31. Prophesy falsely. Literally, “prophesy with a lie.”
By their means. Literally, “according to their hands,” that is, at their direction. The priests exercised their functions in subservience to these false prophets. This subservience of the priests to the false prophets is illustrated in 29:24-26.
Love to have it so. Undoubtedly this explains the success of the false prophets and the priests. They catered to that which appealed to the heart of the populace. The people were willingly misled.
The end. The united wickedness of the leaders and the people made an “end” inevitable. The nation was challenged to give consideration to that sober fact. While the false prophets thought only of the present and their immediate prosperity, Jeremiah was concerned with the ultimate fate of the nation in the future.
5. Outline.I. The Prophet’s Call and Commission, 1:1-19.
A. Identity of the prophet, 1:1-3.
B. The call of Jeremiah, 1:4-6.
C. The investment with authority, 1:7-10.
D. The vision of the almond branch, 1:11, 12.
E. The vision of the boiling caldron, 1:13-16.
F. The prophet’s commission, with promises of protection, 1:17-19.
II. Prophecies Concerning Judah and Jerusalem, 2:1 to 35:19.
A. A description and denunciation of the evil in Judah, 2:1-37.
1. Judah’s ingratitude and unfaithfulness in return for God’s love, 2:1-13.
2. Judah’s sin and obstinacy under punishment, 2:14-28.
3. Judah’s disregard of God’s past corrections, 2:29-37.
B. The call to the faithless people of Israel to return, 3:1 to 4:4.
1. Her shameful unfaithfulness and forfeited privileges, 3:1-5.
2. Judah’s guilt exceeds that of the ten tribes, 3:6-11.
3. A renewed call to both houses of Israel to repent, with promises of reunion and restoration, 3:12-20.
4. A prayer of confession for Israel, 3:21-25.
5. The demand for true heart conversion, 4:1-4.
C. Judgment by an invading nation, 4:5 to 6:30.
1. A description of the approaching danger, 4:5-31.
2. Causes of the impending judgments, 5:1-31.
a. The universal lack of integrity making judgment inevitable and pardon impossible, 5:1-9.
b. Unbelief in the prophetic messages and false trust in fortified cities, 5:10-19.
c. Obstinacy, deceitfulness, and flagrant disobedience, 5:20-31.
3. A description of the doom and its causes, 6:1-30.
D. The Temple discourse, 7:1 to 10:25.
1. Denunciation of Judah’s shameless idolatry and pollution of the Temple, 7:1 to 8:3.
2. Announcement of fearful punishment because of the people’s impudent wickedness, 8:4-22.
3. Lamentation over the people’s treachery and deceit and the resulting calamities, 9:1-26.
4. The folly of idolatry, 10:1-16.
5. The invasion of Judah and the exile of its inhabitants, 10:17-22.
6. Jeremiah’s plea for moderation in punishment, 10:23-25.
E. Preaching the covenant, 11:1 to 13:27.
1. The broken covenant, 11:1-17.
2. Reactions to Jeremiah’s preaching, 11:18 to 12:6.
a. The plot of the men of Anathoth against him, 11:18-23.
b. The plot in the prophet’s own family, 12:1-6.
3. Punishment and redemption, 12:7-17.
4. Reproof of pride in Judah, the chosen people, 13:1-27.
a. The symbolic action with the girdle and the interpretation, 13:1-11.
b. A symbolic utterance concerning wine flagons and the interpretation, 13:12-17.
c. A message to the king and queen mother, 13:18, 19.
d. A lamentation for the calamity coming upon Jerusalem, 13:20-27.
F. Personal experiences of the prophet, 14:1 to 16:9.
1. The drought; Jeremiah’s intercession denied, 14:1 to 15:9.
2. Jeremiah’s inner conflict, 15:10-21.
3. Jeremiah forbidden to marry or to participate in mourning and festal assemblies, 16:1-9.
G. The causes of Judah’s calamities and messages of comfort, 16:10 to 17:18.
H. Exhortation regarding the observance of the Sabbath, 17:19-27.
I. Symbols of the destruction of the nation, 18:1 to 19:13.
1. The potter’s vessel, 18:1-23.
2. The broken potter’s vessel, 19:1-13.
J. Jeremiah persecuted, 19:14 to 20:18.
1. Jeremiah beaten and placed in the stocks by Pashur, 19:14 to 20:6.
2. Jeremiah’s inner conflict,20:7-18.
K. Denunciation of Judah’s civil and spiritual leaders, 21:1 to 24:10.
1. Zedekiah’s appeal to Jeremiah and the prophet’s announcement of the capture of Jerusalem, 21:1-14.
2. An appeal to the royal house, 22:1-9.
3. Judgments upon the royal house, 22:10 to 23:8.
a. The fate of Jehoahaz, 22:10-12.
b. The sinful conduct and the fate of Jehoiakim, 22:13-19.
c. The effect of the loss of her kings upon Judah, 22:20-23.
d. The fate of Jehoiachin, 22:24-30.
e. Promises of Israel’s restoration, 23:1-8.
4. Denunciation of the false prophets, 23:9-40.
5. The vision of two baskets of figs and its interpretation, 24:1-10.
L. The announcement of judgment, 25:1-38.
1. Judgment on Judah; the seventy years of exile, 25:1-14.
2. Judgment on all nations, 25:15-38.
M. Conflicts with professed prophets, 26:1 to 29:32.
1. Conflict regarding the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, 26:1-24.
a. Prediction of the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple, 26:1-6.
b. The demand for Jeremiah’s death and his defense, 26:7-15.
c. The princes’ and elders’ defense of Jeremiah, 26:16-24.
