As the Prophet Laments, We Reflect, Part 1

Bible scholars often refer to Jeremiah as the weeping prophet's nickname comes from his tearful response when the Babylonians ransacked Jerusalem today on Insight for living. Chuck Swindoll introduces us to a brand-new eight part series in the book that tells his story. Lamentations many of us have felt the gamut of emotions as we see in our cities erupted in violence riding in the streets, makes us feel confused, sad, afraid over the next several weeks, Chuck will help us understand the relevance of this ancient book for our times.

Chuck titled his study.

Jeremiah's journal "please turn your Bibles to the first chapter of Jeremiah Jeremiah chapter 1 a few excerpts from this chapter in preparation for the beginning of a new series I will bring on the unusual and rarely mentioned book of Lamentations you understand why as we get into this message today and in the others to follow the time and is rather amazing with the times in which we live.

But because Jeremiah was the man who recorded the events of Lamentations. It's good that we get a glimpse of his life to begin with, is recorded in Jeremiah chapter 1 so you have a ribbon in your Bible, you may wish to reach that ribbon over and marked Lamentations so we can turn to it later but for now will do the first several verses of Jeremiah 1 as you find your place.

Please stand together for the reading of the word of God.

These are the words of Jeremiah, son of Hill client. One of the priests from the town of an off off in the land of Benjamin the Lord first gave messages to Jeremiah during the 14th year of the reign of Josiah, son of Emmaline, King of Judah, the Lord's messages continued throughout the reign of King Jehoiada came Josiah's son until the 11th year of the reign of King Zedekiah. Another of Josiah's sons in August of that 11th year the people of Jerusalem were taken away as captives. The Lord gave me this message I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nation over sovereign Lord. I said I can't speak for you. I'm too young Lord replied, don't say I'm too young for you must go wherever I send you and say what ever I tell you. And don't be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I the Lord have spoken, then the Lord reached out and touched my mouth and said look I put my words in your mouth. Today, I point you to stand up against nations and kingdoms, son, you must uproot and tear down, destroy and overthrow others you must build up and plant rubdown if you will please to verse 17, same chapter, the Lord continues to speak, get up and prepare for action. Go out and tell them everything I tell you to say, do not be afraid of them or I will make you look foolish in front of them for see today. I have made you strong like a fortified city that cannot be captured like an iron pillar of a bronze wall, you will stand against the whole land. The Kings officials, priests and people of Judah, they will fight you but they will fail, for I am with you and I will take care of you.

I the Lord have spoken, what a magnificent statement made to this young man not yet in the midst of God's will, but soon to be in God's plan to search the Scriptures with Chuck Swindoll.

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Studies by going to Insight world.or/studies. Another message titled, as the prophet laments we reflect I want to escort you into an unusual journey unusual in every way, but I need to warn you ahead of time. It will not be a long, beautiful pads for their harsh stately structures and meaningful memorials to stop and enjoy and admire the matter-of-fact we will visit a city that is in ruins. It has been destroyed by a brutal enemy. The buildings have been burned and the temple of the city has been desecrated. The stones are everywhere, in the ruins are enough to make you weep. The marketplaces that were once swarming with people and chatty merchants are now empty, silent and cold as a tomb is a said scene.

Is it any wonder that the man who shuffles his way through the ruins of the city would get this title to his entry in this journal. Lamentations.

It's a term we don't use today. Unfortunately, to land that is to express grief to mourn, to regret deeply.

The Bible book with that title. Lamentations gets its name from the Greek verb that means to cry aloud.

The Hebrew equivalent is at cough which could be rendered. Alas, what a title for a book. Alas, Jeremiah is the one writing the journal known today as Lamentations.

He's viewing the devastation of the city he loved after the Babylonians came in and all their brutal intimidating force and sacked the city they chose among the most well or shall we say, encouraging men and women to take with them the majority of the people from the city.

The risk they left which says something to do to me today about what they thought of Jeremiah he remains the wrister gone there no longer around there on their way to Babylon 700 miles to the east.

