1 Route 66 Understanding Jeremiah & Lamentations

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1 Route 66 Understanding Jeremiah & Lamentations Dr. Stephen Rummage, Senior Pastor Bell Shoals Baptist Church August 17, 2016 Jeremiah 1:4 (ESV) Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying, Jeremiah 1:5 (ESV) “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:6 (ESV) Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” Jeremiah 1:7 (ESV) But the LORD said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Jeremiah 1:8 (ESV) Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the LORD.” Jeremiah 20:9 If I say, “I will not mention Him, or speak any more in His name,” there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot. Structure of Jeremiah I. II. III. IV. V.

Introduction – Jeremiah’s Call (Jer. 1) National – Messages to Judah (Jer. 2-33) Personal – Jeremiah’s Sufferings (Jer. 34-45) International – Messages to the Nations (Jer. 46-51) Conclusion – Jeremiah’s Captivity and Release (Jer. 52)

Structure of Lamentations I. II. III. IV. V.

The Faithful God and the Fallen City (Lam. 1) The Sovereign God and His Suffering People (Lam. 2) The Comforting God and His Afflicted People (Lam. 3) The Compassionate God and His Corrupted People (Lam. 4) The Eternal God and His Praying People (Lam. 5)

2 True or False? Jeremiah 7:1-23 Jeremiah 7:1 (ESV) The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: Jeremiah 7:2 (ESV) “Stand in the gate of the Lord's house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the Lord, all you men of Judah who enter these gates to worship the Lord. 1. False Messages or True Obedience? Jeremiah 7:3 (ESV) Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Amend your ways and your deeds, and I will let you dwell in this place. Jeremiah 7:4 (ESV) Do not trust in these deceptive words: ‘This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.’ Jeremiah 7:5 (ESV) “For if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly execute justice one with another, Jeremiah 7:6 (ESV) if you do not oppress the sojourner, the fatherless, or the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other gods to your own harm, Jeremiah 7:7 (ESV) then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave of old to your fathers forever. Jeremiah 7:8 (ESV) “Behold, you trust in deceptive words to no avail. 2. False Religion or True Faith? Jeremiah 7:9 (ESV) Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known, Jeremiah 7:10 (ESV) and then come and stand before Me in this house, which is called by My name, and say, ‘We are delivered!’—only to go on doing all these abominations? Jeremiah 7:11 (ESV) Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, I myself have seen it, declares the Lord.

3 Jeremiah 7:12 (ESV) Go now to My place that was in Shiloh, where I made My name dwell at first, and see what I did to it because of the evil of My people Israel. Jeremiah 7:13 (ESV) And now, because you have done all these things, declares the Lord, and when I spoke to you persistently you did not listen, and when I called you, you did not answer, Jeremiah 7:14 (ESV) therefore I will do to the house that is called by My name, and in which you trust, and to the place that I gave to you and to your fathers, as I did to Shiloh. Jeremiah 7:15 (ESV) And I will cast you out of My sight, as I cast out all your kinsmen, all the offspring of Ephraim. 3. False Confidence or True Repentance? Jeremiah 7:16 (ESV) “As for you, do not pray for this people, or lift up a cry or prayer for them, and do not intercede with Me, for I will not hear you. Jeremiah 7:17 (ESV) Do you not see what they are doing in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? Jeremiah 7:18 (ESV) The children gather wood, the fathers kindle fire, and the women knead dough, to make cakes for the queen of heaven. And they pour out drink offerings to other gods, to provoke Me to anger. Jeremiah 7:19 (ESV) Is it I whom they provoke? declares the Lord. Is it not themselves, to their own shame? Jeremiah 7:20 (ESV) Therefore thus says the Lord God: Behold, My anger and My wrath will be poured out on this place, upon man and beast, upon the trees of the field and the fruit of the ground; it will burn and not be quenched.” Jeremiah 7:21 (ESV) Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “Add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices, and eat the flesh. Jeremiah 7:22(ESV) For in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, I did not speak to your fathers or command them concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices. Jeremiah 7:23 (ESV) But this command I gave them: ‘Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the way that I command you, that it may be well with you.’

Understanding Jeremiah Meaning: Jeremiah means “whom the Lord appoints.” Author: Jeremiah Audience: The People of Israel Date of Writing: 627-585 BC Theme: To give encouragement to God’s people going through difficult times. Key Verses: Jeremiah 7:23-24, 8:10-13 Structure of Jeremiah I. Introduction – Jeremiah’s Call (Jer. 1) II. National - Messages to Judah (Jer. 2-33) III. Personal – Jeremiah’s Sufferings (Jer. 34-45) IV. International - Messages to the Nations (Jer. 46-51) V. Conclusion – Jeremiah’s Captivity and Release (Jer. 52)

Christ is pictured in Jeremiah as: Fountain of Living Waters Great Physician Good Shepherd The Righteous Branch David the King The Redeemer Lord our Righteousness

