Jeremiah:Jeremiah:Profile of CourageProfile of Courage

Chapters 39-45Chapters 39-45

““Judgment and Justice”Judgment and Justice”

Jeremiah - Spring 2013 Week Topic

Mar 6 Dark Prophecies: Introduction and Jeremiah 1-6

Mar 13 Dark Prophecies: Jeremiah 1-6 continued

Mar 20 False Worship: Jeremiah 7-10

Mar 27 Broken Promises, Shattered Pride: Jeremiah 11-15

Apr 3 Sin Carved on the Heart: Jeremiah 16-17

Apr 10 The Potter, Pot, and Fire: Jeremiah 18-20

Apr 17 A Scattered Flock: Jeremiah 21-24

Apr 24 God’s Law on the Heart: Jeremiah 25-33

May 1 Broken Covenants: Jeremiah 34-35

May 8 God’s Indestructible Word: Jeremiah 36-38

May 15 Judgment and Justice: Jeremiah 39-45

May 22 God’s Justice Among Nations: Jeremiah 46-52

May 29 Summary of Jeremiah

Today’s Objectives

• Review last week’s lesson

• Provide overviews of Jeremiah 39-45

• Examine how the Babylonians finally conquered Jerusalem and what this meant to Jeremiah

• Understand why Gedaliah was assassinated

• Empathize with the agonizing emotions of those headed for exile

Review of Chapters 36-38

• Studied how Jeremiah had his prophecies written down and read to the public, officials, and the king, and how the king reacted

• Learned about Jeremiah’s imprisonment

• Learned why Jeremiah was thrown into and then rescued from a cistern

• Learned how and why King Zedekiah had lost his ability to rule his people

Date of Chapters 39-45

• Chapter 39-44: 588-586 B.C.

– “In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month…”

– “And in the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month…”

– “Now it came to pass in the seventh month…”

• Chapter 45: 605-604 B.C.

– “..the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah..”

Last Five Kings of JudahName Father Reign (B.C.) What happened?

Josiah Ammon 640-608 Killed at Megiddo

Jehoahaz Josiah (4) 608 Pharaoh Necho II carried him into exile

Jehoiakim Josiah (2) 608-597 Rebelled against Babylon and killed

Jehoiachin Jehoiakim 597 Exiled to Babylon

Zedekiah Josiah (3) 597-586 Sons killed, blinded, then exiled to Babylon

Nebuchadnezzar's Attacks on Jerusalem

Date Extent Result

605 B.C. Quick strike Sons of noble families deported for civil service (including Daniel)

597 B.C. Major Attack King Jehoiachin deposed; leading families and skilled workers deported (Ezekiel included)

588-586 B.C. Total Destruction City and temple destroyed; King Zedekiah blinded; all but the poor deported

Key People• Jeremiah

– Served the last five kings of Judah

– Confidant of King Josiah (639-608 B.C.), King Jehoiakim (608-597 B.C.), and King Zedekiah (597-586 B.C.)

– Member of a priestly family and was from Anathoth

– Fled to Egypt with Beruch upon destruction of Jerusalem

• King Jehoiakim– King of Judah, 608-597 B.C., corrupt and wicked

– Carried off in first Babylonian captivity (2 Ch 36:6)

• King Zedekiah– Gained the throne at age 21

– Last king of Judah, then Sent into exile

– His sons were killed and then he was blinded

Key People• Nebo Sarsechim

• Gedaliah– Governor of Judah after the nation fell– Overseer of Jeremiah– Assassinated by Ishmael despite warnings– Father, Ahikam, protected Jeremiah during

Jehoiakim’s reign– Gedaliah’s grandfather was Shaphan, who read the

Book of the Law to King Josiah

New GateTemple

Picture of the middle gatemaybe same as Damascus gate

Jerusalem Captured (39:1-10)

• Nebuchadnezzar’s final assault – Nebuchadnezzar led the assault (vs. 1-2)– July, 586 B.C.

