 Yeah, welcome back and we will get started. So Very briefly, hardly touching upon anything in that book. We managed to finish as they are very very sad Actually 66 chapters and we could barely touch anything. So moving into the book of Jeremiah Jeremiah has an interesting story. Jeremiah also has a very sad story. I Love the Old Testament. I admire many of the Old Testament characters But I think the the person who moves my heart more than any other Old Testament character is Jeremiah What an amazing man. He must have been he went through the I think probably the toughest times that any of these Old Testament prophets went through but in spite of The hardships that he went through he stayed faithful to the Lord What a great man. He must have been so when I go to heaven, that's one person. I would really like to meet I just want to ask him what it felt like Going through the fire that he went through the struggles that he went through How he just managed to stay faithful Right in the beginning in the first chapter of Jeremiah, you know when Jeremiah is still a young man God calls him into ministry God says you're going to be my prophet you're going to prophesy and something that God promises him over there in that first chapter the Lord says to him I will make you like a bronze wall So how much ever they attack you you will be able to stand strong You will be able to withstand it And so I think that's the only reason that Jeremiah was able to bear all the trials that he goes through Because God made him like a bronze wall and he was able to stay faithful and strong There are some times in his ministry when he feels like you know just retiring He doesn't want to continue in the in the ministry, but the Lord says you must do it And so he stays faithful to the end so Isaiah if we remember He did his ministry up to the time of King Hezekiah Most probably during the time of Manasseh he was put to death now Jeremiah on the other hand he starts his ministry in the time of Josiah the good king Josiah the good king is actually the great grandson of Hezekiah So during that time is when you have Jeremiah starting his ministry We talked about Josiah when we were doing kings and chronicles We talked about how Josiah had a love for the Lord. He wanted to repair the temple He wanted to restore All the you know rituals and ceremonies which used to be done earlier and so at that time We read how they discover a book of the law in the temple the temple was in such a bad Condition nobody had been using it for so long when the repair work starts They actually find a scroll which talks about all the things which God had given to Moses so When that and then when the book of the law is read out Josiah realizes that they have not been following many of the things which which God had originally told and so he repents So, you know the person who discovered that scroll his name was Hilkiah the priest So Hilkiah's son is Jeremiah. That's the connection so Jeremiah's is from a very godly family and God calls him into ministry appoints him as a prophet and He's a young man And he's not yet even married and God says to him. You must not marry I mean, you know in those days, especially the spiritual leaders, they all I think It was like almost compulsory that they should get married because if a married person with his own family will not fall into temptation So it was understood that if you're especially a spiritual leader, you should be a married person But here God specifically tells Jeremiah not to get married So people will ask him why are you not getting married? And so then he's supposed to tell them and say terrible terrible things are going to happen in this land So this is not a time for marriage. It's not a time to have children This is a time where you have to start getting ready for the judgment of God, which is going to come upon this land So that's the prophecy that he's supposed to give so whenever people look at him and they look at his unmarried status It's like a reminder to them that judgment is coming upon them very very soon These are the last days before the judgment is going to be released. So it's a it's a time of great tension It's a time of great You know, you know anticipation for something terrible that's going to happen. So yeah, this was he was a prophet in such a time and This is what we get to know about Jeremiah in chapter 11 Versus 18 to 23 where we get to know that Jeremiah was actually living in a His hometown was was a place called Anna thought, you know, if you remember The Levi's were not given a portion of territory All the tribes were given a portion of you know, territory for themselves But the tribe of Levi was not given a specific territory Because God said your inheritance is not just land your inheritance is me. I will look after you So instead, they were given certain cities in each tribe So some cities in each tribe would be appointed and set apart as the Levi's cities. So Jeremiah was from one of those cities So he was from the priestly city of Anna thought Which basically means in that city almost everyone will be a priest or you know, there would be some kind of Levi They would all be dedicated to the Lord in the Lord service So Someone growing up over there in that place would feel very much at home because you're with people who are godly Who care about the things of God. So you're growing up in that kind of an atmosphere So Jeremiah innocent man that he is does not even realize what's going on behind his back The