The fourth year of Jehoiakim was 605 BC, the year of the fateful Battle of Carchemish when Pharaoh Necho defeated King Josiah and made Judah a vassal to Egypt (Jer. 46:2; 2 Chron. 35:20–27). Jehoiakim had gotten his throne only because Egypt had deposed his brother Jehoahaz. Jeremiah had been ministering for twenty-three years, and now God commanded him to write his messages in a scroll so they would be permanent and could be read by others. Note that his messages dealt with Israel, Judah, and all the nations, and when he wrote the second scroll, he added other material (Jer. 36:32). The first forty-five chapters of the book of Jeremiah focus primarily on Israel and Judah, while chapters 45 to 51 deal with the other nations in the Near East. – Wiersbe
Jer 36 Scroll Down!
605 BC. Battle of Carchemish. Pharaoh Necho defeated King Josiah, replaced Jehoahaz with his brother Jehoiakim. 2 Chr 35:20-36:10
1-4 Recording God’s Word: Baruch the scribe.
5-10 Reading God’s Word: publicly, the following year.
11-15 Repeating God’s Word: to Jehoiakim’s officials.
16-20 Reporting God’s Word: “Hide yourselves first!”
21-26 Rejecting God’s Word: burned in the king’s brazier.
27-32 Rewriting God’s Word: new scroll, an expanded one.
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Jer 36 Scroll Down! – Key Ideas
Inspiration, Inerrancy, & Authority
The Spoken Word & the Written Word
Reading Scripture Aloud
The Value of “Baruchs”
National Fasting in a Time of Crisis
Preaching to Those in Power
Courage Under Pressure
God’s Indestructible Word
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Jer 37 Truth Be Told
1-10 False Hope (I)
Chaldeans/Babylon lifted the siege, to fight Egypt. They will be back!
Don’t trust that Egypt will defeat them. They will burn this city.
11-16 False Charge
Hananiah’s grandson: “You’re escaping, defecting to Babylon!”
Beaten & imprisoned. Cf. Jer 11:21; 20:2; 26:8; 36:26; 38:6, 25.
17-21 False Hope (II)
Zedekiah’s secret request: “A (hopeful) word from the LORD?”
Jeremiah’s reminder (You will lose.), reasoning (How have I sinned? Your own prophets lied!), & request (Don’t send me back to die!).
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Jer 37 Truth Be Told – Key Ideas
Misplaced Trust
Political Incorrectness
Productive Questions
Fears Common to All
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Jer 38 Shoot or Recruit
1-6 Sentenced to the Cistern
Jeremiah preaches, “Surrender and live, or stay here and die!”
Critics: “He’s demoralizing our troops! Harming us, not helping us!”
7-13 Saved by the Eunuch
Ebed-Melech, “servant of the king.” The other Ethiopian eunuch. Cf. Acts 8:26-40.
What did he have that Zedekiah lacked? Note his reward (39:15-18).
14-28 Summoned by the King
“Tell me the truth! I promise not to hand you over to them again!”
Jeremiah: “Obey Yahweh, surrender and live … or prepare to die.”
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Jer 38 Shoot or Recruit – Key Ideas
Facing the Music
Suffering for Righteousness
When & Why Leaders Don’t Lead
Sinking in the Mud
The Influence of One
Moral Persuasion
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