Transcript The Weeping Prophet

The
Weeping
Prophet
Introduction
 What is a prophet?
 A prophet is a person who speaks for God, in
the name of God, and who carries God's
message to others
 Adam
 Noah
 Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
 Moses
God revealed to all
of them His plan for
salvation to give
them comfort in
foreign lands
Early Prophets
 Samuel
 @ the end of the era of the Judges
 Elijah
 Elisha
Contemporaries of King
Ahab, the most evil king of
Israel, and his wife Jezebel
Late Prophets
 Major Prophets
 Prophecies focus on Christ
 Minor Prophets
 Prophecies focus on His Kingdom
 “Major” & “Minor” in terms of the size of
the books, and NOT their importance
Late Prophets
 Major Prophets
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Isaiah
Jeremiah
Ezekiel
Daniel
Baruch
 Jeremiah’s Scribe
 Deuterocanonical
Late Prophets
 Minor Prophets
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Hosea
Joel
Amos
Obadiah
Jonah
Micah
Late Prophets
 Minor Prophets (Continued)
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Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi
Late Prophets
 Rehoboam son of Solomon
 Southern Kingdom
 Tribe of Benjamin & Tribe of Judah
 Capital: Jerusalem
 Kings: some good & some bad
 Jeroboam son of Nebat
 Northern Kingdom
 10 Northern Tribes
 Capital: Samaria
 Kings: All bad
Late Prophets
 Assyrian Empire’s capital: Nineveh
 720 B.C.: Northern Kingdom falls, carried
captive by the Assyrian Empire
 700 B.C.: Sennacherib lays siege on
Jerusalem, but fails to conquer the southern
Kingdom
 Angel of the Lord kills 185,000 Assyrian
soldiers in 1 night
Late Prophets
 Assyrian Empire falls in 612 B.C.
 Babylonian Empire rules the world
 Capital: Babylon
 587 B.C.: Jerusalem falls & Kingdom of
Judah carried captive by the Babylonian
Empire
 Captivity lasts 70 years
Late Prophets
 Babylonian Empire falls in 539 B.C.
 Persian Empire rules the world
 538 B.C.: King Cyrus issued a decree for
the return of the Jews to their homeland
under the supervision of Sheshbazzar, a
prince from the tribe of Judah, and
Zerubbabel
Late Prophets
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Jonah (Minor)
Amos (Minor)
Hosea (Minor)
Isaiah (Major)
Micah (Minor)
Joel (Minor)
Prior to the
Captivity of
Israel
Late Prophets
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Nahum (Minor)
Zephaniah (Minor)
Habakkuk (Minor)
Jeremiah (Major)
Baruch (Major)
During the
Captivity of
Israel, but
Prior to the
Captivity of
Judah
Late Prophets
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Daniel (Major)
Ezekiel (Major)
Haggai (Minor)
Zechariah (Minor)
Obadiah (Minor)
Malachi (Minor)
During the Captivity
in Babylon
After the
Return from
the Captivity
Prophetesses
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Miriam, the sister of Aaron
Deborah, a judge
Huldah, @ the time of Josiah
Anna, lived in the temple @ the time of
Christ
The Book of Jeremiah
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Born in the town of Anathoth
Belongs to the priestly household of Hilkiah
Name means “The Lord establishes”
Jeremiah is a symbol for Christ
 “When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi,
He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I,
the Son of Man, am?” So they said, “Some say John
the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of
the prophets.” Matt 16:13,14
The Book of Jeremiah
 Received the call of God in 626 B.C.
 “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” Jer.
