SURVEY OF THE BOOK OF JEREMIAH

The 52 chapters of the Book of Jeremiah can be organized into four major areas. 

The first section (chapter 1) is the calling of young Jeremiah to be the mouth piece of God.

The second section: Jeremiah's prophecies (God’s judgment) concerning Judah (Jeremiah 2-45). In chapters 2-29, Jeremiah communicates through a variety of stories and object lessons towards Judah. These includes: Judah, Yahweh's unfaithful wife (chapters 2-6); Judah, the hypocrite (chapters 7-10); Judah, breaker of the covenant (chapters 11-12); Five parables of judgment (chapters 13-20). Chapters 21-39 record the later prophecies that will occur under Jehoiakim and Zedekiah. Chapters 21-29 predict the captivity in Babylon. However, in chapters 30-33, Jeremiah predicts a positive future for the people of Judah through a new covenant but judgment must first come upon Judah (Jeremiah 34-45).

The third section addresses God’s judgment on the other nations (chapters 46-51). He speaks against nine different nations that would also face God’s judgment.
The final section (Jeremiah 52) provides the account of the fall of Jerusalem. The city is destroyed and the survivors are taken into captivity in Babylon.

Theological contributions: Jeremiah 23:5-6 presents a prophecy of the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ, as a Branch from the house of David.

God’s wrath is a strong feature in the book of Jeremiah. God’s anger is “provoked” by sin, but in His wrath, He offers a path to salvation for all those that repent. Jeremiah offers three main insights that

1. God’s people have sinned grievously against the Lord. Indeed, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Rom. 3:23)
2. The Lord will judge his people for their sin, in this case through the onslaught of the Babylonians. “For the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23a)
3. Yet God is both unfailingly faithful and bountifully merciful and will bring restoration and salvation. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)