Jeremiah

Author: Jeremiah
Date of Writing: 7th century BC
Type of Book: Prophetic
Theme: God's call to repentance

Jeremiah is the only prophet of whom God writes, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations" (Jer 1:5). He was born into a family of priests, and his father may well have been the high priest. Jeremiah lived and prophesied during the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians in 586 BC. During this time, Babylon had taken the elite citizens of Judah, including Daniel and his friends. They destroyed the temple and ransacked the city of Jerusalem - leaving behind Jeremiah who wasn't even deemed worthy of capturing.

Jeremiah is often called the weeping prophet because his prophecies were accompanied by a sense of hoplessness. It was one of the darkest periods in the history of Israel, and Jeremiah had to deliver the bad news - that was enough to make anyone cry. The people had continuously rejected God. The northern tribes had been carried into captivity, suffering the horrible consequences of their sins, and now the same thing was happening in Judah. And despite the warnings, the people had not responded with repentance. Their idolatrous rebellion grew worse and this broke the heart of God, and the heart of His prophet Jeremiah. The compassion and sensitivity of Jeremiah gave us a unique picture into what God must feel when He is rejected, after doing everything He could to save the people He loved.

Most of the other prophets communicated their message without sharing a lot about who they were or how they felt. Jeremiah was transparent and vulnerable; his humanity came through loud and clear. We see an honest man who was devastated by what had happened and what would happen to God's people, while faithfully delivering the message from the Lord. Through this, we see God's faithfulness as He continued to call His people to repentance. God loved them and still had a plan for Israel that He would one day complete.

It hurts to see all the tragedies that come about because of sin. And yet God is faithful and His love will not be derailed by man's failure.

-from Pastor Chuck Smith: The Word for Today Bible