Jeremiah 25-52/Hebrews 5-13

Jeremiah
25: The judgment of God shall be visited upon Judah by Babylon, however Babylon and these other nations will not escape punishment. The last half of 25, 15-38 almost seems to be a diatribe against war in general - a cup that causes uncontrolled violence and sorrow.

26-29: A large narrative whose question is how to tell the difference between a false and true prophecy.

At first Jeremiah prophecies against Judah during Jehoiakim's reign. But is it true. The priests and other prophets, who have been prophesying good things want to do away with him, but the officials, who would carry out the punishment want to wait, to see what happens.

Now chapter 27 is at a different point. If you remember from Kings, the exile from Judah and Jerusalem is in two phases. Babylon comes and takes most of the royal family and many people away to exile in Babylon and puts Zedekiah on the throne. So during Zedekiah's reign a few things happen. First, Zedekiah is thinking about a rebellion with these other tribes. Jeremiah puts on a yoke and says - don't do it - you will be under the yoke of Babylon and you can't shake it off.

Hananiah disagrees and breaks the yoke - but in the place of a wooden oak, an iron yoke is put in its place. Jeremiah sends word to exiles to buy houses and find wives - you're going to be there for a while. Jeremiah is prophesying a long stay, while the other prophets are saying the stay will be short.

Guess who was right.

30-36 form a kind of unit. 30-31.27 form what is called the Book of Consolation, a collection of poems and sayings that fortells the renewal of God's covenant, the restoration of the people and identifies that with a return of the exiles.

31.38-33 is a kind of apendix to this book and speaks of the future of Jerusalem.

30: A call upon God, who is only one who can help. The enemies will be judged and the people will be restored. The city will be rebuilt.

31: The promise of return and restoration is given to both Israel (Ephraim) and Judah. The section ends in v. 26 with the return from exile to the holy hill. The next section is a series of eschatological promises: Children will not suffer for the misdeeds of their parents; a new covenant will be made in which God will write the Law on the hearts of the people; as surely as the sun rises in the east, Israel will exist; Jerusalem will be rebuilt.

32: The events of this chapter actually follow chapter 37, and it might be helpful if you read that first. It describes how Jeremiah was suspected of collaborating with the Babylonians and was arrested, but then freed and returned to Zedekiah.

Basically the city has had a reprieve from a siege and the people believe they have been delivered, but Jeremiah warns - no - even if there was only wounded men in the camp, they would still burn Jerusalem to the ground.

In the midst of all this - Jeremiah buys a plot of ground in near by Benjamin. God tells him to do this as a kind of sign that the people would one day return and that a remnant would indeed be preserved. However Jeremiah tells his secretary Baruch to put it in a jar to preserve it for a long time.

33: Jeremiah receives this while in the court of the guard 37.21. These are more prophesies about the restoration and rebuilding of Jerusalem. While the enemies are at the gates, he is basically telling people - they will conquer us and drag us off, but one day the city will be rebuilt and the people of Israel will not vanish away.

34: The siege of Jerusalem begins. Zedekiah is promised that though he will go into captivity he will still be given a proper burial (very important at this time). Only Lachish and Azekah were left with Jerusalem as cities of Judah.

The people free their Hebrew slaves during the siege, but it appears that when Babylon leaves to fight Egypt, they make them slaves again. This incurs God's wrath, who promises to bring back the Babylonians to finish the job.

35: Flashback to the previous reign - we get a story of the Rechabites (they were connected with the purge of Jehu 2 Kings 10.15-28). They are faithful in their vows, but the people of Jerusalem are not. The Rechabites become a contrast to the faithlessness of Judah.

36: Another flashback - the king burns the scroll of prophesies that Jeremiah dictated to Baruch. This is in contrast to Josiah, who, when the scroll of the law is found, tears his clothes and weeps, and begins broad reforms.

37: See above - we're kind of back where we started :).

38: Jeremiah continues to advise surrender. The officials are worried about morale and throw Jeremiah in the cistern - which is mud - which means there is basically no water - which means the siege is starting to get ugly.

He is rescued by a visiting Ethiopian court official (not necessarily a eunuch) and goes secretly to Zedekaiah. Again - tells him to surrender. Zedekaiah hears him, but makes him keep his advise secret and returns him to house arrest.

39-40.6: Jerusalem falls. Compare with chapter 52. The king flees but is caught. His sons are killed before him and it is the last thing he sees, for he is then blinded. He is taken away, along with everyone else, except the poor. Jeremiah is left as well, and he promises the Ethiopian that he will be okay because of his help.

