2 Kings 22-25 | 2 Chronicles 34-36 | Ezekiel 24:1
This talk looks at the historical context of Jeremiah’s ministry and takes a broad overview of his life. His key prophetic themes are a) that Judah will be conquered and Jerusalem destroyed, b) there is still time to repent, c) the people will be taken into captivity in Babylon, d) the exile will only last 70 years, and e) after the return from exile, a new leader will emerge who can re-unite his people with God, and who will reign for ever and ever. In human terms, Jeremiah is not successful as no-one listened to him, he never saw any miracles, he faced various attempts on his life, spent considerable time in prison or under house arrest, and witnessed the destruction of his beloved Jerusalem. Jeremiah’s life teaches us that it’s not what we achieve but who we are that counts with God, that we must identify with the people we are seeking to minister to, messages from God always bring hope - no matter how dire the circumstances, we must never delight in being right, we should invest in future generations, and always bring everything back to the person who can reconcile us with God. This person is Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus the Messiah, and the talk concludes with an appeal for us to place our trust in him.