1:5
 “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth” Jer. 1:10
 “Behold, I will make My words in your mouth fire, and this people
wood, and it shall devour them.” Jer. 5:14
 Main theme: Warnings & Judgments
 Prophet of Doom
 Not too many friends
 Ahikam, & his son Gedaliah
 Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian
 Baruch
The Book of Jeremiah
 Prophesied during the reign of the following kings
of Judah:
 Josiah
 King @ 8, reigned for 31 years,
 “He did what was right in the sight of the LORD” 2 Kings 22:2
 Killed by Pharaoh Necho @ Megiddo
 Jehoahaz
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son of Josiah
King @ 23, reigned for 3 months
“he did evil in the sight of the LORD” 2 Kings 23:32
Removed from power by Pharaoh Necho
The Book of Jeremiah
 Jehoiakim, a.k.a. Eliakim
 Son of Josiah
 King @ 25, reigned for 11 years
 “He did evil in the sight of the LORD” 2 Kings
23:37
 Put in power by Pharaoh Necho, who renamed him
Jehoiakim
 Became a vassal to Nebuchadnezzar, King of
Babylon, but rebelled against him after 3 years
The Book of Jeremiah
 Jehoiachin
 Son of Jehoiakim
 King @ 18, reigned for 3 months
 “He did evil in the sight of the LORD” 2 Kings 24:9
 Taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon
 1st Deportation, Jer. 52:28-30
The Book of Jeremiah
 Zedekiah, a.k.a. Mattaniah
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Son of Josiah
King @ 21, reigned for 11 years
“He did evil in the sight of the LORD” 2 Kings 24:19
Rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon
Babylon laid siege on Jerusalem for 2 years
Zedekiah was captured trying to escape
Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, killed Zedekiah’s sons in
front of him, then put out his eyes and took him prisoner to
Babylon
 Judah taken captive & temple destroyed
 2nd Deportation, Jer. 52:28-30
The Book of Jeremiah
 Gedaliah
 Made Governor of Judah
 Killed in the 7th month by Ishmael the son of
Nethaniah
 Johanan the son of Kareah killed Ishmael the son of
Nethaniah, and fled to Egypt taking with him
Jeremiah and Baruch by force
The Book of Jeremiah
 Babylonian Deportations from Judah
 605 B.C.: in the reign of king Jehoiakim
 Daniel 1
 Daniel and the 3 young men carried-off to Babylon
 597 B.C.: in the reign of king Jehoiachin
 586 B.C.: in the reign of king Zedekiah
 581 B.C.: 5 years after the fall of Judah
 Jer. 52:28-30
The Book of Jeremiah
 Authorship
 Jeremiah
 Baruch the scribe
 Jer. 36
 Ezra
 “Thus far are the words of Jeremiah.” Jer. 51:64
 Ezra added the last chapter, Ch. 52, to record the
fulfillment of Jeremiah’s prophecies
The Book of Jeremiah
 Short term prophecies:
 “I will give all Judah into the hand of the king of
Babylon, and he shall carry them captive to Babylon
and slay them with the sword.” Jer. 20:4
 “‘The LORD lives who brought up the children of
Israel from the land of the north and from all the lands
where He had driven them.’ For I will bring them back
into their land which I gave to their fathers.” Jer. 16:15
The Book of Jeremiah
 Long term prophecies
 “I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their
hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My
people.” Jer. 31:33
 “‘ In those days and at that time I will cause to grow up
to David a Branch of righteousness; He shall execute
judgment and righteousness in the earth. In those days
Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell safely.
And this is the name by which she will be called: THE
LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.’” Jer. 33:15,16
The Book of Jeremiah
 Jeremiah was given the title “Weeping Prophet”
because of how much he wept over the sins of his
people
 Idolatry, Jer. 16:10-13
 Sacrificing even their children to other gods, Jer. 7:3034
 “Therefore do not pray for this people, nor lift up
a cry or prayer for them, nor make intercession to
Me; for I will not hear you. Do you not see what
they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of
Jerusalem?” Jer. 7:16
The Book of Jeremiah
 BUT, Jeremiah loved his people
 “O LORD, though our iniquities testify against
us, Do it for Your name’s sake; For our
backslidings are many, We have sinned against
You.” Jer. 14:7
 “We acknowledge, O LORD, our wickedness
and the iniquity of our fathers, for we have
sinned against You.” Jer. 14:20
 “Serve the king of Babylon, and live!” 27:17
The Book of Jeremiah
 Jeremiah was opposed by false prophets
who prophesied safety to a sinful nation:
 ““Thus says the LORD: ‘Even so I will break
the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon
from the neck of all nations within the space of
two full years.’” Jer. 28:11
The Book of Jeremiah
 Full of Imagery
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Potter’s clay, Jer. 18
