Jeremiah:Jeremiah:Profile of CourageProfile of Courage

Chapters 36-38Chapters 36-38

““God’s Indestructible Word”God’s Indestructible Word”

Jeremiah - Spring 2013 Week Topic

Mar 6 Dark Prophecies: Introduction and Jeremiah 1-6

Mar 13 Dark Prophecies: Jeremiah 1-6 continued

Mar 20 False Worship: Jeremiah 7-10

Mar 27 Broken Promises, Shattered Pride: Jeremiah 11-15

Apr 3 Sin Carved on the Heart: Jeremiah 16-17

Apr 10 The Potter, Pot, and Fire: Jeremiah 18-20

Apr 17 A Scattered Flock: Jeremiah 21-24

Apr 24 God’s Law on the Heart: Jeremiah 25-33

May 1 Broken Covenants: Jeremiah 34-35

May 8 God’s Indestructible Word: Jeremiah 36-38

May 15 Judgment and Justice: Jeremiah 39-45

May 22 God’s Justice Among Nations: Jeremiah 46-52

May 29 Summary of Jeremiah

Today’s Objectives

• Study how Jeremiah had his prophecies written down and read to the public, officials, and the king, and how the king reacted

• Learn about Jeremiah’s imprisonment

• Find out why Jeremiah was thrown into and then rescued from a cistern

• Learn how King Zedekiah had lost his ability to rule his people

Review of Chapters 34-35

• Learned about the covenant to release Hebrew slaves

• Learned how and why this covenant was broken

• Learned how God reacted

• See how God used a nomadic family to highlight the faithlessness of Judah

• How to appreciate the necessity of keeping promises

Date of Chapters 36-38

• Chapter 36: – “In the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of

Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord.”

• Chapter 37:– “Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of me,

'Pharaoh's army, which has marched out to support you, will go back to its own land, to Egypt”

• Chapter 38:– “'Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword,

famine or plague, but whoever goes over to the Babylonians will live.”

Last Five Kings of JudahName Father Reign (B.C.) What happened?

Josiah Ammon 640-608 Killed at Megiddo

Jehoahaz Josiah (4) 608 Pharaoh Necho II carried him into exile

Jehoiakim Josiah (2) 608-597 Rebelled against Babylon and killed

Jehoiachin Jehoiakim 597 Exiled to Babylon

Zedekiah Josiah (3) 597-586 Sons killed, blinded, then exiled to Babylon

Nebuchadnezzar's Attacks on Jerusalem

Date Extent Result

605 B.C. Quick strike Sons of noble families deported for civil service (including Daniel)

597 B.C. Major Attack King Jehoiachin deposed; leading families and skilled workers deported (Ezekiel included)

588-586 B.C. Total Destruction City and temple destroyed; King Zedekiah blinded; all but the poor deported

Key People• Jeremiah

– Served the last five kings of Judah

– Confidant of King Josiah (639-608 B.C.), King Jehoiakim (608-597 B.C.), and King Zedekiah (597-586 B.C.)

– Member of a priestly family and was from Anathoth

– Fled to Egypt with Beruch upon destruction of Jerusalem

• King Jehoiakim– King of Judah, 608-597 B.C., corrupt and wicked

– Carried off in first Babylonian captivity (2 Ch 36:6)

• King Zedekiah– Gained the throne at age 21

– Last king of Judah, then Sent into exile

– His sons were killed and then he was blinded

Key People• Baruch

– Scribe of Jeremiah– Served at least 20 years as Jeremiah’s scribe– Stayed with Jeremiah throughout the fall of Jerusalem

and forced move to Egypt– May have been the grandson of Jerusalem’s “mayor”– Brother was an official in Zedekiah’s government

New GateTemple

Recording the Word of God (36:1-15)

• Fourth year of King Jehoiakim’s reign– 604 B.C.

– Babylonians defeated the Egyptians near Carchemish in 605 B.C.

– Daniel carried away along with sons of leading nobles– King Jehoiakim carried away, returned as a vassal

• God directs Jeremiah to write down prophecies– Covering the previous 21 years of prophecy– Encompassing Israel, Judah, and all the other nations– Perhaps a written warning of impending judgment

• Jeremiah message– Baruch records Jeremiah’s prophecies on a scroll– Jeremiah prohibited from entering the temple (vs. 5)– Priests and false prophets angered– All who came to the temple would hear the warning (vss.

6-7)

• Baruch’s reading– Carefully selected time of reading (vss. 8-10)– Specially appointed fast– From the room of Gemariah near the New Gate– Gemariah’s father was Shaphan, who had been King

Josiah’s secretary and read the law

Recording the Word of God (36:1-15)

• Jeremiah’s prophecies strike fear– Officials in fear (vs. 16)– Nature of the prophecy– Reaction of King Jehoiakim– Policies and personal attitude opposed to spiritual values

• Sympathetic Officials– Amazed at the writing– Instruct Jeremiah and Baruch to hide (vs. 19)– Scroll left in the chamber, King is told (vs. 20)– King orders the scroll brought to him (vs. 21)– King shows contempt, destroyed the scroll (vss. 22-23)

Burning the Word of God (36:16-32)

• King Jehoiakim orders Jeremiah’s arrest– Could not find Jeremiah or Baruch– Time used to rewrite the scroll

• God’s anger at King Jehoiakim– Jehoiakim’s descendants would not sit on the throne of

David (vss. 30-31)– Humiliating funeral (see 22:18-19)

• Second scroll– Expanded upon the first scroll– Perhaps the book of Jeremiah similar to today

Burning the Word of God (36:16-32)

• Jerusalem under siege– 587 B.C.

– King Zedekiah wanted Jeremiah on his side

– King Zedekiah had lost his power

• Babylonians lifted the siege– Approaching Egyptian army

– King Zedekiah asks Jeremiah for prayers

– Jeremiah predicts that Babylon would be back

– Prophet tries to depart for Anathoth

Imprisoned (Ch 37)

• Jeremiah arrested– Called a deserter– Beaten and put in a dungeon– King Zedekiah visits Jeremiah in the dungeon– Jeremiah repeats his message of destruction and

protested the injustice– King Zedekiah moves Jeremiah to a better cell and

orders him to be fed

Imprisoned (Ch 37)

• Jeremiah imprisoned– Continues to spread his message– Declared Judah's impending defeat (vss. 1-3)– King’s officials viewed Jeremiah as a traitor

• Jeremiah thrown into a cistern– Deep enough to be lowered by ropes– Faced a slow and agonizing death– See Lam 3:53, 54, where Jeremiah describes the event

• Ebed-Melech rescues Jeremiah– Questions the King on Jeremiah’s treatment– King orders Ebed-Melech to rescue Jeremiah

Jailing the Prophet of God (38:1-13)

• Zedekiah asks Jeremiah for advice– Jeremiah tells Zedekiah, again, to surrender– Babylon would neither burn the city nor kill him– Fearing mistreatment, Zedekiah refuses to listen– Zedekiah also fears his advisers and noblemen– Jeremiah stays in the courtyard of the prison until

Jerusalem falls

Zedekiah asks for Advice (38:14-28)

Review• Study how Jeremiah had his prophecies

written down and read to the public, officials, and the king, and how the king reacted

• Learn about Jeremiah’s imprisonment

• Find out why Jeremiah was thrown into and then rescued from a cistern

• Learn how King Zedekiah had lost his ability to rule his people

• Next week: Chapters 39-45, Judgment and Justice