The Life of Jeremiah
Jeremiah Appointed Prophet Before Born:
Jeremiah was appointed to be a prophet before he was even born. He was not given a choice (Scriptures 1. Jeremiah Appointed Prophet Before Born). At a young age, God put words in his mouth to prophesy. If he tried not to prophesy, the words of the Lord burned in his bones. Therefore, he could not hold it in (Scriptures 2. Jeremiah Could Not Hold Prophesy In).
Jeremiah Sent on Dangerous Missions:
God sent Jeremiah out on very dangerous missions (Scriptures 3. God sent Jeremiah on Dangerous Missions). Jeremiah was a prophet when Jerusalem went into Exile (Scriptures 4. Jeremiah Prophesized when Jerusalem was in Exile). God’s people were committing adultery with other gods. Jeremiah’s prophesies were of wrath because of it. And that if they don’t put away their idols, horrible disasters will happen to them. However, he also prophesied if they put away their idols and come back to the Lord, the Lord will take them back and it will be even better than before. But most of Jeremiah’s prophesies were warnings of punishments, slaughters, desolations, famines, and disasters to come. He was pretty much a bearer of bad news.
God also had Jeremiah prophesy about God’s temple not being a place of the Lord due to their wickedness. God did not reside in the temple and did not accept their offerings or prayers. And the prophets in the temple were false prophets telling lies.
Jeremiah Beaten & put in Stocks & Cistern:
As one can imagine, the people were not happy with Jeremiah’s prophesies. Jeremiah suffered at the hands of God’s people. They beat him, put him in the stocks (Scriptures 5. Jeremiah Beaten and put in the Stocks) (pieces of wood with small holes for head and hands), lowered him into a cistern (Scriptures 6. Jeremiah Put in a Cistern to Die), imprisoned him, and held him in chains for years (Scriptures 7. Jeremiah kept in chains until Prophesy Fulfilled).
Jeremiah’s Prayers and Complaints:
Jeremiah’s prayers to God were full of pain (Scriptures 8. Jeremiah’s Prayers). He would beg God to fulfill the prophesies and pour out his wrath on those who do not acknowledge him. And to drag them off like sheep to be butchered.
He also complained (Scriptures 9. Jeremiah’s Complaints) about his prophesies causing so much trouble and the word of the LORD has brought him insult and reproach all day long. Jeremiah cursed the day he was born!
Jeremiah Taken to Egypt:
Jeremiah was finally set free by Gedaliah who Babylon had assigned Governor over Judah. Jeremiah stayed with Gedaliah and his people. But Gedaliah was quickly assassinated (Scriptures 10. Gedaliah Assassinated). Some of the people still in Judah came and asked Jeremiah to ask God what they should do and where they should go. Jeremiah prophesized that they should stay in Judah and not go to Egypt. If they go to Egypt, disaster will happen.
But they were arrogant and led away all the remnant of Judah (including Jeremiah, against his will) to Egypt anyway (Scriptures 11. Jeremiah taken to Egypt Against His Will). After arriving in Egypt, Jeremiah sent messages of prophesy to the Philistines, Moab, Ammon, Edom, Damascus, Kedar and Hazor, Elam, and Babylon. Mainly messages of destruction to come. That is the last writings of Jeremiah in the Bible. What happened to him in Egypt or about his death is not mentioned.
Conclusion:
One thing we can be certain of is that Jeremiah’s life was hard and full of pain and suffering. God knew he wouldn’t find a volunteer for Jeremiah’s tasks, so he had to choose one unlucky person and not give him a choice. It’s an honor hearing gods voice and be close to him. But consequences can sometimes seem unbearable. True prophets did not have it easy. We should be grateful for Jeremiah.
PDF: The Life of Jeremiah the Prophet
See: Life of Jeremiah Bible Study Worksheet
See: Part 1 #15 Why Does God Allow Bad Things?
Also See: Free Bible Study Worksheets
Also See: Part 3 – List of Prayers
Leave a Reply