Two baskets of figs, Jer. 24
Ruined sash, Jer. 13
Broken jar, Jer. 19
Yoke around the neck, Jer. 27
 The oracles, or prophecies, in the book of
Jeremiah are not arranged in chronological order
Intermission
The Book of Jeremiah
 In the 18th year of king Josiah’s reign, the book of
the law was found in the temple
 King Josiah proceeded to raise a spiritual revival
in the kingdom of Judah, but that revival died with
him
 After receiving the call from God, Jeremiah went
and spoke the Lord’s warnings in the temple
The Book of Jeremiah
 The temple represented a sign of safety for the
Jewish people,
 “Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely,
burn incense to Baal, and walk after other gods whom
you do not know, and then come and stand before Me
in this house which is called by My name, and say, ‘We
are delivered to do all these abominations’?” Jer. 7:9,10
 “Behold, I will refine them and try them; For how shall
I deal with the daughter of My people?” Jer. 9:7
The Book of Jeremiah
 Years and decades of spiritual alienation from God
has desensitized the hearts of the Children of
Israel to sin,
 “Will they fall and not rise? Will one turn away and not
return? Why has this people slidden back, Jerusalem, in
a perpetual backsliding?” Jer. 8:4,5
 “No grapes shall be on the vine, Nor figs on the fig
tree, and the leaf shall fade; And the things I have given
them shall pass away from them.” Jer. 8:13
The Book of Jeremiah
 Jeremiah’s heart weeps
 “I would comfort myself in sorrow; My heart is
faint in me.” Jer. 8:18
 “Oh, that my head were waters, and my eyes a
fountain of tears, that I might weep day and
night for the slain of the daughter of my
people!” Jer. 9:1
The Book of Jeremiah
 The warnings continue,
 “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not
the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich
man glory in his riches; But let him who glories
glory in this, that he understands and knows Me,
that I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness,
judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in
these I delight,” says the LORD.” Jer. 9:23
 “Do not learn the way of the Gentiles” Jer. 10:2
The Book of Jeremiah
 “Prophet of Doom”,
 “Gather up your wares from the land, O
inhabitant of the fortress! For thus says the
LORD: “ Behold, I will throw out at this time
the inhabitants of the land, and will distress
them, that they may find it so.”” Jer. 10:17,18
The Book of Jeremiah
 “The Weeping Prophet”
 “Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why are
those happy who deal so treacherously?” Jer. 12:1
 “If you have run with the footmen, and they have
wearied you, then how can you contend with horses?
And if in the land of peace, In which you trusted, they
wearied you, then how will you do in the floodplain of
the Jordan?” Jer. 12:5
The Book of Jeremiah
 Prophecies against the nations,
 “O virgin, the daughter of Egypt; In vain you
will use many medicines; You shall not be
cured.” Jer. 46:11
 “The daughter of Egypt shall be ashamed; She
shall be delivered into the hand of the people of
the north.” Jer. 46:24
The Book of Jeremiah
 Prophecies against the nations,
 “Lacking courage, because of the day that
comes to plunder all the Philistines, to cut off
from Tyre and Sidon every helper who remains;
For the LORD shall plunder the Philistines” Jer.
47:3,4
 “Give wings to Moab, that she may flee and get
away; For her cities shall be desolate, without
any to dwell in them.” Jer. 48:9
The Book of Jeremiah
 Prophecies against the nations,
 “I will cause to be heard an alarm of war in
Rabbah of the Ammonites; It shall be a desolate
mound, and her villages shall be burned with
fire.” Jer. 49:2
 “Edom also shall be an astonishment; Everyone
who goes by it will be astonished and will hiss
at all its plagues.” Jer. 49:17
The Book of Jeremiah
 Prophecies against the nations,
 “Damascus has grown feeble; She turns to flee, and fear
has seized her. Anguish and sorrows have taken her
like a woman in labor.” Jer. 49:24
 “Arise, go up to Kedar, and devastate the men of the
East!” Jer. 49:28
 “I will cause Elam to be dismayed before their enemies
and before those who seek their life.” Jer. 49:37
The Book of Jeremiah
 Prophecies against the nations,
 “Put yourselves in array against Babylon all
around, all you who bend the bow; Shoot at her,
spare no arrows, for she has sinned against the
LORD.” Jer. 50:14
 “Behold, I am against you, O most haughty
one!” says the Lord GOD of hosts” Jer. 50:31
 “We would have healed Babylon, but she is not
healed.” Jer. 51:9
The Book of Jeremiah
 At the command of the Lord, Jeremiah
dictates all the prophecies he received to
Baruch to write them on a scroll and shows
it to king Jehoiakim.
