Exilic Prophecies from Judah

The prophet Jeremiah was not taken to Babylon in the exile but was left behind to continue his ministry, during which time he wrote about the coming Messiah and a New Covenant.

When were you called into the prophetic ministry? The word of the LORD first came to me when I was about 20 years old. Good king Josiah had been reigning for 13 years. After that, I prophesied during the reigns of the final five kings of Judah before the exile.

People have called you the “Weeping Prophet” and the “Lonely Prophet.” Why is that? Some called me the lonely prophet because God told me not to marry. Actually, I was not to get married, take part in any festive occasions, or even participate in funerals—to be a vivid warning to Judah that captivity was coming. The weeping prophet? That relates to the awful message I brought to Judah of the coming destruction. Several times, I said something like: “If you won’t listen, my soul will sob in secret for such pride, and my eyes will bitterly weep and flow down with tears.” My eyes were like fountains. Oh, that Judah would have listened!

Were you ever scared? I knew that a terrible destruction was coming to Judah—I was imprisoned, then kidnapped and taken to Egypt. Wouldn’t you be frightened? But I kept trusting in what God told me so many years ago when He called me. I told Him I was too young and couldn’t do it. He said, “Don’t say you’re just a boy. I will tell you where to go and what to say—and you will go there and say it! Don’t be afraid of anyone. I will take care of you.”

Wow! You can’t go wrong with that. That brings me to my last question: which do you think were your most significant prophecies? There were some important ones, like the curse on Jeconiah. And there were warnings—so many warnings against sin and judgment. But God also gave me a message of hope and restoration to communicate. In all that, I would have to say there are three that stand out for me.

First is the duration of the captivity. Yes, the Babylonians captured us, destroying the temple and the city, but God said that after 70 years, He would punish Babylon and bring His people home. He told of plans He has for us that include a hopeful future. He made it clear that if we truly seek Him with all our hearts, we will find Him.

I think the Messianic prediction God gave through me would have to be another of the most important prophecies I shared. God declared: “The time is coming when I will raise up a truly righteous Branch from David’s line that will reign wisely and do what is right in the land, saving both Judah and Israel.” His ministry will be so significant that the catchphrase “As sure as the Lord lives that brought Israel out of Egypt” will be changed to “As sure as the Lord lives that brought back His people from all the countries where He’d scattered them.” His name will be The Lord Our Righteousness. That is significant, praise Jehovah!

You mentioned three. What is the third? Definitely, the New Covenant God gave to His people. God started His nation with the Abrahamic Covenant (land, descendants, blessing), and once it was well established, gave the Davidic Covenant, emphasizing the descendant and his throne. But in between them, He made the Mosaic Covenant, establishing His people as a kingdom of priests, a holy nation that represented God to the nations. But the Mosaic Covenant was conditional. If we obeyed the law, we would receive the blessings. Simple, right? But so difficult. We couldn’t keep the Law. But oh, how wonderful this New Covenant will be! God will not write His Law on tablets of stone again, but directly on our hearts. And that’s not all. This covenant is unconditional. Its fulfillment depends not upon us but solely on God’s faithfulness. He said He will be our God and we His people. He will forgive our wickedness and remember our sins no more.