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...

Hope Beyond Judgment The prophets contain many messages of judgment and doom, but rays of hope occasionally shine through. In Jeremiah, the first ray of hope is found in the Lord’s appeal to Israel to turn from idolatry back to the Lord God and the Sinai covenant (Jer 3:11–4:2). A positive response would open a bright future for the people. They could know the salvation that heals hearts (3:22-23), and Israel would become a blessing to all nations (4:1-2). The people’s repentance would bring God’s anger to an end, and the nation would not be destroyed. Even in times of crisis before the fall of Jerusalem, promises of a wonderful future offered hope for the nation (see 16:15; 23:3-8; 29:10-14; 30:1–33:26). Even after the fall of Jerusalem, the Lord again offered hope to the exiles in Babylon. After seventy years, the exiles who turned to the Lord would return to the Promised Land to rebuild the Temple and the city of Jerusalem. A functioning community would know peace and prosperity (see 46:27-28; chs 50–51). Babylon would be conquered, and the exiles would return to Judah. These events occurred in 539–538 BC. Hope for the people of God extended well into the future, as...