Jeremiah
The book of Jeremiah | Longing for home
The prophetic work of Jeremiah is very long (52 chapters), filled with prose and poetry, and was composed over a period of some 40 years. Add to this the fact that Jeremiah lived in a time of a profound spiritual revival (the reign of King Josiah) as well as a time of national catastrophe: the complete destruction of an ancient nation, including the leveling of her capital and the deportation of her prominent people. Because of this, the message of Jeremiah deals with the Christian’s tension between exile from home and a hoped-for homecoming. Within the black rebukes against Judah’s idolatry and distrust of God come flashes of Jesus Christ as the righteous king (Jer. 23), the bringer of a new covenant (Jer. 31), and the potter who makes a new nation (Jer. 18). As we look at this book, we’ll be confronted with a question: What hope is there for wicked people (Jer. 17.9-10) standing before a sovereign, eternal, and powerful Judge? In Jesus Christ there is great hope.
Notes:
Jeremiah (ESV version)
“A historical chronology of Jeremiah’s era,” [PDF] John F. Jones
“A visual timeline of the Fall of Assyria,” [PDF] Bill March
“The Expulsive Power of a New Affection,” [PDF] Thomas Chalmers [wiki "Chalmers"]
