Monday 23 June 2008

Background

Jeremiah is thought to have been as young as 20 when he wasundertaking his role as a prophet of the Lord. Living in a time ofpuppet kings (those who were placed on the throne by foreignoverlords) Jeremiah was given the task of warning the people thatGod looked on them with anger, due to their broken agreements anddisobedience.

The book of Jeremiah is not set out in chronological order, butgrouped in themes and so some of the stories are repeatedthroughout the book. The idea of disobedience, punishment andforgiveness certainly recurs throughout.

God had warned Jeremiah that the people would not listen to him,but the prophet's anger and frustration at the Israelite's deafears towards his prophecies are seen throughout the book. Time andtime again Jeremiah suffered for his words and he continually hadto remind people that the prophecies and visions came fromGod.

The warning that God would make Jerusalem like Shiloh (verse 4)would have been an astonishing claim to make, as Shiloh was thecity where the Tabernacle was based in the days of Joshua (Joshua 18:1). Itwas therefore a holy city and a place of pilgrimage. (Shiloh hadceased to be significant when the ark of the covenant was takenfrom the sanctuary when the Philistines defeated the Israelites- 1 Samuel4:11.) This was a sharp reminded for God's people of their ownvulnerability.

To Ponder

Instead of listening to God's message throughJeremiah, the people threw him in prison. His discipleship carrieda heavy penalty. What heavy burdens do you see those around youcarrying as they live in accordance with God's wishes?

Jeremiah reminded the people that the words werenot his, but they belonged to God. Do you think the people believedhim? How do we discern God's words today from those of theworld?