 King Jehoiakim burns the scroll
 Jeremiah re-dictates the scroll to Baruch, Jer. 36
 God sends encouragment to Baruch,
 “I will give your life to you as a prize in all
places, wherever you go.” Jer. 45:5
The Book of Jeremiah
 A living example, The Rechabites
 Descendants of Jonadab son of Rechab
 Followed commandment of their ancestor
 Not to drink wine
 Not to build houses
 Not to sow seed
 God used them as examples in obedience,
 “Because you have obeyed the commandment of Jonadab your
father … shall not lack a man to stand before Me forever” Jer.
35:18,19
The Book of Jeremiah
 They had a warning & now a prophecy,
 “I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, his
servants and the people, and such as are left in
this city from the pestilence and the sword and
the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar
king of Babylon, into the hand of their enemies,
and into the hand of those who seek their life;
and he shall strike them with the edge of the
sword. He shall not spare them, or have pity or
mercy.” Jer. 21:7
The Book of Jeremiah
 False Prophets,
 “I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria:
They prophesied by Baal and caused My people
Israel to err. Also I have seen a horrible thing
in the prophets of Jerusalem: They commit
adultery and walk in lies; They also strengthen
the hands of evildoers, so that no one turns
back from his wickedness. All of them are like
Sodom to Me, and her inhabitants like
Gomorrah.” Jer. 23:13,14
The Book of Jeremiah
 Two baskets of figs,
 “The LORD showed me, and there were two
baskets of figs set before the temple of the
LORD … One basket had very good figs, …
and the other basket had very bad figs” Jer.
24:1,2
 Good figs: “Those who are already in captivity”
 Bad figs: King Zedekiah
The Book of Jeremiah
 God commands Jeremiah,
 “Make for yourselves bonds and yokes, and put them
on your neck” Jer. 27:2
 “I have given all these lands into the hand of
Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant … So
all nations shall serve him and his son and his son’s
son, until the time of his land comes; and then many
nations and great kings shall make him serve them.”
Jer. 27:6,7
 “And it shall be, that the nation … which will not … I
will punich” Jer. 27:9
The Book of Jeremiah
 Hananiah, the false prophet,
 “Within two full years I will bring back to this place all
the vessels of the LORD’s house, that Nebuchadnezzar
king of Babylon took away from this place and carried
to Babylon.” Jer. 28:3
 “Then Hananiah the prophet took the yoke off the
prophet Jeremiah’s neck and broke it.” Jer. 28:10
 “Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the
seventh month.” Jer. 28:17
The Book of Jeremiah
 If you can’t beat them, then plant potatoes
 “Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat
their fruit. Take wives and beget sons and daughters;
and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to
husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters—
that you may be increased there, and not diminished.
And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you
to be carried away captive, and pray to the LORD for it;
for in its peace you will have peace.” Jer. 29:5-7
The Book of Jeremiah
 Beware of false prophets,
 “Do not let your prophets and your diviners
who are in your midst deceive you, nor listen to
your dreams which you cause to be dreamed. 9
For they prophesy falsely to you in My name; I
have not sent them, says the LORD.” Jer. 29:8
The Book of Jeremiah
 Beware of false prophets,
 “Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, and I have
not sent him, and he has caused you to trust in a lie—
therefore thus says the LORD: Behold, I will punish
Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his family: he shall not
have anyone to dwell among this people, nor shall he
see the good that I will do for My people, says the
LORD, because he has taught rebellion against the
LORD.” Jer. 29:31,32
The Book of Jeremiah
 All is never lost with God,
 “There is hope in your future, says the LORD,
that your children shall come back to their own
border.” Jer. 31:17
 A new covenant,
 “I will put My law in their minds, and write it
on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they
shall be My people.” Jer. 31:33
The Book of Jeremiah
 Jeremiah prophesies the death of Zedekiah,
 “You shall not die by the sword. You shall die
in peace” Jer. 34:4,5
 After a two year siege of Jerusalem, Zedekiah
was caught while trying to escape the city
 Sons killed before him, and eyes plucked out
 Led away as captive to Babylon, where he died
peacefully
The Book of Jeremiah
 Pharaoh’s army approached Jerusalem
 The Chaldean army retreated
 @ the same time, Jeremiah tried to leave
Jerusalem to go to the land of Benjamin to
claim a piece of land
 Jeremiah was imprisoned on the false
charge of deserting to the Chaldeans
The Book of Jeremiah
 Jeremiah is moved to another prison
because,
 “He weakens the hands of the men of war who
remain in this city, and the hands of all the
people, by speaking such words to them. For
this man does not seek the welfare of this
people, but their harm.” Jer. 38:4
 He was put in a cistern, but with no water, only
mud.
