Jeremiah:Jeremiah:Profile of CourageProfile of Courage

Chapters 21-24Chapters 21-24

““A Scattered Flock”A Scattered Flock”

Jeremiah - Spring 2013 Week Topic

Mar 6 Dark Prophecies: Introduction and Jeremiah 1-6

Mar 13 Dark Prophecies: Jeremiah 1-6 continued

Mar 20 False Worship: Jeremiah 7-10

Mar 27 Broken Promises, Shattered Pride: Jeremiah 11-15

Apr 3 Sin Carved on the Heart: Jeremiah 16-17

Apr 10 The Potter, Pot, and Fire: Jeremiah 18-20

Apr 17 A Scattered Flock: Jeremiah 21-24

Apr 24 God’s Law on the Heart: Jeremiah 25-33

May 1 Broken Covenants: Jeremiah 34-35

May 8 God’s Indestructible Word: Jeremiah 36-38

May 15 Judgment and Justice: Jeremiah 39-45

May 22 God’s Justice Among Nations: Jeremiah 46-52

May 29 Summary of Jeremiah

Today’s Objectives• Review last weeks lesson, including historical

setting• Understand the errors of Judah’s false

prophets and what God thought about them• Consider how you can spot a false prophet• Learn about the Messianic prophecy found in

Jeremiah• Sense God’s sadness when His people are led

away from Him

Review of Chapters 18-20

• Historical overview

• Learned how Jeremiah used the pottery making process to illustrate Judah’s situation

• Saw how faith and discouragement were mixed in Jeremiah’s attitude toward his ministry

• Learned that God can and does change his mind

• Our individual and group ministries, though hard, are important

Historical Review• Prophecy in Chapter 21-24 historical dates vary• Chapter 21: 588 B.C.

– Reign of King Zedekiah, third oldest son of King Josiah, why?

– King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon preparing to lay siege to Jerusalem

• Chapter 22: 608-597 B.C.– After death of King Josiah, short reign and exile of King

Johoahaz, and reign of King Jehoikim

– Mentions Jehoahaz II (or Shallum), who reigned three months, was the fourth oldest son of King Josiah

– Reign of King Jehoiakim, second oldest son of King Josiah

• Chapter 23-24: 597 B.C. – Beginning of King Zedekiah’s reign

Last Five Kings of JudahName Father Reign (B.C.) What happened?

Josiah Ammon 640-608 Killed at Megiddo

Jehoahaz Josiah (4) 608 Pharaoh Necho II carried into exile

Jehoiakim Josiah (2) 608-597 Rebelled against Babylon and killed

Jehoiachin Jehoiakim 597 Exiled to Babylon

Zedekiah Josiah (3) 597-586 Sons killed, blinded, then exiled to Babylon

Nebuchadnezzar's Attacks on Jerusalem

Date Extent Result

605 B.C. Quick strike Sons of noble families deported for civil service (including Daniel)

597 B.C. Major Attack King Jehoiachin deposed; leading families and skilled workers deported (Ezekiel included)

588-586 B.C. Total Destruction City and temple destroyed; King Zedekiah blinded; all but the poor deported

Key People• Jeremiah

– Served the last five kings of Judah

– Confidant of King Josiah (639-608 B.C.), King Jehoiakim (608-597 B.C.), and King Zedekiah (597-586 B.C.)

– Member of a priestly family and was from Anathoth

– May have descended from Abiathar, a distrusted priest

– Fled to Egypt with Beruch upon destruction of Jerusalem

• King Josiah – “Great Reform” (2 Ki 22-23, particularly 2 Ki 23:3)– 639-609 B.C.

– Foremost among all the kings for unswerving loyalty to God

– Rebuilding of the temple

– Discovery of the law of Moses (Book of Deuteronomy)

Key People• King Jehoiakim

– King of Judah, 608-597 B.C., corrupt and wicked

– Carried off in first Babylonian captivity (2 Ch 36:6)

• Nebuchadnezzar– Babylonian King from 605-652 B.C.

