Jeremiah in 1 Minute: Discovering Inspiration
Brief Summary of the Bible Book of Jeremiah
The book of Jeremiah is a collection of prophetic writings that detail the life, message, and ministry of Jeremiah, also known as the "weeping prophet." Jeremiah prophesied during the reign of five kings in Judah, warning the people of their impending judgment for their disobedience to God. He also spoke of the coming Messiah and the hope of restoration for God’s people.
A 60-Second Read of the Book of Jeremiah
Chapter 1: Jeremiah’s call to be a prophet. "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you." (v. 5)
Chapter 2: Israel’s idolatry and rebellion. "They have forsaken me, the spring of living water." (v. 13)
Chapter 3: God’s plea for Israel to repent. "Return, faithless people; I will cure you of backsliding." (v. 22)
Chapter 4: Destruction is coming. "Disaster follows disaster; the whole land lies in ruins." (v. 20)
Chapter 5: The people refuse to repent. "They have lied about the Lord; they said, ‘He will do nothing!’" (v. 12)
Chapter 6: Jerusalem under siege. "They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace.’" (v. 14)
Chapter 7: False religion exposed. "Do not trust in deceptive words and say, ‘This is the temple of the Lord.’" (v. 4)
Chapter 8: The consequences of sin. "The harvest is past, the summer has ended, and we are not saved." (v. 20)
Chapter 9: Lament for a sinful people. "Let them not boast about their wisdom or strength or riches." (v. 23)
Chapter 10: The folly of idolatry. "They are like scarecrows in a cucumber field; they cannot speak; they must be carried." (v. 5)
Chapter 11: The broken covenant. "They did not keep the terms of the covenant I made with their ancestors." (v. 10)
Chapter 12: Jeremiah’s complaint. "You are always righteous, Lord, when I bring a case before you." (v. 1)
Chapter 13: The ruined belt. "For as a belt is bound around the waist, so I bound all the people of Israel and all the people of Judah to me." (v. 11)
Chapter 14: Drought and disaster. "Our skin is hot as an oven, feverish from hunger." (v. 18)
Chapter 15: God’s judgment on Jeremiah’s enemies. "I will make you a wall to this people, a fortified wall of bronze." (v. 20)
Chapter 16: Judgment and restoration. "But first I will repay them double for their wickedness and their sin." (v. 18)
Chapter 17: The sin of Judah. "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure." (v. 9)
Chapter 18: The potter and the clay. "Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand." (v. 6)
Chapter 19: The broken jar. "So I will break this people and this city, as one breaks a potter’s vessel." (v. 11)
Chapter 20: Jeremiah’s persecution. "But the Lord is with me like a mighty warrior; so my persecutors will stumble and not prevail." (v. 11)
Chapter 21: Jerusalem under siege. "I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and a mighty arm." (v. 5)
Chapter 22: Condemnation of the kings. "Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor the one who has been robbed." (v. 3)
Chapter 23: False prophets exposed. "I have not sent these prophets, yet they run with their message." (v. 21)
Chapter 24: The good figs and the bad figs. "Like these good figs, I regard as good the exiles from Judah." (v. 5)
Chapter 25: Babylonian captivity. "This whole country will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon for seventy years." (v. 11)
Chapter 26: Jeremiah’s life threatened. "This man should be sentenced to death because he has prophesied against this city." (v. 11)
Chapter 27: The yoke of Babylon. "Submit to the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him and his people." (v. 12)
Chapter 28: False prophecy. "The prophets who preceded you and me have prophesied war, disaster, and plague against many countries and great kingdoms." (v. 8)
Chapter 29: A letter to the exiles. "For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you." (v. 11)
Chapter 30: Restoration promised. "I will restore the fortunes of Jacob’s tents and have compassion on his dwellings." (v. 18)
Chapter 31: The new covenant. "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts." (v. 33)
Chapter 32: Jeremiah buys a field. "I will gather them from all the lands where I banish them." (v. 37)
Chapter 33: Restoration assured. "I will restore the fortunes of this land as they were before." (v. 11)
Chapter 34: Zedekiah’s covenant. "I will make the city a ruin and a curse." (v. 22)
Chapter 35: The obedience of the Rekabites. "We will not drink wine, because our forefather Jonadab son of Rekab gave us this command." (v. 6)
Chapter 36: The scroll burned. "Take another scroll and write on it all the words that were on the first scroll." (v. 28)
Chapter 37: Jeremiah imprisoned. "They threw him into the cistern of Malkijah, the king’s son, which was in the courtyard of the guard." (v. 16)
Chapter 38: Jeremiah in the cistern. "The king said to Jeremiah, ‘I will do anything you ask me to; I will turn him over to you.’" (v. 5)
Chapter 39: Jerusalem falls. "The Babylonians set fire to the royal palace and the houses of the people and broke down the walls." (v. 8)
Chapter 40: Gedaliah appointed governor. "You must not go to Egypt. Be sure to obey the Lord in what I am telling you." (v. 3)
Chapter 41: Ishmael murders Gedaliah. "Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers still left went to Gedaliah at Mizpah." (v. 11)
Chapter 42: Warning against going to Egypt. "If you go to Egypt, you will die by sword, famine, and plague." (v. 16)
Chapter 43: Jeremiah taken to Egypt. "So all the Jews who were in Egypt, who had come from the land of Judah, settled in Egypt." (v. 28)
Chapter 44: Judgment on those in Egypt. "I will take note of those who live in Egypt – I will bring disaster on them." (v. 27)
Chapter 45: A word to Baruch. "Should you then seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them." (v. 5)
Chapter 46: Judgment on Egypt. "The Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘See, I am bringing punishment on Amon god of Thebes.’" (v. 25)
Chapter 47: Judgment on the Philistines. "How long will you cry out, ‘Oh, sword of the Lord?’" (v. 6)
Chapter 48: Judgment on Moab. "Moab will be destroyed as a nation because she defied the Lord." (v. 42)
Chapter 49: Judgment on Ammon, Edom, Damascus, Kedar, and Elam. "I will send the sword against you to destroy you." (v. 37)
Chapter 50: Judgment on Babylon. "She has become a dwelling for demons and a haunt for every impure spirit." (v. 39)
Chapter 51: The fall of Babylon. "Babylon will suddenly fall and be broken." (v. 8)
Chapter 52: The fall of Jerusalem. "The Babylonians set fire to the temple of the Lord." (v. 13)
Encouragement to the Reader
The book of Jeremiah is a powerful reminder of God’s faithfulness and justice. Despite the people’s disobedience and rebellion, God continued to pursue them and offer them a chance to repent and turn back to Him. Through Jeremiah’s prophecies, we see God’s heart for His people and His desire to restore them. I encourage you to read the entire book of Jeremiah and allow God to speak to you through its message of hope and redemption.