Who Was Jeremiah

Imagine yourself as that preacher. Imagine how you would feel when no one listens to you and persecution hounds you every step of the way. You feel abandoned, and alone; all your friends turn from you. And if you try to quit, and refuse to be this kind of a preacher, you find that you cannot quit — that the word of God burns in your bones and you have to speak whether or not you want to. Now, perhaps, you can understand why Jeremiah, of all the prophets, was unquestionably the most heroic. Isaiah wrote more exalted passages and perhaps saw more precisely the coming of the Messiah and the fullness of his work. Other prophets speak more precisely concerning some of the future events that were to be fulfilled, but Jeremiah is outstanding among the prophets as a man of heroic, dauntless courage. For many years he endured this kind of persecution in his life without quitting. As you read through this book you can see that here is an amazing man. Jeremiah lived in the last days of a decaying nation. He was the last prophet to Judah, the southern kingdom. Judah continued on after the ten tribes of the north had been carried into captivity under Assyria. (Isaiah prophesied about sixty years earlier than Jeremiah.) Jeremiah comes in at the close of the reign of the last good king of Judah, the boy king Josiah, who led the last revival the nation experienced before it went into captivity. This revival under King Josiah was a rather superficial matter; in fact, the prophet Hilkiah had told him that though the people would follow him in his attempt to reform the nation and return to God, they would only do so because they loved him and not because they loved God. Jeremiah, then, comes in right in the middle of the reign of King Josiah, and his ministry carries us on through the reign of King Jehoahaz, who was on the throne only about three months. And then came King Jehoiakim, one of the most evil kings of Judah, and then the three months' reign of Jehoiachin who was captured by Nebuchadnezzar and taken into captivity in Babylon. And Jeremiah was still around at the time of Judah's last king Zedekiah, at the end of whose reign Nebuchadnezzar returned, utterly destroying the city of Jerusalem and taking the whole nation into Babylonian captivity. Jeremiah's ministry covered about forty years, and during all this time the prophet never once saw any signs of success in his ministry. His message was one of denunciation and reform, and the people never obeyed him. The other prophets saw in some measure the impact of their message upon the nation — but not Jeremiah. He was called to a ministry of failure, and yet he was enabled to keep going for forty long years and to be faithful to God and to accomplish God's purpose: to witness to a decayed nation.

Who was Saul Of Tarsus

 One could make a case that Saul of Tarsus (Paul) is the most remarkable follower Jesus ever had. He is mentioned more often than any other Christian in the New Testament (202 times). And because during the first 16 to 18 years of his life he was a devout Jew and he grew to become one of the most dedicated persecutors of "followers of the way" (Christians ) even to the point of arresting them and being responsible for their death at times. So it is true that he got a late start  (1 Chronicles 15:8), but he made up for it by laboring more diligently (1 Corinthians 15:10). Before or since, no other person ever came so far and did so much for the Christian religion.

NAME

In Hebrew Saul means “desired.” His Roman name was Paul, which means “little.” Because one of the ancients called him Homo tricubitalis. Tradition says he was but four and a half feet in height. If this is true, he was as remarkably little in stature as his namesake King Saul was remarkably tall. King Saul stood physically head and shoulders above the soldiers of Israel (1 Samuel 9:2); the apostle Saul stands spiritually head and shoulders above the soldiers of the Lord’s army.

BIRTHPLACE/FAMILY

Saul was born in Tarsus, a city of Cilicia, a free city of the Romans. He was a free man in that city (Acts 22:28), which was not usual for Jews in Roman provinces. In the Roman Empire, citizenship outside of Italy was reserved for those who made significant contributions to the Empire, so it is thought that perhaps Saul’s family was wealthy and philanthropic. We can say with certainty that Saul’s father and mother were native Jews; therefore Paul calls himself a “Hebrew of the Hebrews” (Philippians 3:5). He was of the tribe of Benjamin (the kingly tribe), which adhered to Judah in the national split. Benjamin was the favored son of the beloved Rachel, and not of less-loved Leah or a handmaid (Genesis 35:18). Saul’s father was a Pharisee, as was he (Acts 23:6). Saul had at least one sister and one nephew (Acts 23:16).

EDUCATION

Paul’s early education was in the schools of Tarsus, which was known as a “little Athens for learning.” There he would have become acquainted with the philosophy and poetry of the Greeks, which he later remembered and used (Acts 17:28; Titus 1:12). At the traditional age of 14, young Saul was sent to the university at Jerusalem, where he studied the Torah (Jewish law). His tutor was Gamaliel, an eminent Pharisee (Acts22:3; cf. Titus 5:34). Thus Saul had the ultimate educational experience for a young Jewish male in that period.

OCCUPATION

Paul was a professor and religious leader, but he also had a “blue collar” trade. He was a tentmaker (Acts 18:3). It was common at that time for Jews who were scholars to be taught a handcraft so they could earn their maintenance in difficult times. This was also in keeping with the Jews’ belief that, “He who does not teach his son a trade teaches him to steal.”

