I have just begun teaching a nine month Bible study on one of my favorite books, Jeremiah. The prophet lived at a time of great political, social and religious upheaval, most notably the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 586 B.C. I find Jeremiah has much to say about our time, as we experience great cultural and social shifts in Western society. He answers the question--albeit in a nuanced and challenging way--of how does one live faithfully to God in a time of faithlessness and chaos? As anyone who has read Jeremiah can tell, it is far from chronological in its order, which can make it a challenge to comprehend. I've put together the following short poem, which includes all the critical names and dates to understand the immediate context of Jeremiah and hopefully make it meaning and message more apparent to our current challenges. I hope this silly poem might since ignite the curiosity of some readers to revisit this treasure of a book.
Jeremiah prophesied in 626,
When Josiah was trying the
religion to fix.
Pharaoh Neco came out and
put him down;
To Jehoiakim the son he
gave the crown.
King Nebuchadnezzar of
Babylon
Made the two kings his own
pawn.
Then Jehoiakim thought he
had a plan,
Free the nation and rebel
against the man.
Dying suddenly his son
Joiachin
Was sent into exile with
the rest of his kin.
This all happened in 597,
False hope ran high, as
high as heaven.
Zedekiah the uncle became
governor.
Jeremiah was then a frank
messenger.
To an end it all came in
586,
When Nebuchadnezzar made
Jerusalem sticks.
The land turned to chaos
and murder and strife;
Jeremiah went to Egypt for
the rest of his life.
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