158
They had constructed high altars
to Baal, in which they burned their
own children as sacrificial offerings.
Jeremiah’s prophecies of doom
and destruction are unpopular and
he becomes the target of much
mockery, and several attempts are
made to kill him. When Jeremiah
complains to God that he has
become a laughing stock for
spreading the word of the Lord,
he is told that he is destined to
endure more painful attacks over
the course of his mission. He cries
and laments (the following biblical
book, Lamentations, is a further
highly poetic expression of grief).
Still God insists that the prophet
must continue to disseminate
His dire warnings to the people of
Judah. Further misfortunes befall
Jeremiah; he is beaten and held inthe stocks for a day (20:2), and at
one point is thrown into a dark
and muddy well (38:6).Battles with false prophets
While Jeremiah is busy spreading
his apocalyptic messages, other
prophets are at work, sending out
a more positive message of peace
and prosperity (Jeremiah 27–28).
The most famous of these is
Hananiah, with whom Jeremiah
clashes throughout much of the
central part of his narrative.
Things come to a head early
in the reign of King Zedekiah in
Jerusalem. Jeremiah is determined
to ensure Jerusalem’s surrender in
the face of the rapidly advancing
Babylonian forces. He puts on a
yoke, or oxen harness, to symbolize
what God has told him about theTHE PROPHET JEREMIAH
Angry officials of King Zedekiah
lower Jeremiah into a well for daring
to prophesy the capture of Jerusalem.
The punishment is illustrated here in a
19th-century engraving by T.O. Barlow.coming enslavement of the Israelite
people to the Babylonians. The
prophet then goes to Zedekiah,
wearing the yoke, and says, “Bow
your neck under the yoke of the
king of Babylon” (27:12–13), so that
he and the nation might not die by
“the sword, famine, and plague.”
Jeremiah denounces the false
prophets who favor opposition to
Babylon, as God has told him that
can only lead to Judah’s downfall.
He goes on to tell the priest and
people, “Serve the king of Babylon
and you will live. Why should this
city become a ruin?” (27:17).
The people, angry and afraid,
react badly to Jeremiah’s words.
Later, the false prophet Hananiah
seizes his chance and tears the
yoke from Jeremiah’s neck and
breaks it on the ground, declaring
that the Lord will break the yoke of
Nebuchadnezzar II within two years.
As in many other parts of his
story, Jeremiah continues his
mission despite his humiliation.
The Lord tells him to go to
Hananiah and say that in place
of a wooden yoke, he will get
a yoke of iron. Jeremiah also
prophesies that Hananiah will be
dead within a year, for inciting
rebellion against the Lord—a
statement that proves accurate.Destruction foretold
Jeremiah’s terrible prophecies do
eventually come true; the people
witness their city being completely
destroyed by the Babylonians and
most of their people are taken into
captivity. The survivors go to
Jeremiah and ask for forgiveness.
They acknowledge that they shouldUS_156-159_Jeremiah.indd 158 25/09/17 11:19 am
WISDOM AND PROPHETS 159
Jeremiah
The Prophet Jeremiah was
the last prophet that God
sent to preach to the southern
kingdom, home to the tribes
of Benjamin and Judah. God
had repeatedly warned the
Israelites to cease their
idolatrous worship and evil
deeds, but his preaching had
been continually ignored. With
the 12 tribes split, and the 10
northern tribes lost among
the Assyrians, God's decision
to appoint Jeremiah as His
prophet constituted His final
attempt to bring the errant
southern tribes back into His
fold. Jeremiah was around
17 years old when God called
upon him. Privy to God’s
most terrible plans for his
compatriots, he cried tears of
sadness, because not only did
he know what was going to
happen to the Israelites, he
was unable to convince them
of his knowledge. Although
he preached for 40 years,
often entirely unaided, he was
unable to change or soften the
stubborn hearts and minds of
the Israelite people. In the face
of great hardships, Jeremiah's
legacy lies in the courage he
showed by teaching the word
of God despite the significant
aversion to His message.have listened to him and repented
of their wrongdoing. They also ask
his advice for where to go next.
However, when he tells them “Do
not go to Egypt” (42:19), Jeremiah
is once more maligned by the people
he is trying to save: he is branded
a liar and taken to Egypt with the
Israelites, where he dies soon
afterward. Some extra-biblical
sources suggest that he was stoned
to death by his angry countrymen.A new covenant
Not all of the Book of Jeremiah
prophesies misery and despair.
Chapters 29–31 strike a fresh tone
of positivity. In a letter to those
exiled in Babylon, God speaksthrough Jeremiah, telling him
he will bring them back after 70
years and promising them a new
covenant. This covenant will
succeed because God will put it in
their mind, “write it on their hearts”
and “forgive their wickedness and
will remember their sins no more”
(Jeremiah 31:33–34).
This prophecy at the heart
of the Book of Jeremiah gave the
Jewish people great hope after
the fall of Jerusalem in 586 bce.
Early Christians often applied
the prophecy to Jesus. His death
on the cross was seen to herald
the promised new covenant, as
it showed God’s forgiveness of
their sins (Luke 22:20). ■Moses says: “... I have
never been eloquent...
I am slow of speech and
tongue” (Exodus 4:10).... but God reassures
Moses ... “I will help you
speak and will teach you
what to say” (Exodus 3:12).Jeremiah says: “I do not
know how to speak;
I am too young”
(Jeremiah 1:6).... but God reassures
Jeremiah ... “Stand up and
say to them whatever
I command you”
(Jeremiah 1:17).Like Moses, Jeremiah initially rejects God's call to prophesy.Despite their initial reluctance, neither
of the prophets can resist God's purpose.US_156-159_Jeremiah.indd 159 27/09/17 5:58 pm