Bible

We’re back in the Bible room today, as we continue reading the summary of Jeremiah with Session 2, chapters 12 through 22.

Note: In his book, Jeremiah’s writings are not necessarily in chronological order.

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Jeremiah – Session 2 of 5

Chapter 12. Introspection

Jeremiah begins a period of introspection and seeking the mind of the Lord:

• Jeremiah wants to ask the Lord about some of His judgements;
• His first question is about how evil people can prosper;
• These people seem to give only lip service to the Lord;
• But the Lord knows that Jeremiah’s heart is pure;
• And he is asking the Lord with a genuine concern;
• The Lord’s answer: Do not believe what your neighbors say;
• The Lord loves His people, but they have abandoned Him;
• And He has let them go to follow their own desires;
• He has allowed His people to be overrun by many enemies;
• But for their own good He will allow them to be invaded;
• And many will be taken away captive for a time of renewal;
• After that He will allow them to return to their homeland;
• If the neighbors will leave their idol worship they can join them;
• But if they will not the Lord will destroy the ungodly neighbors.

Chapter 13. Lessons

Jeremiah takes some lessons from the Lord to learn a few hard facts:

• The Lord tells the prophet to get himself a linen sash;
• Later the Lord tells him to hide the sash in a rock in the ground;
• Many days later he is directed to go recover the sash;
• When he dug up the sash it had rotted and become ruined;
• The Lord says His people were once bound to Him;
• But their pride, and idolatry, has made them a useless people;
• Then the Lord shows the prophet the lesson of the wine bottles;
• They are filled with people who have become drunk;
• The Lord will allow them to smash each other to pieces;
• A symbol of Judah being taken into captivity;
• With all her infidelities and idolatries exposed to the world.

Chapter 14. Dry

The Lord speaks to Jeremiah about the great drought coming to the land:

• The young men are sent to find water, but the wells are dry;
• There is no rain, everything in the land is dry;
• The people cry out in distress, confess to their many sins;
• They pray to the Lord that He will not leave them;
• The Lord tells the people He will punish them;
• He tells Jeremiah to not offer prayers for these people;
• He will not accept them, and He will punish them:
• By the sword, the famine, and the pestilence;
• The false prophets in the city tell them not to worry;
• The Lord will not punish them by any means;
• But the Lord says these are false prophets, telling lies;
• He has not told them anything as they are not His;
• Jeremiah tells the people he will be weeping for them;
• The punishment of the Lord will be as He said;
• The people begin to seek the Lord for forgiveness;
• They pledge to change and to serve the Lord.

Chapter 15. Destruction

Moses and Samuel condemned this rebellious people many years ago:

• Therefore, the Lord says He will punish them severely;
• He will allocate to them four forms of destruction:
• To be killed by the sword, dragged by the dogs, eaten by birds,
• And consumed by wild beasts; they will see all kinds of trouble;
• The Lord will remember the evil done by King Manasseh;
• And there will be no one to feel sorry for you;
• There will be no one to ask you how you are feeling;
• The Lord’s people simply will not change their evil ways;
• Terror is coming down on them suddenly;
• Jeremiah is very sad, falls into a state of depression;
• He says everyone he knows is now cursing him;
• He asks the Lord to stand between him and his enemies;
• And the Lord renews His promise of protection.

Chapter 16. Warning

The Lord sends a warning to Jeremiah about his future plans:

• The prophet decides he will not marry a woman from Jerusalem;
• He should not plan to have any children there as well;
• These people are all going to die extremely vicious deaths;
• And their corpses will be left for the birds and beasts;
• The Lord has removed his spirit from this place;
• The prophet will tell the people what the Lord has said;
• They ask him why the Lord will allow these calamities;
• It’s because they have abandoned the ways of the Lord;
• They have become an evil, corrupt, idolatrous nation;
• And they will know that the Lord has punished them.

