DOCSLIB.ORG

The King Who Despised God's Word

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The King Who Despised God's Word n The Kings of the Divided Kingdom n THE KING WHO DESPISED GOD’s WORD n n JEHOIAKIM OF JUDAH (2 KI N G S 2 3 : 3 4 – 3 7 ; 2 4 : 1 – 7 ) Jehoiakim, one of the last kings of Judah, was through His servants the prophets. Surely at the command of the LORD it came upon Judah, a son of Josiah. Josiah had been a good man, but to remove them from His sight because of the none of the four kings who succeeded him—three sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had of whom were his sons and one his grandson— done, and also for the innocent blood which he followed his example; all were evil, and Jehoia­ shed, for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; and the LORD would not forgive. Now the rest kim may have been the worst of the four. This of the acts of Jehoiakim and all that he did, are king’s life may be summarized by saying that he they not written in the Book of the Chronicles despised God’s word. His disrespect for God’s com­ of the Kings of Judah? So Jehoiakim slept with his fathers, and Jehoiachin his son became king mands can be seen in several facts recorded in his place. The king of Egypt did not come about him. out of his land again, for the king of Babylon had taken all that belonged to the king of Egypt from the brook of Egypt to the river Euphrates HE DESPISED GOD’S PRECEPTS (2 Kings 23:34—24:7). First, we find that Jehoiakim despised God’s precepts. The Scriptures describe his reign in the Jehoiakim “did evil in the sight of the LORD ,” following words: just as his forebears had done (23:37). Like most of the other kings of Judah who came before him, Pharaoh Neco made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in the place of Josiah his father, and changed he refused to follow the laws of God. his name to Jehoiakim. But he took Jehoahaz The consequence was that God began to away and brought him to Egypt, and he died execute justice on Judah by sending bands of there. So Jehoiakim gave the silver and gold to Pharaoh, but he taxed the land in order to Arameans, Moabites, and Ammonites against give the money at the command of Pharaoh. Judah. Probably, these raids on Judah were He exacted the silver and gold from the people initiated by the Babylonians after Jehoiakim re­ of the land, each according to his valuation, to give it to Pharaoh Neco. belled against Babylon. Nevertheless, behind the Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when scenes, the One who was responsible for punish­ he became king, and he reigned eleven years in ing Jehoiakim and Judah for their disobedience Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Zebidah the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah. He did evil was God! in the sight of the LORD , according to all that his fathers had done. HE DESPISED GOD’S PEOPLE In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon Second, Jehoiakim showed his disdain for came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant for three years; then he turned and rebelled God’s word by despising God’s people. He taxed against him. The LORD sent against him bands the people heavily in order to pay the tribute of Chaldeans, bands of Arameans, bands of imposed on Judah by the Egyptian king. In Jere­ Moabites, and bands of Ammonites. So He sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to miah 22:13–19, the prophet Jere miah delivered the word of the LORD which He had spoken an oracle condemning Jehoiakim for (1) building 1 his house “without righteousness” by taking but Baruch and Jeremiah escaped because “the advantage of the poor and needy (22:13–16) and LORD hid them” (36:26). (2) “shedding innocent blood and . practicing The fact that Jehoiakim was capable of kill­ oppression and extortion” (22:17). Apparently, ing Jeremiah is obvious, for on another occasion even during the hard times Judah was experienc­ he put the prophet Uriah to death for preaching ing, Jehoiakim built himself a beautiful palace a message similar to that delivered by Jeremiah by using his power to tax the poor people of the (see Jeremiah 26:20–23).2 Jehoiakim did not just land. He was also guilty of other forms of “op­ ignore the prophets; if he did not like the mes­ pression and extortion.” sage they brought, he killed them! What were the consequences of his despising God’s people? Jeremiah concluded his oracle with HE DESPISED GOD’S PREDICTIONS these words about Jehoiakim: Fourth, Jehoiakim’s distaste for God’s word is especially obvious in his destruction of the “They will not lament for him: ‘Alas for the master!’ or, ‘Alas for his splendor!’ written predictions about the kingdom’s fall. He will be buried with a donkey’s burial, According to Jeremiah 36, when the scroll that Dragged off and thrown out beyond the gates had been read to the people was brought to the of Jerusalem”1 (Jeremiah 22:18b, 19). king, he destroyed it: A king over God’s people could not mistreat And Jehudi read it to the king as well as to all those people with impunity! the officials who stood beside the king. Now the king was sitting in the winter house in the ninth month, with a fire burning in the brazier HE DESPISED GOD’S PROPHETS before him. When Jehudi had read three or four Third, Jehoiakim showed that he despised columns, the king cut it with a scribe’s knife and God’s word by treating God’s prophets disre­ threw it into the fire that was in the brazier, until all the scroll was consumed in the fire that was spectfully. Jere miah spent much of his ministry in the brazier. Yet the king and all his servants warning God’s people—and the two kings Jehoia­ who heard all these words were not afraid, nor kim and Zedekiah—that the kingdom was about did they rend their garments. Even though Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah pleaded to be destroyed because of their sins. with the king not to burn the scroll, he would How did Jehoiakim react to this message? not listen to them (Jeremiah 36:21b–25). The answer is found in Jeremiah 36. There we learn that God told Jeremiah to write on a scroll The scroll included predictions that the king­ all He had “spoken [to Jeremiah] concerning . dom of Judah was doomed because of its sins. It Judah,” in the hope that the people might turn was intended to cause those who read it to fear from their evil ways (36:1–3). Jeremiah dictated the coming destruction and to “rend their gar­ the words of God’s message to the scribe Baruch ments” in a show of repentance. The prophecies (36:4) and sent Baruch to the temple to read the were designed to encourage the people to repent. scroll (36:5–7). When Baruch did so, the first Instead, they produced in Jehoiakim nothing but people who heard the message told Baruch and rage against the prophet who had uttered the Jeremiah to hide themselves (36:8–19). Why? prophecies. He arrogantly showed his disdain for Because they knew that the king, Jehoiakim, the prophet’s words by taking the scroll, cutting would try to seize and kill them when he heard it up, and burning it in the fire! He so despised the words read. The king did try to seize them, the word of God that he destroyed the pages on which it was written! 1No one knows for sure how Jehoiakim died. The fact Did it do Jehoiakim any good to burn the that 2 Kings says he “slept with his fathers” only means that scroll? No! At God’s direction, Jeremiah had the he died; it does not necessarily mean that he was buried with his fathers. (Herbert Lockyer, All the Kings and Queens of the same words written down again, “and many Bible [Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan Publishing House, similar words were added to them” (Jeremiah 1961], 145.) Second Chronicles 36:6 says that Nebuchadnezzar 36:32). God showed Jehoiakim and the Jews of “came up against [Jehoiakim] and bound him with bronze chains to take him to Babylon.” Some have speculated that he died on the way to Babylon, and his body was simply 2At that time Jeremiah’s life was saved because Ahikam, thrown beside the road. If so, he had “a donkey’s burial,” a prominent leader in Judah, protected him. (See Jeremiah since donkeys were not buried. 26:24.) 2 that day that His word could not be destroyed! Refusing to Obey the Commands Even though Jehoiakim had burned the scroll, Of the Bible the truths it had contained remained true! The We may be inclined to think at this point, predictions of doom still came to pass! When “I thank God that I am not like other people! I Jehoiakim died, no one mourned his death (Jere­ accept the Bible as God’s Word, and I accept all miah 22:18)! of its plain teachings.” Perhaps we should not be so smug. Accepting the Word of God accom­ CONCLUSION plishes nothing if we do not obey it! We must What was Jehoiakim’s fault? Perhaps his at­ prove ourselves to be “doers of the word, and titude can be summarized by saying that he was not merely hearers” (James 1:22).
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Prophet Jeremiah As Theological Symbol in the Book of Jeremiahâ•Š
    Scholars Crossing LBTS Faculty Publications and Presentations 11-2010 The Prophet Jeremiah as Theological Symbol in the Book of Jeremiah” Gary E. Yates Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/lts_fac_pubs Part of the Biblical Studies Commons, Comparative Methodologies and Theories Commons, Ethics in Religion Commons, History of Religions of Eastern Origins Commons, History of Religions of Western Origin Commons, Other Religion Commons, and the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Yates, Gary E., "The Prophet Jeremiah as Theological Symbol in the Book of Jeremiah”" (2010). LBTS Faculty Publications and Presentations. 372. https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/lts_fac_pubs/372 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Crossing. It has been accepted for inclusion in LBTS Faculty Publications and Presentations by an authorized administrator of Scholars Crossing. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ETS, Atlanta 2010 “The Prophet Jeremiah as Theological Symbol in the Book of Jeremiah” Gary E. Yates, Ph.D. Introduction Timothy Polk has noted, “Nothing distinguishes the book of Jeremiah from earlier works of prophecy quite so much as the attention it devotes to the person of the prophet and the prominence it accords the prophetic ‘I’, and few things receive more scholarly comment.”1 More than simply providing a biographical or psychological portrait of the prophet, the book presents Jeremiah as a theological symbol who embodies in his person the word of Yahweh and the office of prophet. 2 In fact, the figure of Jeremiah is so central that a theology of the book of Jeremiah “cannot be formulated without taking into account the person of the prophet, as the book presents him.”3 The purpose of this study is to explore how Jeremiah the person functions as a theological symbol and what these motifs contribute to the overall theology of the book of Jeremiah.
