Jeremiah - Lesson 1A

• We begin our study of the book of Jeremiah.

• The beginning of a thorough verse-by-verse study of the scriptures begins with the observation of the scriptures.

  • The observation will help reveal answers to questions that should be brought to our minds for a deeper understanding of what is being revealed; questions like who, what, when, where, how and why.

  • Some teachers begin their teaching by presenting an overview before opening with the scriptures. I let the scriptures drive my study to those questions.

Jer. 1:1 The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin,
Jer. 1:2 to whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.
Jer. 1:3 It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the exile of Jerusalem in the fifth month.

• Verse 1 reveals the person responsible for bringing the words forward for consideration, that being Jeremiah. This is the answer to who is writing the book we are going to study.

  • The name Jeremiah means, ‘The LORD exalts’.

  • This Jeremiah is described as the son of Hilkiah.

    • Hilkiah is described as a priest.

    • He was one of the priests from Anathoth in the land of Benjamin.

  • Jeremiah is a descendant of a priest.

    • He would have been raised in a home where the expectation was to know the law and serve the people of the LORD.

    • The city of Anathoth was set aside for the priests in Joshua 21:8, 17-19.

Josh. 21:8 Now the sons of Israel gave by lot to the Levites these cities with their pasture lands, as the LORD had commanded through Moses.

Josh. 21:17 From the tribe of Benjamin, Gibeon with its pasture lands, Geba with its pasture lands,
Josh. 21:18 Anathoth with its pasture lands and Almon with its pasture lands; four cities.
Josh. 21:19 All the cities of the sons of Aaron, the priests, were thirteen cities with their pasture lands.

• This city is located close to Jerusalem which would suggest the men would have been active in the work of the temple in Jerusalem.

  • Keep in mind that just because someone was raised in a home to take on a particular role does not mean that is always the outcome. This just gives insight into the higher probability Jeremiah would have been very familiar with the law.

  • Next, the verse explains that Jeremiah’s family is located in the land of the tribe of Benjamin. This was confirmed in the verses from Joshua.

  • Jer. 1:2 continues detailing that Jeremiah received a word from the LORD.

    • The one revealing the word to Jeremiah was the LORD.

    • The method of revelation is not disclosed in the scriptures here. Other examples of the word of the LORD being given are:

1Sam. 3:21 And the LORD appeared again at Shiloh, because the LORD revealed Himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the LORD.

Hosea 1:1 The word of the LORD which came to Hosea the son of Beeri,

Joel 1:1 The word of the LORD that came to Joel, the son of Pethuel:

Ezek. 1:2 (On the fifth of the month in the fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s exile,
Ezek. 1:3 the word of the LORD came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, son of Buzi,

Micah 1:1 The word of the LORD which came to Micah of Moresheth in the days of Jotham,

• The use of the phrase, ‘the word of the LORD’, can be seen as a special calling from God for a man to be called as a prophet to His people. Not every prophet is also a priest, but this is true for Jeremiah; he is a priest and a prophet.

  • Jer. 1:2 Next gives the historical timing of the LORD’s revelation and is described as coming, ‘in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.’

    • These details allow a determination of when the LORD’s revelations were given to Jeremiah.

    • Reviewing the historical timeline of Israel is given here as Judah comes into focus.

• This is a simplified version of the biblical history of Israel:

  • 1) The tribes are brought into the Promised Land under Joshua and given their land distribution and calling from God.

  • 2)  After the death of Joshua, the leadership of the nation transitions to judges and prophets.

  • 3) God identifies kings for the people anointed by Samuel. The first king is Saul, and the second king is David, followed by David’s son Solomon.

  • 4) After Solomon’s death, there is a division within the twelve tribes resulting in two kingdoms. This was around 930 B.C.

  • 5) One kingdom retains the name of Israel and is made up of ten of the tribes of Israel, located in the northern territory of land given by God to the sons of Israel.

    • The second kingdom takes the name of Judah and is comprised of two tribes, Judah and Benjamin. They reside in the southern territory given by God.

  • 6) Both kingdoms suffer leadership issues by a mix of good kings who follow God and bad kings who do not follow the LORD or His ways.

    • The kingdom of Israel had the judgment of God fall on them and they were taken out of the land by Assyria and dispersed. This was 721 B.C.

• Now God is dealing with Judah, the remnant of His people living in the Promised Land.

  • This is where the book of Jeremiah takes place in the history of God’s people. This is why in Jer. 1:2 the description of time is under a king of Judah. Only one king was mentioned so this is a prophecy focused on this one kingdom.

    • A contrast can be seen in Hosea 1:1.

Hos. 1:1 The word of the LORD which came to Hosea the son of Beeri, during the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and during the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.

• Here the prophet is speaking during a time when both kingdoms are in existence.

  • In Jeremiah there is one kingdom in view and the king is identified as Josiah the son of Amon, in the thirteenth year of his reign.

  • This Josiah had been king for thirteen years when Jeremiah began to receive a word from the LORD.