2:13 8:22 31:10, 23:4 23:5 30:9 50:34 23:6

Comparison of the Four Major Prophets Isaiah

Jeremiah

Ezekiel

Daniel

Prophesied to:

Jews in Judea

Jews in Judea & Captivity

Jews captive in Babylon

Jews captive in Babylon & Gentile kings

Concerning:

Judah & Jerusalem (Isa. 1:1; 2:1)

Judah & Nations (Jer. 1:5, 9-10; 2:1-2)

The whole house of Israel (Eze. 2:3-6; 3:4-10, 17)

Israel & Gentile Nations (Dan. 2:36ff; 9)

During the reigns of:

Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Herekiah (kings of Judah)

Josiah, Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, Zedekiah (kings of Judah)

Zedekiah (king of Judah); Nebuchadnezzar (king of Babylon)

Jeholkim, Jehoiachin, Zedekiah (kings of Judah); Nebuchadnezzar (king of Babylon)

Dates:

739-692

627-574

596-559

605-536

Historical Setting:

2 Kings 15-21; 2 Chron. 26-30

2 Kings 22-25

Daniel 1-6

Daniel 1-6

Route 66: The Highway of Redemption from Genesis to Revelation Bell Shoals Baptist Church - Dr. Stephen Rummage, Senior Pastor

Understanding Lamentations Meaning: Lamentations means “to cry aloud.” Author: Jeremiah Audience: The People of Israel Date of Writing: 586/5 BC Theme: Five melancholy poems of mourning over the utter destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple by the Babylonians. Key Verses: Lamentations 3:19-24 Structure of Lamentations I. II. III. IV. V.

The Faithful God and the Fallen City (Lam. 1) The Sovereign God and His Suffering People (Lam. 2) The Comforting God and His Afflicted People (Lam. 3) The Compassionate God and His Corrupted People (Lam. 4) The Eternal God and His Praying People (Lam. 5)

God’s Unfailing Mercy - Our Only Hope What has been the deepest, darkest experience in your life, the time when you felt the worst emotions, perhaps to the point of utter despair? For Jeremiah and his contemporaries in Judah, it was the destruction of Jerusalem. The death of the city was absolutely crushing. The Israelites’ magnificent temple was reduced to ashes, the city walls were pulled down, the main part of the populace had been either killed or deported, and only starving elders, women, and children remained (Lam. 2:10-12). Only one truth kept hope alive - the knowledge of the mercies of the Lord (3:22-24). God’s mercy (Hebrew chesed; see Deut. 7:9) involved His undying love and loyalty toward His people. Having committed Himself to Israel through His covenant with them, the Lord could be expected to follow through on that commitment. He might discipline His wayward people, allow them to be ravaged by their enemies, and even let their temple and the Law be destroyed (Lam. 2:9), but He would never ultimately forsake His people. Neither will God forsake His spiritual children today. His mercy and grace have been extended to those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:1), and nothing can separate us from His love (8:31-39). As a result, we can have hope (5:1-5; 1 Pet. 1:3-5), even in the midst of the gloomiest circumstances (2 Cor. 1:8-11).

Route 66: The Highway of Redemption from Genesis to Revelation Bell Shoals Baptist Church - Dr. Stephen Rummage, Senior Pastor

How Far Will God Go? The destruction of Jerusalem revealed an astonishing fact about God. He will go to great lengths to draw His people back to Himself. The people of Judah strayed far from the Lord. It was not that they were irreligious. On the contrary, they were pious and devout. For the most part they maintained the religious rituals detailed in the Law, gathering in the temple week after week to offer sacrifices and observe the Sabbath. But during the rest of the week, they ignored the Law. They forgot what Jesus later called the “weightier matters” of the Law - justice, mercy and faith (Matt. 23:23; compare Mic. 6:8). In essence, the people confused means with ends. They forgot that the sacrificial system, the Sabbath, the temple, and even the Law were all merely means to a far more important end - the end of knowing and serving God (Jer. 22:15, 16). So eventually God took these means away (Lam. 2:5-9), important and valuable as they were: God destroyed Jerusalem. God pulled down the temple and its furnishings. God did away with the religious rituals. God removed the king and the high priest. God allowed the written Law itself to be destroyed. God stopped giving visions to the prophets. The removal of these things must have been unthinkable to the ancient Israelites. But God took them away in order to regain His people’s attention and affection. God’s people today must also beware of confusing means with ends. Religious activities and resources have value, but they are not what life is all about. God Himself is what matters, and He will go to whatever length is necessary to help us remember that. Source: Nelson's new illustrated Bible commentary. Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers, 1999.

Route 66: The Highway of Redemption from Genesis to Revelation Bell Shoals Baptist Church - Dr. Stephen Rummage, Senior Pastor