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Why was Jeremiah known as the weeping prophet? This Book of Jeremiah Bible study explores what caused him (and God) so much grief.
There are many things we can learn even today from the prophecies of Jeremiah. The insights we can gain about God through the study of Jeremiah are timeless and applicable to people of all time periods.
In the case of Jeremiah, he provided the Word of God to the people chosen by God - the Israelites. Because God does not (and never will) change, we can learn from their experience and example.
The prophet Jeremiah not only began his time in Judah during a time of political and military unrest, but ended it that way as well. The entire region was at the mercy of the superpowers of the day.
As F. B. Huey in The New American Commentary points out, we cannot really understand the Book of Jeremiah apart from the historical currents that prevailed during his forty years.
Jeremiah was faithful to proclaim the word of God through some very rough times of Israel’s history. What he spoke from God was directly related to what was happening to them, but the people wouldn't listen to him.
Jeremiah warned of the foe from the North but his warning was never heeded - just as Josiah’s reforms were ignored. As a result, the chosen (but disobedient) people of God suffered terribly and unnecessarily.
The Book of Jeremiah is different than many of the Old Testament books of the Bible. It's not arranged in a chronological order, which can lead to some confusion. It's thought that it was arranged by theme or topic in its current format.
Although it may have been a chronological narrative originally, it's thought that a later arrangement resulted in the current format where topics are grouped together. For more information on this you might consult this article.
Therefore, the lessons below are not arranged in any order of occurrence. Instead, they offer you studies of the different prophecies of Jeremiah. When you study them, remember that the Scripture passages either before (or after) the passage you choose to study may not be arranged chronologically.
We'll present the timeframe in which the lessons below occur if possible.
Huey, F. B. Jeremiah, Lamentations. Vol. 16. The New American Commentary. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1993.
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We pray these Book of Jeremiah Bible study lessons are a blessing to you and help you in your quest to know and understand God.