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Jeremiah Chapter Twelve

1. Jeremiah responds to the second command not to pray for Judah by praying for Judah (Jer. 12:1-4).
   1. Why do the wicked prosper?  (Job 21:7-15; Ps. 73:3-28)
   2. How long is His Divine discipline going to last?
2. The Lord’s answer to Jeremiah was a rebuke to stay the course—harder tests are on the way (Jer. 12:5-6).
3. The God of “I will never leave you nor forsake you (Deut. 31:6,8; Heb. 13:5) has forsaken His house and abandoned His inheritance (Jer. 12:7-13).
4. The Lord also described the opportunity that the gentile nations would have because of His people being dispersed among them (Jer. 12:14-17; cf. Ezek. 36:16-36).

Jeremiah Chapter Thirteen

1. The Lord instructs Jeremiah to bury his waistband & dig it up again (Jer. 13:1-7), and use that waistband to illustrate his next message (Jer. 13:8-11).
   1. פְּרָתָה p^erāthāh.  
   2. The Euphrates river?  פְּרָת p^erāth ^#6578: Euphrates, fruitfulness.  NASB, KJV, NKJV, CSB.
   3. Parath/Perath?  פָּרָה pārāh ^#6511: Parah, heifer-town (Josh. 18:23).  About 3 miles north of Jeremiah’s home town of Anathoth.  NIV, NET, Tanakh.
2. The Lord instructs Jeremiah to have every jug in Jerusalem filled with wine (Jer. 13:12), and use that opportunity to illustrate another message (Jer. 13:13-14).
3. The chapter concludes with a song the Lord sings in lamentation for the evil of Judah (Jer. 13:15-27).
   1. The king, and the queen mother are specifically addressed for captivity (Jer. 13:18).  This was literally fulfilled by King Jehoiachin, & his mother Nehushta (2nd Kgs. 24:8,12).
   2. The proverbial Ethiopian and leopard is taught here (Jer. 13:23).  Human impossibility must be contrasted with Divine infinite possibility (Matt. 19:26).
   3. Forgetting the Lord equals trusting in falsehood (Jer. 13:25).  We will be of service to either one father or another (Jn. 8:44).

Jeremiah Chapter Fourteen

1. Chapters 14 & 15 are the Lord’s message to Judah regarding the drought that He was afflicting them with.
   1. Drought is an instrument of Divine discipline (Lev. 26:19).
   2. The Lord afflicted Judah with this drought because of her adultery against Him (Jer. 3:3).
2. Jeremiah’s prayer during this time is a prayer for the Lord’s faithfulness—for His own name’s sake (Jer. 14:7,9,21; cf. Ps. 25:11; Ezek. 20:9,14,22; Dan. 9:18-19).
3. The Lord instructed Jeremiah for the third time not to pray for Israel, because He was going to remember every iniquity, and call them to account (Jer. 14:10-12).
4. Jeremiah complains to the Lord about the false prophets that he has to contend with (Jer. 14:13-18).
5. Jeremiah also complains that the Lord has completely rejected Judah (Jer. 14:19-22).

Jeremiah Chapter Fifteen

1. The Lord answers Jeremiah with an astounding statement (Jer. 15:1-4).
   1. The two greatest prophets in the history of Israel could not intercede for Israel’s preservation (v.1).
   2. Jerusalem has only two options: death or captivity (v.2).
   3. Jerusalem has four stages of destruction because of Manasseh’s idolatry (v.3).
2. The Lord designates a Destroyer to inflict His wrath upon Jerusalem (Jer. 15:5-9).  שָׁדַד shādad ^#7703: devastator, destroyer.  Cf. Isa. 33:1, TTB Day 204.
3. Jeremiah laments for his mother, that she would have such a miserable son (Jer. 15:10-11).
4. Jeremiah responds to yet another message of destruction (Jer. 15:12-14) by voicing a complaint of self-pity (Jer. 15:15-18) for which the Lord rebukes him (Jer. 15:19-21).