If I were asked who is my favourite footballer or cricketer, I would no doubt eventually come up with a name, but I would have been hard pushed to do so because there are several candidates that might have fitted the bill. I face a similar conundrum when it comes to selecting who is my favourite Bible prophet.

It happens that my current Bible deep dive concerns the Book of Jeremiah. This is partly to do with my leading a series of Bible studies at my church under the umbrella “Christ in the Old Testament”. Last time it was on Christ in Isaiah when I was spoiled for choice when it came to messianic prophecies (see here). Next up is Jeremiah. While tempted in order to move things along to cover Ezekiel and Daniel (the two other major prophets) at the same time, it would not be doing Jeremiah justice, and if anything I would need at least another session to cover all I would like to share, with the first session covering a load of stuff not directly to do with those specific prophecies concerning the Christ that would find eventual fulfilment in the New Testament (with some yet to be fulfilled). But let it suffice for now that I intend to present the more pertinent of my thoughts pertaining to the prophet Jeremiah in that one session before moving on to the other prophets. Firstly, check this out …

I start by re-emphasising context is all important in order to arrive at a proper understanding of the Bible (and any other truth come to that). As far as the image is concerned, it includes historical and geographical facts. We see from the map representations of the great empires of the time: the declining Egyptian and Assyrian ones, the emerging Babylonian and the yet to emerge Medo-Persian empire, as well as the sites of two important battles: Megiddo and Carchemish. As for the timeline, the events and dates that are included are all significant when considering the life and ministry of Jeremiah. He was born during the reign of wicked (who repented in the end) king of Judah, Manasseh, around the same time as Manasseh’s grandson: Josiah. We learn that Jeremiah was called to be a prophet in the thirteenth year of good king Josiah’s reign. As righteous as Josiah was, the downward spiral into idolatry, sexual immorality and neglect of the poor was ongoing. He continued to prophesy throughout the reigns of wicked Kings Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin and Zedekiah, which ended with the final exile of Judah to Babylon. More could be said about the rise and fall of empires, various alliances, historical context, Jeremiah himself and the rich abundance of prophecies to be found, but, rather than go down too many rabbit holes, I suggest to readers who are interested in knowing more, check out my books: Prophets of the Bible (see here) and Priests of the Bible (see here) or, better still, read the books of Jeremiah and 2 Kings.

There is much about Jeremiah the man that if pressed would cause me to name him as my favourite prophet. He was called by God to be a prophet, maybe as young as twenty years old. His message was an unpopular one as it was about God’s judgment, specifically at the hands of the Babylonians. As beautiful and as profound as his words were (a lot of it was in poetry), along with providing living parables and illustrations to bring his point home, few heeded them and few changed their ways as a result of his warnings and God’s offer to protect Judah from the invader if only they repented. He lacked self-confidence and questioned God concerning his awkward situation, only to be reassured by God and thus be able to carry on.

His was a lonely call – he had few friends and even his own family forsook him because of the message he continued to bring. He was not allowed to marry (part of the reason was to bring home that fact concerning the husband wife relationship God that intended with Judah, they had committed adultery and God had abandoned them as a result). The religious establishment, particularly the priests and prophets, were largely opposed to him, and so were all the kings that followed Josiah. He suffered much, including ridicule, beatings, imprisonment and even attempts on his life. Yet he persisted in telling the people what God wanted them to hear rather than what they wanted to hear or what those in authority told them, right up to the time of the final exile. He even counselled those already in exile how to come to terms with their situation. We don’t know how Jeremiah’s life ended but after the final exile he was taken, against his will to Egypt, and it was there he died. While I do not claim to be a prophet or in the same league as Jeremiah, much of what he saw and spoke concerning his situation parallels the one in which I find myself in, including experiences of rejection, loneliness and even depression, along with a realisation, despite one’s best endeavours, any amount of well-crafted words would largely fall on deaf ears.   

It would be wrong to view Jeremiah just as the weeping prophet or cast him purely in the prophet of doom mould, for he also gave cause for hope and joy for good reason. His concern was for God’s righteousness and that the people too should be righteous and the only reasons for their woes was because of their unrighteousness. But even in his lament, following the Fall of Jerusalem, we see examples of hope, e.g.: “This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord” Lamentations 3:21-26.

But back to prophecy, which the Book of Jeremiah is full of (it also the longest book in the Bible in terms of words), especially about the times he lived in concerning Judah and also surrounding nations, but particularly those which have been listed under “MESSIANIC PROPHECIES IN JEREMIAH” in the above image, which again I suggest that readers check out, both the references in the Book of Jeremiah and those which are to do with the New Testament fulfilment. While Jeremiah is less prolific than Isaiah when it comes to Christ’s First Coming and to an extent His Second Coming, what he prophesied was nevertheless highly significant, especially concerning the New Covenant and a splendid future that is in store for the united Israel and Judah, under the rule of its returning Messiah and when all Israel will be saved and live in peace and prosperity, having new hearts that are inclined toward obedience to her God and that marriage relationship God always wanted to have. Linked to the this, there is the mention of “The Branch”, which is a messianic title, also mentioned in the books of Isaiah and Zechariah. It refers to a future king from the line of David who will reign righteously and bring salvation to God’s people, specifically Israel

Suffering would be in store for God’s Old Covenant people as a result of their unfaithfulness and God’s judgment on the nation, not just in the siege and sacking of Jerusalem that occurred during the latter part of Jeremiah’s ministry, just as he had earlier prophesied, but also in a distant future that is still to happen (the time of Jacob’s trouble), although one could argue that this is a recurring theme ever since Jeremiah prophesied, after which it will be followed by a yet to be seen full restoration and blessing under its Messiah. But we begin with the promise of Judah’s return to their Promised Land following their seventy years in exile, which was picked up by the prophet Daniel, with the fulfillment of Jeremiah’s precise predictions detailed in books such as Ezra and Nehemiah and by the prophets: Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi. Then there is the New Covenant, which Jesus spoke concerning when he celebrated the Last Supper with his disciples, and although this was partly fulfilled by the Church, we await the full fulfillment in a restored Israel.

“As they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” Matthew 26:26-28.

“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people” Hebrews 8:12.