1462 - The Book of Jeremiah

The Book of Jeremiah 


These are the words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests from the town of Anathoth in the land of Benjamin. 


The Lord first gave messages to Jeremiah during the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah.


The Lord’s messages continued throughout the reign of King Jehoiakim, Josiah’s son, until the eleventh year of the reign of King Zedekiah, another of Josiah’s sons. 


In August of that eleventh year the people of Jerusalem were taken away as captives. 


The Holy Bible 

New Living Translation 


Jeremiah 1:1–3


————————————


The Book of Jeremiah, is found in both the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament.


This book records the ministry of the prophet Jeremiah during one of Israel’s darkest periods: the final decades before the Babylonian exile (from the late 7th–to the early 6th century B.C.). 


Jeremiah was called as a prophet, while he was still a youth, and he was tasked with proclaiming God’s coming judgment against Judah, for its persistent idolatry, covenant-breaking, and social injustice. 


Despite his reluctance, because of his deep personal suffering, he became known as the “weeping prophet,” lamenting the destruction that his people’s sins would bring on themselves.


However, Jeremiah’s message centers on both judgment and hope. 


He warns of Babylon’s rise, as God’s instrument of discipline, predicting the fall of Jerusalem, the destruction of the temple, and the exile of the people. 


These warnings often brought him into conflict with kings, priests, and false prophets, who promised peace and safety. 


Jeremiah endured imprisonment, rejection, and ridicule for his faithfulness to God’s word.


Yet the book is not solely about judgment. 


Jeremiah also proclaims God’s enduring mercy and future restoration. 


In one of the most significant passages (in Jeremiah Chapter 31), he foretells of a new covenant, in which God’s law would be written on the hearts of His people, …promising intimate knowledge of the Lord and forgiveness of our sins. 


This prophecy later became foundational for Christian theology, as it foreshadows the covenant established through Jesus Christ.


The book concludes with historical accounts of Jerusalem’s fall to Babylon, the exile of Judah’s leaders, and Jeremiah’s continuing witness even after the nation’s collapse.


Ultimately, Jeremiah reveals the seriousness of sin, the certainty of God’s justice, and the steadfastness of God’s redemptive purposes. 


It is a book of tears and warnings, yet also …of unshakable hope in God’s faithfulness to His covenant promises.


Praise be to God!



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