Yesterday, I illustrated the process of Bible study by using Leviticus. Let us grab a different genre of book, a prophet, to illustrate the same process. Let us consider Jeremiah.
#1 – The historical context – The first thing we have to do to understand the prophets is to understand the times in which they lived. Whenever I preach sermons and I mention current American culture or events in the news, I am assuming that the audience is keeping up, to some degree, with what is happening in the news and they have an idea of what I’m talking about. If someone were to hear my sermons or read my sermons 1,000 years from now, they would have a hard time understanding many of those references unless they also knew the historical events that motivated my comments.
Most of the prophets tell us in the first few verses of their sermons the kings who were reigning, either over Israel or Judah, when they were preaching. Then, we can go back to the books of 1 & 2 Kings or 1 & 2 Chronicles and see what was happening during their reign. For Jeremiah, in 1:2-3, he tells us that he preached from the 13th year of the reign of King Josiah until the exile of Jerusalem under King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.
That gives us a very good idea of the events that were happening that motivated Jeremiah to preach what he preached. The 13th year of Josiah’s reign is when Jeremiah comes along and helps King Josiah with his spiritual reforms. Josiah was able to delay the wrath of God on the nation of Judah, largely caused by their idolatry. But, the nation was already on a downward spiral.
Jeremiah lived and preached through the final destruction of Jerusalem in 586 B. C. All of it was instigated by the rebellious and sinful lives and hearts of the Israelite people. Jeremiah kept telling them that. Some people listened to Jeremiah. Most did not. With that information and understanding in the background, we can take a look at a text: Jeremiah 23.
#2 – Decide on the limits of your chosen passage. Let us suppose that we are considering Jeremiah 23:23-32. Jeremiah 23 is set off as a chapter because verse 1 begins with a “woe” oracle and chapter 24 begins with a historical reference. That separates this chapter. But as we move toward the chosen paragraph, we see that verse 23 has a concentration of the phrase “declares the Lord” – three times in verses 23-24. That particular phrase is also used six more times through verse 32. That phrase ties the whole paragraph together, although the phrase is also used eight more times in the whole chapter, for a total of sixteen times. Be that as it may, we want to concentrate on this passage so we can understand it better.
#3 – Become thoroughly acquainted with the paragraph. Read it and re-read it again, in different translations and in different languages if possible. Note major differences, not just synonyms.
#4 – Analyze the sentence structure and the flow of the passage. Verses 23-24 are rhetorical questions. Verse 25 is a statement of reality that God knows what false prophets are saying in His name. Verses 26-27 return to the rhetorical questions. Verse 28 has a statement of reality but also a question as does 29. Verses 30-32 (as well as verses 2, 5, 7, and 15) have the call to attention: “Behold!” God declares that He is against the prophets because they were not preaching God’s message.
So, here would be a good time to observe the parallels between verses 30-32.
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#5 – Analyze the grammar. We do not have the space to go into depth but in verse 23, God asks the question, “Am I a God who is near and not a God far off?” How is God describing Himself? Isn’t He describing Himself as a “near” God? Isn’t the point of the ensuing questions in verses 25ff to show that God knows what the prophets are prophesying because God is “near”? Pay attention to the grammar.
#6 – Analyze significant words. Of course, the most significant theological word in this paragraph is “prophet.” In fact, this whole chapter is about false prophets; the noun or verb are used 23 times! Consider the words “reckless boasting” and “slightest benefit” in verse 33.
#7 – Research the historical – cultural background. Verse 27 mentions “Baal” as did verse 13. Do some research, both in the Old Testament and your biblical dictionaries and encyclopedias, on the nature of Baal worship and beliefs. Some Bible references are available for free on websites such as biblegateway.com.
#8 – What are the broad theological themes presented? This section really has one broad theological theme, expressed clearly in verse 31: “I am against the prophets who use their tongues and declare, ‘The Lord declares.’” What is the “broad theological theme”? Don’t presume to speak for God unless you accurately convey God’s message! This theme runs throughout the Bible from the time God started using prophets to share His message with mankind.
#9 – Consult commentaries. There may not be much in this paragraph that is hard to understand but you might glean from reading what others have found.
#10 – What is the message for the original audience? Speak the word of God accurately.
#11 – What is the lesson for ourselves today? Speak the word of God accurately! Isn’t that a message that Christians need to hear?
–Paul Holland