• Background of Josiah:

  • His grandfather Manasseh was an evil king and reigned for fifty-five years. (2 Kings 21)

  • His father, Amon, served as king for only two years and was also evil and killed by his own servants.

  • The people of the land desired Josiah to be king. 2 Kings 21:24.

2 Kings 21:24 Then the people of the land killed all those who had conspired against King Amon, and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his place.

• Josiah was a good king. 2 Kings 22:1-2

2 Kings 22:1 Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath.
2 Kings 22:2 He did right in the sight of the LORD and walked in all the way of his father David, nor did he turn aside to the right or to the left.

• This king was eight years old when he became king, and in the book of Jeremiah we learn it was in the thirteenth year of his reign that the LORD spoke to Jeremiah. The king would only be twenty-one years old at this time.

  • Jer. 1:3 gives more details on the extent of the time Jeremiah will serve as a prophet to the kingdom of Judah.

  • The verse clarifies, “it came also in the days.”

    • The ‘it’ is referring to the word of the LORD coming to Jeremiah.

    • The LORD will speak to Jeremiah during the reign of the two sons of Josiah, Jehoiakim and Zedekiah until the exile of Jerusalem occurs.

  • There will be much more about these kings as we study through the book of Jeremiah.

Jer. 1:4 Now the word of the LORD came to me saying,
Jer. 1:5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
And before you were born I consecrated you;
I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
Jer. 1:6 Then I said, “Alas, Lord GOD!
Behold, I do not know how to speak,
Because I am a youth.”
Jer. 1:7 But the LORD said to me,
“Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’
Because everywhere I send you, you shall go,
And all that I command you, you shall speak.
Jer. 1:8 “Do not be afraid of them,
For I am with you to deliver you,” declares the LORD.
Jer. 1:9 Then the LORD stretched out His hand and touched my mouth, and the LORD said to me,
“Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.
Jer. 1:10 “See, I have appointed you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms,
To pluck up and to break down,
To destroy and to overthrow,
To build and to plant.”

• Verse 4 Jeremiah now reveals what the word of the LORD was that was given to him.

  • Verse 5 The LORD says to Jeremiah that before he had even been formed in the womb the LORD knew him.

    • This is true for every single person ever formed in the womb.

    • David speaks this truth in Psalm 139:13-16.

Psa. 139:13 For You formed my inward parts;
You wove me in my mother’s womb.
Psa. 139:14  I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well.
Psa. 139:15  My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;
Psa. 139:16  Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;
And in Your book were all written
The days that were ordained for me,
When as yet there was not one of them.

• Not only did the LORD know David before he was in his mother’s womb, but He also knew exactly the number of days he was ordained to live.

  • If we truly understand this truth, we can live in freedom and not be afraid.

  • Job also reveals this is true for all men. Job. 31:13-15.

Job 31:13 “If I have despised the claim of my male or female slaves
When they filed a complaint against me,
Job 31:14  What then could I do when God arises?
And when He calls me to account, what will I answer Him?
Job 31:15  “Did not He who made me in the womb make him,
And the same one fashion us in the womb?

• Job says the God who made him made the male and female slaves he is referring to.

  • David explains this truth is for the unrighteous as well. Psalm 58:1-3.

Psa. 58:1 Do you indeed speak righteousness, O gods?
Do you judge uprightly, O sons of men?
Psa. 58:2  No, in heart you work unrighteousness;
On earth you weigh out the violence of your hands.
Psa. 58:3  The wicked are estranged from the womb;
These who speak lies go astray from birth.

• David clearly says the wicked are estranged from the womb. Their path had already been established before they were created.

  • There are more scriptures that speak of the LORD’s determination of man’s life from birth, but today’s focus is on what was revealed to Jeremiah and the truth spoken was that the LORD knew him before He formed him in his mother’s womb. God is sovereign!

  • Jer. 1:5 The LORD continues to declare to Jeremiah He had already consecrated Jeremiah for the work he was to do for the LORD before he was born.

    • Consecrated means to be set aside for a particular purpose.

  • In the life of Jeremiah, the LORD reveals what Jeremiah was set apart to do for Him. He was to be a prophet to the nations.

• This message is not just for Judah, it is to be declared to all the nations. When the LORD speaks prophetic words, prophecy and the specific things that the LORD declares will happen indeed do come to pass. The one hearing or seeing the fulfillment are given a picture of the might and power of the living God.

  • Verse 6 Jeremiah responds to the LORD first by declaring he is aware that he is speaking to the Lord God; but he will not be able to do what the LORD is asking because he does not know how to speak because of his being a youth.

    • Jeremiah informs the LORD he is not equipped to carry out speaking for the LORD.

    • Jeremiah explains he is too young to speak for the LORD.

  • Jeremiah is not the only person recorded in the scriptures who received a direct call from the LORD and yet did not respond with an emphatic, “Yes, LORD.”

    • Jonah did not say “no” with his words but in his actions. Jonah 1:1-3

Jonah 1:1 The word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai saying,
Jonah 1:2 “Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me.”
Jonah 1:3 But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.