    [Show full text]
  • Precepts for Living
    THE UMI ANNUAL COMMENTARY 2020 - 2021 PRECEPTS FOR LIVING BASED ON THE INTERNATIONAL UNIFORM LESSONS Unit 1 Faithful Prophets Lesson 1: March 21, 2021 Huldah: Prophet Of Wisdom Huldah: Prophet Of Wisdom “Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the LORD, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard thee, saith the LORD” (2 Kings 22:19, KJV). “You were sorry and humbled yourself before the LORD when you heard what I said against this city and its people—that this land would be cursed and become desolate. You tore your clothing in despair and wept before me in repentance. And I have indeed heard you, says the LORD” (2 Kings 22:19, NLT). 2 Huldah: Prophet Of Wisdom Bible Background • 2 KINGS 22 Printed Text • 2 KINGS 22:14-20 | Devotional Reading • PSALM 25:1-10 Aim for Change By the end of this lesson, we will ANALYZE the prophetess Huldah’s message from God for King Josiah, REFLECT on Josiah’s behavior after hearing the words of the book of the law, and SEEK godly advice about their future. In Focus When Marta’s father-in-law moved in with her family, she knew it was going to be a change, but she certainly wasn’t expecting it to take the mental and physical toll on her that it did. She ended up moving her transcribing desk into the living room to keep an eye on him; he got anxious if he were left alone for more than fifteen minutes at a time.
    [Show full text]
  • Narrative Parallelism and the "Jehoiakim Frame": a Reading Strategy for Jeremiah 26-45
    Scholars Crossing LBTS Faculty Publications and Presentations 6-2005 Narrative Parallelism and the "Jehoiakim Frame": a Reading Strategy for Jeremiah 26-45 Gary E. Yates Liberty University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/lts_fac_pubs Recommended Citation Yates, Gary E., "Narrative Parallelism and the "Jehoiakim Frame": a Reading Strategy for Jeremiah 26-45" (2005). LBTS Faculty Publications and Presentations. 5. https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/lts_fac_pubs/5 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Crossing. It has been accepted for inclusion in LBTS Faculty Publications and Presentations by an authorized administrator of Scholars Crossing. For more information, please contact [email protected]. JETS 48/2 (June 2005) 263-81 NARRATIVE PARALLELISM AND THE "JEHOIAKIM FRAME": A READING STRATEGY FOR JEREMIAH 26-45 GARY E. YATES* I. INTRODUCTION Many attempting to make sense of prophetic literature in the Hebrew Bible would echo Carroll's assessment that "[t]o the modern reader the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel are virtually incomprehensible as books."1 For Carroll, the problem with reading these books as "books" is that there is a confusing mixture of prose and poetry, a lack of coherent order and arrange­ ment, and a shortage of necessary contextual information needed for accu­ rate interpretation.2 Despite the difficult compositional and historical issues associated with the book of Jeremiah, there is a growing consensus that
    [Show full text]
  • A Good Shepherd Sacred Story Huldah
    A Good Shepherd Sacred Story Huldah Adapted by: Brenda J. Stobbe _._ .. __ .- -.~ ~~""- Illustrations by: Jennifer Schoenberg & Tiffany DeGraaf Activity Sheets and Art Editing by: Tiffany DeGraaf Good Shepherd, Inc®. 2000 Good Shepherd, a Registered Trademark of Good Shepherd, Inc. All Rights Reserved Printed in the U.S.A. HULDAH .... MA TERIALS -medium wicker basket to hold: -wooden Josiah figure -wooden Huldah figure -wooden Hilkiah figure -wooden Shapan figure -wooden Achbor figure -wooden Ahikiam figure -wooden Asaiah figure Josiah Huldah H i l k i a h Achbor Asaiah 2 Shapan Ahikia m HULDAH ... 2 CHRONICLES 34:1-28, 2 KINGS 22 1-20 ACTIONS 'VORDS After speaking, stand and get the story Watch carefully where I go to get this basket from the shelf and return to the story so you will know where to find it if circle. you choose to make this your work today or another day. Allow 10-15 seconds of silence as you All the words to this story are inside of Reverently touch one or more of the me. Will you please make silence with wooden figures to center yourself and me so I can find all the words to this the children. story? The people of God had many kings who Hold out your right hand as you speak of ruled them. Some of the kings were good kings and your left hand as you very good. Other kings were not very speak of bad kings. good. Some of them were very bad kings. Place Josiah to one side of the One of the really good kings was a man storytell ing area named Josiah.