– Occupation government established near the Middle Gate (vs. 3)

– Fulfilled the Jeremiah’s prophecy from 1:15– Nergal-Sharezer was the Babylonian authority

• Zedekiah escapes– Through the king’s garden (Fountain Gate) (vs. 4)– Zedekiah captured– Zedekiah’s son’s killed, he is blinded (vs. 6-7)

• Past references– Jeremiah had predicted Zedekiah would meet

Nebuchadnezzar face-to-face (Jer 32:3-4)– Ezekiel had predicted that Zedekiah would be taken to

Babylon but never “see” it (Ezek 12:13)

• Destruction of the city– Babylonian’s burn the palace of Zedekiah and all

residential areas of the city (39:8)– Burning of the temple (II Ki 25:9, II Chron 36:19, Jer

52:13)– Nebuzaradan remained as the Captain of the Guard– Productive people deported, peasants remain (vs 10)

Jerusalem Captured (39:1-10)

• Nebuzaradan’s orders– Nebuchadnezzar becomes familiar with Jeremiah’s

advice to Zedekiah– Nebuchadnezzar orders Nebuzaradan to be personally

responsible for Jeremiah (vss. 11-12)– Escort Jeremiah from confinement (vss. 13-14)– Sent to Gedaliah for safe keeping – Jeremiah permitted to stay in Judah(vs. 14)

• Jeremiah encourages Ethiopian eunuch– Ebed-Melech (vs. 18)– Ensured safety during the Babylonian invasion

Jeremiah Freed (39:11-18)

• Jeremiah deported to Ramah– Staging area for captives moving to Babylon

– Babylon’s discover Jeremiah there

– Jeremiah is freed, then honored

• Nebuzaradan’s comments– Used Jeremiah’s phrases about Jerusalem (vs 2-3)

– Credits God with punishing His people

– Offers Jeremiah a choice of places to live (vs. 4)

– Advised to be near Gedaliah

– Jeremiah goes to Gedaliah in Mizpah

Jeremiah Honored (40:1-6)

• Rise of a rebellion– Babylonian army departs, small contingency remains– Bands of guerrilla fighters begins to emerge– Conditions fueled the rebellion (vss. 7-8)

• Gedaliah urges restraint against Babylon– Promises no harm by Babylon, act as a liaison (vs. 10)– Second wave of Jews who fled arrive (vs. 11)– Beginning return to normal (vs. 12)

• Ishmael wants to kill Gedaliah– King of Ammon instigates (vss. 13-14)– Johanan proposes killing Ishmael (vs. 15)

Gedaliah Assassinated (40:7-41:3)

• Baalis, king of Ammon, pursuades Ishmael– Ishmael was a descendant of David– Gedaliah was a traitor for protecting Jeremiah– Judah should be free from Babylonian domination

• Ishmael kills Gedaliah– Also, everyone associated with Gedaliah’s government– Similar fashion to killing we see today in Middle East– Jews now commemorate the assassination of Gedaliah

between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kppur

Gedaliah Assassinated (40:7-41:3)

• Johanan leads other guerrilla leaders against Ishmael

• Frees captives

• Remaining people, fearing what Babylon would do in retaliation, make plans to escape to Egypt

• Jeremiah and Baruch forced to go to Egypt

• Hebrews resumed worship of the Queen of Heaven

• Jeremiah again prophecies about the fall of Hebrews because of false idols

• Baruch is promised, in Chapter 45, he would protected

Jeremiah 41:4-45:5 In Brief

Review• Last week’s lesson• Provided overviews of Jeremiah 39-45• Examined how the Babylonians finally

conquered Jerusalem and what this meant to Jeremiah

• Understand why Gedaliah was assassinated• Empathized with the agonizing emotions of

those headed for exile• Next week: Chapters 46-52, God’s Judgment

among the nations