• The LORD called out Gibeon in Judges 6:14-15

Judg. 6:14 The LORD looked at him and said, “Go in this your strength and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you?”
Judg. 6:15 He said to Him, “O Lord, how shall I deliver Israel? Behold, my family is the least in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s house.”

• Gibeon says his tribe is too small and he is the youngest.

  • The most famous may be Moses in Ex. 3:9-11, 13, 4:1, 10, 13

Ex. 3:9 “Now, behold, the cry of the sons of Israel has come to Me; furthermore, I have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians are oppressing them.
Ex. 3:10 “Therefore, come now, and I will send you to Pharaoh, so that you may bring My people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt.”
Ex. 3:11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?”

Ex. 3:13 Then Moses said to God, “Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?”

Ex. 4:1 Then Moses said, “What if they will not believe me or listen to what I say?

Ex. 4:10 Then Moses said to the LORD, “Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”

Ex. 4:13 But he said, “Please, Lord, now send the message by whomever You will.”

• The LORD is exceedingly patient with Moses and answers each and every question Moses puts forth until Moses finally says, “Just send someone else, anyone other than me.”

  • When the LORD calls the only response should be, “Yes, LORD.”

• For more context, keep in mind the king of Judah at this time became the king when he was eight years old. The king of Judah would only be around twenty years of age and yet Jeremiah wants to declare his youthfulness as a reason he is unable to do the work the LORD has called him to do.

  • Jer. 1:7 The LORD tells Jeremiah, “You are not to respond to me with what your limitations are because you are to go where I send you and speak what I tell you to speak.”

    • “The work I have called you to do I have a plan for. You will speak to those I send you to; you don’t need to decide that for yourself.

    • “You will speak the words I give you, so you don’t need to worry about not being able to come up with the words on your own, either.

    • “You just need to obey.”

  • Verse 8 The LORD continues by comforting Jeremiah that he is not to be afraid because the LORD will deliver him.

    • The LORD knows our hearts and demonstrates He knew why Jeremiah responded to the calling of God with an excuse for why he could not serve the LORD; The LORD knew Jeremiah was afraid.

  • Verse 9 Demonstrates how the LORD also encouraged Jeremiah with His physical presence and encouragement by touching his mouth.

    • The LORD then says, “I have put My words in your mouth.”

    • The LORD did not need to touch Jeremiah’s mouth to make this true, but He gave Jeremiah what he needed.

    • The LORD consecrates Jeremiah.

  • Verse 10 The LORD now gives Jeremiah his specific assignment and calling.

    • The LORD tells Jeremiah he is appointed over the nations and kingdoms.

    • Jeremiah can pluck up, meaning to remove, and to break down.

    • He has the power to destroy and overthrow.

    • He can also build and plant.

  • There is a contrast given between “pluck up”, or as would be seen in an agricultural society as “uproot”, and the later term plant.

  • The contrast is seen as well with break down, destroy, and overthrow as opposed to the term “can build”.

• Jeremiah will be bringing more words about judgments than blessings.

  • This would be a tough job description to sell to someone, another reason the prophets must be called and not recruited.

  • The LORD is also gracious in not revealing what the outcome will be for those to whom Jeremiah will be sent to bring the LORD’s message in the beginning.

Jer. 1:11 The word of the LORD came to me saying, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” And I said, “I see a rod of an almond tree.”
Jer. 1:12 Then the LORD said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over My word to perform it.”

• V 11 When the LORD has finished giving Jeremiah his assignment, He then asks him a question, “What do you see”?

  • Jeremiah says, “I see a rod of an almond tree.”

    • “Almond tree” in Hebrew is shoqed

  • Verse 12 The LORD tells Jeremiah he has seen well and what he has seen demonstrates that the LORD is watching over His own words, and they will be spoken and performed. Every word is important.

    • There is a play on words in the Hebrew, as “Watching” in Hebrew is shoqed.

  • The LORD is giving Jeremiah a picture to remind him of what He is going to do.

    • “The shoqed, or almond tree rod, is to remind you I am shoqed, or watching My word.”

    • The LORD tells Jeremiah, “What I say I will do.”

    • Jeremiah is to be the prophet in Judah to tell the people what the LORD is saying He is going to do to them.

• One lesson we can take away from the LORD calling Jeremiah to serve Him begins with knowing we are all called to serve the LORD in some way.

  • We are to respond to the LORD by obeying His call.

    • We are to do what God has called us to do, not what we think we have a desire to do.

Eph. 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
Eph. 2:9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Eph. 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

• Verse 8 By grace we are saved.

  • The mechanism to bring salvation is faith.

  • Faith is not achieved through us, but is a gift to us.

  • Verse 9 Faith is not a result of works.

    • Because faith is a gift and not of works, there can never be a person who can boast about how they had anything to do with their gift of faith.

  • Verse 10 God created each believer in Christ Jesus.

    • Believers are created for good works.

    • The works are prepared for the believer before being saved.

    • The path has been laid for the good works so we can walk in them.

  • We are not to make excuses before God.

    • It is not what we can do, it is what God will accomplish and what God has called us to do.

    • God is calling each of us to obey Him.

    • Answer His calling!