Jeremiah - A Courageous Man

To understand Jeremiah, we must understand his people, his message, and his challenges. For his generation, he has many important messages and passionately warns them of the impending doom. Compared to Isaiah, however, he focuses little on hopes for future restoration. In his time, especially after Josiah's death, judgment is inevitable. In his effort to turn his generation back to God, Jeremiah primarily focuses on the problems of the time. Jeremiah, who for forty years of Judah's national existence as a kingdom brought vital messages to the people, speaks of his personal experiences more than any other Old Testament prophet.

Forty-Year Ministry

Around the time when Manasseh announced the birth of the crown prince Josiah, Jeremiah's birth in Anathoth went practically unnoticed. Jeremiah was raised in a village forty-five kilometers northeast of the capital and was therefore well acquainted with the events shaking Jerusalem.

Josiah became king at the age of eight when Amon was killed (640 BC). During eight years, the sixteen-year-old king clearly cared about obeying God. After another four years, Josiah took the first positive steps to cleanse the nation of idolatry. In Jerusalem and other cities from Simeon in the south to Naphtali in the north, shrines and altars for foreign gods were destroyed. As a young man not yet twenty, Josiah heard numerous conversations in his priestly home about the religious zeal of the new king.

During this nationwide reformation, around 627 BC, Jeremiah was called to prophetic service. The first chapter does not record where he was at the time or how he was called. Unlike the majestic vision of Isaiah or the thorough and detailed prophecy of Ezekiel, Jeremiah's calling is remarkable for its simplicity. Yet Jeremiah was well aware that God had called him to become a prophet. This calling is confirmed in two simple visions. The almond branch signified the certainty with which the prophetic word would be fulfilled, and the boiling pot illustrated the nature of his message. Jeremiah realized he would face strong opposition, but God assured him that He would give him the strength to withstand any attacks and that He would save him in times of danger.

Old Testament Speaks

VII.

Table of Jeremiah's Time

650 — Jeremiah's birth - approximate date

648 — Josiah's birth

641 — Amon's accession to the Davidic throne

640 — Josiah's accession

632 — Josiah begins to seek God

628 — Josiah initiates reformation

627 — Jeremiah's call to prophetic service

626 — Nebopolassar's accession to the Babylonian throne

622 — the book of the law found in the temple - celebration of the Passover

612 — fall of Nineveh

610 — Haran captured by the Babylonians

609 — Josiah killed - three-month reign of Jehoahaz; Assyrian-Egyptian army abandons the siege of Haran and moves to Carchemish; Jehoiakim replaces Jehoahaz in Judah

605 — at the beginning of the year, the Egyptians from Carchemish defeat the Babylonians at Quramati; Babylonians decisively defeat the Egyptians at Carchemish; first captivity of Judah - Jehoiakim swears allegiance to Babylon; Nebuchadnezzar's accession to the Babylonian throne

601 — indecisive battle of Babylonians with Egyptians

598 — Jehoiakim dies - siege of Jerusalem

597 — after three months of reign, Jehoiachin captured; second captivity - Zedekiah becomes king

588 — January 15, siege of Jerusalem begins; Hophra's accession to the Egyptian throne

586 — July 19, Babylonians enter Jerusalem; August 15, temple burned; Gedaliah killed - migration to Egypt

19. Chapter

In the first eighteen years (627-609) of Jeremiah's ministry, we learn little from biblical records. Neither the prophet himself nor contemporary historians mention whether he publicly participated in Josiah's reformation, beginning in 628 and culminating with the Passover in 622. When the book of the law was discovered in the temple, it was not Jeremiah who interpreted it to the king but the prophetess Huldah. However, from the simple statement that Jeremiah mourned Josiah's death in 609 [2Chr 35:25] and the shared interest in religion between the prophet and the king, we can logically deduce that Jeremiah actively supported Josiah's reformation.

It is difficult to determine exactly how many of Jeremiah's prophecies, recorded in his book, reflect Josiah's time. The indictment of Israel for apostasy [Jer 2:6] is mostly dated to the early years of his ministry. Although the masses had not yet joined the national revival at that time, it is likely that under Josiah, Jeremiah faced minimal opposition.

Although national issues tied to Assyrian interventions in internal Judean politics receded, and Judah enjoyed extraordinary independence under Josiah, developments in the Tigris-Euphrates region were watched with tension in Jerusalem. The optimism associated with Josiah's reformation undoubtedly tempered the fear of the Babylonians rising to power in the east. The news of Nineveh's fall in 612 was probably welcomed in Judah and understood as the end of Assyrian interventions in Judean politics. However, the fear of Assyrian power rising again prompted Josiah to stop the Egyptians at Megiddo (609 BC) to prevent them from aiding the Assyrians retreating before the advancing Babylonian army.

