Part 40 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series
David Pawson says that when Jeremiah looks further into the future, he has a lovely optimism about the ultimate restoration of his people. David looks at the structure of the book. Though the book is a collection of his messages and not in chronological order, there is a pattern. God says the way to peace for Israel is not by making alliances with other nations; they simply need to trust God to look after them as he does when they walk in his ways. Though Jeremiah has similar messages for the people as other prophets of God, he also has some unique things to say. He emphasizes spiritual living – religious ritual is worse than useless if your heart isn’t in it. David points out that going to church is no substitute for godly living. God had largely dealt with his people corporately, but Jeremiah is introducing the concept of God dealing with individuals once they returned from exile. This is extremely important as each of us will stand alone before the Judgment Seat of Christ. Jeremiah’s political message was seen as treason by the king and Jeremiah suffered as a result. Assassination attempts failed however.
