Bible Book of the Month: Jeremiah

With the arrival of Assyrian king Tiglath-pileser III upon the scene of history, a new stage in human defiance of God set in. It was a resurgence of the spirit of Babel. Men sought for a universal kingdom whose glory would be man. To explain the situation, the prophet Isaiah was raised up. He was to see his king, Ahaz, turn against the Lord and place his trust in a human ruler, an act which brought on, step by step, the final downfall of Judah. Israel would first be taken, and then Judah (after existing about one hundred and fifty years) was finally to fall to Babylon. With Ahaz’ act, the heart of the theocracy, we might say, had been taken away. In the book of Isaiah we find the explanation of those events which were taking place and how through them God would bring about his own exaltation.

The downfall of Judah finally occurred, and there was need for another prophet (Isaiah had long been dead) to warn the nation as to the proper course for it to follow. Such a man was Jeremiah. In the account of his prophetic call (Jer. 1:10), God states that he has appointed Jeremiah over the nations and over the kingdoms to root up, break down, destroy, exterminate, build, and plant. In a sense it may be regarded as an all-embracing commission. But it does not mean that the prophet was to engage in such activity in a physical sense; rather his proclamation would have these particular effects. Like Isaiah, he too was to interpret the dealings of God with the nations of his time.

ANALYSIS OF THE PROPHECY

The following may serve as a brief outline of Jeremiah’s message.

Chapter 1. The Prophet’s Call.

Chapters 2–20. Oracles concerning Judah, its sinfulness and the coming of judgment.

Chapters 21–23. Jeremiah’s boldness with respect to Zedekiah. His courageous prophecy against false prophets.

Chapter 24. The symbolism of the two baskets of figs. The people of God and those who follow Zedekiah.

Chapter 25:1–14. Conclusion to the above. The coming of Nebuchadnezzar and the exile.

Chapter 25:15–38. Prophecies concerning the nations.

Chapters 26–29. An attempt to take the life of Jeremiah. Explanation of the appearance of the king of Babylon. Hananiah the false prophet.

Chapters 30–35. Announcement of blessings to come. The Messiah. Messages of hope.

Chapters 36–45. Personal experiences of the prophet himself.

Chapters 46–51. Oracles uttered against the nations.

Chapter 52. Appendix—of an historical and interpretive nature.

JEREMIAH’S CALL

In the book of Isaiah the personality of the prophet is for the most part kept in the background, and his message receives the pre-eminence. In Jeremiah, however, the man himself is brought to the fore. This in no way minimizes the significance of the message nor does it obscure it; rather, through the personal experiences of the prophet we get the message more deeply impressed on our minds.

Jeremiah is said to be the son of Hilkiah, one of the priests who lived at Anatoth (the modern Anata, a small village some distance northeast of Jerusalem). He first received a revelation from God during the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah, king of Judah. In this revelation God tells Jeremiah that in a special sense he has been prepared for the prophetic ministry. Even before Jeremiah had been formed in the womb, God had called him and appointed him as a prophet to the nations. Like other prophets Jeremiah protested, but in language reminiscent of Deuteronomy God tells the prophet that he is to speak all that God commands him.

To compare his call with that given to Isaiah is profitable. Like Isaiah Jeremiah is to root up and tear down, but he is also to build and to plant. Unlike Isaiah, Jeremiah receives several visions, and the first of these, in which the prophet sees the shoot of an almond tree, has to do with the certainty of fulfillment of God’s word of prophecy. With this first encouraging vision we find ourselves face to face with language reminiscent of Deuteronomy. A second vision stresses the coming of an enemy and the consequent calamity. Having received these visions the prophet is commanded to gird up his loins and to prophesy. The expression “to gird up one’s loins” probably goes back to an ancient practice of belt wrestling. Its ancient significance is lost, but it does indicate that Jeremiah is to prepare himself for the context of declaring the word of the Lord to a hostile nation.

