Week # 35 Study Page

Jeremiah 1-17

About the Book(s)

Jeremiah

Date of Authorship: It is widely agreed that some form of the collection of Jeremiah's writings was produced during the prophet's lifetime. and Jeremiah's scribe, Baruch, had some of Jeremiah's prophecy recorded and delivered to king Jehoiakim (see chapter 36) as early as 605-604 BC. Jeremiah was called by God to be a prophet in 627 BC. The latest historical event recorded in this book is the death of Nebuchadnezzar which occurred in 562 BC. thus the final edition of the book of Jeremiah was completed at least that late, likely, after Jeremiah's death

Author: The book of Jeremiah does not claim to have the prophet of Jeremiah as its author. Instead, it claims to contain the words of Jeremiah the prophet. We are not told for certain, but it seems likely that these words of Jeremiah were recorded, narrated, and then collated by his scribe Baruch (again, see chapter 36).

Purpose: Jeremiah is the message and story of a prophet of God to His people who He has seen enough from. Jeremiah's earliest prophecies seem to include the possibility of repentance and forgiveness, but those invitations cease and Jeremiah pronounces an inescapable and irrevocable judgment upon the people of Judah. Jeremiah lives to witness the punishment of God's people, and later turns his prophetic message to the nations surrounding Israel in the ancient world. Jeremiah's message is not limited to Judah's destruction, but also includes a promise of restoration and rescue after God's people have suffered their punishment for some time. Jeremiah's sadness and misfortune are a living portrayal of the way that God has been treated by His people.

As You Read Notes

Jeremiah Historical Setting

Above is a chart showing the succession of the kings of Judah from Hezekiah, to the Babylonian invasion and destruction of Jerusalem in 587 BC

Jeremiah is called by God to be a prophet to Judah and the nations in the 13th year of King Josiah. Before this time (during the reign of Hezekiah), the northern kingdom of Israel had been decimated and taken into exile by the Assyrian empire. The kingdom of Israel had descended into idolatry from the moment they split off from Judah under the reign of Jeroboam son of Nebat, and were more idolatrous and heinous than their Judahite neighbors to the south. However, as time passed, Judah grew less and less faithful to God and eventually became the abjectly unfaithful people who Jeremiah addresses in his ministry. The faithfulness of the people of Judah took a disastrous turn in the reign of Hezekiah's son Manasseh. Manasseh oversaw a horrible influx of idolatry to the kingdom of Judah and even introduced the worship of Molech in which supplicants would burn children on an altar (more below). Even though Jeremiah does not begin his ministry until 15 years after the reign of Manasseh, he (Manasseh) is still identified by the prophet as the cause of Judah's demise

“I will send four kinds of destroyers against them,” declares the Lord, “the sword to kill and the dogs to drag away and the birds and the wild animals to devour and destroy. I will make them abhorrent to all the kingdoms of the earth because of what Manasseh son of Hezekiah king of Judah did in Jerusalem. (Jeremiah 15:3-4)

One year before God calls Jeremiah to be a prophet, Josiah leads a religious revival as king in Judah and celebrates the Passover with great enthusiasm. Because the structure of Jeremiah is a compilation or anthology of Jeremiah's prophecies and story, it is hard to assign a certain date or occasion to a particular passage. However, many have speculated that the words of Jeremiah 1-11, where Jeremiah seems open to the possibility of Judah's covenant obedience/reform, belong to this period of Josiah's reign. Despite Josiah's faithfulness to God, it becomes clear in the historical accounts and the the accounts of the prophets that Josiah's faithfulness was not practiced by all, or even a majority of the people of Judah, who remained idolatrous. Josiah's best effort was not enough to turn the hearts of Judah back to Yahweh, thus Jeremiah's prophecy is one of impending Judgment

During the reign of Josiah, the Assyrian Empire was losing strength in the Ancient Near East, and it likely felt, to the people of Judah, like the noose was loosening. You will notice that at many places in Jeremiah's interactions with the people of Judah, they seem to possess an undue confidence or feeling of invincibility. Jeremiah's message is that they are not so secure, and that God is preparing the arrival of their destruction from the north.

