11/24/70

DOCTRINE OF JEREMIAH

A. Jeremiah is descended from the priestly line of Levi.

B. Jeremiah lived in Anathoth, a city five miles north of Jerusalem in the country of Benjamin.

C. Jeremiah ministered in the days of Josiah, the last great king in Judah, and the last period of the last five kings before the fifth cycle of discipline was administered.

D. Jeremiah’s ministry under Jehoiakim, the second son of Josiah.

1. Prophets and priests accused Jeremiah of being a traitor. They were all in the political party that supported Egyptian aid to Israel. Jeremiah was in the political party that supported submission to the Chaldean empire.

2. So his antagonists tried to kill him. Some Jewish princes in judah came to his aid and kept him from being murdered, but he was arrested and put in jail.

3. In the fourth year of Jehoiakim’s reign Jeremiah was commanded by God to write, but his messages were destroyed by Jehoiakim. Jeremiah was ordered arrested, but escaped and rewrote the messages, Jer 36:22.

4. He said the king would die the next time the Chaldeans came to the land and for this the king again tried to arrest him.

E. In 597 BC under Jehoiachin, the son of Jehoiakim, Jeremiah continued his warning by telling the king that he would never have a son under the Davidic Covenant. Jehoiachin is also called Coniah, from whom we get the curse of Coniah. Joseph the step-father of our Lord was his great, great, great, etc, grandson. Through the virgin pregnancy, the line of Coniah is cut off, Jer 22. At a later date, Jeremiah sent counsel and condolences to the royal family when it was in captivity in Babylon, Jer 29-31.

F. Nebuchadnezzar put Zedekiah, the youngest son of Josiah, on the throne, after Coniah was taken to Babylon.

1. Zedekiah held the throne until the fifth cycle of discipline was administered.

2. In the fourth year of his reign, a false prophet prophesied that the power of the Chaldeans would be broken and the captives would be restored from Babylon, Jer 28:3.

3. This false prophet tried to prove Jeremiah wrong, Jer 27:2; 28:13-14.

4. Jeremiah braced this man, for which he was again sent to prison, Jer 37:4-5.

5. After the Chaldeans had withdrawn, a relief column from Egypt came up to deliver the Jews and this false prophet from the Chaldeans.

6. Jeremiah then preached a sermon from his prison, prophesying about the Chaldean’s return and the Egyptian’s fleeing for their lives, which occurred. Therefore, Jeremiah was freed for a while, Jer 37-38.

7. Jeremiah purchased some real estate from a cousin while in prison. The Chaldeans had taken this over and his cousin told him as he left how he had tricked him. So Jeremiah preached about how he would have that real estate in the Millennium.

G. In 586 BC Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem.

1. He sent a special force to Jerusalem to free Jeremiah from prison, because he had heard of Jeremiah from Daniel and Ezekiel who lived in Chaldea, Jer 39:11-12.

2. Jeremiah was taken to Nebuchadnezzar and given the option to stay in the land and be supported by Chaldea, or go to live in Chaldea. Jeremiah stayed.

3. Jeremiah’s pro-Chaldean party members were liberated and sent to Mizpah with Jeremiah. A remnant was left in the land.

4. When a revolt occurred in the remnant, the leader was killed. Part of the remnant wanted to go to Egypt, but Jeremiah warned against it. So they kidnapped him and took him with them to Egypt, Jer 43:6-7.

5. In Egypt he sought to turn the people to the Lord, Jer 44.

H. How did Jeremiah die? There are two historical traditions.

1. He was stoned to death in Egypt.

2. Nebuchadnezzar conquered Egypt and freed Jeremiah. He was sent to Babylon where he lived peacefully until his death. This is the more probable explanation.

I. Jeremiah’s ministry in the land covers 40 years, 626-586 BC. He prophesied under five kings: Josiah, Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, Zedekiah.

J. The Principle of Jeremiah’s Right Woman. (1/21/71)

1. Jeremiah’s right woman was perfectly designed for him in eternity past, Jer 13:1-2, 11.

2. But she was unfaithful to him, Jer 11:15, just as Judah was to the Lord.

3. This destroyed her capacity to love Jeremiah, Jer 13:7. Scar tissue of the soul and emotional revolt of the soul caused her destruction, Jer 17:5, 10.

4. Because of her negative volition to doctrine and lack of capacity for love for either God or Jeremiah, she did not and would not change, Jer 13:23.

5. In the meantime she does have the capacity to make Jeremiah miserable and did, Jer 15:18, 11:7.

6. She is an illustration of apostate Judah, Jer 13:7, 9, 10, 11

7. Jeremiah was commanded to phase out his right woman, Jer 16:2, 12:7. This is analogous to God phasing out Judah in 586 BC, Jer 16:11-13, 13:10, 14, 15:11-15.

8. Jeremiah’s right woman will die a horrible death, Jer 13:26, 12:7, 15:8-9.

9. But Jeremiah will survive the catastrophe, Jer 15:12, 21, and survive under conditions of perfect happiness, Jer 15:16, 17:7-8.

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R. B. Thieme, Jr., Bible Ministries 5139 West Alabama, Houston, Texas 77056 (713) 621-3740

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