Josiah's sudden death marked a critical turn of events for Judah and personally for Jeremiah. While the prophet mourned the loss of a godly king, the nation was plunged into a vortex of international conflicts. Jehoahaz ruled for only three months and fell into the hands of the Egyptian Necho. Necho then placed Jehoiakim on the Davidic throne in Jerusalem. The sudden turn of events not only left Jeremiah without any political support but also exposed him to the ruthless machinations of apostate leaders who enjoyed Jehoiakim's favor.

The most critical years 609-586 cannot be compared to any other Old Testament period. Politically, the sun was setting on Judean national independence, and international conflicts that eventually brought Jerusalem to ruins cast deadly shadows over Judah. In the religious sphere, the old crimes that Josiah had eradicated returned under Jehoahaz. After Josiah's funeral, Canaanite, Egyptian, and Assyrian idols were reinstated in their old places. Jeremiah fearlessly and tirelessly warned the people of the impending catastrophe. However, his own people persecuted him because he served an apostate nation led by ungodly leadership. Compared to the continuous suffering and anxiety Jeremiah endured while serving among a people whose nation was falling apart, a martyr's death would have been a relief for Jeremiah. Instead of listening to the message the prophet brought them from God, the people persecuted the prophet.

The Old Testament Speaks

Judah was struck by crisis after crisis until it was nearly brought to ruin, but no one paid attention to Jeremiah's warnings. The year 605 BC marked the beginning of the Babylonian captivity of some Jerusalem citizens, yet Jehoiakim swore allegiance to the attacking Babylonians. In the ongoing Egyptian-Babylonian struggle during the remaining years of Jehoiakim's reign, Jehoiakim made the fatal mistake of rebelling against Nebuchadnezzar, hastening the crisis of 598-597. Not only did Jehoiakim's reign abruptly end with his death, but his son Jehoiachin and approximately ten thousand leading Jerusalem citizens were exiled. The city retained only the semblance of national existence, as the government was in the hands of lower social classes led by the puppet king Zedekiah.

The religious and political struggle continued for another ten years, and Judean national hopes crumbled. Although Zedekiah was occasionally interested in Jeremiah's counsel, he mostly yielded to the pressure of the pro-Egyptian party in Jerusalem, which advocated rebellion against Nebuchadnezzar. Thus, Jeremiah suffered along with the people during the last siege of Jerusalem. The faithful prophet witnessed the fulfillment of prophecies, often uttered by prophets before him. After forty years of patient warning, Jeremiah witnessed the cruel outcome: Jerusalem was left in smoldering ruins, and the temple was leveled.

Jeremiah faced stronger opposition and more numerous enemies than any other Old Testament prophet. Note how he suffered for the messages he prophesied. When he broke a clay pot in the public assembly of priests and elders in the Valley of Hinnom, he was arrested in the temple courtyard. The priest Pashhur had him beaten and put in stocks (19-20). On another occasion, he declared in the temple courtyard that the sanctuary would be destroyed. Priests and prophets rose up against him en masse and demanded his execution. Ahikam and other princes defended him and saved his life, but Jehoiakim instead shed the blood of Uriah, another prophet proclaiming the same prophecy [Jer 26:1ff].

In the person of Hananiah, Jeremiah encounters a false prophet (28). Jeremiah publicly wears a wooden yoke, symbolizing the Babylonian captivity. Hananiah breaks it and denies the message. Jeremiah withdraws for a short time and then reappears as the Lord's spokesman. In accordance with his prediction, Hananiah dies by the end of the year.

In Jerusalem and among the captives in Babylon, other prophets opposed Jeremiah and his prophecies (29). Among them were Ahab and Zedekiah, inciting the exiles to act against Jeremiah's counsel and not settle and prepare for seventy years of captivity. One of the captives, Shemaiah, even writes to Zephaniah and other priests in Jerusalem to accuse and imprison Jeremiah. Other passages reflect opposition from various unnamed prophets.

Even the people of his hometown turned against Jeremiah. This is reflected in brief mentions in [Jer 11:21-23]. The citizens of Anathoth threatened to kill Jeremiah if he did not stop prophesying in the Lord's name. Lastly, among his enemies were also the leaders of the people. Jeremiah's experiences are generally known for his confrontation with Jehoiakim. One day, Jeremiah sent a message to