WMPC – Men’s Bible Study
Jeremiah Study – Spring 2016
Lesson 10
Read Jeremiah 50-52
3 Questions:
Q1: As we end our study of Jeremiah take a moment and write three things down as you reflect on our
study.
a. What were one or two things which surprised you about the book of Jeremiah? As
you look back did anything jump out at you?
b. Write down what you believe is the enduring lesson or theological claim of the Book of
Jeremiah.
c. If you had to tell a friend, a child, or a co-worker about why the Book of Jeremiah is
important, what would you tell them? Why should they study it too?
Q2: Chapters 50 and 51 are focused upon the destruction of Babylon. Historically it was true: Babylon
was felled. As you read the chapters does it seem like “too little too late”? Or does it present itself
simply as the challenging plan of God?
Q3: For all practical purposes, Jeremiah ends at chapter 51 verse 63. Chapter 52 is largely an historical
appendix. What does chapter 51:63 say? Why do you think Jeremiah would command Seraiah to throw
the scroll into the Euphrates? What possible meaning could this symbolic act have?
3 Insights:
I1: We want to end our insights on Jeremiah as a whole with a final quotation from Eugene Peterson’s
extended treatment of Jeremiah Run With the Horses. It is a long quote but I think it speaks to the
necessity of living in and with and through days of judgment and setback. When we “die” to the
concerns of the world and “live” with the faith of God — or die to the world and live for Christ as the
Apostle Paul puts it — we experience a real form of transformation. The quote is referring to the events
of Chapters 39 - 42 (Jerusalem has fallen, all they had known has been lost), but as we conclude our
study, its sentiments are relevant.
"In judged Jerusalem it was impossible to confuse material prosperity with God’s blessing. It was
impossible to confuse social status with God’s favor. It was impossible to confuse national pride with
God’s glory. It was impossible to confuse rituals of religion with God’s presence. The clutter of
possessions was gone; the trappings of status were gone; the pride of nation was gone; the splendor of
religion was gone. And God was present. All the cultural and political and religious and social
assumptions and presuppositions that interfered with the clear hearing of God’s word in Jeremiah’s
preaching were taken away. Conditions had never been better for developing a mature community of
faith. Out of the emptiness God would make a new creation. Jeremiah’s choice that day at Rama is the
characteristic action of his life. He chose to be where God commanded, at the center of God’s action, at
the place of God’s promise, in the midst of God’s salvation in defiance of stereotyped conventions and
popular opinions and self-aggrandizing flatteries. Jeremiah chose to live by faith. Living by faith does not
mean living with applause; living by faith does not mean playing on the winning team; living by faith
demands readiness to live by what cannot be seen or controlled or predicted. Karl Barth wrote: If we fix
our eyes upon the place where the course of the world reaches its lowest point, where its vanity is
unmistakable, where its groanings are most bitter and the divine incognito most impenetrable, we shall
encounter there—Jesus Christ. . . . The transformation of all things occurs where the riddle of human life
reaches its culminating point. The hope of His glory emerges for us when nothing but the existentiality
of God remains, and He becomes to us the veritable and living God. He, whom we can apprehend only
as against us, stands there—for us.[ 3]"
I2: So what to do with chapters 50 and 51. Babylon has seemed both inevitable and irrepressible
throughout the entire Book of Jeremiah. And yet here, Babylon is judged. Jeremiah predicts its doom.
Chapter 50: 35 - 37 —
A sword against the Chaldeans, says the Lord,
and against the inhabitants of Babylon,
and against her officials and sages!
A sword against the diviners, so that they may become fools!
A sword against her warriors, so that they may be destroyed!
A sword against her horses and against her chariots, and
against all the foreign troops in her midst, so that they may
become women!
A sword against all her treasures that they may be plundered!
It is many a reader who find this turn remarkable. Wasn’t God just on the side of the Babylonians as a
tool of judgment against the unfaithful Israelites? Why then has this happened - or better yet - why will
it happen? According to R.E. Clements, “God’s justice demands it.” (Jeremiah, John Knox Press, 1988,
page 260). Remember - the Babylonians were horrible, oppressive, and hateful overlords. Of course,
Jeremiah’s prediction will come true. The Babylonians were defeated by the Persians (and thus the cycle
of civilizations continued and endures to this day). Related to Q2 above, does it feel like God has simply
discarded the Babylonians? Better yet, do we believe (or dare to believe) that God still passes judgments
on the empires of the world today?
I3: Chapter 52 is largely a duplicate of 2 Kings 24 and Jeremiah 39. Scholars have long speculated that
the book ends with the recitation of the history as a final confirmation of the veracity of Jeremiah’s
major prophecies and dire warnings. R.E. Clements (Jeremiah, John Knox Press, 1988, page 269) writes:
“It is noteworthy, however, that the Book of Jeremiah adds a significant dimension of hope to the
otherwise hopeless end to Israel’s story as set out in First and Second Kings. This element of hope and
the events having a direct bearing upon it have been given the major emphasis in chapter 52…. At the
same time it appears that the episodes recounted at the close of the Book of Jeremiah have been
chosen deliberately to provide a pointer towards the future.” His comment should not be lost on us. It
begs a large and important question: how do we use the lessons of the past, including tragedies, to
guide the future and to be a source of hope? Better yet, how does God inspire us to interpret history as
a guide to the future or a source hope?
2 Links to further study:
L1: Read a little on Cyrus the Great. He is the Persian Emperor who conquered Babylon and liberated
the Jews. There are MULTIPLE articles about him on the internet, but here is a very interesting one from
the Iran Chamber Society, which is a source that I recently discovered.
http://www.iranchamber.com/history/cyrus/cyrus.php
L2: Here is a very brief clip of Eugene Peterson. He is talking about preaching. When I listen to it, I
imagine him speaking of Jeremiah. It gives you a flavor of how to deal with ambiguity in faith. And
Jeremiah, this powerful, long, and challenging book certainly forces us to deal with theological and
prophetic ambiguity.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmUxm6mhCdo
L3: And one more time. Here is the link to the Jeremiah movie on YouTube. As you finish the study, this
is worth 90 minutes of your time. I was surprised and moved by its faithfulness.
http://www.veoh.com/watch/v16012047seZDaqMS