people of his own hometown his own relatives and friends They are getting ready to have him murdered and he is not aware of the plot Which they are, you know, cooking cooking up behind him and this is what he says in You know Jeremiah even as he's writing the details of his life. This is what he writes in Jeremiah chapter 11 Maybe you can just read out verses 18 and 19 Jeremiah 11 18 and 19 Jeremiah chapter 11 was 18. Now the Lord gave me knowledge of it And I know it for you showed me their doings was 19, but I was like a Doseil lamb brought to the slaughter and I did not know that they had Devised schemes against me saying let us destroy the tree with its fruit And let us cut him off from the land of the living that his name may be remembered no more Okay, so they his own people who were supposed to be priests In the priestly city What are what are they actually doing instead of doing priestly things they are plotting murder They want to have uh, Jeremiah killed that must have been painful for him Because some of the people who are plotting over there are people whom he would have known from childhood And those people instead of standing by him and supporting him. They are working against him And you know, this happens sometimes in ministry We think that at least the people who are in ministry with us will be supportive No towards us, but sometimes opposition comes not just from the outside world But opposition even comes from within the church. So at times like that, we should be strong enough We should make the Lord our strength and say no matter what happens I will stay faithful to the Lord even if there is a position from my own ministry community You know, so we need to have that our faith and our confidence should be in the Lord Rather than on people and so anyway over here We see that these people were plotting against Jeremiah and This is what they say to him In in verse 21, you know, they say to him do not prophesy in the name of the Lord or you will die by our hands They they're a priestly city and they are telling him, please don't prophesy in the name of the Lord In they because they do not want to hear the judgment which is going to come upon the land And so God says in verse 23 he says I will punish this entire city because of the plot which they prepared against No, my servant So the Lord promises that one day disaster and judgment will come upon that entire city of anathoth Why did the people hate? Jeremiah so much. He was one of the most hated prophets Nobody liked him. He had only enemies Very few friends. He lived in complete persecution He was criticized. He was irritated Nobody ever praised him and said you're doing a good job. Shabash They only could say negative things about him. He lived like that You know, imagine he got into ministry as a young man So young that he was not even married at that time And this is the kind of life that he lived for 40 years. He ministered. Nobody praised him Nobody appreciated him only a few people stood by him But this man he stood strong for the Lord like a bronze wall So why why was he so hated? Maybe we can understand it better if we look at the political Tension that was there in the land at that particular time So when Josiah was there, he was a godly king. There was peace But immediately after Josiah's death, you know, he basically has Josiah had many many sons But we you know relevant for our story over here is basically three sons Let's call them son number one son number two and son number three. Okay. He has he had many other sons also So the first son son number one which which would be Jeho Ahas He comes to the throne after the death of Josiah Jeho Ahas is there on the throne for just three months and then the king the pharaoh of egypt comes and attacks He attacks. He defeats them He takes Jeho Ahas as a prisoner back to egypt and he appoints a different man Son number two, you know, who would be Jeho Ya Kim? He puts him on the throne and he says you better pay me a big fat tribute You know every year then I'll allow you to continue sitting on the throne So there's no peace in the land. There's tension people are wondering what's going to happen to us next And Jeremiah instead of speaking all comforting words and saying don't worry. God will take care He will help you instead. What is Jeremiah saying? This is judgment. It's just the beginning of judgment. Worse things are going to come Terrible things are going to happen. So the people are saying what's wrong with you You're supposed to be on our side instead of talking in favor of us. You're talking against us You're acting like an enemy. So why are you against us? And so nobody likes him because he's saying bad things instead of good things And so the people of his own city then his own hometown They say, please don't prophesy in the name of the Lord because you're creating confusion over here People are getting scared when they listen to your prophecies. So they want to do a cover-up job They don't want the truth to come out So during the time of Jeho Ya Kim, you know What does Jeremiah do? He gets banned actually the king bans him from going to the temple He's worried what the what Jeremiah will go there and start telling the people So he says you can't enter the temple. So imagine Jeremiah is the prophet of God and he's not allowed to even enter the temple So he writes down all the prophecies on a scroll. He gives it to his assistant Baruch and he says you go inside the temple read it out to the people because the