RBT for Jeremiah – August 2021
Introduction to Jeremiah Part 1 Ch 1-29
Jeremiah, who was a priest from the priestly city of Anathoth near Jerusalem , prophesied for 40 years. He was called by God as a prophet during the reign of Josiah, the last godly king of Judah. He continued to minister in Jerusalem during the reigns of the wicked kings who followed him, until the sacking of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar. In the days of the godly King Josiah, Jeremiah supported the reforms, called for national repentance and strongly warned against trusting in mere external changes without any change of heart (see ch4:3 etc.)
After the death of Josiah, killed in battle by the Egyptians, the land came under Egyptian rule. Jehoahaz was deposed and Jehoiakim was set up as a puppet king. The people continued trusting in formal external temple worship etc., their hearts being far from true faith. Jeremiah’s warnings against formalism and superstition (eg ch7:1-7) led to his imprisonment. When released he was forbidden to preach publically. Jeremiah then committed his message to writing, dictating to Baruch, who read it to the king.( see ch 36). The king promptly burned the scroll but Jeremiah dictated the same message again. Chapters 11 to 17 make plain the certainty of divine judgement against the nation.
Jeremiah counselled Judah’s last king Zedekiah to submit to Nebuchadnezzar promising that if he did so God would be with him. For giving this advice he was imprisoned on a charge of high treason. On escape from the dungeon he comforted the faithful remnant, who believed his message with the promise that the exile would last for 70 years. After this the return and restoration promised by Isaiah would follow.
Following the sacking of Jerusalem, Jeremiah was not taken into captivity but was allowed to remain free in Jerusalem. The Babylonians appointed a governor to rule over the Jews remaining in the land. However, the people revolted, killing the governor and they subsequently fled to Egypt. Jeremiah was forced to accompany them and it was there that he concluded over 40 years of prophecy.
Timeline
| 640BC | Godly King Josiah came to the throne |
| 626BC | Jeremiah called by God |
| 609BC | Josiah killed in battle with the Egyptians, |
| Wicked Jehoahaz reigned for 3 months | |
| Wicked Jehoiakim begins his reign | |
| 605BC | Defeat by Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel into exile) |
| 597BC | Second defeat by Nebuchadnezzar |
| King Jehoiakim taken to Babylon | |
| Jehoiakin reigns for 3 months | |
| Jehoiakin taken to Babylon (Ezekiel into exile) | |
| Zedekiah begins his reign | |
| 586BC | Third defeat by Nebuchadnezzar |
| Jerusalem sacked and the Temple destroyed | |
| Zedekiah taken to Babylon | |
| Jeremiah set free and allowed to stay in Jerusalem by the Babylonians |
Far more detail concerning the prophet’s life and ministry is found in the Book of Jeremiah than of any other Old Testament prophet. However these incidents and prophecies are not given in any recognisable order and are definitely not arranged chronologically. This can make for confusion when reading the book. It is best to read the historical account of the period in 2 Kings 22-25 alongside Jeremiah.
Here is a rough outline:-
| Ch 1-3 | Call to the nation to repent of idolatry, probably early in Josiah’s reign |
| Ch 4-6 | The need for a change of heart to match the changes of practice brought about by Josiah’s reforms. |
| Ch 7-10 | Warnings against trusting in the form of outward worship, temple services etc. |
| Ch 11-17 | Warnings that judgement was inevitable because King Jehoiakim and the people refused to repent |
| Ch 18-36 | Miscellaneous prophecies relating to different periods (not in date order, some would say totally mixed up!) |
| Ch 37-45 | Jeremiah’s personal story during and after the fall of Jerusalem |
| Ch 46-51 | Prophecies against the Gentile nations |
| Ch 52 | Historical appendix (Compare 2 Kings 25) |
‘Search the Scriptures’ (IVP) helpfully assigns the chapters to the reigns of the different kings.
- Reign of Josiah 1-4
- Reign of Jehoiakim 7-20, 22, 25, 26, 30, 31, 35, 36, 45
- Reign of Zedekiah 21, 23, 24,27-29, 32-34, 37-39
During August we are studying Jeremiah chapters 1-29. We will return to study the rest of the book in November.
RBT Reading Plan for Jeremiah Part 1 Ch 1-29 August 2021
| Date | Passage | Content |
| Sun 1st | Jer 1 | The Lord calls and empowers Jeremiah. |
| Mon 2nd | Jer 2:1-25 | Israel has forsaken the Lord. |
| Tues 3rd | Jer 2:26-3:5 | Israel has turned from the living God to powerless idols. |
| Wed 4th | Jer 3:6-4:4 | Unfaithful Israel called to repentance. |
| Thurs 5th | Jer 4:5-31 | The Lord will bring judgement- disaster from the north. |
| Fri 6th | Jer 5:1-13 | All Jerusalem, high and low refuse to repent. |
| Sat 7th | Jer 5:14-31 | Words of fire, Jeremiah to announce God’s judgement on Jerusalem |
| Sun 8th | Jer 6 | The coming siege of Jerusalem |
| Mon 9th | Jer 7:1-8:3 | False worship is both utterly worthless and a great offence to the living God |
| Tues 10th | Jer 8:4-17 | Judah’s sin, deceit and punishment |
| Wed 11th | Jer 8:18-9:26 | Who is grieving for Judah’s sin? |
| Thur 12th
|
Jer 10 | How absolutely foolish to trust in that which is made by human hands and minds. |
| Fri 13th | Jer 11 | The covenant is broken! |
| Sat 14th | Jer 12 | Jeremiah’s complaint and the Lord’s answer |
| Sun 15th | Jer 13 | The linen belt, jars filled with wine. Exile and captivity threatened. |
| Mon 16th | Jer 14 | Famine, sword and pestilence despite the lies of the false prophets |
| Tues 17th | Jer 15 | The Lord will not relent. |
| Wed 18th | Jer 16 | Following famine, sword and death the Lord will yet restore Israel. |
| Thur 19th | Jer 17 | Judah’s sin will not be forgotten. |
| Fri 20th | Jer 18 | At the Potter’s house |
| Sat 21st | Jer 19 | The Lord will smash the nation and city as Jeremiah smashes the jar. |
| Sun 22nd | Jer 20 | Jeremiah persecuted by Pashhur, both a priest and a false prophet |
| Mon 23rd | Jer21:1-22:10 | God rejects King Zedekiah’s request |
| Tues 24th | Jer 22:11-30 | Judgement announced against evil kings |
| Wed 25th | Jer 23:1-8 | The Branch, the Messiah, Our Jesus |
| Jer 23:9-40 | Lying Prophets | |
| Thur 26th | Jer 24 | The good figs and the bad figs |
| Fri 27th | Jer 25 | The seventy years of exile |
| Sat 28th | Jer 26 | Jeremiah threatened with and delivered from death |
| Sun 29th | Jer 27 | Judah to serve Nebuchadnezzar |
| Mon 30th | Jer 28 | Hananiah the false prophet |
| Tues 31st | Jer 29 | Jeremiah’s letter to the exiles |