Introduction to Jeremiah
The Book of Jeremiah reveals God’s Word given through the prophet Jeremiah just prior to Jerusalem’s fall to the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar. Jeremiah was the last great prophet before the destruction of the temple and was likely a priest, called by God to the office of prophet at a very young age.
Except for perhaps Elijah, there is no other more clear record of the hardships and travails of a prophet in the Old Testament outside of Jeremiah. Jeremiah suffered greatly in God’s service, imprisoned many times, and it is likely that someone eventually murdered him because of his ministry while he was in exile in Egypt after Jerusalem’s fall.
Jeremiah is a voice of the reality of being a faithful servant of God in a God-hating world. Jeremiah embodies the walk down the difficult path all the faithful have from the moment they receive their gift of faith until they arrive at their destination of Heaven.
As with all Bible studies, commentaries or guided studies are useful resources to help keep the study on track. A good place to start is with the People’s Bible Commentary available from the Northwestern Publishing House of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod.
BibleGatway.com is the source of the Bible references used in these Bible studies.
This study is part of the three-year Bible study available from the WELS and begun on 1 January 2006 on this weblog.
Context for Jeremiah 1
God called Jeremiah to the ministry in a very explicit way. God meant to use Jeremiah, a young man, as the last testimony of His Word to the people of Jerusalem before the wrath that He promised for 150 years became a reality. Jeremiah’s message was the same as all those who came before him, the same message we receive today, “Believe and repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!â€
God set Jeremiah into the ministry with boldness. God demanded much from the young priest of Anathoth, and promised much as well.
God calls us just as boldly through His Word. His demand for us is clear: We are to love Him with all of our hearts, minds, and strength, and we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. We are to seek His Kingdom. We are to use the gifts He has given us in His service.
We are not all called to be pastors or prophets, but God calls us all to be His children, a royal priesthood of believers from the same priesthood that God called Jeremiah as a prophet. That calling is an active pursuit. The Word describes our faith as a journey intentionally because our faith should cause us to act, just as God wanted Jeremiah to act.
And that journey will not be easy, but it is a journey that God guides us, protects us, and encourages us along. God called us. Now we must do what He called us to do.
