Week 2 - Jeremiah - Warnings about the coming exile and calls to repentance

Introduction: Jeremiah the Prophet:

• The Old Testament contains 17 prophetic books (Splits into major and minor prophets based on the size of the book)
• Major Prophets (5 books): Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, and Daniel
• Minor Prophets (12 books): Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachai
• Time of Birth:
  • Jeremiah was born in the mid-seventh century BC during the reign of the wicked King Manasseh. Coming from a priestly family, Jeremiah was familiar with the Law and God’s works among His people. Having lived during the reigns of the wicked Manasseh and his equally wicked son Amon, Jeremiah witnessed the moral and spiritual corruption of both the king and the people. God later called him to confront these evils.
  • The prophet Baruch was Jeremiah's disciple, who recorded many of his prophecies.
• Place of Birth:
  • Jeremiah was born in the village of Anathoth, located northeast of Jerusalem
• God’s Call:
  • God called Jeremiah to service through a vision when he was still young. His mission was to rebuke the evil of the king, leaders, priests, and people.
  • Jeremiah lived a celibate life as commanded by the Lord.
• Titles:
  • The Weeping Prophet: because of his sorrow over the fall of Jerusalem, Jeremiah prophesied before, during, and after the Babylonian exile
  • The Job of the Prophets: Jeremiah endured intense suffering, including rejection by his people, betrayal by his own brother, physical torture, and imprisonment.
• Quick Summary
  • Jeremiah's prophecies primarily focused on the coming Babylonian exile. He urged the people of Judah to repent so they could avoid destruction, but unfortunately, they ignored his warnings.
  • He faced rejection from his family, the people, and the kings, such as Manasseh, Amon, and Zedekiah, who were all evil rulers. Despite the hardships, including being thrown into a pit and imprisoned, Jeremiah remained steadfast in his prophetic mission.
  • Jeremiah also prophesied during the reign of Josiah, a righteous king, and even though there was hope during this time, the people continued in idol worship, which led to their eventual downfall.
  • When the exile came, the temple and Jerusalem were destroyed. Jeremiah wept over the destruction and wrote the Book of Lamentations. Though he was initially rejected by the people, he continued to deliver God's messages and witnessed the fulfillment of his prophecies with the Babylonian conquest.
    
  • Jeremiah's calling to ministry
    •  he was called by God to be a prophet. God told him, "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; before you were born, I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations" (Jeremiah 1:5).
      When God called him, Jeremiah felt unworthy, being a young man, but God reassured him, saying, "Do not say, 'I am a youth'; for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak." God promised that He would be with him and would protect him from harm.
      
  • Jeremiah's challenges
    • Throughout his ministry, Jeremiah faced opposition from the kings of Judah, including Jehoiakim and Zedekiah, who rejected his message. Despite this, Jeremiah continued to deliver God's word, even warning that Babylon would conquer Judah. Eventually, the people, especially those left behind after the Babylonian exile, fled to Egypt, where they continued to engage in idol worship. Jeremiah followed them to Egypt, where he was again rejected and stoned by his own people, ultimately dying a martyr’s death.

Objectives of the Book of Jeremiah:

• Call to Repentance: Urging the people to return to God.
• God’s Discipline and Mercy: Highlighting that God disciplines His children when they sin but also affirms His mercy.
• Need for the Messiah: Pointing to the hope of the coming Savior.
• Spiritual Principles:
  • Sin is a breach of the covenant with God.
  • All sins against others are ultimately offenses against God.
  • Times of hardship should lead to self-examination and renewed commitment to God.

Outline:

• The Call of Jeremiah and His Mission (Chapter 1).
• Prophecies Before the Fall of Jerusalem and the Promise of Return from Exile (Chapters 2–33).
• The History of the Fall of Jerusalem (Chapters 34–45).
• Prophecies Concerning the Nations (Chapters 46–51).
• Conclusion: Review of the Events of the Exile (Chapter 52).

Reading:

• The Book of Jeremiah chapters 2-29
  • Call to repentance
    • Chapter 2:1-8 
    • Chapter 3: 12-19
  • Temple Sermon
    • Chapter 7:1-10
  • The weeping prophet
    • Chapter 9:1
  • New Covenant
    • Chapter 11:1-14
  • Prayer of Jeremiah
    • Chapter 14:7-9
  • The good and bad figs
    • Chapter 24:1-10
  • Babylonian Exile:
    • Chapter 25: 1-14

• Outline: 

  • Call to repentance and hatred of sin. Chapters 2&3
  • Jeremiah wars against false confidence in the temple and empty rituals. Chapter 7
  • New covenant and God's judgement for disobedience. Chapter 11
  • The vision of the good and bad figs (faithful and rebellious people). Chapter 24
  • The prophecy of 70 years of Babylonian captivity as a consequences of disobedience. Chapter 25