They would walk the ruins appear unsightly and terribly strange for a city that was once a busy metropolis like any of our cities.

I catch my breath when I say that because it is that which attracted me to the thought of bringing a series on Lamentations.

Our cities are not now as they once were. Are they matter-of-fact I got my first glimpse of New York City back in mid-March when the television camera made its way to Fifth Avenue and little by little. We watched the city empty in our own president who was reared in that metropolis. It is the first time he remembered singing the sidewalks of Fifth Avenue.

It always been filled with lines of people in a city known for international affairs in the arts and entertainment and the banking and commerce and now it's all ground to a halt. How strange it is unusual to think of our cities. Not just that one would you name them. They all changed and were spending our days trying our best to get used to them, which we simply cannot do because it isn't the nation's we've always known it.

These are not the cities. As we been familiar with them. The same for Jeremiah. But there's one major difference between Jeremiah's day and hours are still a bit of a mystery surrounding the clause of where we find ourselves. And I know I know there are those who swear it came from their swords started their. But the argument is even among scientists, bright men and women who studied the scene and gone back to what they call the origin of the virus. Still a bit of a mystery about that but there was no mystery in the days of Jeremiah he lamented, knowing that it was worth the lament the back story of the condition of Jerusalem is sad and tragic to save time I'll cut to the chase, the Jewish people have always been God's special people.

He cultivated that he called him his own. He is spread centuries protecting them, saving them apart when they fell into the bondage of Egypt, he promised them deliverance and 400 years later. Along came Moses who delivered them from Egyptian bondage and in the movement of the wilderness and it was there.

They no other nation were given the first written copy of the word of God drilled by the finger of God into Stroman for the Jewish people called the law of Moses for the Jews.

He promised to bless those who would bless the Jews, he warned that he would discipline those who would mistreat the Jews, but most importantly he communicated again and again that these people gives people were to guard against falling down before any other God in a world of many gods, the people of the Jews were to be a monotheistic one God nation. Anything else would be called what it was idolatry that kept falling into it and he repeatedly rescued them and forgave them and they would fall again, and failed that he would repeatedly calm and rescue them stories repeat themselves through the Old Testament account gave him great leaders that he called judges and sometime priests and sometime Changs in toward the end of that era.

He gave them profits.

The changes would watch over the country.

The nations, the business affairs. The priests would lead the people in worship. Ideally, and the prophets would be there to warn the people do not follow as you fill before or there will be a terrible price to pay. Profits became heated by the people who love to disobey.

They were mistreated they were martyred. Nevertheless, they stood fast.

Many of them so the Lord continued to fill the ranks of those strong hearted prophets who would speak for him, and give them the right kind of determination to stand fast not give in. Ultimately they came to their land. He gave them their land.

They cultivated their land. They built their city, which is come to be known as the city of David or Zion and in that city that special marvelous temple of Solomon would be erected. No other temple like it, but even that did not hold him fast the time came for the Lord to raise up a man who would truly stand in the gap. Toward the end of those days when his patients would wear down and finally, ultimately the deathknell would sound the city would fall in the people would be taken into exile throughout your Christian life you've heard, at least in the back of your mind of the Babylonian captivity. Jeremiah lived in the latter era of the history of the Jews just before and then determining the invasion and year or so after he continue to minister.

We know that because of his writing of lamentation. He lamented as he walked through a city that had once been such a magnificent place, but now Lee enrolling their lessons to learn from.

That will get to them were ready now for Jeremiah himself. You will notice the book that bears his name. Shortly after opening mentions his name. These are the words of Jeremiah names Matt something in biblical days always. This is no exception. Eugene Peterson writes of the name Jeremiah a quote. The exact meaning of Jeremiah is not certain, it may mean the Lord exalts, it may mean the Lord hurls his URL throws the Lord hurls what is certain is that the Lord, the personal name of God is in his name on the day. Their son was born Hill client. The priest and his wife named him of the way the God would act in his life and hope they saw the years unfolding in their son is one in whom the Lord would be lifted up. Jeremiah, the Lord is exalted or hope they saw into the future and anticipated their son as a person whom God would hurl into the community as a javelin representative alike. Those words as a javelin representative of God penetrating penetrating into the defenses of selfishness with divine judgment and mercy. Jeremiah, the Lord hurls either way, it is clear that God is in his name so writes Eugene Peterson in his work run with the horses taken from Jeremiah 12 five if you have run with the footman and they have will review how would you contend with horses and if in the land of peace.

