The Role of Jeremiah in Judah and Israel - Essay Example

This was a very difficult period in Jewish history. The Jews were being mercilessly persecuted and were subject to great abuse. No one knew what would become of them. It might be expected that people were ready to listen to a real seer who could lead them away from misfortune, but this wasnt exactly the case. No one really listened to Jeremiah very much. He knew a lot, and had a lot of gravity and respect, but few people followed him. This is an excellent description of the way he came to be what he was and how people viewed him:   Jeremiah witnessed the fall of the Assyrian Empire and the death of King Josiah.

Though the people deeply mourned the death of their beloved King Josiah, the chief mourner was the prophet Jeremiah, for he knew very well that with the untimely passing of this last pious king, the end of Judea as an independent state was unavoidable. Indeed, after Josiahs death the people soon reverted to idolatry. Jeremiah was shocked by the new relapse of his people and strove hard to stem the tide of spiritual depravity which was threatening to undermine their high moral standards. The book of Jeremiah reveals an introspective person, a prophet struggling and often overcome by the role into which he has been placed by God.

He doesnt quite know who is or how he can best serve God and in what capacity exactly. He doesn’t even especially want to be a prophet. Jeremiah made many efforts to warn the people of Israel—which they did not listen to—and also made prayers to God to grant the people mercy. In fact, he did this so much that he was ordered by God to “pray no more for this people” (Jer. 7:16, 14:11). Sometimes Jeremiah engages in what may seem like strange behaviour, acting out parables, for example by walking about in the streets with a yoke about his neck and trying to get people to pay attention to him.

Others engage in rival acts that parody and critique his. He is taunted, put in jail, and at one point