Unbeknownst to the people of Judah, a new emperical power was rising to take the place of Assyria. This new empire would be called Babylon. Their first king, Nebuchadnezzar, would squash the empirical efforts of Egypt and invade, harass, exile, and ultimately demolish Judah (from the north). More on those events in coming weeks

Jeremiah 7:31 the valley of slaughter

30 “‘The people of Judah have done evil in my eyes, declares the Lord. They have set up their detestable idols in the house that bears my Name and have defiled it. 31 They have built the high places of Topheth in the Valley of Ben Hinnom to burn their sons and daughters in the fire—something I did not command, nor did it enter my mind.

"Topheth" was the cultic site in Judah where children were offered to the god Molech. The name of the place derives its name from the hearth where the child was placed and could be translated fireplace or furnace. This valley was just southwest of the area of Jerusalem called the City of David. Molech was a netherworld deity whose rituals had Canaanite origins and focused on dead ancestors. Here, through Jeremiah, God promises to make the place of this detestable practice the location of their punishment and shame when His judgement arrives.

This shame would be achieved by filling this site with human bones.

Bones in tombs were considered sacred. The bridge between life and death in the ancient Near East was different from ours. Individuals were understood to have a consciousness after death as long as their bodies (i.e. bones) still existed and had been burred properly. Often the desecration of graves was not merely to retrieve treasure but to disturb the bones of the dead. Ashurbanipal, king of Assyria attacked the Elamite capital of Susa and carried off the bones of the dead with the purpose of "imposing restlessness upon their spirits and depriving them of food offerings and libations." Cults of the dead abounded throughout the Near East. In Israel the bodies of the dead were also treated carefully; disturbing tombs was looked on with horror. One is reminded that both Jacob and Joseph desired that their bones be taken to the Promised Land when the Israelites returned there. (IVP Bible Backgrounds Commentary)

Jeremiah 8:22: a Balm in Gilead

Do these words spark a melody in your head? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMs3M1jdIRM)

There is a balm in Gilead
to make the wounded whole,
there is a balm in Gilead
to heal the sin-sick soul.

That song springs from this passage in Jeremiah. he asks the question "Is there no balm in Gilead?" Surprisingly, to Jeremiah's audience, the answer was no:

There is no evidence for a balm-producing tree or shrub ever having grown in Gilead, although the boundaries of Gilead were never well defined. Gilead likely gained this association with balm because the main trade-route in the region passed through there and balm was a primary commodity of trade. The balm used most commonly in this region, was probably the resin of the storax tree, obtained by n incision on the bark of the tree. it was believed to have had medicinal qualities. (IVP Bible Background Commentary)

Gilead is the region east of the Jordan river that was given to Ruben, Gad, and Manasseh as their inheritance in the promised land. when Jesus approached Judea and Jerusalem for the final time, he traveled through Gilead, then the Roman province of Perea, crossing the Jordan near Jericho before making his final ascent to Zion. Jesus is the balm and physician of Gilead that provided healing for the wound of God's people.

Jeremiah 10: Idols

Confronting God's people with their sins, was a primary role of a prophet. Each prophet is addressing a certain set of behaviors, and you will notice that some of them are more focused on transgressions of morality and justice, while others are more focused on faithfulness in worship. Jeremiah belongs to that latter category. While Jeremiah does indict his audience for moral transgressions ( see Jeremiah 5:28 and elsewhere), he is more focused on idolatry and false worship. Read below for the nature and practice of Idolatry in the ancient world:

Idols came in a variety of shapes and sizes in the ancient near east. They were typically carved of wood and overlaid with hammered-out sheets of silver or gold. Basically human in appearance, they had distinctive, even formalized poses, clothing and hair-styles. Images of deity in the were where the deity became present in a special way, to the extent that the cult statue became the god (when the god so favored his worshipers), even though it was not the only manifestation of the god. Rituals were performed to bring the god to life in its idol. As a result of this linkage, spells, incantations, and other magical acts could be performed on the image in order to threaten, bind or compel the deity. The idols then represent a world-view, a concept o deity that was not consistent with how Yahweh had revealed himself. The idol was not the deity, but the deity was thought to inhabit the image and manifest its presence and will through the image. The images (idols) of deities in Mesopotamia were fed, dressed and even washed daily. Food sacrifices were brought to the deity on a daily basis (and were no doubt eaten by the temple technicians). Other attendants were required to dress and undress the statue and still others were employed to wash the statue and transport it in times of celebration.

Week 35 Study Page - Jeremiah 1-17