MESSAGES OF JEREMIAH

In a brief article, it is impossible to discuss the outline of the prophecy in much detail. Probably the best one can do is say a few words about some of the principal themes with which Jeremiah deals. In the first 25 chapters, the themes are introduced. First of all the prophet stresses the fact that a punishment will come because of Israel’s apostasy and wickedness. The nation’s sin is depicted in contrast with God’s loving dealings. Thus, in Jeremiah 2:5 we have the heart of the matter: “What perverseness have your fathers found in me that they departed far from me and followed vanity and became vanity?” Jeremiah relates what God had done for the people and then asks why, in the light of God’s goodness, the nation should act as it has. Hence, Jeremiah brings to light in denunciatory fashion the sinful condition of the people who are ripe for judgment. We may note passages such as 2:9–19 in which God declares that he will condemn the nation; 2:20–37 which reveals the idolatrous worship of the people; 5:1–9 which tells of the faithlessness and godlessness of the people; and 5:20–31 wherein the guilt of Judah is set forth as the cause of her ruin.

Jeremiah announces that God will certainly punish the nation, and he will punish it by bringing on an enemy from the north. At one time this enemy was believed to be the Scythians (mentioned by the historian Herodotus), but now it is generally thought that Jeremiah is referring to the Babylonians. To enter Palestine the Babylonians would have come down into Palestine from the northeast. The enemy is described as a great nation (6:22–26), a nation which is merciless and has no pity. This description well applies to the Babylonians.

Israel must repent of her sin and turn to the Lord. If she is to live she must seek the ancient ways and walk in the ancient paths. In tender fashion God calls the people to come back to him. “Unto me, thou shalt return” (3:2). Judah in her unfaithfulness has acted like an harlot, but refuses to be ashamed of her deeds. Again in 3:11–17 there is a tender call of God to the people to come to him: “I will not be angry with you, for I am merciful” (3:12).

These themes run through the first 25 chapters of the prophecy. In a certain sense they may be said to constitute a reasoning on God’s part with the nation. They also give us the philosophy of God’s dealings with mankind. It has often been objected that in driving the Canaanites from Palestine and giving the land to the Israelites, God did an unjust thing. Today the objection is not so frequently heard. It is apparent that the Canaanites did not deserve to occupy the land. So great was their iniquity, that it was for the good of mankind that they be dispossessed of Palestine. It was God’s purpose to give Palestine to his people, that in time the Redeemer might come from them. At the same time, as Jeremiah says in 2:3, “Israel was holiness to the Lord, the firstfruit of his harvest.”

God, however, is no respecter of persons, and he will not regard iniquity. His own nation had sunk into such a state of sin that it was no longer the theocracy. It too must be removed from the land and that by a nation which knew not God. In the exile, therefore, we see manifested God’s hatred of evil, even when the evil is performed by those who claim his Name. In his first 25 chapters, Jeremiah points this out. He explains to Judah that punishment must surely come for her sin, and he urges her to repentance.

Is Jeremiah’s message relevant for today? Truly it is, for it meets us where we live. We tend to think that our problems are all “social.” As a matter of fact, our problems are basically individual, and have to do with human sin. Our nation is no stronger than the individuals which compose it. There must, if the nation itself is to survive, be a turning from sin on the part of individuals. But in their own strength, individuals cannot turn from sin; indeed, of themselves they do not really know what sin is. We need, therefore, what the men of Jeremiah’s day needed, the gospel of Christ. We need to hear the condemnation of the law, but also the invitation from a gracious God.

Like Isaiah before him, Jeremiah pointed out the true source of deliverance and the only hope of man. Indeed, reflecting upon language which Isaiah had earlier employed, Jeremiah declares that God will raise up unto David a righteous Sprout (23:5). By this figure Jeremiah obviously has in mind a king who will reign on David’s throne, and who in his reign will embody the highest ideals of the Davidic dynasty. He will reign in righteousness; indeed his Name will be “the Lord our Righteousness” (i.e., the Lord, who is the source of our righteousness). The figure goes back to 2 Samuel 23:5 where it is taught that God will cause to sprout his desire. Isaiah takes over this thought and gives to it a personal touch by applying the word Sprout or Branch to the Messiah (Isa. 4:2). In Isaiah the word is set in parallel with an expression “the fruit of the land.” Jeremiah drops the picture element, and uses the word of the Messiah in an entirely personal sense. The Sprout, according to Jeremiah, is one whom the Lord will cause to grow forth from David’s line, who will reign upon the throne of David and will in His reign exhibit a righteousness such as none of the human kings had known. When He reigns, Judah and Israel will again be reunited, and David will never lack a man to sit upon his throne (33:14–26).