    [Show full text]
  • Huldah: 2 Kings 22-23 Some Questions You Might Ask As
    HULDAH: 2 KINGS 22-23 THIS WEEK’S SCRIPTURE: 2 Kings 22-23 SERMON NOTES FOR AUGUST 17/18: We are focusing on the following scripture for the week of August 12-18: We want to be a church that /ps the culture of the South Valley toward vital rela/onship with Jesus. Plan/ng God’s Word in our lives, and seeking ways to mul/ply that Word in others is a concrete way this vision will happen. Take some <me this week with next week’s sermon text and ask God to speak to you and your group through God’s Word. Bring your notes next week to engage with the sermon! OBSERVE: As curious inves2gators, look intently at the passage and mark characters, rela5onships, loca5ons, 5me, ac5ons, repeated words, comparisons, contrasts, or other points of tension. Write down observa5ons that were most striking: INTERPRET: Form ques5ons that will help get at why the text was wriAen in this way; why the story was communicated with these par5cular words and facts. Focus on any observa5ons from above and ask “why is this significant?” APPLY: What is a concrete applica5on this text is calling you, as a group or as individuals, to pursue? Two ques5ons to help you formulate an applica5on: How does this passage challenge my current thinking about_________________? What is this passage asking of me or my community? SOME QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT ASK AS YOU ENGAGE WITH THE SERMON With whom do I need to share and live out this applica2on? - What were some new observa2ons in the text that God brought up through the sermon? - Was there anything surprising or new in the way the pastor unpacked this text? - What was the Key Idea from this week’s sermon? - What ac2on will I take based on what I heard? Check out mhbible.org/study for tools to help dig out background and context.
    [Show full text]
  • Israelite Inscriptions from the Time of Jeremiah and Lehi
    Brigham Young University BYU ScholarsArchive Faculty Publications 2020-02-04 Israelite Inscriptions from the Time of Jeremiah and Lehi Dana M. Pike Brigham Young University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/facpub Part of the Biblical Studies Commons, Christianity Commons, Mormon Studies Commons, and the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons BYU ScholarsArchive Citation Pike, Dana M., "Israelite Inscriptions from the Time of Jeremiah and Lehi" (2020). Faculty Publications. 3697. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/facpub/3697 This Peer-Reviewed Article is brought to you for free and open access by BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. Chapter 7 Israelite Inscriptions from the Time of Jeremiah and Lehi Dana M. Pike The greater the number of sources the better when investi- gating the history and culture of people in antiquity. Narrative and prophetic texts in the Bible and 1 Nephi have great value in helping us understand the milieu in which Jeremiah and Lehi received and fulfilled their prophetic missions, but these records are not our only documentary sources. A number of Israelite inscriptions dating to the period of 640–586 b.c., the general time of Jeremiah and Lehi, provide additional glimpses into this pivotal and primarily tragic period in Israelite history. The number of inscriptions discovered from ancient Israel and its immediate neighbors—Ammon, Moab, Edom, Philistia, and Phoenicia—pales in comparison to the bountiful harvest of texts from ancient Assyria, Babylonia, and Egypt.
