Why the Book of Jeremiah is important:

Jeremiah was one of the Bible's most important prophets. The historical record reveals that he was chosen to be a prophet by God when he was a child.

Jeremiah's task was to explain the disaster that God promised to bring upon Israel because of their disobedience and pagan worship. Their judgment was inevitable, although eventual restoration and a new covenant was also foreseen.

Jeremiah persisted in delivering warning messages for more than four decades. He carried out God's instructions in the face of unrelenting opposition and harsh criticism. He was called the weeping prophet because he mourned the sins of his people and grieved over being unable to turn them back to God.

God forewarned Jeremiah, They will fight against you but they will not prevail, for I am with you to deliver you. Jeremiah 1:17-19.

  • Chapters 1-21 Present oracles in which the prophet speaks as God's messenger describing Israel's unfaithfulness to God and His call to repentance. Jeremiah agonises over the apparent failure of his mission and he is troubled by those who ignore and oppose him.

  • Chapters 22-25 Jeremiah confronted religious hypocrisy, economic dishonesty, and oppressive practices by Judah's leaders. He was a voice of warning who brought attention to truths that others tried to ignore. The Lord said, I will make Judah an uninhabited city. I will prepare destroyers against you because you have abandoned the covenant of the Lord. Jeremiah was dismissed and ridiculed by false prophets who claimed that God would never let the city of Jerusalem fall to an invader.

  • Chapters 26-29 Nebuchadnezzar attacked Jerusalem and took 10,000 of the most able Jews including Ezekiel and Daniel. Jeremiah brought God's word to the Jews in exile and he warned the exiles that they would be in Babylon for 70 years.

  • Chapters 30-33 God's promise of restoration including a new covenant. And the purchase of a field in Anathoth for 17 shekels of silver.

  • Chapters 34-39 Describe interaction with Zedekiah and the fall of Jerusalem. Wine was offered to the Rechabites in the Temple, thus breaking societal norms.

  • Chapters 40-45 Jeremiah's role changed. God kept him in the destroyed city, now governed briefly by Gedaliah, to encourage the new ruler and help the people understand what had happened and how they were to live. Yet despite his plea for them to hear God's message, they put their faith in a bad alliance with Egypt that Babylon quickly defeated.

  • Chapters 46-52 Describe God's judgment upon the nations surrounding Israel. God used Babylon against Judah, but Babylon would not escape punishment.

    View an index of Old Testament books