Jeremiah Lesson 1

OUTLINE TO JEREMIAH

“THE WEEPING PROPHET” Gives Warning to Israel

KEY VERSE: Jeremiah 2:2, 9 “Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem saying . . . Wherefore I will yet plead with you, saith
the Lord, and with your children’s children will I plead.”

THEME: Jeremiah makes an appeal to backslidden, sinning Israel to repent and turn back to God in light of the coming invasion of the Babylonian empire. He warns and prophesies of defeat and captivity, and then later, he prophesies restoration and the making of a new covenant with the house of Judah and house of Israel.

DATE: Jeremiah began to prophesy when he was a young man in the reign of Josiah (628 B.C.) He exercised his prophetic ministry about one hundred years later than Isaiah. Events of the book of Jeremiah cover forty-one years (from 629-588 B.C.).

THE WRITER: JEREMIAH—He was the son of a priest. (1:1) He was commanded to remain unmarried. (16:2) He protested his call by God at first, pleading youth as an excuse. (1:6) He was assured that God had already chosen him prior to birth. (1:5) He attempted to find one honest man in Jerusalem. (5:1-5) He pleaded with Judah to return to God. (3:12-14) He fearlessly denounced Judah’s sin and was persecuted by his family, (12:16) his hometown people, (11:21) in addition, by the religious world. (2:1-3) He listed Judah’s many sins, such as the worship of the queen of heaven, (7:18) their sacrifice of their own children to devil gods, (8:3) and their murder of Judah’s own prophet, (2:30). He warned them about coming Babylonian captivity. (4:17; 7:15) He wept over this captivity. (4:19-21) He had his original manuscripts burned by the King Jehoiakim. (36:21-23) He threatened to resign. (20:7-9) He was ordered to buy a field while in prison to prove a point. (32:6-15) He was set free under Nebuchadnezzar. (40:1-6) He helped the newly appointed governor, Gedaliah. (40:6) He advised Johanan when Gedaliah was killed. (42:1-5) He was carried by force to Egypt by Johanan. (43:1-7) He continued to preach out against sin. (43-44) He died in Egypt.

WRITTEN: The Book of Jeremiah was written over a period of more than forty years. No chronological order or logical arrangement can be given to the prophecy. It was not just written to announce to Judah that Babylon would be victorious over her, but that if Judah would turn from her wickedness, somehow God would save her from her destruction by the hands of Babylon.

THE BOOK: NUMBER IN BIBLE: 24th of 66 Books of Bible, NUMBER OF CHAPTERS: 52, NUMBER OF VERSES: 1364, NUMBER IN ORDER OF WRITING: 2nd Book of Prophecy.

PURPOSE: Jeremiah spells out a clear account of captivity that would follow Judah’s backsliding and rebellion, and then, the judgments that would come upon the nations for their oppression of Judah.

DIVISIONS: 1. The Introduction (Ch. 1) 2. Complaints against the Jews (Ch. 2-20) 3. Prophecies against Individuals (Ch. 21-29) 4. Restoration of Israel (Ch. 30-33) 5. Historical Narrative (Ch. 34-35) 6. Judging of Nations (Ch. 36-49) 7. Doom of Babylon (Ch. 50-51) 8. Historical Review (Ch. 52)

FACTS: (Dr. Alexander Whyte) “This book stands to this day second only to the Psalms as the most spiritual Book in the Old Testament.” (Dr. W.W. White) “Jeremiah was the healthiest, youngest, bravest, grandest man of the Old Testament history.” Backsliding occurs thirteen times, but Jeremiah’s harsh message of judgment delivered with tears never won a convert. His message was unwelcome and totally rejected. The book of Jeremiah combines history, biography, and prophecy. Jeremiah used many symbols given him by Jehovah in teaching the people. On one occasion, he wore a rotten Copyright © 2016 Revised 11-14-23 Jeremiah – page 2 girdle, and another time he put a yoke on his neck like an oxen. Another time, he broke a bottle in the presence of a ruler. He bought a field and buried the deed.

