Category: Old Testament

Right after God takes the time to reminisce on how he and Israel started off, in Jeremiah 2:4-5 we hear God ramping up to deliver an important and difficult message. Israel is Asked a Rhetorical Question God asks this rhetorical question – is it something I did that led you to your present unfaithfulness to…

In Jeremiah 2:1-3 God reminisces about better times with his people. Two Metaphors Notice that the Lord gives two metaphors (or picturesque comparisons) for what Israel was to him at one point in their history. A Betrothed Wife First, Israel was like a betrothed wife to the Lord in Jeremiah 2:2. He recalls the kindness – the chesed or loyal covenant…

In Jeremiah 1 we were introduced to this book of 52 chapters. We were told who Jeremiah was and the timeframe in which he ministered. Then we saw Jeremiah’s double-commissioning. First he was commissioned to go to the non-Jewish nations. Jeremiah – being a teenager – had some doubts. But God encouraged him that this was…

In Jeremiah 1:5 God says that he appointed (נתן – gave) Jeremiah to be a prophet to the nations. But how can God say that Jeremiah is a prophet to the nations? After all, most of his book consists of prophecies — not to the nations — but rather to the nation of Judah. Evidence…

In Jeremiah 1:5 God tells Jeremiah that he knew (ידע – yadang) the soon-to-be prophet before he was even born! But what does that mean? You might think it’s an easy question to answer. Know means know. Right? Well, no. There are nuances to that Hebrew word. It can obviously refer to intellectual knowledge. But that word can also communicate volitional knowledge — in…

God commissioned Jeremiah to his ministry in Jeremiah 1:1-16. But to whom did God commission Jeremiah? In other words, was Jeremiah sent to the nations or to the nation — of Judah, that is? The answer is yes… Jeremiah 1:4-10: The Nations The first part of Jeremiah’s commissioning is in Jeremiah 1:4-10. In this passage, God directs…

We’ve already studied the kings who ruled during the ministry of the prophet Jeremiah. But if you read that post you may have noticed something. In fact, I stated it pretty clearly. In Jeremiah 1:2-3 there are only three kings listed — Josiah, Jehoiakim, and Zedekiah. Even if we allow for Gedaliah, Ishmael, and Jehohanan…