people need to know Because the king is trying to cover up the you know the truth But you need to go and stand over there and tell the people that Judgment is coming and they should repent because you see the king has surrounded himself with all false prophets Who are giving nice pleasing prophecies? They're saying, don't worry. God will help. God will forgive everything will be all right And the people the common man is not getting the truth So Jeremiah says you go inside over there. Now all this is happening in which chapter Um Jeremiah 36 actually So so Baruch goes over there He reads out when the king gets to know that he has read out the scroll over there He you know, he he takes the scroll. He burns it. He doesn't repent of his sinfulness You know very very rudely He takes the scroll bit by bit even as it is being I know read out to him in the palace Each portion after his read out he cuts that portion throws it in the fire Like I said, you know to say what will God do? That was the level of his pride So Jehoiah king, which is son number two He finally dies after 11 years of ruling and then you have his son who comes to the throne This is the guy named Jehoiah kin So Jehoiah kin comes to the throne He rules for just three months at the end of three months The first attack of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon happens King of Nebuchadnezzar comes attacks He takes Jehoiah kin as a prisoner and takes him off to Babylon in his place He puts son number three with Zedekiah of Josiah, you know the son of Josiah Zedekiah Uh, this Jehoiah kin's uncle He puts him on the throne and he goes and he says if you will stay loyal to me If you pay a tribute on time, you know, I will allow you to continue ruling over here But Zedekiah decides let me rebel like for nine years. He's he stays calm But after nine years, he enters into a partnership with Egypt and he decides let's together attack the king of Babylon You think Nebuchadnezzar is going to keep quiet He immediately comes with a large army and he surrounds the city of Jerusalem so that nobody can go out It's like sealed Nobody can go out. Nobody can come in the city has been laid under siege. You know, that's the term that is used So, um, that happens so, um In that, you know in that time of great tension um A partnership has been done right between Zedekiah and the uh and the pharaoh So the pharaoh says all right. I'll come and help you guys So he comes along with an army and when the when the egyptan army starts coming to the city The Babylonians who have surrounded the city, they leave for a little while Maybe because they didn't have enough forces at the time or something they leave And um, the Zedekiah is very very happy. You know, he he sends a message to Jeremiah saying, uh, this is this is happening in Jeremiah Chapter 37 He in Jeremiah 37 verse three He says please pray to the lord our god for us and he's very very happy that you know The the Babylonians have gone away and this is what Jeremiah says Yes, I pray to the lord and this is the prophecy which the lord has given You're feeling very happy that the Babylonians have left But you know what the Babylonians are going to come back They will come back and this is what he says in verse, um 10 even Sorry, maybe someone can read out Jeremiah 37 verse 10 Jeremiah chapter 37 verse 10 for two you have you have defeated the whole army of the uh Chaldeans who fight against you and They remain only Wounded men among them They would rise up every man in his tent and burn the city with fire Okay, the word chaldeans that is used over there. That's just basically another word for Babylonians So in some English translations, you will have chaldeans in some English translations. You will have Babylonians the same thing So Jeremiah says you're feeling very happy that temporarily the Babylonians have left But you know what even if only some wounded Babylonian uh soldiers are left They will come and they will utterly defeat this city God has said that so it will take place So Zedekiah was hoping for some positive prophecy But instead he receives this negative prophecy. He is so angry that he throws Jeremiah into a dungeon So we we you know for many many weeks Uh, Jeremiah is left over there in the dungeon. We don't really know what kind of treatment he got over there Whether he was even being given food properly He's in a very very bad condition in that dungeon And in the meantime the Babylonian army has come back and now they have completely sealed off the city Nobody's able to go outside. You know all the crops grow outside All the food supply comes into the city on a weekly basis And now because the city has been sealed no food supplies are coming in It's rather ironic that we're going to know that we're talking about all these things even as Jerusalem is actually You know, uh, there are things happening right now in israel, which are very terrible. Uh, so um This is what was happening back then as well So the city was sealed and there's no food supply coming in things are getting very very bad There's so much tension. Nobody knows what's going to happen next and then Zedekiah comes for a private meeting with Uh, Jeremiah, he comes there through the dungeon Or rather, I think the king calls him to the palace. Why will he go to the dungeon? So anyway, uh, so Jeremiah, he asks, uh, Jeremiah chapter 37 verse 17 Uh, it says he asked him privately Is there any word from the lord is hoping that maybe, you know, god has changed his mind