Israel and Judah only, or does it extend to humanity in general? How does it connect with the New Covenant that we read about in the New Testament? Did it happen, and if so, how?

10. The Righteous Branch:

"I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper... and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS." (Jeremiah 23:5–6)

A Branch. Interesting! Is this the same thing as the vine? Is the Lord a vine or a branch? What was Jeremiah communicating about the coming King, and how does this connect with what we later read about Jesus?

I hope these questions get you thinking and, more importantly, help you understand the text a little better. The idea is not to collect nice Bible statements and run with them. It is to understand what God was communicating, to whom He was speaking, and what was happening at the time. From there, we can begin drawing the lessons that apply to us.

Next week, we turn our attention to some key things about apocalyptic books and their point of view (POV). Now, that should be interesting!