OUTLINE:
I. THE MANDATE OF THE PROPHET 1. Time of Mandate (1:1-3) 2. Terms of Mandate (1:4-19) II. THE MESSAGE OF THE PROPHET (2:51) 1. To the Nation of Judah (2:45) a. During the days of incomplete revival (2:12) b. During the days of increasing rejection (13-45); (1) By signs (a) of line girdle (13:1-27 (b) of drought (14:1-15:21); (c) of the potter’s house (18:1-19:13); (d) of unmarried prophet 16:1-17:18); (e) of the figs (24:1-10); (f) of the yokes (27:1-28:17); (g) of the field of Hanameel (32:6-44); (h) of the Rechabites (35:2-10); (i) of the hidden stones in Egypt (40:8-13); (2) By sufferings (a) Jeremiah in the stocks (19:14-20:18) (b) Dangers-the murder of Urijah (26:26:20-24) (c) Jeremiah in prison (32:1-5) (d) Jeremiah’s prophecy destroyed by Jehoiakim (36:1-32) (e) Jeremiah imprisoned by Zedekiah (37:1-39:18) (f) Jeremiah forcibly carried to Egypt (43:1-7) c. By sermons (a) messages concerning the Sabbath (17:19-27 (b) message to Zedekiah regarding Babylon (21:1-22:30) (c) restoration promised (23:1-40) (d) prophecy of the seventy-year captivity (25:1-38) (e) message to Jehoiakim (26:1-19) (f) message to the Jews of the first captivity (29:1-32) (g) message regarding the time of Jacob’s trouble (30:1-24) (h) message of the last days (31:1-40) (i) message on the millennium (33:1-26) (j) message to Zedekiah concerning his captivity (34:1-22) (k) message to the poor remnant of the land (40:1-42:22) (l) messages in Egypt (43:8-44:30) (m) message to Baruch in the days of Jehoiakim (45:1-5) III. THE MISERY OF THE PROPHET (52) MISCELLANEOUS: RULERS THAT JEREMIAH MINISTERED UNDER . . . JOSIAH Judah’s last godly king, JEHOIAKIM Ungodly Bible-burning king, JEHOIACHIN A ninety-day wonder judged by God, ZEDEKIAH Judah’s final king, NEBUCHADNEZZAR Great Babylonian conqueror, GEDALIAH Babylonian-appointed governor of the occupied city of Jerusalem, JOHANAN Successor of Gedaliah. NATIONS THAT JEREMIAH PROPHESIED AGAINST . . . EGYPT To be defeated by Nebuchadnezzar (46:1-27) PHILISTIA To be overrun and destroyed by Egyptians (47:1-6) MOAB To be conquered by Babylon (48:1-47) AMMON To be destroyed for sinning against Israel and re-established during the Millennium (49;1-6) EDOM To become a Sodom and Gomorrah (49:7-22) DAMASCUS To be destroyed in a single day (49:23-27) KEDAR AND HAZOR To be destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar and re-established in the Millennium (49:34-39) BABYLON There are two Babylon . The historical Babylon and the future Babylon. The historical Babylon: Captured by Darius, the Persian, in 539 B.C. The future Babylon: To be destroyed by God the Father during the Tribulation. (Revelation 18:18) See Chapter 50:1-51:46 JEREMIAH ACTUALLY GIVES EIGHTEEN PROPHECIES . . . 1. Fall of Jerusalem 2. Destruction of the Temple 3. Death of King Jehoahaz 4. Death of King Jehoiakim 5. Cutting off the royal line of King Jehoiakim 6. Death of two false prophets and the punishment of another living in Babylon. 7. Death of false Jerusalem prophet 8. Capture and exile of a friend named Seraiah 9. Failure of the Egyptian-Judean military alliance against Babylon. 10. Defeat of Egypt by Babylon at Carchemish 11. Babylonian occupation of Egypt 12. Seventy-year captivity of Judah in Babylon 13. The restoration of Jerusalem after seventy years 14. The defeat of Babylon after seventy years 15. The capture of Zedehiah 16. Kindly treatment of godly exiles in Babylon 17. Final regathering of the people of Israel 18. Final rebuilding of the land of Israel. Dr. Tom Wallace

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