The book of Jeremiah - part 1

Posted: 20 July 2010

Jeremiah is one of those books that most Christians dip in and out of. In this series on Jeremiah we will be looking at the message of Jeremiah and its relevance for us today.

The name Jeremiah means the 'Lord exalts'.

Firstly, a brief background on the ministry of Jeremiah is germane.

The nation of Israel had divided into two after the death of Solomon (1 Kings 12)? The northern part was called Israel and the southern part Judah. Jeremiah was a prophet in Judah. He was born during the reign of King Manasseh, one of the most godless kings in the kingdom of Judah (2 Kings 21:1-18). Jeremiah grew up at a time when idolatry was blooming and the Law of Moses was being disregarded.

By the time Jeremiah started speaking out as a prophet Josiah was the King in Judah (Jer. 1:1-3). Josiah was a God fearing King who attempted to lead the people of Judah back to God (2 Kings 22-23). Jeremiah however saw that the people of Judah were only pretending to return to the Lord as their hearts were elsewhere (Jer. 3:10).