Introduction

Though Judah had broken God's covenant, Jeremiah revealed God's promise of a new covenant, reversing His judgment of His people, restoring their fortunes, and changing their hearts to know Him. Again, a new king is promised, fulfilling God's promise to David and Abraham (30-33). Despite repeated warnings, Judah continues to reject God's commands. Thus, Zion is burned by Babylon and the exiles in Egypt perish there (34-45). Yet the book concludes with a note of hope, as Judah's king is released from prison in Babylon (52).

Lamentations recounts the darkest hour in Israel's history, the complete devastation of Zion and utter despair of its survivors. God reversed the greatness of Zion, pouring out His wrath against the nation's sin. Hope can be found only in God's loyal love and mercy. The book ends with a call for God to remember and restore His people. Obadiah announces that God will repay Edom's arrogant attacks, avenging their part in Zion's fall. He will pour out His wrath on Esau's descendants and restore His inheritance to Jacob's children.

 Readings

The Bible: Jeremiah 30-52 (skim 46-51), Lamentations, and Obadiah.

Hays, The Message of the Prophets, pp. 174-193 and 193-195.

Fuhr and Yates, The Message of the Twelve, pp. 147-159.

Course Notes, pp. 11-13.

Ortlund, Erik. "Can Your Theology Handle a Book Like Lamentations?" Gospel Coalition, 20 April, 2016.

 Optional Readings

Galil, Gershon. "The Message of the Book of Kings in Relation to Deuteronomy and Jeremiah." Bibliotheca Sacra 158 (2001): 406-14.

Ham, T. C. "Songs of Brokenness to the Healing God." Journal of Spiritual Formation & Soul Care 9.2 (2016): 233-246.

Youngblood, Kevin. "Theology of Lamentations." Unpublished Paper. Academia.edu.

 Guiding Questions

As you read, consider the following questions:

• What are the features of Jeremiah's new covenant (30-31) and why was this change necessary (cf. Jeremiah 4:4, 24:7)?
• What was Jeremiah's message to Judah's kings, how did they respond, and what was the end result (34-45)?
• Why does the poet use the acrostic as a literary device to convey his message in Lamentations?
• Why does God now oppose the descendants of Esau through Obadiah, ones He formerly protected (cf. Deuteronomy 2:1-8)?

 Lectures

Jeremiah

• Lecture 18 | PPT 18 | Audio 18

Lamentations

• Lecture 19 | PPT 19 | Audio 19

Obadiah

• Lecture 20 | PPT 20 | Audio 20

 Suggested Work Sequence

Below is a step-by-step guide for what to do when during this unit. Note that while the lectures and readings are described in detail above, assignments have their own pages.

Key:

• MP = Message of the Prophets (Hays)
• MT = Message of the Twelve (Fuhr and Yates)