Jeremiah is treated well by the captors and given several choices. He ends up going with Gedaliah, who Nebuchadnezzar appointed over the towns of Judah.

40.7-41: Gedaliah and his assassination. Gedaliah seems to be a good guy and is setting things in order, keeping civilization under the Babylonians alive. However, Ishmael, who was a relation of the royal family, plots his assassination. He is killed "as they ate bread together" which was particularly heinous. Ishmael tries to seize power, but Johanan defeats him and he flees to the Ammonites.

These events likely lead to the third exile mentioned in 52.30, one which truly decimate the Jewish population.

42-44: What to do now? Johanan and the leaders ask Jeremiah. He says, "Stay. The Babylonians will be cool and not kill you." They say, "Liar. We're out of here." They go to Egypt - taking Jeremiah with them, probably unwillingly. Jeremiah warns that they will be destroyed if they do. When they get to the border fort of Tahpanhes Jeremiah warns that Nebuchadnezzar will conquer even here. There is no where you can go to escape this wrath.

44 seems to skip in time ahead a bit. The people have returned to worshiping some consort of Yahweh and likely Eyptian gods. The Pharaoh is assassinated by a rival as in verse 30. The Jews in Egypt fade from history and lose their culture.

45: A short chapter - not the scrolls from the previous chapters, but apparently something personal - that Baruch would survive the turmoil ahead.

46-51: Oracles against the foreign nations. Once again the nations around Judah and who ally against Judah or lead her into falsehood are judged. Babylon gets a second helping.

52: The historical appendix, summarizing man of the events in Jeremiah and similar to 2 Kings 24.18-25.30. Nebuzaradan's purge took even many of the poor away, though he still left some as laborers. For some, the rising Jehoiachin (also described in 2 Kings) was the first foreshadowing of return.





Hebrews
5: Jesus was called to his office as high priest and appointed by God. His cries were heard because of his faithfulness and humility - even in the midst of great suffering - Paul would add for this reason his name was exalted above every other name (see Philipians 2). There is a very similar theme hear. The author warns that this matter is for mature thinkers. He is offering milk not solid food, for, like the majority of adults, they have likely not been able to shift their thinking from concrete to abstract when it comes to religious thinking.

6: After a warning against losing hope, the author assures his listeners that they have not fallen away and he encourages them to continue to grow. He refers them to the promise of God given to them through Abraham - I will bless you. God promise will not change. He then introduces the idea of the order of Melchizedek.

7: Who is Melchizedek? Reread Genesis 14.17-20 and Psalm 110.4. Jesus' priesthood comes outside the Levitical priesthood - that is the descendants of Aaron. The priesthood of Melchizedek is eternal, having no beginning or end and no human root. Therefore it is greater, and Jesus offers the sacrifice, not over and over, but once for all.

8: The comparison is clear: Christ serves in an eternal priesthood and as a priest in the heavenly tabernacle. The earthly priesthood is on earth in an earthly temple, built by human hands. Christ also serves a new covenant (see Jeremiah that we are reading) not an older one. The new covenant is perfected in Jesus while the old covenant was broken.

9: Following the description of worship in the traveling tabernacle built by Moses (not Solomon's temple or the Second Temple), we again have a comparison of rituals and an accompanying metaphor: Priestly ministry, covenant, and the purifying of the sanctuary. In each case Jesus is seen as the supreme priest offering his own eternal blood to purify the sanctuary and ratify this new covenant.

10: Since Christ has purified the sanctuary for all time, we are invited to come before God - even the holy of holies. It cannot be polluted any longer - we are called to enter with confidence and faith and together to worship and call upon God. The author again warns about losing hope and losing faith which holds it up, for the Day is approaching.

11: These stories should be familiar by now :), not only our exercise but from last summer. All these are recounted - first as a point of compassion - that is of co-suffering - that they suffered as we did. Second - that they suffered for something unseen - or more properly - something unrealized.

12: How much more then should we lay aside anything that weighs us down in the race, since we have seen their hope realized and manifested! You can almost hear him saying - stop complaining - lift your drooping hands! Strengthen your weak knees!

The author continues - make peace - do not be like Esau. We have not come upon something that can be touched - but the city of the living God - the heavenly Jerusalem. Here the author gets rather doxological. This faith that is authored is something that is greater than anything before.

13: An exhortation and practical teaching about living life. Most epistles contain this kind of section. The final farewell identifies the letter as more of a sermon (exhortation) than a letter per se. Timothy is mentioned, though whether this is "the" Timothy or someone else, or even a later gloss is unclear.