– Military commander that defeated Egypt in 605 B.C.

– Conquered Judah and destroyed Jerusalem in 586 B.C.

• King Zedekiah– Gained the throne at age 21

– Last king of Judah

– Sent into exile

– Blinded, and his sons killed

Zedekiah Consults Jeremiah (1:1-14)

• Zedekiah’s appeal to Jeremiah– Jeremiah asked to intervene in Babylon’s impending

attack (vs. 2)– What does Jeremiah tell Zedekiah? (vss. 3-7)

• What message does God deliver to the people?– I am the way of life and death (vs. 8)– Faith in the city or faith in me (vss. 9-10)

• What message does God deliver to the royal family?– Make sure justice is carried out (vs. 12a)– Rescue those that have been oppressed (vs. 12b)

• Chapter placed during the reign of the three kings prior to Zedekiah

• God’s appeals to the kings (vss. 1-3)– Do not allow people to cheat, rob, or take advantage of

widows, orphans, and foreigners who live in Judah– Consequence (vss. 4-9)

• Obey – continue to rule

• Fail to obey – destruction

• Prophecy of three kings– Jehoahaz – carried to Egypt, would not return (vs. 11)

– Jehoiakim – death and lie unburied (vs. 18-19)– Jehoiachin – given to the king of Babylon (vs. 25-26)

The Three Kings (22:1-30)

• Evil shepherds (vs. 1-2)– Kings of Judah had not taken care of their flock

– God would punish them

• True Shepherd (vs. 3-8)– Flock would gather from all countries (vs. 3)

– Promise of caring shepherds for his flock (vs. 4)

– From David’s righteous Branch (vs. 5)

– “The Lord our Righteousness” (vs. 6)

– Reference to the future gathering out of dispersion (vs. 8)

True Shepherds (23:1-8)

• False prophets (vss. 9-10)– False prophets had a great deal of influence– Paradox of Jeremiah – overwhelmed/destruction– False prophets felt powerful leading people astray– Pleasant sounding message led people astray

• Prophets in Samaria and Jerusalem (vs. 13-15)– Prophets of Baal– Jerusalem as offensive as Sodom and Gmorrah

• God’s instructions to the people (vss. 16-22)– Do not listen to the false prophets

False Prophets (23:9-22)

• God’s opposition to false prophets – God was not ignorant of what was happening (vs. 23)– No hiding place existed (vs. 24)

• Jeremiah’s contempt of false prophet’s dreams– Their dreams were delusions of the mind (vss. 25-26)– Colluded lies led people astray (vs. 27)

• Comparison of false prophets versus God’s word– Word of God consumes falsehood (vs 29)– God opposes three kinds of false prophets:

• Those who claimed their message was from God, but not• Those who manufactured their own prophecy• Those who insisted God was the source of their dreams

Distinguishing Truth from Error (23:23-32)

• Use of Oracles– “Burden”– Special message– Jeremiah was to challenge the existence (vs. 33)– False prophets with oracles threatened (vss. 34-35)

• God condemns the fake prophets– Oracles were not oracles at all– Lulling Judah and Jerusalem into a fatal sense of

security (vs. 36) – God would cast from his presence (vss. 37-39)

Distorted Words (23:33-40)

• After King Jehoiachin was deported and King Zedekiah installed (597 B.C.)

• Bad versus good figs– Inferior figs represents King Zedekiah and his false

prophets– Good figs represents the skilled artisans and upper-class

families who Nebuchadnezzar took to Babylon

• On another level– Good figs anticipate that the exiles would turn to God– Bad figs, remaining inhabitants of Jerusalem, would

continue to resist God

Baskets of Figs (24:1-10)

Review

• Reviewed last weeks lesson, including historical setting

• Developed a better understand of why Jeremiah withdrew from common societal practices

• Developed a deeper understanding of why judgment was coming on Judah

• Appreciate the subtleties of self-deception• Identify sources of water that strengthens your

faith• Next week: Jeremiah 18-20