The Bible OverBrew - Bible in a Yearنموونە

Week 20. Day 1. Jeremiah 1-5.

Introduction to Jeremiah.

Jeremiah was a prophet in the latter days of the kingdom of Judah, just before the exile. Like the rest of the prophets, Jeremiah warns of coming judgment due to the people’s sin. In Jeremiah, sin is defined very relationally and in terms of covenant. Relationship with God is a central subject of the prophecy, and the people are frequently described as ‘forsaking’ the Lord. Over 100 times the people are called to ‘repent’ or ‘turn around’ (this is the sense of the ‘repent’ word in the Old Testament).

There is something of a tension in Jeremiah: the people are repeatedly called to repent, yet it also becomes clear that judgment is inevitable, and Jeremiah will tell the people to surrender to Babylon! Yet in the middle of Jeremiah occur glorious promises of hope beyond exile, Jeremiah’s ‘book of consolation’ in Ch 30-33. Unsurprisingly, given the relational way sin has been described, the solution is described in similar terms: a new covenant!

Note: Jeremiah is not structured chronologically! A good study bible can help you get the chronology if you’re struggling. My favourite for Jeremiah is the NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible, with excellent notes by Iain Duguid—whose outline of Jeremiah I broadly follow below.

Jeremiah 1-5.

Jer 1 Call of Jeremiah

Key verse: 1:10 Judgment and salvation – but in that order.

Jer 2-5 Israel’s covenant unfaithfulness

Ch 2 many ideas are introduced that will recur throughout the book. Israel is described in 2:2 as having been a devoted bride. But as you read Ch 2-3, what has she become like?

Ch 3 note the repeated calls for the people to ‘return’. Despite their spiritual adultery, God is graciously calling his people back to relationship with him!

4:23-26 note how judgment is described in terms of de-creation.

NOTE: Days 1-5 of each week contain the scripture reading for that week. Day 6 has just the 'key chapters'. If you want a briefer version of this plan that still takes you through the whole Bible, you could just read the key chapters featured on day 6. Day 7 has the podcast video where we discuss the week's reading.