True prophets are like good doctors: They diagnose the case, prescribe a remedy, and warn the patient what will happen if the prescription is ignored.

• When prophets declare a vision of the future, they do it to encourage people to obey God today.[1]

Isaiah

• The first chapter of Isaiah serves as a summary vision and presents the major themes of the book: judgment on Judah for rebelliousness, and hope for the future restoration of Zion.[2]

Time Period

• Since the prophet’s ministry began sometime in Uzziah’s reign (790–739 BC) Isaiah ministered for at least 58 years (from at least 739, when Uzziah died [6:1], to 681, when Sennacherib died)[3]

The Bible contains hundreds (25%) of detailed prophecies (a foreshadowing of things to come that God would bring to pass).

• Promise and fulfillment are the common threads throughout the Scripture.
• There are well over 60 distinct predictions in regard to our Savior Jesus Christ.
• Not only were the predictions made 1000 years before Christ came from heaven to earth, but they were made over 500 years before crucifixion was first used anywhere in the world as a form of capital punishment! Crucifixion didn't exist when the prophecies were made.
• A scientist picked out 48 such prophecies and determined that the probability of one man randomly fulfilling them all is 1 in 10 to the exponent of 157. That is one followed by 157 zeros!
• Jesus fulfilled all the prophecies!

 
-Isaiah spoke of the Covenant between God & Abraham
-Isaiah spoke of the Covenant between God & Moses
 
Gen 3:15 – Born a male from the seed of a woman (2,000 BC)
         (NAS) [15] And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.”
         (NLT) [15] From now on, you and the woman will be enemies, and your offspring and her offspring will be enemies. He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
Injuring vs. conquering
 
Isaiah 6:9–10 (HCSB) – (Matthew 13:10-15)
9 And He replied:
Go! Say to these people:
Keep listening, but do not understand;
keep looking, but do not perceive.
10 Dull the minds of these people;
deafen their ears and blind their eyes;
otherwise they might see with their eyes
and hear with their ears,
understand with their minds,
turn back, and be healed.
 
Matthew 13:10–17 (HCSB)
10 Then the disciples came up and asked Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?”
11 He answered them, “Because the secrets of the kingdom of heaven have been given for you to know, but it has not been given to them. 12 For whoever has, more will be given to him, and he will have more than enough. But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.  13 For this reason I speak to them in parables, because looking they do not see, and hearing they do not listen or understand.  14 Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says:
 
    You will listen and listen,
    yet never understand;
    and you will look and look,
    yet never perceive.
    15 For this people’s heart has grown callous;
    their ears are hard of hearing,
    and they have shut their eyes;
    otherwise they might see with their eyes
    and hear with their ears,
    understand with their hearts
    and turn back—
    and I would cure them. 
 
16 “But your eyes are blessed because they do see, and your ears because they do hear!  17 For I assure you: Many prophets and righteous people longed to see the things you see yet didn’t see them; to hear the things you hear yet didn’t hear them.
 
Isaiah 7:14 (HCSB) – (Matthew 1:23)
14 Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive, have a son, and name him Immanuel.
 
Matthew 1:22–23 (HCSB)
22 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
    23 See, the virgin will become pregnant
    and give birth to a son,
    and they will name Him Immanuel,
which is translated “God is with us.”
 
Isaiah 9:1–2 (HCSB) – (Matthew 4:13-16)
9 Nevertheless, the gloom of the distressed land will not be like that of the former times when He humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali.  But in the future He will bring honor to the Way of the Sea, to the land east of the Jordan, and to Galilee of the nations.
    2 The people walking in darkness
    have seen a great light;
    a light has dawned
    on those living in the land of darkness.
 
Matthew 4:12–17 (HCSB)
12 When He heard that John had been arrested, He withdrew into Galilee.  13 He left Nazareth behind and went to live in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. 14 This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
    15 Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
    along the sea road, beyond the Jordan,
    Galilee of the Gentiles!
    16 The people who live in darkness
    have seen a great light,
    and for those living in the shadowland of death,
    light has dawned.  
17 From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near!”
 
Isaiah 9:7 (HCSB) – (Luke 1:32-33
Romans 1:3)
    7 The dominion will be vast,
    and its prosperity will never end.
    He will reign on the throne of David
    and over his kingdom,
    to establish and sustain it
    with justice and righteousness from now on and forever.
    The zeal of the LORD of Hosts will accomplish this.
 
Luke 1:31–33 (HCSB)
    31 Now listen:
    You will conceive and give birth to a son,
    and you will call His name Jesus.
    32 He will be great
    and will be called the Son of the Most High,
    and the Lord God will give Him
    the throne of His father David.
    33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever,
    and His kingdom will have no end.
 
Romans 1:3–4 (HCSB)
3 concerning His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who was a descendant of David   according to the flesh 4 and who has been declared to be the powerful Son of God by the resurrection from the dead according to the Spirit of holiness.
 
Isaiah 11:1 (HCSB) – (Matthew 2:23)
Reign of the Davidic King
    11 Then a shoot will grow from the stump of Jesse,
    and a branch from his roots will bear fruit.
 
Matthew 2:19–23 (HCSB)
19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 saying, “Get up! Take the child and His mother and go to the land of Israel, because those who sought the child’s life are dead.” 21 So he got up, took the child and His mother, and entered the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned in a dream, he withdrew to the region of Galilee.  23 Then he went and settled in a town called Nazareth to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets, that He will be called a Nazarene.
 
Isaiah 40:3–5 (HCSB) – (Luke 3:3-6)
3 A voice of one crying out:
    Prepare the way of the LORD in the wilderness;
    make a straight highway for our God in the desert.
    4 Every valley will be lifted up,
    and every mountain and hill will be leveled;
    the uneven ground will become smooth
    and the rough places, a plain.
    5 And the glory of the LORD will appear,
    and all humanity together will see it,
    for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.
 
Luke 3:2–6 (HCSB)
2 during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, God’s word came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness.  3 He went into all the vicinity of the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, 4 as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah:
    A voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
    Prepare the way for the Lord;
    make His paths straight!
    5 Every valley will be filled,
    and every mountain and hill will be made low;
    the crooked will become straight,
    the rough ways smooth,
    6 and everyone will see the salvation of God.
 
Isaiah 50:6 (HCSB) – (Matthew 26:67)
    6 I gave My back to those who beat Me,
    and My cheeks to those who tore out My beard.
    I did not hide My face from scorn and spitting.
 
Matthew 26:63–68 (HCSB)
63 But Jesus kept silent.  Then the high priest said to Him, “By the living God I place You under oath:  tell us if You are the Messiah, the Son of God!”
64 “You have said it,” Jesus told him. “But I tell you, in the future you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”  
65 Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has blasphemed!  Why do we still need witnesses? Look, now you’ve heard the blasphemy!  66 What is your decision?”
They answered, “He deserves death!”  67 Then they spit in His face and beat Him; others slapped Him 68 and said, “Prophesy to us, Messiah! Who hit You?”
 
Isaiah 61:1-2 (HCSB) – (Luke 4:18-19)
    61 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is on Me,
    because the LORD has anointed Me
    to bring good news to the poor.
    He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
    to proclaim liberty to the captives
    and freedom to the prisoners;
    2 to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor,
    and the day of our God’s vengeance;
    to comfort who mourn,
 
Luke 4:16–21 (HCSB)
 
16 He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up.  As usual, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up to read.  17 The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to Him, and unrolling the scroll, He found the place where it was written:
    18 The Spirit of the Lord is on Me,
    because He has anointed Me
    to preach good news to the poor.
    He has sent Me
    to proclaim freedom to the captives
    and recovery of sight to the blind,
    to set free the oppressed,
    19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.  
20 He then rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down.  And the eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on Him. 21 He began by saying to them, “Today as you listen, this Scripture has been fulfilled.”
 
Isaiah 53 (HCSB)
    53 Who has believed what we have heard?
    And who has the arm of the LORD been revealed to?
    2 He grew up before Him like a young plant
    and like a root out of dry ground.
    He didn’t have an impressive form
    or majesty that we should look at Him,
    no appearance that we should desire Him.
    3 He was despised and rejected by men,
    a man of suffering who knew what sickness was.
    He was like someone people turned away from;
    He was despised, and we didn’t value Him.

• (John 1:11, John 7:5)
• John 1:10–13 (HCSB)

    10 He was in the world,
    and the world was created through Him,
    yet the world did not recognize Him.
    11 He came to His own,
    and His own people did not receive Him.
    12 But to all who did receive Him,
    He gave them the right to be children of God,
    to those who believe in His name,
    13 who were born,
    not of blood,
    or of the will of the flesh,
    or of the will of man,
    but of God.
         John 7:2–5 (HCSB)
2 The Jewish Festival of Tabernacles was near, 3 so His brothers said to Him, “Leave here and go to Judea so Your disciples can see Your works that You are doing. 4 For no one does anything in secret while he’s seeking public recognition. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.” 5 (For not even His brothers believed in Him.)
 
    4 Yet He Himself bore our sicknesses,
    and He carried our pains;
    but we in turn regarded Him stricken,
    struck down by God, and afflicted.
    5 But He was pierced because of our transgressions,
    crushed because of our iniquities;
    punishment for our peace was on Him,
    and we are healed by His wounds.
    6 We all went astray like sheep;
    we all have turned to our own way;
    and the LORD has punished Him
    for the iniquity  of us all.
 
    7 He was oppressed and afflicted,
    yet He did not open His mouth.
    Like a lamb led to the slaughter
    and like a sheep silent before her shearers,
    He did not open His mouth.

• (Mark 15:4-5)

Mark 15:3–5 (HCSB)
3 And the chief priests began to accuse Him of many things. 4 Then Pilate questioned Him again, “Are You not answering anything? Look how many things they are accusing You of!” 5 But Jesus still did not answer anything, so Pilate was amazed.
    8 He was taken away because of oppression and judgment;
    and who considered His fate?
    For He was cut off from the land of the living;
    He was struck because of my people’s rebellion.
    9 They made His grave with the wicked
    and with a rich man at His death,
    although He had done no violence
    and had not spoken deceitfully.

•  (Matthew 27:57-60)

Matthew 27:57–60 (HCSB)
57 When it was evening, a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph came, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. 58 He approached Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. Then Pilate ordered that it be released. 59 So Joseph took the body, wrapped it in clean, fine linen, 60 and placed it in his new tomb, which he had cut into the rock. He left after rolling a great stone against the entrance of the tomb.
 
    10 Yet the LORD was pleased to crush Him severely. 
    When You make Him a restitution offering,
    He will see His seed, He will prolong His days,
    and by His hand, the LORD’s pleasure will be accomplished.
    11 He will see it out of His anguish,
    and He will be satisfied with His knowledge.
    My righteous Servant will justify many,
    and He will carry their iniquities.
    12 Therefore I will give Him the many as a portion,
    and He will receive the mighty as spoil,
    because He submitted Himself to death,
    and was counted among the rebels;
    yet He bore the sin of many
    and interceded for the rebels.

• (Matthew 27:38, Mark 15:27-28)
• (Romans 5:6-8)

Matthew 27:38 (HCSB)
38 Then two criminals were crucified with Him, one on the right and one on the left.
Mark 15:27–28 (HCSB)
27 They crucified two criminals   with Him, one on His right and one on His left. [28 So the Scripture was fulfilled that says: And He was counted among outlaws.] 
Romans 5:6-8 (HCSB)
6 For while we were still helpless, at the appointed moment, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For rarely will someone die for a just person—though for a good person perhaps someone might even dare to die. 8 But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us!

[1] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Comforted (p. 17). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[2] Barry, J. D., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Mangum, D., & Whitehead, M. M. (2012). Faithlife Study Bible (Is 1:1–31). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
[3] Martin, J. A. (1985). Isaiah. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 1027). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

Ezekiel

• Ezekiel = “Strengthened by God”
• In Jewish history, Ezekiel's descriptions of the throne of God are called the "Merkabah."
• After the Second Temple was destroyed in 70AD, certain rabbinical groups decided that Ezekiel should not be read or studied by ordinary people, arguing that it contained mysteries that could only be understood by scholars.

 
Time Period

• Ezekiel grew up in Jerusalem and became a priest
• 597 BC - Taken captive to Babylon in the second deportation group (along w/ King Jehoiachin)
• Daniel & friends deported as well.
• July 593 BC – Ezekiel’s call to become a prophet of doom and judgment for Judah
• Judgment was for people of Israel, the Temple in Jerusalem, the land of Israel and the nations surrounding Israel
• September 592 – Prophesied about the destruction of the Temple in 587 BC.
• His periodic speechlessness during his early years was broken when God empowered him to speak, and his tongue was loosened to speak the longest passage of sustained hope in the Bible.
• January 5, 587 BC – Destruction of Jerusalem & Temple began
• January 19, 585 BC – Ezekiel heard about the fall of Jerusalem and the Temple
• He had a passionate view of judgment and hope and displayed his closeness to God’s own sorrow over the people’s sins.

 

• Chapter 1 – Crazy dreams of prophecy
  
  

Ezekiel 4:4–17 (HCSB)
4 “Then lie down on your left side and place the iniquity of the house of Israel on it. You will bear their iniquity for the number of days you lie on your side. 5 For I have assigned you the years of their iniquity according to the number of days you lie down, 390 days; so you will bear the iniquity of the house of Israel.  6 When you have completed these days, lie down again, but on your right side, and bear the iniquity of the house of Judah. I have assigned you 40 days, a day for each year. 7 You must turn your face toward the siege of Jerusalem with your arm bared, and prophesy against it. 8 Be aware that I will put cords on you so you cannot turn from side to side until you have finished the days of your siege.

• 430 days = 430 years
• From the end of King Solomon’s reign to the end of the Babylonian captivity

 
9 “Also take wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and spelt. Put them in a single container and make them into bread for yourself. You are to eat it during the number of days you lie on your side, 390 days. 10 The food you eat each day will be eight ounces by weight; you will eat it from time to time. 11 You are also to drink water by measure, a sixth of a gallon, which you will drink from time to time. 12 You will eat it as you would a barley cake and bake it over dried human excrement in their sight.” 13 The Lord said, “This is how the Israelites will eat their bread—ceremonially unclean—among the nations where I will banish them.”
14 But I said, “Oh, Lord God, I have never been defiled. From my youth until now I have not eaten anything that died naturally or was mauled by wild beasts. And impure meat has never entered my mouth.”
15 He replied to me, “Look, I will let you use cow dung instead of human excrement, and you can make your bread over that.” 16 Then He said to me, “Son of man, I am going to cut off the supply of bread in Jerusalem. They will anxiously eat bread rationed by weight and in dread drink water by measure. 17 So they will lack bread and water; everyone will be devastated and waste away because of their iniquity.

• God directed Ezekiel to make bread that would be his diet for a 430-day prophetic vigil. Its ingredients were mixed and baked. Amazingly, scientists discovered that when these six grains and legumes are sprouted and combined, one of the highest quality proteins is created, rivaling the protein in milk and eggs. Ezekiel bread includes eighteen amino acids, including nine essential to the human diet. Only God could have known those benefits. We receive many blessings unknowingly.

 
Ezekiel 6:7–10 (HCSB)
7 The slain will fall among you, and you will know that I am Yahweh.
8 “Yet I will leave a remnant when you are scattered among the nations, for throughout the countries there will be some of you who will escape the sword.  9 Then your survivors will remember Me among the nations where they are taken captive, how I was crushed by their promiscuous hearts that turned away from Me and by their eyes that lusted after their idols.  They will loathe themselves because of the evil things they did, their detestable practices of every kind. 10 And they will know that I am the LORD; I did not threaten to bring this disaster on them without a reason.

• This is no small matter. The fact that God miraculously sustains and perpetuates a remnant throughout all generations is awesome. How many times might have the godly been driven into total extinction by powerful and hostile forces in this world. But God will never allow that to happen. Nobody but God can provide that kind of insurance.

 
Ezekiel 11:16–21 (HCSB)
16 “Therefore say: This is what the Lord GOD says: Though I sent them far away among the nations and scattered them among the countries, yet for a little while I have been a sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone.
17 “Therefore say: This is what the Lord GOD says: I will gather you from the peoples and assemble you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.
18 “When they arrive there, they will remove all its detestable things and practices from it. 19 And I will give them one heart and put a new spirit within them; I will remove their heart of stone from their bodies and give them a heart of flesh, 20 so they may follow My statutes, keep My ordinances, and practice them. Then they will be My people, and I will be their God.  21 But as for those whose hearts pursue their desire for detestable things and practices, I will bring their actions down on their own heads.”  This is the declaration of the Lord GOD.

• This will happen IN THE LAND OF ISRAEL.
• No terrorist organization or world government can prevent it.

 
Ezekiel 14:12–14 (HCSB)
12 The word of the LORD came to me: 13 “Son of man, if a land sins against Me by acting faithlessly, and I stretch out My hand against it to cut off its supply of bread, to send famine through it, and to wipe out both man and animal from it, 14 even if these three men —Noah, Daniel, and Job —were in it, they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness.” This is the declaration of the Lord GOD.

• Lot's family could not save Sodom. Neither could Noah, Daniel or Job save Israel.

 
Ezekiel 22-24 – The Two Prostitutes

• Northern & Southern Kingdoms
• Egypt & Assyria

 
Ezekiel’s message became one of hope
 
Ezekiel 25-32

• Oracles against 6 Nations and against Egypt

 
Ezekiel 33-39

• Israel’s Restoration

Ezekiel 36:24–30 (HCSB)
24 “For I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries, and will bring you into your own land.  25 I will also sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean.  I will cleanse you from all your impurities and all your idols.  26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.  27 I will place My Spirit within you and cause you to follow My statutes and carefully observe My ordinances.  28 Then you will live in the land that I gave your fathers; you will be My people, and I will be your God.  29 I will save you from all your uncleanness. I will summon the grain and make it plentiful, and will not bring famine on you.  30 I will also make the fruit of the trees and the produce of the field plentiful, so that you will no longer experience reproach among the nations on account of famine.
 
Ezekiel 37:1–14 (HCSB)

• The Valley of Dry Bones

37 The hand of the LORD was on me, and He brought me out by His Spirit and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me all around them. There were a great many of them on the surface of the valley, and they were very dry. 3 Then He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”
I replied, “Lord GOD, only You know.”
4 He said to me, “Prophesy concerning these bones and say to them: Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! 5 This is what the Lord GOD says to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you will live.  6 I will put tendons on you, make flesh grow on you, and cover you with skin. I will put breath in you so that you come to life. Then you will know that I am Yahweh.”
7 So I prophesied as I had been commanded. While I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 As I looked, tendons appeared on them, flesh grew, and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. 9 He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man. Say to it: This is what the Lord GOD says: Breath, come from the four winds and breathe into these slain so that they may live!”  10 So I prophesied as He commanded me; the breath entered them, and they came to life and stood on their feet, a vast army.
11 Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel.  Look how they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope has perished; we are cut off.’  12 Therefore, prophesy and say to them: This is what the Lord GOD says: I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them, My people, and lead you into the land of Israel. 13 You will know that I am Yahweh, My people, when I open your graves and bring you up from them.  14 I will put My Spirit in you, and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I am Yahweh. I have spoken, and I will do it.”  This is the declaration of the LORD.
 
Ezekiel 40-46

• April 28, 573 BC
• Vision of the Future: The New Temple & the New Law

 
Ezekiel 47-48

• Resettling the Promised Land
• Millennium Reign

 
Is the role of the priest and the prophet necessary for today?

Lamentations

• Like the Book of Job, the Book of Lamentations addresses human suffering.
• Unlike Job, Lamentations focuses on national suffering—specifically, the suffering of Judah.
• Along the way, the book tackles some of the toughest questions faced by God’s people:

1) How can God’s love and justice be reconciled with our pain?
2) Where was God during His people’s unhappiest hour?
 
Remember the difference between Old Covenant & New Covenant…

• Don’t just read all this into your own life.
• Old Covenant – God based everything on their behavior:

1. Good = Blessed
2. Evil = Cursed

• New Covenant – We have a Spirit inside of us.

1. We walk by the Spirit = Adventure
2. We walk by the flesh = Logical consequences

The destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple occurred in 587 BC.

• National disaster

 
Lamentations 1 – Suffering of Jerusalem
2 She weeps aloud during the night, with tears on her cheeks.
There is no one to offer her comfort, not one from all her lovers. 
All her friends have betrayed her; they have become her enemies.
 
Lamentations 2 – Suffering of the Temple
6 He has done violence to His temple as if it were a garden booth, destroying His place of meeting.
    The LORD has abolished appointed festivals and Sabbaths in Zion. He has despised king and priest in His fierce anger.
7 The Lord has rejected His altar, repudiated His sanctuary; He has handed the walls of her palaces over to the enemy.
They have raised a shout in the house of the LORD as on the day of an appointed festival.
8 The LORD determined to destroy the wall of Daughter Zion. He stretched out a measuring line and did not restrain Himself from destroying. He made the ramparts and walls grieve; together they waste away.
9 Zion’s gates have fallen to the ground; He has destroyed and shattered the bars on her gates. Her king and her leaders live among the nations, instruction is no more, and even her prophets receive no vision from the LORD.

• 1) Jehovah was far more concerned with his people’s lives than the material trappings of the temple. Hence, he had his temple destroyed as a part of Judah’s punishment.
• 2) God can work through a wicked nation (e.g., the Babylonians [cf. Jeremiah 25:9f]) to accomplish a greater good.
• 3) Judah’s destruction was a fulfillment of earlier prophecy.

 
Lamentations 3 – Suffering of Jeremiah

• Every truly spiritual person will be concerned for the welfare of God’s people as a whole.
• The faithful Christian must never isolate himself and ignore the condition of the church as it exists everywhere.

22 Because of the LORD’s faithful love we do not perish, for His mercies never end.
23 They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!
24 I say: The LORD is my portion; therefore, I will put my hope in Him.
 
25 The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him.
26 It is good to wait quietly for deliverance from the LORD.
27 It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is still young.

28 Let him sit alone and be silent, for God has disciplined him.
29 Let him put his mouth in the dust — perhaps there is still hope.
30 Let him offer his cheek to the one who would strike him; let him be filled with shame.
31 For the Lord will not reject us forever.
32 Even if He causes suffering, He will show compassion according to His abundant, faithful love.
33 For He does not enjoy bringing affliction or suffering on mankind.
 
Lamentations 4 – Suffering of the Siege

• 1) When children suffered, some doubtless wondered, “Where is God?” But we must remember this, in a world that is plagued with evil, sometimes even the innocent suffer.
• 2) Apostasy sometimes begins among those who should be the safeguards against it—the religious leaders. There is great responsibility in leadership (cf. James 3:1).

10 The hands of compassionate women have cooked their own children; they became their food during the destruction of my dear people.
11 The LORD has exhausted His wrath, poured out His burning anger; He has ignited a fire in Zion, and it has consumed her foundations.
12 The kings of the earth and all the world’s inhabitants did not believe that an enemy or adversary could enter Jerusalem’s gates.
13 Yet it happened because of the sins of her prophets and the guilt of her priests, who shed the blood of the righteous within her.
 
Lamentations 5 – Penitent Plea from Judah
16 The crown has fallen from our head.
Woe to us, for we have sinned.
17 Because of this, our heart is sick;
because of these, our eyes grow dim:
18 because of Mount Zion, which lies desolate
and has jackals prowling in it.
19 You, Lord, are enthroned forever;
Your throne endures from generation to generation.
20 Why have You forgotten us forever,
abandoned us for our entire lives?
21 Lord, restore us to Yourself, so we may return;
renew our days as in former times,
22 unless You have completely rejected us
and are intensely angry with us.

• It is a truism beyond dispute that when men turn away from God, he will turn away from them.
• His holy nature cannot tolerate rebellion (Habakkuk 1:13).
• His justice demands punishment (Psalm 89:14).
• Happily, though, Jehovah is a God of tender compassion, and he is anxious to forgive those who yield to his divine will.
• God did remember the Hebrew people.
• A half century later, the restoration from Babylonian captivity was begun.
• The people came home again and the temple was rebuilt.
• But preliminary to that, many hard—though-valuable lessons had to be learned by the Jews.[1]

 
 
Let’s talk about parenting…

• Keith asked me a question if a child’s behavior could be the result of parenting.
• Keith Tyner: Was there any correlation between a parent's pursuit of Jesus and their child's behavior?
• Keith Tyner: Or would my pursuit of Jesus protect my family from rebellion?
• Reactive parenting vs proactive parenting.
• Logical negative consequences
• What do you do when you have done everything you can do for your child?
• Can you make decisions for them?
• How painful is it to watch them make bad decisions and there is nothing you can do?
• Sometimes you even have to make hard decisions to get them to hopefully change their ways.
• What is the biggest thing you can do to help your helpless child?
• Pray
• Love
• Trust
  ​
  

[1] Jackson, Wayne. "Lessons from Lamentations." ChristianCourier.com. Access date: March 12, 2016. https://www.christiancourier.com/articles/1493-lessons-from-lamentations

Books of the Bible

• History
• Pentateuch – Torah
  • Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers & Deuteronomy
• Period of the Judges
  • Joshua, Judges, Ruth
  • 1 & 2 Samuel
• Period of the Kings
  • 1 & 2 Kings
  • 1 & 2 Chronicles
  • Ezra, Nehemiah & Esther
• Poetry
  • Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes & Song of Solomon
• Prophets (Major)
  • Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations & Ezekiel
• Prophets (Minor)
  • Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah & Malachi

Prophets – Chronologically

• 865-847 BC – Elijah (1 & 2 Kings)
• 847-798 BC – Elisha (2 Kings)
• 786-747 BC – Jonah
• 760-750 BC – Amos
• 750-710 BC – Hosea
• 742-701 BC – Isaiah
• 735-700 BC – Micah
• 650-612 BC – Nahum
• 640-620 BC – Zephaniah
• 627-575 BC – Jeremiah
• 620-600 BC – Habakkuk
• 605-536 BC - Daniel
• 593-571 BC – Ezekiel
• 590-580 BC – Obadiah
• 587 BC         - Destruction of Temple by Babylonians
• 520 BC        – Haggai
• 520-515 BC – Zechariah
• 515-510 BC – Joel
• 500-460 BC - Malachi

 
Jeremiah

• Prophetic ministry began in 626 BC
• No event recorded in chapters 1-51 occurred after 580 BC.
• Longest book in the Bible based upon the number of words.
• The Lord commanded Jeremiah not to marry and raise children because the impending divine judgment on Judah would wipe out the next generation.
• Primarily a prophet of doom, he attracted only a few friends.
• Baruch was his best friend that was his traveling secretary. Probably responsible for writing the book of Jeremiah.

 
Jeremiah 1-3

• Unfaithful Israel

Jeremiah 4-6

• Prediction of Judgment

Jeremiah 7-10

• Temple Sermon: Predicted Judgment

Jeremiah 11-13

• Israel Rejected

Jeremiah 14-17

• Jeremiah Prays

Jeremiah 18-20

• Experiences as a Prophet

Jeremiah 21-23

• Prophecies against Judah’s Kings

Jeremiah 24-26

• Prophecies about the Coming Captivity

Jeremiah 27-29

• The Yoke of Babylon

Jeremiah 30-33

• Book of Consolation

Jeremiah 34-39

• Siege and Fall of Jerusalem

Jeremiah 40-45

• Jeremiah Stays with His People

Jeremiah 46-52

• Judgment Against the Nations

 
Jeremiah 1:4–19 (HCSB) - 627 BC

• The Call of Jeremiah -

4 The word of the LORD came to me:
    5 I chose you before I formed you in the womb;
    I set you apart before you were born.
    I appointed you a prophet to the nations.
 
6 But I protested, “Oh no, Lord, GOD! Look, I don’t know how to speak since I am only a youth.”

• The term na'ar most commonly means “boy.” His objection is that he is not yet a man according to ancient Israelite standards: he is still under 20, quite likely between 12–16 years old at the time of his calling.[1]

 
7 Then the LORD said to me:
    Do not say, “I am only a youth,”
    for you will go to everyone I send you to
    and speak whatever I tell you.
    8 Do not be afraid of anyone,
    for I will be with you to deliver you.
    This is the LORD’s declaration.
 
9 Then the LORD reached out His hand, touched my mouth, and told me:
    I have now filled your mouth with My words.
    10 See, I have appointed you today
    over nations and kingdoms
    to uproot and tear down,
    to destroy and demolish, to build and plant.

• Two Visions -

11 Then the word of the LORD came to me, asking, “What do you see, Jeremiah?”
I replied, “I see a branch of an almond tree.”
12 The LORD said to me, “You have seen correctly, for I watch over My word to accomplish it.”  13 Again the word of the LORD came to me inquiring, “What do you see?”
And I replied, “I see a boiling pot, its lip tilted from the north to the south.”
14 Then the LORD said to me, “Disaster will be poured out from the north  on all who live in the land. 15 Indeed, I am about to summon all the clans and kingdoms of the north.”
This is the LORD’s declaration.
 
    They will come, and each king will set up his throne
    at the entrance to Jerusalem’s gates.
    They will attack all her surrounding walls
    and all the other cities of Judah.
 
16 “I will pronounce My judgments against them for all the evil they did when they abandoned Me to burn incense to other gods and to worship the works of their own hands.
17 “Now, get ready. Stand up and tell them everything that I command you. Do not be intimidated by them or I will cause you to cower before them. 18 Today, I am the One who has made you a fortified city,  an iron pillar, and bronze walls  against the whole land—against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the population. 19 They will fight against you but never prevail over you, since I am with you to rescue you.”
This is the LORD’s declaration.
 

