Book 24 - Jeremiah

Jeremiah is the second of the Major Prophets that follows the final years of the Kingdom of Judah as it moves toward collapse.

The book records warnings delivered over decades, alongside the personal cost of delivering them. Much of Jeremiah takes place as events are unfolding, not after they are resolved.

What kind of book is this?

Jeremiah is a prophetic book made up of speeches, warnings, symbolic actions, prayers, personal reflections, and historical narrative.

It is not a single continuous argument or storyline. Some sections read like sermons, others like journal entries, court records or political commentary.

Who is speaking?

The book is centered on Jeremiah, a prophet from a priestly family in the town of Anathoth, near Jerusalem.

Jeremiah is presented not just as a messenger, but as a visible participant in the events he describes. He records his own doubts, fear, anger, exhaustion, and isolation.

Unlike some prophets, Jeremiah does not speak from a distance. He lives during and is immersed in the collapse he is warning about.

Historical setting

Jeremiah’s ministry spans roughly forty years, during the final decades of the Kingdom of Judah.

This period includes:

• The decline of Assyrian power

• The rise of Babylon

• Political instability in Jerusalem

• Repeated attempts by Judah’s leaders to survive through alliances and rebellion

Jeremiah speaks before and during the Babylonian invasion that ultimately leads to:

• The destruction of Jerusalem

• The burning of the temple

• The exile of much of the population

The book assumes the reader understands that disaster is not theoretical. It is approaching, unfolding, or already underway.

How the book is structured

Jeremiah is not arranged in strict chronological order.

Instead, it is a collection of material grouped loosely by theme, type, or emphasis. Events are sometimes revisited out of sequence. Speeches from different years appear side by side.

Major sections include:

• Early warnings directed at Judah and its leaders

• Confrontations with kings, priests, and false prophets

• Accounts of Jeremiah’s persecution and imprisonment

• Messages concerning surrounding nations

• Narratives describing Jerusalem’s fall

• Later reflections on exile and loss

This structure can feel disorienting, but it reflects the prolonged, uneven nature of the crisis Jeremiah is living through.

What the book is saying

Across its length, Jeremiah repeatedly addresses:

• The breakdown of political and moral leadership

• Religious activity that continues without ethical responsibility

• The refusal to listen to uncomfortable warnings

• The cost of ignoring reality in favor of reassurance

• The inevitability of consequences once a point is passed

Jeremiah also records the experience of delivering these warnings. He is mocked, threatened, silenced, imprisoned, and accused of betrayal.

The book does not present Jeremiah as successful by measurable standards. His role is to speak, not to persuade.