Jeremiah, session 1

Starting today: a brand-new, 11-session Bible study. The topic: Jeremiah. (Since the sermon emphasis at my church is currently Isaiah, why not continue? reasoned the pastors.) This first session is an overview.

• Timewise: Jeremiah prophesied after Isaiah, ca. 627-587 B.C. Very near the end of Old Testament history, just prior to Judah's fall. He's the second of three "major" (long) prophets--Isaiah and Ezekiel are the others.
• Style: Hebrew poetry (not rhyme, but repetition, plays on words, figures of speech, parallelism--antithetical, synonymous, and synthetic); narrative (e.g. ch. 39). He preaches and prophesies (really the same thing, 'speaking forth'); he speaks forth God's words--Law and Gospel.
• Matching up Jeremiah's history with Biblical history: 1 Kings 12:16 = the great divide. 2 Kings 17 = Israel's fall. 2 Kings 22 = Josiah's reign. The last three chapters of 2 Kings correspond with Jeremiah's period of prophecy, the very end of Israel.

Next week: Jeremiah 1.