Jeremiah 1:1-3
Introduction
The first 3 verses in Jeremiah gives the reader a great insight into the culture into which Jeremiah was born. To completely understand this book and the life of the prophet Jeremiah it is crucial that we understand the background, the person, and the people.
The Background
Before we can truly grasp the challenges of Jeremiah we must first understand where the nation of Israel is spiritually and culturally. The book of Jeremiah is known as a prophetic book, more specifically one of the major prophets (because of the length). The historical context of the people of Israel during the life of Jeremiah can be found in 2 Kings starting in chapter 21 and going on until the end of the book (chapter 25). At this point in Israel’s history, the nation had been split into two kingdoms (the northern kingdom, Israel & the southern kingdom, Judah). Israel has been conquered by the Assyrians as part of God’s judgment due to their rebellion. But Judah had remained (even though they had been under Assyrian domination since the days of King Ahaz; in 2 Kings 16:7-8) due to godly leadership. One of the godly leaders was Hezekiah (who reigned in Judah for 29 years). “He removed the high places and broke the pillars and cut down the Asherah. For he held fast to the Lord. He did not depart from following Him, but kept the commandments that the Lord commanded Moses.” (2 Kings 18:4, 6) Unfortunately after his reign, his son Manasseh was an unrighteous leader. “He did what was evil in the sight in the Lord.” (2 Kings 21:2) Everything his father, Hezekiah, did to restore fellowship with God, Manasseh destroyed. He allowed pagan gods along with pagan morals to infiltrate Judah which spiritually blinded the people. Jeremiah was born during the reign of Manasseh (probably between 650 – 645 B.C.) during a time of religious and political instability.
The Person
Jeremiah was born in Anathoth (which was about 3 miles northeast of Jerusalem) son of the priest Hilkiah (not the same person who found the book of the law in 2 Kings 22:8) in the land of Benjamin (one of the two tribes in Judah, the other being Judah). He was born during the reign of Manasseh who allowed the people to worship pagan gods. In this camp there were probably many priests who served and worshipped these pagan gods. Jeremiah’s parents were probably some of the few left who worshipped the true God of Israel (although most of this is just conjecture because Jeremiah does not write about it in his book). In verse 2 of chapter 1 we see the first affirmation by Jeremiah that these words are not his opinion, in fact we see that they are the very words of God given to Jeremiah (this is what kept Jeremiah going for 40 plus years). Many scholars believe that Jeremiah’s prophetic career started in 627 B.C. (in the 13th year of the reign of Josiah) when Jeremiah was just 18-20 years of age. King Josiah became Jeremiah’s contemporaries as they tried to bring spiritual reformation to the land. Josiah repairs the temple and in doing so finds the lost book of the law (the Pentateuch). This drastically changes Jeremiah’s life as he begins his ministry by going on a preaching tour reading the book begging people to turn back to the Lord. This time of spiritual reformation would not last, unfortunately. In 609 Josiah dies and the rulers to follow would lead the people of Judah to exile under the rule of the Babylonians.
The People
In verse 3 of chapter 1 we see three kings and the captivity of Jerusalem mentioned. This goes to show the reader the political and spiritual instability of the people in the time of Jeremiah. Spiritually, Josiah leads a reformation that does not stick and the three kings after him turn the people away from the Lord. We see this back and forth with the people of Judah (really with the people of Israel as a whole). They turn to God for a brief period of time then the sin against Him and turn from Him. Politically things get worse as these kings rebel against the Assyrians and the Babylonians longing for independence, which does not come. Because of the spiritual instability God brings judgment through political instability which ultimately leads to the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of the people of Judah.
Application
1. There is always a consequence for rebelling against God. We know that God is love and we tend to focus on that more than any other attribute that God has. We sing songs about God’s love, we tell people about God’s love, and we preach that God loves you. We can take great confidence that this is true that God does love you and I but God is also perfectly just and must punish sin. This is why He poured out His wrath on the people of Israel and the people of Judah, because they turned their back on Him.
a. Another reason God allowed the people of Israel to be conquered is so that eventually they would look up and see a loving God who was ready to have them follow Him again.
2. We also see the commitment and the faithfulness of Jeremiah. Jeremiah is known as the weeping prophet because, as we will read through this book, people did not listen to his message. In fact people threatened his life, mocked him, and beat him for speaking the very words of the Lord (v.2). How was he able to do this for 40 plus years? Because he was called to do this (we will read this in the next couple of verses) and disobedience was not an option.
a. How many times in your life and in my life do we let disobedience become an option? I ‘m encouraged to be more obedient to what I know God has called me to do (tell others about Him, study His Word, and pray without ceasing). I challenge you to do the same!
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