In the figure of the Messiah, we see the basic similarity between Isaiah and Jeremiah. Both prophets realize clearly that there can be no hope for the nation in a merely human king. Good as were some of the descendants of David, they did not embody the ideals of the Kingdom as they should. There must come One whom the Lord himself will raise up, and this One is the Messiah. A careful reading of chapters 23 and 33 makes it clear that the salvation of which the prophet speaks is spiritual in nature. For this reason the hope of the nation lay not in might nor in power, nor in superiority in warfare, but in One whom God would raise up, in whom men would find righteousness.

JEREMIAH’S EXPERIENCES

Much in chapters 26 through 45, which deal with Jeremiah’s experiences, is self-explanatory. The chapters inform us how difficult was the work of a faithful prophet. There was, of course, the opposition of the royal court, but there was also the opposition of false prophets.

One of these false prophets, Hananiah, the son of Azur, a prophet from Gibeon, announced in the very temple, before the priests and people, that the exile would be of only two year’s duration. This prophecy was uttered to embarrass Jeremiah, for it was spoken directly to him. It may well be that when Hananiah saw the faithful Jeremiah, his resentment was aroused, and he broke out before all the people. For Jeremiah it would have been a humiliating experience, particularly when Hananiah’s message was one which the people would have rejoiced to hear. Hananiah said that the exile would endure for only two years; Jeremiah had prophesied that it would last for seventy. How this message of Hananiah’s must have thrilled the crowd, and how despised in their eyes Jeremiah must have appeared!

Jeremiah’s answer to this falsehood is truly remarkable. He utters the fervent wish that such words were true. In his inmost desires he wishes that the exile might be short-lived. But he must be faithful to the God who has commissioned him. From ancient times, he says, true prophets have spoken of war and famine and suffering. Their messages have never been well received.

So great was Hananiah’s wickedness, in speaking falsehood and in opposing the truth which Jeremiah proclaimed, that Jeremiah prophesied his death, a prophecy which was soon fulfilled, for we read, “And Hananiah the prophet died that year in the seventh month” (28:17).

False prophets constituted one of the sore burdens which Jeremiah had to bear. And in his opposition to them he reveals himself as a man of sterling courage. He is one whose main concern is to be faithful to the Lord who had called him. In this respect he sets an admirable example for those of us who would preach God’s Word today. Jeremiah did not seek popularity; he did not curry favor; he was willing to stand alone, to be ridiculed for the sake of the One whom he served. Truly he was a great prophet.

LITERATURE ON JEREMIAH

Ministers who desire preaching material from Jeremiah will find help in Fire In My Bones, by Fred M. Wood (Nashville, 1959). This little book contains a useful study of the prophecy with application to the present day. It is a stimulating work and will offer valuable help to one who is approaching the study of Jeremiah. An interesting series of studies in Jeremiah by H. L. Ellison has recently appeared in The Evangelical Quarterly. It should prove of help to those who are interested in studying the structure of the book. Among modern commentaries, that of Theo. Laetsch (St. Louis, 1952) is particularly valuable. Here is a one-volume work, thoroughly conservative, which deals with textual and critical problems. It is a pleasure to commend it. Among the older works, Keil is of course valuable. Until a newer work of the same quality and standard as Keil is produced, we shall have to depend upon his commentary. For further literature the reader may consult lists in the various introductions to the Old Testament.

EDWARD J. YOUNG

Professor of Old Testament

Westminster Theological Seminary

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