or something And then Jeremiah says you will be delivered into the hands of the king of Babylon So again, he gives the negative prophecy But then Jeremiah begs in the next verse and he says, please even though i've given you a negative prophecy Don't leave me in the dungeon if you leave me in the dungeon i'll die over there Please have mercy upon me and you know, allow me to stay somewhere else So Zedekiah shows a little bit of mercy Transverse him from the dungeon to the courtyard of the guard or something's another place and he says, okay fine Food supply is almost running out as long as the food is still left You are allowed to give him one loaf of bread per day So you know so that he can at least eat that uh, so um that happens and then in chapter 38 This is what you know, uh, Jeremiah starts prophesying He says all the Babylonians have surrounded the city If anyone chooses to go and surrender to the Babylonians They will be shown mercy because why those people are submitting to the judgment of the lord The time has come for god's judgment God has brought the Babylonians to bring judgment upon the city So if anybody humbles themselves and goes and submits to the Babylonians and say yes We are surrendering they will be shown mercy because they are submitting to the judgment of the lord But if anyone wants to continue fighting against the Babylonians those people god's judgment will come upon them So the officials are very very upset. They say he's encouraging the people to go and surrender I mean, you know instead of telling fight god will help he's saying go and surrender This is very very dangerous. So they go and complain to Zadakaya and they say no In chapter 38 verse 4 they say this man should be put to death He's discouraging the soldiers who are left in the city if all the soldiers go and surrender then what are we going to do So then Zadakaya says all right kill him. No baby get rid of Jeremiah. So now they They put Jeremiah in a dry well actually the well is not completely dry I mean, there's no water But at the bottom of the well, there's a lot of slush and mud and all that when they throw Jeremiah inside He literally starts sinking into the mud Um, so I mean, I don't know up to what level the mud was there up to waist level up to shoulder level But he's like literally there in that well in the slush And there's no food. They just throw him some food, you know into the well He's in that kind of a condition and in fact he refers to that in the book of lamentations when he's writing that there's a verse Which talks about that So this is the condition that he is in and then one of the officials takes pity on him Not even one of the israelite Officials is a kushite official from from egypt from egyptian background He takes pity on Jeremiah and he says if we leave that poor man over there, he'll die Let's pull him out. And so um that official along with some 30 people he comes He pulls him out of that You know out of that well And um, he's allowed to stay in the uh courtyard of the guard or something So now zedekaya comes back to him again Hoping that maybe god has changed his mind. Um, so in uh, Jeremiah chapter 38 um Verse 18 He says i'm going to ask you something the king said to Jeremiah do not hide anything from me And then Jeremiah says to zedekaya and the next verse uh verse uh 15 Jeremiah 38 verse 15 if i give you an answer will you not kill me because by now Jeremiah knows that only Negative prophecies are going to be given and so he says you're saying don't hide anything from me But if i tell you the truth you'll kill me, isn't it and then uh, no zedekaya says no, no, no, don't worry I won't kill you is what he says And then um, this is what uh, the prophecy which uh, Jeremiah gives Maybe we can read out versus we are looking at chapter 38 if someone could read out versus 17 to 19 Jeremiah 38 versus 17 to 19 Jeremiah 28 versus 17 Then Jeremiah said to zedekaya. This is the lord the god of host Host the god of israel if you surely surrender to the king of Babylon princess Then your soul shall live this city shall not be burned with fire And you and your house shall live for 18 But if you do not surrender to the king of Babylon Prince Then the then the city shall be given into the hand of the Chaldeans they shall burn it with fire And you shall not escape from their hand was 19 and zedekaya the king said to Jeremiah I am afraid of the jews Who have defected to the chaldeans lest they deliver me into their hand and they abuse me Okay, so um There's this conversation now going on between zedekaya and so zedekai says don't hide anything from me. Tell me. Tell me what is god saying So he says this is what god is saying Uh, so in verse 17 If you surrender even now if you're willing to go out of the gate and surrender to the Babylonians You will be shown mercy. God will spare the life of your your life and your household So even now god is willing to you know change his heart and Uh, you know change the judgment, of course, I mean, you know, uh, Jerusalem will be defeated But the king and his family will be spared the lives will be spared. So even now the lord is willing to show mercy But this man he says no, how can I go and surrender to the Babylonians? If I go over there, you know, all those people who went and surrendered earlier They'll uh ill treat me because when they surrendered, you know, he scolded them. He cursed them He harmed their families. He did all those things to them So now if I go over there, they'll catch hold