They will review what would you do in the judgment of, or the jungle of the Jordan run with the horses were told that he was the son of a priest named Hill client. You see that here in the first verse, son of Hill Kia. One of the priests from the town of and a fall little village just about 3 miles east northeast of Jerusalem. So he was not raised in the busy city but analog in the suburban we would call it a priestly suburb would say he was reared in a preachers home and he grew up in that context Dr. Calles delete great Baptist scholar writes this of Jeremiah, the young lad was brought up in the quiet company of scholars, priests, prophets and students of God's teachings, the coming of the boy King Josiah to the throne was a momentous change in the life of the nation. It is conceivable that Jeremiah and Joe Sonia were friends from earliest boyhood days. Jeremiah was weak, timid and shy but he was prepared to hear God's voice. He was listening with the divine voice came to him a little history will help you will read of it in the early part of Jeremiah's account.

The Lord began giving Jeremiah his messages during the 13th year of Josiah's reign. Now what you may not remember is that Josiah called the boy King by Kyle Gates began his reign.

Hold on. At age 8 I gave your moment to smile when you think of your eight-year-old wearing a crown being the king of the land, but if you knew his background, you know that anything was better than Manasseh and Avalon.

Manasseh had reigned for 55 years. All of the wicked none of them worse in the history of Israel and Judah. I should say that Manasseh and his son.

I am on the people hope that there would be a change. He was as wicked as his father and the people it had enough shortly after he had been appointed chain. He was assassinated.

Best, Josiah's daddy so Josiah, and eight years of age heard of his father's assassination and before he knew it was wearing the crown so when he turned 21 we read here the 13th year of Josiah's reign, the Lord's messages continued throughout the reign of King Jehoiada came Josiah's son and on and on. We read so we can do the math here and determine the Jeremiah's ministry lasted about 4142 years. Not sure of the exact number but it was over 40 years he lived from 627 BC until 586 BC when Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians and in a few years following.

So he lived during the two most this time when the people of Jerusalem and the Jews in general had reached the lowest ebb of life and God said, in effect, that is enough just a taste of the fascinating story to be told you're listening to Insight for living in a brand-new study from Chuck Swindoll based on the book of Lamentations called Jeremiah's Journal of woes to learn more about this ministry. Be sure to visit us online.

Head inside world.org. There's much more to learn from this fascinating portion of the Old Testament and we invite you listen every day as we watched Jeremiah story unfold as a complement to listening. Let me encourage you to take advantage of the online searching the Scriptures, study notes, some of the cultural references and limitations feel unfamiliar and Chuck and his team of seminary trained writers have prepared these outlines to help you understand what you might otherwise miss you find all the details and insight.org/studies a few of us expected the coronavirus crisis to languish into the summer months, but here we are, along with learning new disciplines of social distancing.

Many of us have become painfully aware of relationships that need extra attention inside our homes and we been heartbroken by the civil unrest taking place in cities all across the world in light of these unsettling times we are pleased to offer at no cost or obligation to message set the brings a measure of hope amidst the darkness. It's a miniseries from Chuck called finding healing through forgiveness and would like to invite you to download the MP3 audio files in the second message Chuck invites his wife Cynthia to tell her emotional story about her battle with depression, broken relationships in the way God brought redemption and healing to download the MP3 of finding healing through forgiveness go to insight.org/find healing and if you have any questions or if you like to connect with one of our friendly team members call listening in the United States dial 1-800-772-8888 that's one 800-7728 88. Join us again tomorrow when Doc continues describe Jeremiah's Journal of low right here on insight for living. The preceding message as a prophet laments we reflect and the Symbicort copyrighted in 2020 by Charles R. Swindoll.

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