1. Adult Bible Study Guide Oct Nov Dec 2015 Adult Bible Study Guide Oct Nov Dec 2015 powerpoint presentation designed by claro ruiz vicente http://clarovicente.weebly.com

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4. Jeremiah Our Goal T o read the book of Jeremiah, is to take a journey, a spiritual journey that goes back and forth from the lowest depths of human depravity to the heights and grandeur and majesty of the Lord— the Lord who, from those heights, cries out to all of us: Mi-yittan that such a heart would be in you!

5. Jeremiah Contents 1 The Prophetic Calling of Jeremiah 2 The Crisis Within and Without 3 The Last Five Kings of Judah 4 Rebuke and Retribution 5 More Woes for the Prophet 6 Symbolic Acts 7 The Crisis Continues 8 Josiah’s Reform 9 Jeremiah’s Yoke 10 The Destruction of Jerusalem 11 The Covenant 12 Back to Egypt 13 Lessons From Jeremiah

6. Jeremiah Lesson 3, October 17 Jeremiah Lesson 3, October 17 The Last Five Kings of Judah

7. The Last Five Kings of Judah Key Text Jeremiah 22:16 NIV “ ‘ H e defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?’ ”

8. The Last Five Kings of Judah Quick Look 1. Reforms of Josiah (2 Chronicles 34:1-3) 2. Short Reigns of Jehoahaz and Johoiachin (2 Chron 36:2, 3; 9, 10) 3. Evil Reigns of Jehoiakim and Zedekiah (2 Chron 36:5, 11, 12)

9. The Last Five Kings of Judah Initial Words W ith the exception of Josiah, the five kings who ruled Judah during the ministry of Jeremiah seemed totally unrepentant for their actions, even as it became clearer and clearer that their actions were bringing the calamities that the Lord, through Jeremiah, had warned would come.

10. The Last Five Kings of Judah 1. Reforms of Josiah 2 Chronicles 34:1-3 NKJV “ J osiah was eight years old when he became king and reigned thirty-one years.... And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord.... For in the... twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the High places, the wooden images, the carved images, and the molted images.”

11. 1. Reforms of Josiah Right in God’s Sight J osiah was the sixteenth king to rule after more than half a century of moral and spiritual decline under his father (Amon) and grandfather (Manasseh), two of the most evil kings in Judah. Unlike his ancestors, however, Josiah “did that which was right in the sight of the Lord” despite an environment that worked against him.

12. Right in God’s Sight Prophets and Kings 384 “Warned by the errors of past generations, he chose to do right, instead of descending to the low level of sin and degradation.... As one who was to occupy a position of trust, he resolved to obey the instruction that had been given...and his obedience made it possible for God to use him as a vessel unto honor.”

13. First, it was getting rid, as much as possible, of anything and everything that smacked of idolatry. That is, he worked to remove the evil practices that had arisen in the nation. But an absence of evil or wrong practices doesn’t automatically mean that good will follow. 1. Reforms of Josiah Two Components

14. Second, after hearing the Book of the Law read to him, the king made a covenant before the Lord “to keep his commandments, and his testimonies, and his statutes, with all his heart, and with all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant which are written in this book” (2 Chron. 34:31). 1. Reforms of Josiah Two Components

15. The Last Five Kings of Judah 2. Short Reigns of Jehoahaz and Jehoiachin 2 Chronicles 36:2, 3; 9,10 NKJV “ J ehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem.... The King of Egypt deposed him.... Jehoiachin was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months and ten days. And...King Nebuchadnezzar...took him to Babylon.”

16. 2. Short Reigns of Jehoahaz and Jehoiachin Both Exiled J ehoahaz (also known as Shallum) was 23 years old when he succeeded his father, Josiah, on the throne. His reign lasted three months. Pharaoh replaced him because Jehoahaz was not favorable toward Egyptian politics. Jehoahaz was taken to Egypt, and there he died.

17. 2. Short Reigns of Jehoahaz and Jehoiachin Both Exiled The nineteenth king of Judah was Jehoiachin, son of Jehoiakim. He reigned on David’s throne for barely three and a half months. In 598 b.c. Nebuchadnezzar seized the 18-year-old king with his mother, his wives, and many other royal captives.

18. 2. Short Reigns of Jehoahaz and Jehoiachin Both Exiled In 561 b.c., in the thirty-seventh year of his captivity, Jehoiachin was given mercy by Evil-Merodach, Nebuchadnezzar’s successor. He was granted the right to dine with the king of Babylon, and he could wear his kingly robes yet Jeremiah’s prophecy said he would have to give up the throne of David.

19. “ ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’ ” (Jer. 29:11, NIV). No matter how bad their situation seemed, the Lord wanted them to know that He still loved them and had only their good in mind. 2. Short Reigns of Jehoahaz and Jehoiachin “A Future and a Hope”

20. The Last Five Kings of Judah 3. Evil Reigns of Jehoiakim and Zedekiah 2 Chronicles 36:5, 11, 12 NKJV “ J ehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And he did evil in the sight of the Lord God. Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king and reigned eleven years.... He also did evil the sight of the Lord God....”

21. 3. Evil Reigns of Jehoiakim and Zedekiah Another Descent J ehoiakim was an oppressive and greedy king who imposed heavy taxes in Judah in order to pay the Egyptians. Worse, using forced labor, he had elaborate construction done on his own palace. Also, unlike Josiah, his father, Jehoiakim permitted pagan rites to flourish again in Judah.

22. 3. Evil Reigns of Jehoiakim and Zedekiah Another Descent The true knowledge of God comes from how one treats those who are in need; it comes when we step out of ourselves to benefit those who can really do nothing for us in return. We see the Lord’s concern for the poor and the helpless, as well as the obligation we have to help those who cannot help themselves.

23. 3. Evil Reigns of Jehoiakim and Zedekiah The Dead End Zedekiah (also known as Mattaniah) took the throne at the age of 21, placed there by Nebuchadnezzar as a puppet king. Amid the list of all the evil done under the reign of Zedekiah, it is said that Judah was following “all the abominations of the nations.”

24. 3. Evil Reigns of Jehoiakim and Zedekiah The Dead End The Lord had made it clear that the nation was to submit to the rule of Babylon, that this conquest was punishment for their iniquity. Zedekiah, however, refused to listen, and he formed a military alliance against Nebuchadnezzar. This defeat permanently sealed the fate of Jerusalem and the nation.

25. The Last Five Kings of Judah Final Words E verything that God had warned them would happen to them is exactly what happened. Who hasn’t experienced something similar? We’re warned by the Lord not to do something or else this will happen, but we do it anyway and, sure enough, what we were told would happen happens.