of me and they know they'll do bad things to me I can't go and surrender is what he says So even though god was offering him a chance to survive He does not choose that. Um So, um Then in verse 20 uh verse 20 in fact Jeremiah says they will not hand you over Obey the lord by doing what I tell you then it will go well with you and your life will be spared So in fact the lord gives him assurance and says don't worry those people know they will not ill treat you The ones who have who went before and surrendered they will not ill treat you I'll protect you from them god is going to that extent of showing mercy But this man is stubborn. He decides not to you know, uh surrender and um Then we get to know the result in Jeremiah 52 Versus 6 to 11. So now four months the sea the city has been sealed off Food supply has run out people are starving people are dying So now Zedekaya probably even he doesn't have any food left So now Zedekaya and his officials they decide we need to break out of the city somehow So in the night time they try to escape from one particular portion. Um, it says in now verse Seven Yeah, maybe you can just read out those two verses Jeremiah 52 uh versus six and seven Jeremiah 52 um six and seven Jeremiah 52 Six and seven By the ninth day of the fourth month The family city had become so severe that their food's people to eat Then the city world was broken and the army fled they left the city at through the between the two walls near the garden so the Babylonians were surround in the Yeah, so they tried to escape and god what did god say You will die your you will be delivered into the hand of the Babylonian king So because he refused to go and surrender the way god said they catch hold of him Even though he's trying to escape in the night They catch hold of him in front of his eyes. They it says, uh, his two sons are put to death and then, um They actually they puncture his eyes Zedekaya's eyes are punctured so that you know, he's not able to see anymore And then he's taken away as a Um as a slave to Babylon That's the way his life ends because he does not take the free offer that god made Even in that last stage god was willing to show mercy But he was stubborn and so you know rather than being spared He has the he has to actually watch his sons being killed and on top of that his eyes also are you know, um Put out and in that condition he's taken away So now Nebuchadnezzar appoints a governor somebody named get the liar He says you be the governor you look after the land. So in three batches, uh, you know, he takes away all the Most of the important people who are there in the land only some people are left over there And get the liar is appointed as the governor get the liar is a good man And he wants to re-establish, you know order in the land um, but He is assassinated. We see all this in second king's chapter 25 Where you have the details second king's chapter 25 versus 22 to 26 There we get to know that this governor get the liar He is assassinated And once he's assassinated the people who are left in the land. They're really scared What will Nebuchadnezzar's reaction be when he gets to know the governor whom he has appointed has been murdered So they are really scared and they don't want to stay over there any longer. And so they all Uh, I know try to flee to egypt And so when they are going to egypt the basic theory is that they must have taken Jeremiah along with them So most probably Jeremiah goes to egypt along with them And maybe that is basically where he writes down the book of lamentations because the book of lamentations is basically where he weeps And he says i'm in so much pain because of what i have seen being done to my To my nation and so he weeps he expresses the pain that he is feeling You know To the lord So he probably wrote the book of lamentations in egypt where he was Taken away Now there's a reference which is given in matthew chapter 2 Versus 17 to 18. It's a quotation from the book of Jeremiah You know, so we will actually look at that but before we go there if we can answer, you know, lucy's question um The question that she asked is about the time when this Jeremiah was thrown into the dungeon not the well the well was the second time Into the dungeon. It's written over there that the dungeon was in the house of Jonathan, I think right Yeah, so one of there was some important official named jonathan And it says in that in that verse that his home was converted into a prison and in one of the dungeons of that palace The this man Jeremiah is placed as a prisoner now. We do not have any historical details lucy very sorry We don't have any historical details about exactly who jonathan was And why his particular house was chosen, you know and converted into a prison But one thing we know the condition in which Jeremiah was in that dungeon was so bad That he begs and says, please don't put me back in that dungeon because I'll die if I go there And then Zarakaya shows some mercy and transfers him to the palace so Those we simply do not have the details You know from any historical record of that time So yeah, we don't really know what uh exactly what the significance of that particular place was So coming to this new testament quotation taken from the book of Jeremiah um If we can have someone read out for us Matthew chapter two versus 17 and 18 Matthew chapter two was 17 then wise full Then was fulfilled what was spoken by germa the prophet saying was 18 a voice was heard in Rama lamentation