  Resources:

   
  • Father Luke Maher - Audio (Arabic)
  • Father Dawood Lemay- Audio (Arabic)
  • Commentary on the Book of Jeremiah  (English)  Fr. Tadros Malaty. PDF: 024_Jeremiah.pdf

• Key verse(s):

  "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and future." Jeremiah 29:11

  
  

• Comments
  • Call to repentance and hatred of sin. Chapters 2&3
    • Chapter 2:1-8
      • God warns Jerusalem so that it may repent because they forsake Him and worshipped other gods and He remind them how He led them out of Egypt and guided them in the wilderness.
    • Chapter 3: 12-19
      • In his prophecy, he demonstrates how Israel can repent, summarized as follows:
        • Returning to God (verse 12): There is no solution to their problems except through faith in God and living with Him.
        • Trusting in God’s mercy (verse 12): He is very compassionate and forgiving.
        • Examining oneself (verse 13): To recognize one’s sin.
        • Obeying God (verse 14) : Sin is disobedience to Him.
        • Trusting in one’s sonship to God (verse 14): Rejecting sins that anger Him.
        • Recognizing God as the Only King of the heart (verse 15): He solves all problems, restores Israel from exile, and thus requires repentance to resolve issues.
      • Blessings of repentance
        • He gives them shepherds: priests and teachers who are obedient to Him, speak His word
        • Prophecy about Christianity, when believers in Christ multiply in the New Testament Church
        • Return from the exile
        • Receiving the grace of sonship
  • Jeremiah wars against false confidence in the temple and empty rituals. Chapter 7
    • Chapter 7:1-10
      • In the early chapters of this book, Jeremiah speaks among the people, calling them to repentance. However, now he stands publicly in the most important place—the gate of the house of the Lord, the holy temple in Jerusalem—where crowds gather to worship and bow before God. There, he rebukes everyone: the people, the leaders, and the priests
      • God requires His people—so that He may keep them in the holy land, the Promised Land—to do the following:
        • Uphold justice in their dealings.
        • Avoid oppressing the vulnerable, such as the stranger, the orphan, and the widow.
        • Refrain from shedding innocent blood to achieve their ambitions and gain.
        • Stay away from idol worship.
          
  • The weeping prophet:
    • Chapter 9:1
  • New covenant and God's judgement for disobedience. Chapter 11
    • Chapter 11:1-14
      • God calls His people in the kingdom of Judah through Jeremiah to renew their covenant with Him. 
      • Consequences of breaking the covenant: As a result of the people breaking their covenant with God, they deprive themselves of His care and protection. They face great distress, including the Babylonian invasion and exile. When they call out to God, He will not answer them due to their immersion in evil and idol worship.
  • Prayer of Jeremiah
    • Chapter 14:7-9
      • The prophet Jeremiah bears the sins of his people and offers this prayer, confessing on their behalf and acknowledging their weakness. He admits that they have sinned against God and deserving of punishment.
  • The vision of the good and bad figs (faithful and rebellious people). Chapter 24
    • Chapter 24:1-10
      • The presence of the two baskets in front of the house of God signifies the positioning of the Jews, of various kinds, before God to be judged.
      • The two types represent the righteous Jews and the wicked Jews. The first group consists of those who obeyed God, went into exile, and followed His commandments. The second group, the wicked ones, are those who remained in Jerusalem.
      • God promises those who obeyed Him and went into exile that He will bless them for accepting His discipline. He will reward them by bringing them back to Jerusalem, establishing them there, and rebuilding the temple.
        
  • The prophecy of 70 years of Babylonian captivity as a consequences of disobedience. Chapter 25
    • Chapter 25: 1-14
      • Jeremiah speaks about the Babylonian invasion, which is coming to destroy Jerusalem and warns the people for the last time, urging them to repent. The duration of the exile is seventy years

Review/recap questions:

**Servant may add more questions

• List Major and minor prophets? What's the difference between them?
• Who is the prophet Jeremiah?
• What was the prayer of Jeremiah about?
• Why was Jeremiah call the weeping prophet? what was his message?
• What does each basket of figs symbolize? 

Homework:

**Servant may add more questions

• Where did the Lord ask Jeremiah to stand and proclaim His words? Chapter 7
• Having wept continuously what does Jeremiah desire to have and why? Chapter 9:1
•  What were the words of the covenant between God and Israel? Chapter 11:7
• What do the cities of Judah offer to the gods? Chapter 11:12
  a) gold b) myrrh c) incense d) money
• O LORD, though our __________  testify against us, Do it for Your______; for our backslidings are many, We have ______against you.  Chapter 14:7
• Who do the bad figs represent?
• For how long will the nations serve the King of Babylon?