2. Conflict regarding the yoke of Babylon, 27:1 to 28:17>28:17.
a. Warning to the nations not to revolt against Babylon, 27:1-11.
b. Counsel to Zedekiah to submit to Babylon’s yoke, 27:12-22.
c. The conflict with Hananiah, 28:1-17.
3. Conflict with the false prophets in Babylon 29:1-32.
a. Jeremiah’s letter to the exiles, 29:1-23.
b. A message against the false prophet Shemaiah, 29:24-32.
N. Prophecies of restoration, 30:1 to 33:26.
1. The deliverance and restoration of Israel, 30:1-24.
2. The restoration and reunion of both houses under a new covenant, 31:1-40.
a. Israel’s share in the coming restoration, 31:1-22.
b. Judah’s share in the coming restoration, 31:23-26.
c. The new covenant made with both houses, 31:27-40.
3. The purchase of the field and its significance, 32:1-44.
4. Promises of a glorious future for Israel, 33:1-26.
a. Renewed promises of the elevation of Jerusalem to a place of honor among the nations, 33:1-13.
b. Promises of the re-establishment of the kingly and priestly office, 33:14-26.
O. The infidelity and punishment of Judah, 34:1 to 35:19.
1. Prediction of the fate of Jerusalem and Zedekiah, 34:1-7.
2. A denunciation of Judah’s breach of faith in re-enslaving freed men, 34:8-22.
3. A lesson from the fidelity of the Rechabites, 35:1-19.
III. Biographical and Historical Narratives, 36:1 to 45:5.
A. Events preceding the desolation of Jerusalem, 36:1 to 39:18.
1. The writing of Jeremiah’s prophecies, 36:1-32.
a. The dictation of the first edition to Baruch, 36:1-8.
b. The reading of the scroll in the Temple courts by Baruch, 36:9-19.
c. The burning of the scroll by Jehoiakim, 36:20-26.
d. The production of the new scroll, 36:27-32.
2. The imprisonment of Jeremiah, 37:1 to 38:28.
a. The temporary lifting of the final siege, 37:1-5.
b. A prediction of the return of the Chaldeans, 37:6-10.
c. Jeremiah falsely accused and imprisoned, 37:11-15.
d. The prophet in the court of the guard, 37:16-21.
e. Jeremiah cast into a miry dungeon, 38:1-6.
f. The prophet’s rescue by Ebed-melech, 38:7-13.
g. Zedekiah’s secret interview with Jeremiah, 38:14-23.
h. The prophet’s confinement in the court of the guard, 38:24-28.
B. The captivity of Judah, 39:1-18.
1. The capture of Jerusalem and the fate of Zedekiah and the people, 39:1-10.
2. The release of Jeremiah, 39:11-14.
3. The promises of the Lord to Ebed-melech, 39:15-18.
C. Events after the desolation of Jerusalem, 40:1 to 44:30.
1. The release of Jeremiah and his return to Gedaliah, 40:1-6.
2. The governorship of Gedaliah, 40:7-16.
3. The murder of Gedaliah and its consequences, 41:1-18.
4. The flight into Egypt, 42:1 to .
5. Warnings against idolatry in Egypt, 44:1-30.
D. The promises of the Lord to Baruch, 45:1-5.
IV. Prophecies Concerning Foreign Nations, 46:1 to 51:64.
A. The superscription to the messages, 46:1.
B. Prophecy concerning Egypt, 46:2-28.
1. The discomfiture of Necho II at the second battle of Carchemish, 46:2-12.
2. A prediction of Nebuchadnezzar’s invasion of Egypt, 46:13-26.
3. A message of consolation to Israel, 46:27, 28.
C. Prophecy concerning Philistia, 47:1-7.
D. Prophecy concerning Moab, 48:1-47.
1. The destruction proceeding from city to city, 48:1-10.
2. The judgment and its causes, 48:11-30.
3. The utter destruction of Moab, 48:31-47.
E. Prophecy concerning Ammon, 49:1-6.
F. Prophecy concerning Edom, 49:7-22.
G. Prophecy concerning Damascus, 49:23-27.
H. Prophecy concerning Kedar and Hazor, 49:28-33.
I. Prophecy concerning Elam, 49:34-39.
J. Prophecy concerning Babylon, 50:1 to 51:64.
1. The fall of Babylon and the deliverance of Israel, 50:1-20.
2. Babylon’s punishment, corresponding to her crimes, 50:21-28.
3. The completeness of Babylon’s destruction, 50:29-40.
4. The instruments of Babylon’s fall, 50:41 to 51:5.
5. The call of God’s people to flee from Babylon to escape her doom, 51:6-14.
6. God contrasted with idols, 51:15-19.
7. Israel, the Lord’s hammer, 51:20-26.
8. The fall and desolation of Babylon, 51:27-37.
9. The joy of the world at the fall of Babylon, 51:38-49.
10. A final description of Babylon’s fall, 51:50-58.
11. Seraiah and the history of the prophecy regarding Babylon, 51:59-64.
V. Historical Appendix, 52:1-34.
A. Introduction to the appendix, 51:64b.
B. The final capture of Jerusalem, 52:1-11.
C. Events connected with the destruction of Jerusalem, 52:12-27.
1. The desolation of the city and the deportation of the people, 52:12-16.
2. The carrying away of the sacred vessels of the Temple, 52:17-23.
3. The execution of the representatives of the people, 52:24-27.
D. A statement concerning the number of captives, 52:28-30.
E. Jehoiachin’s release from prison, 52:31-34.