Journal Through the Bible: Week 72 Friday

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Jeremiah chapter 25

Jeremiah received a vision from God during Jehoiakim's fourth year of reign. (This was Eliakim, the son of Josiah who followed his brother, Jehoahaz/Shallum. He was also the father of Jeconiah/Coniah, the one that God cursed. As you can see, the events recorded in Jeremiah are not necessarily in chronological order since some of what we have already read happened during the reigns of Jeconiah and even Zedekiah/Mattaniah, another son of Josiah who was the last king of Judah before Nebuchadnezzar abolished the reigning tributary kings of the Jews. Jeremiah himself said in verse 3 that this was his 23rd year as a prophet.

Does God issue any commands?

• Jeremiah reminded the people that God had consistently sent prophets to tell the people that He was waiting for them to turn back to Him from their idols. Yet the people continued to provoke God.
• God told Jeremiah to take the wine cup of His fury and cause all the nations to drink it. Jeremiah said that he did so. He took this cup to Jerusalem, Pharoah king of Egypt, and to the kings of Uz, Philistia, Ashkelon, Azzah, Ekron, Ashdod, Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyrus, Zidon, Dedan, Tema, Buz, Arabia, Zimri, Elam, Medes, Sheshach and the isles beyond the sea. God told Jeremiah to say to them to drink and be drunken, fall and rise no more!
• God told Jeremiah to prophecy against those various and many kingdoms and describe God's mighty uttering from on high.

Does God make any promises?

• God promised to send Nebuchadnezzar to utterly destroy Judah and surrounding nations. Celebrations and normal work would cease.
• God promised that the Jews would be in captivity for 70 years.
• God promised that the Babylonian nation would be conquered by the Chaldeans.
• God promised that in the day of His wrath the slain will be from one end of the earth to the other.

Does this chapter teach anything about Jesus?

• Jesus is the LORD of hosts and the warrior who metes out judgment.
• Jesus is the shepherd that did not escape judgment and whose flock was scattered in their time of fear.

Does this chapter teach anything about yet-future events?

• The description of God delivering judgment from on high upon those ancient nations of the earth is mentioned in similar terms in the New Testament when describing the final judgment. There is a shout and God fights with the nations of the earth. The devastation is so great that bodies lie all over the earth and no one is there to bury them or grieve them.