weeping and great mourning Rachel weeping for her children Refusing to be comforted because they are no more All right, so over here because you see this um This particular wording which is used over here It was relevant in the time of Jeremiah But this is second layer to this particular Wording because we see it used even in the new testament in a different setting So let's first look at the uh the first layer um If you remember at all the story of uh Jacob and his two wives, you know, he had he married two sisters Leah and Rachel and uh, so the second wife Rachel When she is giving birth to benjamin, uh, she dies during childbirth. And so she is buried in a particular place So, um This is the place called uh, Rama. Okay, so she is buried over there in that place And so her grave is basically over there Now when the exiles are being taken away as slaves to Babylon, they actually pass along that particular route So, you know when the Nebuchadnezzar, uh, the king is taking all the people away as slaves To Babylon all the people are being led Away on the on the on the highway, which is actually crossing the grave site So symbolically using poetic language. This is what uh, you know, Jeremiah says that Rachel She's weeping for her children. Um in the sense Leah was the one who gave birth to the uh, you know, the the the 10 sons from whom the northern tribes came Rachel on the other hand gives birth to uh, Joseph and benjamin. So, um, now If you remember the Assyrians destroyed the 10 northern tribes So what is left now only Judah and benjamin, they are the ones who are left, uh, you know in the southern kingdom So it talks about how Rachel is weeping for her descendants Even as they are being led away as slaves to Babylon. That is the original wording And that's the original setting for this particular prophecy And in the new testament that same wording is used in a different context. Uh, So, uh, what is the occasion in the new testament? Herod is putting to death All the children of Rachel, Rachel, you can say, you know descendants of Rachel because all the children which are who are there in Bethlehem They are all, you know, uh murdered and so at that time the same wording is used over here in the new testament And we are told that Rachel is weeping for her children So, uh, these two different contexts are used, uh for that particular verse Okay, that's that's just for you know for your information um So, um, you know having looked at all of these things from the book of uh, Jeremiah um, let us, uh Look at the overall structure of this book So in the book of Jeremiah in chapters one to 28, it's mainly the words of judgment which, you know, um Jeremiah is giving to the people Saying that they will be um, you know destroyed um Let's just look at one single verse Jeremiah chapter 12 verse 14 Jeremiah 12 14 Uh, anyone online would like to read Jeremiah 12 verse 14 Jeremiah 12 What the lord says My wicked neighbors who sees the inheritance. I give to people I approve them from their hands will approve the house of Judah Maybe I have the wrong reference over here, uh, because I haven't written down over here in my notes, uh, you know, Jeremiah 12 14 I will not listen when they call to me because of their disaster Is that the Is that Jeremiah 12 14 Or have I got it wrong Sometimes I write it down wrong So, I know what the point that I'm trying to make is that uh, the lord's judgment is now Coming to such an extent that even when the people are crying out in the time of their disaster God says I will not hear And that is why in the book of lamentations, you know, uh, Jeremiah weeps and he says No, it's like as if god has abandoned his people. They are crying out for help, but there is no answer from the lord So, uh, the judgment has now come because again and again the people, you know, refused to repent And so now god says in the time of your disaster Even if you're calling out to me for help, I will not hear you So the lord gives multiple opportunities to his people to repent and come back to him so that you know They can enjoy his protection. They can enjoy his shelter But again and again if they refuse his offer Then he says yes, you will have to face the consequences of what, you know, you have chosen So the same thing we see even in the new testament when jesus looks at jerusalem He weeps over jerusalem and he says Many times I wanted to gather you under my wings Like a like a like a hen which protects its its young ones. I wanted to gather you again under my wings But you people refused you didn't want to come under the protection of my wings So this is something that we you know, we as believers can learn from God wants to gather us under his wings and protect us and restore us He when we are when we are living in sin His attitude is not anger and hatred rather. It is a longing to Restore us. He says I long to gather you under my wings But if we refuse that Offer which is being given Then we will have to face, you know the consequences of our actions So in the first 28 chapters It's just mainly talking about the judgment which is going to come upon the land And then in chapter 29 to 38, you know, Jeremiah starts talking about the New covenant which the lord is going to Bring He talks about how a time will come when the lord will write his law upon the hearts of people He will take away their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh which will be willing to obey So he starts talking about restoration and hope So in this, you