The Book of Jeremiah
 An unexpected friend,
 Ebed-Melech, an Ethiopian eunuch in the king’s house
rushed to the king,
 My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that
they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they
have cast into the dungeon, and he is likely to die from
hunger in the place where he is. For there is no more
bread in the city.” Jer. 38:9
 “Please put these old clothes and rags under your
armpits, under the ropes.” Jer. 38:12
 “You shall not be given into the hand of the men of
whom you are afraid” Jer. 39:17
The Book of Jeremiah
 God commands Jeremiah to buy a piece of
land,
 “Houses and fields and vineyards shall be
possessed again in this land.” Jer. 32:15
 Hope is never lost
 “I will bring them back to this place, and I will
cause them to dwell safely.” Jer. 32:37
The Book of Jeremiah
 The day finally came when Jerusalem fell into the
hands of Nebuchadnezzar, just as Jeremiah
prophesied.
 “Then all the princes of the king of Babylon came in
and sat in the Middle Gate ” Jer. 39:3
 “He burned the house of the LORD and the king’s
house” Jer. 52:13
 “the king of Babylon also killed all the nobles of Judah.
Moreover he put out Zedekiah’s eyes, and bound him
with bronze fetters to carry him off to Babylon. ” Jer.
39:6,7
The Book of Jeremiah
 Jeremiah is in the hands of the Lord,
 “Take him and look after him, and do him no
harm; but do to him just as he says to you.” Jer.
39:12
 Jeremiah stayed with Gedaliah, the new
governor of Judea
 7 months later, Gedaliah was assasinated by
Ishmael son of Nethaniah
The Book of Jeremiah
 Johanan son of Kareah chases Ishmael and kills
him for his crime
 Johanan fears Babylonian retaliation, so decides to
flee to Egypt
 “If you will still remain in this land, then I will
build you and not pull you down, and I will plant
you and not pluck you up … Do not be afraid of
the king of Babylon, of whom you are afraid” Jer.
42:10,11
The Book of Jeremiah
 “You speak falsely! The LORD our God has
not sent you to say, ‘Do not go to Egypt to
dwell there.” Jer. 43:2
 Johanan took his people, as well as,
Jeremiah and Baruch, and went to Egypt
 The Lord announces the destruction of
Egypt by the hands of Nebuchadnezzar,
because of the disobedience of Johanan
The Book of Jeremiah
 Jeremiah is never heard from again
 Jewish tradition asserts that while living in
Egypt, Jeremiah was put to death by stoning
Lamentations of Jeremiah
 Tradition ascribes this book to Jeremiah
 Main Theme: Lamentation & Weeping over
the fall of Jerusalem
 Written between 586 B.C. & 516 B.C.
Lamentations of Jeremiah
 5 Chapters
 1st, 2nd, 3rd, & 4th are acrostic poems
 22 verses per poem, each starting with a letter from the
Hebrew alphabet
 Ch. 3 contains 66 verses, three-verse units begin with a
letter form the Hebrew alphabet
 Ch. 3 read in the Coptic Orthodox Church on Good
Friday
 5th Ch. is also made up of 22 verses, however, it
does not follow the acrostic style
Lamentations of Jeremiah
 Outline:
 Ch. 1: Jerusalem’s Misery & Desolation
 Ch. 2: The Lord’s anger against His people
 Ch. 3: Judah’s complaint & the basis for
Consolation
 Ch. 4: Zion’s Past & Present
 Ch. 5: Judah’s appeal to the Lord
Questions