CONVERSION RECORDS

Paul was converted about two years after Christ’s ascension. His conversion is recorded three times in the sacred history of the church (Acts 9; Acts 22; Acts 26). Although some unbelievers have accused the Bible of undue repetition, this simply highlights the importance of Saul to Christianity. In Acts 9 the historian gives the basic facts of Saul’s conversion in a chronological treatment of the early years of the church. It was a most remarkable turn of events that led the church’s number one enemy to become the church’s number one promoter. He literally left Jerusalem on a mission of persecution and ended that journey as a part of the group he hated. Apart from literally seeing and speaking with Jesus on that Damascus road, it is impossible to explain such a change.

About twenty years later, in Acts 22, Paul relates the details of his conversion as part of his defense before a furious Hebrew mob (Acts 22:1). He tries to show them that Christianity was not a rival to Judaism, but the natural conclusion of it. It was a schoolmaster to bring men to Christ, as he later wrote (Galatians 3:24). The Jews listened to him until he mentioned the fact that Jesus was sending him to the Gentiles (Acts 22:21). Then they cried out that he should die, cast off their clothes, and threw dust into the air. After soldiers rescued him from their violence, he was taken to a formal hearing before the Jewish council (Acts 23:1). This trial did not end any better. He was in danger of being pulled in pieces (Acts 23:10), and a plot to take his life was hatched (Acts 23:12, Acts 23:15). This was thwarted by soldiers taking him to Caesarea via a hasty nighttime mission Acts 23:23, Acts 23:31-33).

In Acts 26, Paul is again on trial—this time before the Romans. He relates the autobiographical material of his conversion to explain why he has ended up in Festus’s court. The point he makes is that Christianity is no threat to Rome. The proceeding ends much better, and if Paul had not earlier been forced to appeal to Caesar (Acts 25:11), he would have been set free (Acts 26:30-32). The paperwork had already begun its way up the chain, though, and he must see the appeal through to its conclusion. This worked out well for Christianity anyway and was doubtless in accord with God’s providence. Paul was escorted safely (and at Roman expense) to carry the gospel into the capital city itself.

TIMELINE

Saul was born about AD 3, so he was a contemporary of Jesus and the apostles, but he grew up in a different part of the world. He would have been in school in Jerusalem while Jesus was a carpenter in Nazareth; and while the future apostles were learning the fishing trade, or other occupations, up in Galilee, Saul was attending classes in Jerusalem. Saul was converted to Christ about AD 34, at age 31. He spent the final thirty years of his life in a dead run for heaven. During this time, he traveled 12,000 miles by sea and land, and evangelized 50 cities on three continents. He planted scores of churches[popover title=”Totals” title_bg_color=”” content=”It is likely Paul established between twenty and one hundred congregations. He starts with Damascus as a base and travels over Arabia preaching, and probably establishing congregations. Then he is in Tarsus, Cilicia, and Syria preaching and probably establishing congregations. In the Galatian region Scripture mentions Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe (Acts 14). On the way to and through Macedonia we pick up Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea (1 Thessalonians 2:17). While Paul used Corinth as a base, it is likely that several churches were planted in that region (e.g., Cenchrea,Romans 16:1). Next he moved to Asia and worked out of Ephesus. Acts 19:10 says all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord, so perhaps Colossae, Laodicea, and Hierapolis could be added. Probably most of the churches in Revelation are as a result of his work or extensions of his work.

Blessings

(1) God blesses his people when he bestows on them some gift temporal or spiritual (Gen. 1:22; 24:35; Job 42:12; Ps. 45:2; 104:24,35).
(2.) We bless God when we thank him for his mercies (Ps.103:1, 2; 145:1, 2).
(3.) A man blesses himself when he invokes God's blessing (Isa. 65:16), or rejoices in God's goodness to him(Deut. 29:19; Ps. 49:18).
(4.) One blesses another when he expresses good wishes or offers prayer to God for his welfare (Gen.24:60; 31:55; 1 Sam. 2:20).
(5) Sometimes blessings were uttered under divine inspiration, as in the case of Noah, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses(Gen. 9:26, 27; 27:28, 29, 40; 48:15-20; 49:1-28; Deut. 33).
(6) The priests were divinely authorized to bless the people (Deut. 10:8;Num. 6:22-27).
(7) We have many examples of apostolic benediction (2Cor. 13:14; Eph. 6:23, 24; 2 Thess. 3:16, 18; Heb. 13:20, 21; 1 Pet.5:10, 11).
(8.) Among the Jews in their thank-offerings the master of the feast took a cup of wine in his hand, and after having blessed God for it and for other mercies then enjoyed, handed it to his guests, who all partook of it. Ps. 116:13 refers to this custom. It is also alluded to in 1 Cor. 10:16, where the apostle speaks of the "cup of blessing."