Saul Weinreb - Let the Prophets Speak

Jeremiah 44 - Rejecting God's Message

Jeremiah and the people have very different versions of history, and tragically a very different understanding of God.  The people cling to the notion of a transactional God who wants to be appeased. Jeremiah continues to teach that what God wants is for us to live according to the ways He teaches us, not incense and sacrifices.  The people refuse to take heed, and insist in continuing their behavior.  Thus the Judean presence in Egypt will tragically be destroyed just as the presence in Judea was destroyed.

Jeremiah 43 - Return to Exile in Egypt

The Judean refugees ignore Jeremiah's advice, and they leave the land of Judea and head to Egypt.  What a tragic turn of history. The people as a nation was born escaping Egypt and they built a nation in their own land.  But they failed due to their sins and they now abandon their land and seek safety in the land of their former oppressors.  Jeremiah however, warns them verty clearly that things will not work out for them in Egypt.

Jeremiah 42 - Don't Abandon Your Land!

The people turn to Jeremiah for advice, do we leave Judea and seek refuge in Egypt, or do we risk the wrath of babylon and remain here?  Jeremiah gets his answer from God. You have nothing to fear from the King of Babylon, remain in your land and build it.  Rely on God, not the Egyptians.  If you run to Egypt you will not survive.  However, the people have already made up their mind. 

Jeremiah 41 - The Assassination of Gedaliah

In one of the most tragic events of Jewish history, Yishmael ben Netanya assassinates the last remaining hope for the people of Judah in their homeland.  He kills the soldiers, and takes the civilians captive.  When the news gets out, Yochanan and the other leaders loyal to Gedaliah rescue the captives and Yishmael runs away to the protection of his sponsors in Ammon.  The people gather together to decide what to do next.  Egypt seems like their only safe refuge. 

Jeremiah 40 - A Tiny Bit of Hope, and a Naive Leader

Jeremiah joins Gedaliah and the scattered Judean refugees begin to stream back to Judah. Just as there seems to be home for a future of the the Judeans in their land, jealousy and intrigue threaten to destroy it. 

Jeremiah 39- Jerusalem Falls

The Babylonian Army breeches the walls of Jerusalem, and the city falls to the enemy.  The King's family and the nobility tries to escape, but they are captured by the Babylonians.  As God had told Jeremiah, the King's family is brutally murdered, and Zedekiah is brought in chains into captivity. The conquerers leave the poor and previously enslaved Judeans in Judea, and appoint Gedalyahu as their giverner. Jeremiah chooses to remain with the remnant of his people. There is still hope that Judea can survive under the humble leadership of Gedalyahu. 

Jeremiah 38 - The King is a Coward

Again accused of being a traitor by the King's advisors, the King allows them to throw the prophet into a pit of mud to die.  Another sympathetic servant of the King, begs for permission to rescue Jeremiah.  The King grants him permission to take him out of the pit. In a secret meeting, the King Zedekiah asks Jeremiah for advice and regarding his fate.  Zedekiah is too much of a coward to act against his advisors, and refuses to heed the prophet's advice.

Jeremiah 37 - The Failed Rescue Attempt

This chapter begins Jeremiah's description of the final days of the Kingdom of Judah.  The siege of Jerusalem is at its' height, and the King and the people have rejected Jeremiah's admonitions.  The Egyptian Army marches north to help relieve Jerusalem, but they are quickly repulsed by the Chaldeans.  Jeremiah is accused of being a traitor, and is placed in in a horrific jail cell. The King intervenes on his behalf and though he remains in custody, he is given rations and better living conditions.

Jeremiah 36 - The Burning of the Book

Jeremiah dictates his prophecies to his trusted scribe Baruch, who reads it to the people.  The King's council then hears the scrool, and many of the leaders are rifghtened by what they hear. Hoping for a movement of true repentance, they bring it to the King's attention. However the king is enraged and he burns the scroll.  Instead of heeding God's word, he orders the arrest of Jeremiah and Baruch.

Jeremiah 35 - Lessons from the Nomads

God asks Jeremiah to offer wine to the family of the Rechabites, descendants of Jethro, and they refuse.  They are faithful to their family traditions, but the people of Israel are not faithful to God.