This book is the account of what was said by Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests of the town of Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin. Jeremiah 1:1

 

Who is Jeremiah? He wrote Lamentations after all, and that is so often the picture that we have of him. But to see him as someone who was always grumbling, will be very far off the mark. He was called to bring a very important message at a difficult time in the lives of God’s people. He sometimes brought this message in the form of a lamentation, but he also had a message of joy to bring.

 

Jeremiah loved the people of God and, therefore, there is so often a note of sadness when he had to prophesy about the coming dark times for them. He lived in a time of great upheaval in the global political scene that had a profound effect also on Israel. The Chaldeans were rebuilding the old kingdom of Babylon and the new Pharaoh of Egypt, who was called Nego, was beginning to make his voice heard in the affairs in that part of the world.

 

In Israel, things were going well at the time Jeremiah started his career in about 626 BC. The young King Josiah did well, but when he died, the new king, Jehoiakim, brought back idol worship and was also submissive to the Egyptian Pharaoh.

 

Jeremiah started to protest against the idol worship and the neglect of the worship of God. He paid the price when he was arrested and flogged. He was also not allowed to visit the temple anymore where he often brought the word of God to the people. He witnessed the exile of the first group in 598 BC. One can understand that in such circumstances, he would lament over the position of the people of God. However, through it all, came his message that in spite of all that happened, God still loved His people. Take some time to read chapter 31. Then God instructed him to buy a field in Anathoth. At that time, the army of Nebuchadnezzar was already laying siege to Jerusalem. It looked like madness to buy a field that would have no value in future. But Jeremiah bought it as a sign that there would be a time when God’s people would come back and a field in their own country would have value again.

 

Prayer: Please forgive me, God, for not understanding all that happens to me. Help me, like Jeremiah, to trust you so completely that I will also “buy a field” when it looks senseless to do so. Help me to understand that what might look pointless to me will make complete sense in your plan for my life. Amen