Introduction to Jeremiah
Study note
Jeremiah was born into a family of priests in the town of Anathoth, about three miles northeast of Jerusalem in the territory of Benjamin. His ministry began in the thirteenth year of King Josiah (about 627 BC) and continued through the reign of several kings until the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC. This forty-year span was one of the most troubled periods in Judah's history.
1 This book has the messages given to Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah. Jeremiah came from a family of priests who lived in the town of Anathoth, in the land of Benjamin. The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin:
2 The Lord first spoke to Jeremiah when Josiah, the son of Amon, was king of Judah. This happened during the thirteenth year of Josiah's rule. 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.
3 God kept speaking to Jeremiah while Jehoiakim son of Josiah was king of Judah. The messages went on all the way to the eleventh year of King Zedekiah son of Josiah. That was the year the people of Jerusalem were taken away as prisoners, in the fifth month. It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month.
God Calls Jeremiah
Study note
God tells Jeremiah that he was chosen to be a prophet even before he was born. Jeremiah protests that he is too young, but God promises to be with him and to put his words in Jeremiah's mouth. God gives Jeremiah authority over nations and kingdoms to deliver messages of both judgment and hope.
4 The Lord gave me this message: Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; and before you came forth out of the womb I sanctified you, and I ordained you a prophet to the nations." Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
6 I replied, "Oh, Lord God! I don't know how to speak in front of people. I'm just a young man!" Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.
7 But the Lord told me, "Don't say you are just a young man. You will go wherever I send you, and you will say whatever I tell you to say." But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.
8 "Don't be scared of anyone, because I will be there with you to keep you safe," the Lord promised. Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD.
9 Then the Lord reached out and touched my mouth. He said to me, "There! I have placed my words right on your lips." Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.
10 "Starting today, I am giving you power over nations and kingdoms. Your job will be to pull up and knock down, to wipe out and tear apart, but also to build up and plant." See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.
The Vision of the Almond Branch
Study note
In Hebrew, the word for 'almond tree' sounds like the word for 'watching.' God uses this wordplay to assure Jeremiah that he is watching over his word to make sure it comes true. The almond tree was the first tree to blossom in spring, symbolizing that God's plans would come to pass quickly.
11 The Lord asked me, "Jeremiah, what do you see?" I said, "I see a branch from an almond tree." Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou? And I said, I see a rod of an almond tree.
12 The Lord replied, "That's right! And just like that, I am watching carefully to make sure my word comes true." Then said the LORD unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it.
The Vision of the Boiling Pot
Study note
The boiling pot tilting from the north represents the coming invasion by Babylon and other northern kingdoms. God explains that this disaster is coming because the people of Judah have abandoned him and worshipped false gods. This invasion theme runs throughout the entire book.
13 Then the Lord spoke to me again and asked, "What do you see now?" I answered, "I see a pot of boiling water, and it is tipping over from the north toward us." And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, I see a seething pot; and the face thereof is toward the north.
14 The Lord told me, "Terrible trouble is going to pour down from the north on everyone living in this land." Then the LORD said unto me, Out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land.
15 "I am about to summon all the kingdoms from the north," says the Lord. "Their kings will march here and set up their thrones right at the gates of Jerusalem. They will attack the city walls and every other town in Judah." For, lo, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north, saith the LORD; and they shall come, and they shall set every one his throne at the entering of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all the walls thereof round about, and against all the cities of Judah.
16 "I will pass judgment on my people for all the wicked things they have done. They turned their backs on me, burned offerings to other gods, and bowed down to worship things their own hands made." And I will utter my judgments against them touching all their wickedness, who have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands.
God Strengthens Jeremiah
Study note
Knowing the difficult road ahead, God tells Jeremiah to be brave and promises to make him as strong as a fortified city, an iron pillar, and a bronze wall. Everyone from kings to common people will oppose him, but they will not be able to defeat him because God will be with him.
17 "So get yourself ready! Stand up and tell them everything I order you to say. Don't let them scare you, or I will make you fall apart before them." Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them.
18 "Today I am making you as strong as a city with thick walls, as solid as an iron pillar, as tough as a bronze wall. You will stand firm against the whole land — against the kings of Judah, its leaders, its priests, and all the common people." For, behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brasen walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land.
19 "They will try to fight you, but they will never win. I am with you, and I will always rescue you," says the Lord. And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee.