24 - Jeremiah

TLDR: The weeping prophet: call to speak judgment to Judah; Babylon will take the city; a new covenant is promised. Jeremiah is opposed and imprisoned but remains faithful.

Overarching Storyline

Call and early messages (ch. 1–20). Confrontations with kings and false prophets (ch. 21–29). Book of consolation; new covenant (ch. 30–33). Fall of Jerusalem and aftermath (ch. 34–45). Oracles against nations (ch. 46–51). Fall of Jerusalem repeated (ch. 52).

Bible Project: Jeremiah overview.

Pegs for Memorizing This Book

• Person: Jeremiah, Baruch, Nebuchadnezzar.
• Image: Almond branch, boiling pot, potter's house, scroll, new covenant.
• Number: 70 (years of exile, 25:11; 29:10), 31 (chapters of consolation begin ch. 30).
• Phrase: "I know the plans I have for you" (29:11); "New covenant" (31:31).

Highlights

• Jeremiah 1 — Call; "before I formed you in the womb."
• Jeremiah 18 — Potter and clay.
• Jeremiah 29:11 — Plans for welfare and a future.
• Jeremiah 31:31–34 — New covenant written on the heart.

(Link to verse entries and meditations as added.)

Before and After

• Before: Isaiah mixes judgment and hope; Jeremiah emphasizes judgment and exile, then new covenant.
• After: Lamentations grieves the fall; Ezekiel speaks to exiles.

Place in the Overarching Biblical Story

Exile and new covenant. Jesus institutes the new covenant (Luke 22:20); Hebrews 8 quotes Jeremiah 31. The book explains why the temple fell and what hope remains.

Interesting Facts

• 70 years — Jeremiah 25:11; 29:10; fulfilled in Cyrus's time (2 Chron 36:22–23).
• Jeremiah 29:11 — Often quoted for personal hope; context is corporate restoration after 70 years.