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24:1 Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar had taken Jehoiachin into captivity to Babylon in 597 BC. Jehoiachin’s surrender had spared Jerusalem, but its treasures and 10,000 of its elite citizens had gone into exile (2 Kgs 24:8-16). • Typically, baskets of figs would be displayed in a market rather than in the Temple area.
24:1-10 This section is a discussion of the meaning of the exile of 597 BC. Some were saying that it had been God’s way of getting the rotten figs out of the barrel (Jerusalem) so that the good figs would survive. Jeremiah said that the exact opposite was the case. The good figs had been taken out of the barrel (into exile) so that the rotten figs would not...
24:1-10 This section is a discussion of the meaning of the exile of 597 BC. Some were saying that it had been God’s way of getting the rotten figs out of the barrel (Jerusalem) so that the good figs would survive. Jeremiah said that the exact opposite was the case. The good figs had been taken out of the barrel (into exile) so that the rotten figs would not destroy them.
24:4-7 The people exiled from Jerusalem had a better future than those who remained in the land, because the Lord would plant the exiles as a new community of reformed people (see 1:10).
24:7 The Lord would do a marvelous work in the hearts of the exiles, helping them to recognize (literally know) . . . the Lord as a personal God (1 Chr 28:9; Pss 9:10; 36:10; Isa 19:21; 52:6; Dan 11:32; Hos 2:20; Titus 1:16; 1 Jn 4:6-8). • They will be my people, and I will be their God: God’s covenant with Israel would become a personal reality to them (Exo...
24:7 The Lord would do a marvelous work in the hearts of the exiles, helping them to recognize (literally know) . . . the Lord as a personal God (1 Chr 28:9; Pss 9:10; 36:10; Isa 19:21; 52:6; Dan 11:32; Hos 2:20; Titus 1:16; 1 Jn 4:6-8). • They will be my people, and I will be their God: God’s covenant with Israel would become a personal reality to them (Exod 6:7; 19:5; Deut 29:13; Rev 21:7). • wholeheartedly: The exiles would not mix religious loyalties; they would be completely committed to the one true God.
Jeremiah
Jeremiah Jeremiah, a prophet in Jerusalem before its destruction in 586 BC, is sometimes called the “weeping prophet” because he shared his personal struggles and sorrows as he delivered God’s messages. Jeremiah was born in Anathoth, near Jerusalem, during Manasseh’s reign. His father was Hilkiah of Benjamin. Jeremiah received his calling as a prophet during the thirteenth year of Josiah’s reign (627 BC). At first, Jeremiah retreated from his call (Jer 1:6), but God assured Jeremiah that he would tell him what to say and would guide and protect him despite opposition (Jer 1:7-8, 18-19). Jeremiah warned the kings and people of Judah to repent in order to avoid exile. They had broken God’s covenant, primarily through idolatry (Jer 10:1-16), and as a result, they were subject to the consequences (Deut 27–28). They rejected God’s invitation to repent, so Jeremiah later delivered messages that God’s judgment had become inevitable. Jeremiah was particularly hated by Judah’s leaders. King Jehoiakim held Jeremiah in contempt and tried to silence him. King Zedekiah secretly sought Jeremiah’s advice, but bowed to his administrators when they wanted to silence the prophet. God’s w...
exodus 6:7
exodus 19:5
deuteronomy 29:13
joshua 1:1-9
joshua 11:16-23
1 samuel 4:1-22
2 kings 17:6-18
2 kings 23:1-30
The Collapse of Culture
The Collapse of Culture Impressive cultures full of creative and skilled people sometimes fall apart suddenly and completely. While digging, archaeologists often find a layer of ash between strata of remarkable artifacts; the ash indicates the destruction of the culture. This is one of the most disturbing aspects of human history. Israel’s history is replete with cycles of courage and success followed by disaster. People of God led Israel into new periods of power (Joshua, Samuel, David, Solomon), but the nation repeatedly fell into worshiping deities other than the one true God. Repeatedly, God’s people fell under judgment as their culture disintegrated and their political independence was replaced with servitude and oppression. The northern kingdom of Israel was especially captivated by the idol-worship of Baal and Asherah. As a result, the Lord turned the northern kingdom over to the Assyrians, who demolished it in 722 BC. In Jeremiah’s time, the collapse of spiritual and political culture was occurring in the southern kingdom of Judah. Some of the nation’s kings, including Josiah, faithfully followed the covenant ban on idol worship and led the people of Judah back to...