    [Show full text]
  • Jeremiah Part 2 Leader Guide (NASB and ESV)
    Jeremiah Part 2 Leader Guide (NASB and ESV) WHEN GOD’S JUDGMENT FINALLY COMES (Chapters 25–52) i Jeremiah Part 2 Leader Guide (NASB and ESV) © 2010, 2013, 2018 Precept Ministries International Published by Precept Ministries of Reach Out, Inc. Chattanooga, Tennessee 37422 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the prior written permission of the publisher. Printed in the U.S.A. Unless otherwise noted Scripture quotations are from the New American Standard Bible® © The Lockman Foundation, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission. www.lockman.org Scripture quotations marked ESV are taken from ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. 3rd Edition (3/2018) ii USING LEADER GUIDES Leader Guides are intended for you, the leader, to guide your Precept Upon Precept® and In & Out® discussions. They are designed to help you reason through the content of the lessons and to ensure you have understood what your group should have learned from their study. The guides offer effective plans for leading discussions. The Holy Spirit is your guide as you prepare. He is the one who knows what your group needs to apply to their lives. Pray for them as they study and for yourself as you prepare to lead the discussion. These guides can be used for either the NASB or the ESV edition of the courses.
    [Show full text]
  • Our Forgetfulness, God's Faithfulness
    “Our Forgetfulness, God’s Faithfulness” Sermon by Oby Ballinger Edina Morningside Community Church; November 24, 2019 2 Kings 22:1-23:3 Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign; he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jedidah daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath. He did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in all the way of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right or to the left. In the eighteenth year of King Josiah, the king sent Shaphan son of Azaliah, son of Meshullam, the secretary, to the house of the Lord, saying, “Go up to the high priest Hilkiah, and have him count the entire sum of the money that has been brought into the house of the Lord, which the keepers of the threshold have collected from the people; let it be given into the hand of the workers who have the oversight of the house of the Lord; let them give it to the workers who are at the house of the Lord, repairing the house, that is, to the carpenters, to the builders, to the masons; and let them use it to buy timber and quarried stone to repair the house. But no accounting shall be asked from them for the money that is delivered into their hand, for they deal honestly.” The high priest Hilkiah said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord.” When Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, he read it.
    [Show full text]
  • Jerusalem in Ruins Jerusalem in Ruins 8 Bible Passage – 2 Kings 25:1-21; 2 Chronicles 36:16-21; L ESSON Objectives Jeremiah 39:1––40:6
    609-8 Lesson 8: pp. 30—31 Jerusalem in Ruins Jerusalem in Ruins 8 Bible Passage – 2 Kings 25:1-21; 2 Chronicles 36:16-21; L ESSON Objectives Jeremiah 39:1––40:6 Students will be able to The Babylonians, who were also called After the Chaldeans’ siege, the beautiful 1. Describe the fall of Chaldeans, camped around Jerusalem’s walls city of Jerusalem lay in ruins. The temple that Jerusalem and Judah for many months. The tunnel Hezekiah had Solomon had built four hundred years earlier to the Babylonians built when Assyria besieged Jerusalem now was now a heap of ashes and blackened provided water for the people of Jerusalem; stones. By 586 B.C. Judah’s people were in 2. Describe Zedekiah’s but food supplies ran low, and the people were exile in Babylon. Their kingdom had come to capture threatened with starvation. Zedekiah realized an end—all because God’s people failed to that Jeremiah’s prophecies had come to pass. obey Him. 3. Tell what happened to Jerusalem and all Judah would fall to Babylon. Jeremiah when Judean captives were taken to Babylon KNOW YOUR BIBLE 4. State that Judah’s con- Read 2 Kings 25:1-21 and use it to answer the questions. tinued sinfulness 1. What did King Zedekiah and the men of war do when the siege of Jerusalem resulted caused its destruction in famine in the city? They fled from the city. New Words 2. What did the Chaldeans do to Zedekiah? a. They killed or slew his sons before his eyes.