Chapter 17. Anger

The Lord tells His people His anger is so hot it will burn forever:

• The Lord’s people have so totally failed Him they are hopeless;
• But He says Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord;
• And who has his hope in the Lord;
• For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters; but
• The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked;
• Who can know it? I, the Lord, search the heart;
• All who forsake the Lord will be ashamed;
• Jeremiah prays: Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed;
• Do not let me be ashamed;
• The prophet is told to go stand at the gates of Jerusalem;
• He is to preach to the people: You must keep the Sabbath holy;
• If the people listen to his words and obey the Lord’s command;
• They will be blessed above all their neighbors;
• But if they do not obey the Lord, they will be punished.

Chapter 18. Pottery

The Lord sends Jeremiah down to the potter’s house to watch him work:

• He watches as the potter spins a piece of pottery on the wheel;
• The piece is formed but it comes off with a major flaw;
• So the potter changes his plan and forms it to something else;
• The Lord says this is a picture of Israel’s history;
• Because Israel has been so disobedient to the Lord’s will;
• The Lord is planning a disaster in the future for Israel;
• But He can change that plan if Israel will repent;
• But they continue on in their disobedience;
• So, calamity is coming to Israel;
• For his words of warning Jeremiah’s life is threatened;
• The prophet prays for the Lord to protect him;
• And for the Lord to destroy his enemies.

Chapter 19. Proclaim

The Lord instructs Jeremiah to proclaim the words from the Lord:

• Jeremiah is to acquire a standard, earthen jar;
• Gather to him a group of leaders in Jerusalem;
• Tell them to watch as he breaks the earthen jar;
• Judah and Jerusalem have abandoned their Lord;
• They have turned aside into idol worship, pagan customs;
• Tell them the Lord says He will break the people of Judah;
• As the jar is broken into small pieces;
• Later, Jeremiah stands in front of the temple to preach;
• He will proclaim the words given to him by the Lord;
• Judah and Jerusalem are doomed for their rebellion.

Chapter 20. Praise

Jeremiah says he will sing and praise the Lord for his protection:

• The prophet is often under attack from his detractors;
• An evil priest named Pashhur is overseer of the temple;
• He does not like the preaching of Jeremiah against Jerusalem;
• He has Jeremiah arrested and put in stocks for a day;
• The prophet is released and tells Pashhur the words of the Lord;
• The evil priest will face the wrath of the Babylonians;
• He will be taken captive to Babylon and there he will die;
• Jeremiah complains to the Lord about all the abuse he takes;
• But he recognizes that the Lord is protecting him;
• And he will sing to the Lord, and he will praise Him;
• But he still bemoans his troubles, regrets the day he was born.

Chapter 21. End

Jeremiah sees the end coming for Jerusalem and Judah:

• King Zedekiah sends a message to Jeremiah;
• He wants the prophet to pray for a miracle from the Lord;
• He wants the Lord to stop the Babylonian invasion;
• King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon has surrounded Jerusalem;
• But the Lord tells Jeremiah that He will not stop the attack;
• In fact, the Lord is giving Jerusalem, Judah over to Babylon;
• This is the captivity that Jeremiah has been preaching about;
• Jeremiah tells the people they have a choice to make;
• They can fight to defend the city against the attackers;
• Where they will all die very soon;
• Or they can surrender and be taken alive to Babylon;
• The Lord has given the city and the nation to Babylon;
• King Nebuchadnezzar will burn Jerusalem to the ground;
• Jeremiah delivers the word of the Lord’s judgement.

Chapter 22. Weep

The Lord says: Do not weep for the dead; weep for those taken captive:

• The captive will never see his homeland again;
• The Lord sends Jeremiah to see the king of Judah;
• He tells the king why the Lord has given Judah to Babylon;
• Judah has abandoned the covenant they made with the Lord;
• They have corrupted themselves with idolatry and evil;
• The king will be taken captive where he will die;
• The new king, installed by the captors, will die in Jerusalem;
• There will be no more rulers from the throne of David.

End of Session 2 of 5 of the book of Jeremiah