• The priest worked primarily to conserve the past by protecting and maintaining the sanctuary ministry, but the prophet labored to change the present so the nation would have a future.
• The ministry of a prophet, however, was different from the priest, because you never knew from one day to the next what the Lord would call you to say or do.
• When the prophet saw the people going in the wrong direction, he sought to call them back to the right path[2]

 
Jeremiah 17:5–11 (HCSB)
5 This is what the Lord says:
The man who trusts in mankind,
who makes human flesh his strength
and turns his heart from the Lord is cursed.
6 He will be like a juniper in the Arabah;
he cannot see when good comes
but dwells in the parched places in the wilderness,
in a salt land where no one lives.
7 The man who trusts in the Lord,
whose confidence indeed is the Lord, is blessed.
8 He will be like a tree planted by water:
it sends its roots out toward a stream,
it doesn’t fear when heat comes,
and its foliage remains green.
It will not worry in a year of drought
or cease producing fruit.
The Deceitful Heart
9 The heart is more deceitful than anything else,
and incurable—who can understand it?
10 I, Yahweh, examine the mind,
I test the heart
to give to each according to his way,
according to what his actions deserve.
11 He who makes a fortune unjustly
is like a partridge that hatches eggs it didn’t lay.
In the middle of his days
his riches will abandon him,
so in the end he will be a fool.

•  The heart of every problem is the problem in the heart[3]

 
Jeremiah 27 – Temple has been overtaken by King Neb and Babylonians. Many Jews have been exiled to Babylonia.
Jeremiah 28 – Hanania (false prophet) says that King Neb’s reign is going to end. Jeremiah speaks a different prophecy and tells Hanania that he is liar and is going to die this year. 7 months later Hanania died.
 
Jeremiah 29:4–14 (HCSB) - 594 BC
4 This is what the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says to all the exiles I deported from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 “Build houses and live in them. Plant gardens and eat their produce. 6 Take wives and have sons and daughters. Take wives for your sons and give your daughters to men in marriage so that they may bear sons and daughters. Multiply there; do not decrease. 7 Seek the welfare of the city I have deported you to. Pray to the Lord on its behalf, for when it has prosperity, you will prosper.”
8 For this is what the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “Don’t let your prophets who are among you and your diviners deceive you, and don’t listen to the dreams you elicit from them, 9 for they are prophesying falsely to you in My name. I have not sent them.” This is the Lord’s declaration.
10 For this is what the Lord says: “When 70 years for Babylon are complete, I will attend to you and will confirm My promise concerning you to restore you to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you” —this is the Lord’s declaration—“plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 12 You will call to Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and places where I banished you”—this is the Lord’s declaration. “I will restore you to the place I deported you from.”
 
Jeremiah 33:1–9 (HCSB)
Israel’s Restoration
33 While he was still confined in the guard’s courtyard, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah a second time: 2 “The Lord who made the earth, the Lord who forms it to establish it, Yahweh is His name, says this: 3 Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and incomprehensible things you do not know. 4 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says concerning the houses of this city and the palaces of Judah’s kings, the ones torn down for defense against the siege ramps and the sword: 5 The people coming to fight the Chaldeans will fill the houses with the corpses of their own men that I strike down in My wrath and rage. I have hidden My face from this city because of all their evil. 6 Yet I will certainly bring health and healing to it and will indeed heal them. I will let them experience the abundance of peace and truth. 7 I will restore the fortunes of Judah and of Israel and will rebuild them as in former times. 8 I will purify them from all the wrongs they have committed against Me, and I will forgive all the wrongs they have committed against Me, rebelling against Me. 9 This city will bear on My behalf a name of joy, praise, and glory before all the nations of the earth, who will hear of all the good I will do for them. They will tremble with awe because of all the good and all the peace I will bring about for them.
 
Jeremiah 31:31–34 (HCSB)
The New Covenant
31 “Look, the days are coming”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. 32 This one will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant they broke even though I had married them” —the Lord’s declaration. 33 “Instead, this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days”—the Lord’s declaration. “I will put My teaching within them and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be My people. 34 No longer will one teach his neighbor or his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they will all know Me, from the least to the greatest of them” —this is the Lord’s declaration. “For I will forgive their wrongdoing and never again remember their sin.”

[1] Barry, J. D., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Mangum, D., & Whitehead, M. M. (2012). Faithlife Study Bible (Je 1:6). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
[2] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Decisive (p. 11). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[3] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Decisive (p. 79). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.