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| JEREMIAH |
| Explanatory Footnotes - page 4 |
| 23:25 Questionable Dreams For the casual observer, it must have been difficult to tell real prophets from false prophets in Jeremiah's day. Jeremiah was outnumbered by optimists who claimed God gave them dreams and messages. In reality, their dreams had nothing to do with God's Word, and anyone who compared their message with Scripture could have seen the difference. They predicted peace when God had promised severe punishment for the sins of his people. 26:19 Scripture Saves a Life Jeremiah's scorn for the temple was considered sacrilege and might have cost him his life. (Another prophet, Uriah, was assassinated for the same message - see verses 20-23.) But some of the elders remembered the treatment given Micah years before. Hezekiah - a good king - had listened to Micah. Based on this precedent, Jeremiah was allowed to live. 27:12 Counseling Surrender By the time Zedekiah took office, Israel had twice surrendered to Babylon. Two groups of Israelites had already been exiled, including in their number King Jehoiachin. The desire for independence did not die easily, however. Zedekiah, who had been put into office as a puppet king, soon began scheming for revolution. Jeremiah persistently counseled submission to Babylon - unpopular advice that nearly cost him his life when he was accused of treason. 29:1 Writing to Ezekiel During the last years of Jeremiah's work, a sizeable community of exiles were already living in Babylon. Among them were Daniel, a young man who would rise to tremendous power in court, and the prophet Ezekiel. Ezekiel was preaching at the same time as Jeremiah, and their messages are similar in many ways. Since neither one mentions the other, however, we can't be sure whether they were acquainted. |