know, the you you have this very important passage Here in the second section chapters 29 to 38 where God talks about how there will be Deliverance in the future and the third portion the third portion would be chapters 39 to 52 Where you actually have the historical events being recorded exactly how did Jerusalem fall? What are the things which happened? You know, all those details are given in chapters 39 to 52 Where you have a historical record of all the things which take place Maybe we can look at one single, you know, maybe two verses Jeremiah chapter 50 Versus 17 and 18 if someone could read out for us Jeremiah 50 50 Versus 17 and 18 Jeremiah chapter 50 verse 17 Israel is like scattered sheep the lion the lions have Driven him away first the king of Assyria Devote him now at the last of this Nabokim is a king of Babylon has broken his bones was 18 Therefore the says the lord of host The god of Israel behold I will punish the king of Babylon and his land as I have punished The king of Assyria Okay, so here in these two verses it talks about the judgment which came upon the northern kingdom It also talks about the judgment which will be coming upon the southern kingdom So if you look at verse 17, it says the first to devour them was the king of Assyria The last to crush their bones will be the king of Babylon Nebuchadnezzar. So God talks about the judgment which will come upon The northern kingdom and the southern kingdom But this is what he says in the next verse verse 18 Lord says even though I'm using them as my instruments to punish my people I will not just let them go free They will be punished when time comes So even though God is using these pagan nations to punish his people is not excusing the evil which they are doing He says when the time comes they too will face punishment and we see that happening Assyria Which was such a powerful nation. They thought they would never be defeated Their capital Nineveh is destroyed so completely that you know You know God says this is what he says in his judgment against Nineveh He says it'll be destroyed so completely that nobody will even live over there in that in that In that territory ever again And which is why that place was destroyed so badly that only in the 19th century Archeologists were able to discover the city of Nineveh God destroyed it and wiped it out so totally that nobody ever formed You know towns or cities in that place ever again And it's only accidentally that finally in the 19th century They were archaeologists were able to dig and discover the remains of that particular city So God brings punishment upon Assyria He doesn't just ignore what was done to his people when the time comes Assyria is punished for what they have done to God's people In the same way here the Lord says I will punish the king of Babylon, you know in chapter 50 verse 18 I will punish the king of Babylon and his land as I punish the king of Assyria So the judgment when it comes upon Babylon will also be severe And in fact we see that You know when the time of judgment comes for Babylon The king who comes and defeats them is basically Cyrus the Persian king Cyrus He's the one who comes and defeats the Babylonians What happens is When Cyrus comes to take over Babylon the people are so fed up with the Babylonian kings And I know by that time they actually welcome Cyrus and say please come and take over We are tired of these rulers. We don't want the Babylonian empire anymore We'd rather have you as our king. So in fact, they literally welcome Cyrus to come and take over So, you know the Babylonian kingdom which thought that they were so great. They were totally humiliated God arranged for that. So when injustice is done to God's people He notices he observes in his timing. He will impart justice We can be sure of that You know, we can have that assurance because our God is a God of justice So these are just some of the you know Details that we we kind of picked up from the book of Jeremiah So, yeah, I think there are no other questions or doubts Posted here anyone in the class wants to say anything ask anything Otherwise, you know, we just close with a word of prayer No, all right, so, okay, it's uh, yeah close with a word of prayer Lord, we just thank you so much For these scriptures that we could look at today in these scriptures. So lord, we see your anger against sin We looked at we look at your anger against Rebellious attitudes But lord at the same time we see so much compassion and mercy Even the people who are so wicked who are so sinful You felt loud towards them and you gave them a chance if they wanted to come back to you When ahas ignored you and said I don't even want a sign from the lord You said to him that you are willing to protect him if if only he will come to you But ahas refused in the same way. Oh lord, we see Zedekiah also rejected your offer Oh lord, I we pray that you would help us not to be that foolish We pray oh lord that we would choose to come under the shelter of your wings So that you can restore us so that you can cause us to flourish and prosper once again So oh lord, we pray that you would help us to have humble attitudes Trusting attitudes so that you can rebuild our lives Even when we go far away from you if we choose to return oh lord in you There is hope so we pray oh lord that we would be people who are quick to repent Quick to return to you so that we can enjoy the blessings that are there in your presence Thank you. Oh lord in jesus name. Amen. Amen. Thank you