    [Show full text]
  • Study Guide Test 1 Jeremiah 26—52 and Lamenta
    Jeremiah 26—52 and Lamentaons Study Guide Test 1 Jeremiah 26: Jeremiah 30: Date and seng of the chapter Name some3mes given to chapters 30-33 Like Shiloh Write in a book God's words given to Jeremiah (26:2, 12) Messianic king Reac3on of the crowd to Jeremiah's Who wounded Judah and who would later prophecy heal those wounds? Conclusion of the officials and the people Ruler from their midst An earlier prophet's warning to Hezekiah You will understand this The elders' conclusion (26:19) A prophet killed Ahikam the son of Shaphan Jeremiah 31: "At that 3me" (31:1) Emphasis on which tribes in 31:3-22? Jeremiah 27: When God's love for Israel began Yoke as a metaphor Descrip3on of Israel that indicates God's desire Recipients of the message (27:3, 12, 16) for their purity (13:4) Nebuchadnezzar's son and grandson Samaria Jeremiah's message (27:11, 12, 17) Call of the watchmen on the hills of Ephraim False prophets' message (27:16) Rachel's "voice heard in Ramah" Temple's vessels and Ezra and significance in the New Testament "The fathers have eaten sour grapes . ." The new covenant Jeremiah 28: New Israel in the New Testament Hananiah's prophesy Fundamental inadequacy of the old covenant Term navi’ and false prophets Jesus and sins commi`ed in the Old Testament Prophets were historically messengers of Forever (‘olam) and the destruc3on of Jerusalem what kind of message? Was Jeremiah s3ll an unproven prophet? Jeremiah's response to broken yoke (28:11) Jeremiah 32: Fate of Hananiah Seng Where was Jeremiah? What did God tell Jeremiah to do? Jeremiah 29: Right of redemp3on Jeremiah's le`er Baruch Seng of the le`er Jeremiah's first act aer he did what Jeremiah's le`er a "seed thought" God told him to do Elasah and Gemariah What God would give the returned cap3ves (32:39) Pray for what (29:7)? "Nothing is too difficult for you" Find God how? Welfare of those in cap3vity Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah Shemaiah the Nehelamite ThroughTheScriptures.com.
    [Show full text]
  • JEREMIAH: FINAL FALL Saturday, May 30 Reading: Jeremiah 39-40
    JEREMIAH: FINAL FALL Saturday, May 30 Reading: Jeremiah 39-40 Jeremiah 40:2 When the commander of the guard found Jeremiah, he said to him, "The LORD your God decreed this disaster for this place. 3 And now the LORD has brought it about; he has done just as he said he would. All this happened because you people sinned against the LORD and did not obey him. 4 But today I am freeing you from the chains on your wrists. Come with me to Babylon, if you like, and I will look after you; but if you do not want to, then don't come. Look, the whole country lies before you; go wherever you please." After a long siege, the end had finally come. Jeremiah 39 outlines the destruction of Jerusalem and the aftermath. Just as God had promised, Zedekiah was captured but not killed (though he probably wished he had been). He is forced to witness the execution of his sons and nobles. Then he is blinded and taken in chains to Babylon. The Temple is looted, the city burned to the ground, and the people led off in captivity. Only the poorest in the land are left. Under the order of Nebuchadnezzar, Jeremiah is freed by the Babylonian commander and allowed to choose what he wants to do. They had heard about what Jeremiah had preached to the people (possibly through Daniel? who had been in Babylon for about 20 years at this point). Jeremiah opts to stay with the people in the land and live with Gedaliah whom Nebuchadnezzar had appointed as governor in Judah.
    [Show full text]
  • The Chapters of Jeremiah
    Scholars Crossing An Alliterated Outline for the Chapters of the Bible A Guide to the Systematic Study of the Bible 5-2018 The Chapters of Jeremiah Harold Willmington Liberty University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/outline_chapters_bible Part of the Biblical Studies Commons, Christianity Commons, and the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Willmington, Harold, "The Chapters of Jeremiah" (2018). An Alliterated Outline for the Chapters of the Bible. 27. https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/outline_chapters_bible/27 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the A Guide to the Systematic Study of the Bible at Scholars Crossing. It has been accepted for inclusion in An Alliterated Outline for the Chapters of the Bible by an authorized administrator of Scholars Crossing. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Jeremiah The book of Jeremiah is outlined in the following manner: I. JEREMIAH AND JUDAH (1-45; 52) A. Events preceding Jerusalem's fall (1-38) 1. During King Josiah's reign (1-20) 2. During the reigns of kings Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah (21-38) B. Events during Jerusalem's fall (39; 52) C. Events following Jerusalem's fall (40-45) 1. The prophet and survivors (40-44) a. In Judah (40-42) b. In Egypt (43-44) 2. The prophet and the scribe (45:1-5) II. JEREMIAH AND THE GENTILES (46-51): Jeremiah delivers prophecies against nine nations: A. Egypt (46) B. Philistia (47) C. Moab (48) D. Ammon, Edom, Damascus, Elam, and the two Arab tribes of Kedar and Hazor (49) E.
    [Show full text]