The book of Jeremiah is a complex one, and the often confusing structure
sometimes deters people from studying it in depth. This means that the very rich
contents - of hope overcoming despair and the promise of the Messiah who will
save his people when they turn back to him - are not always discovered and
applied. However, SEAN has now developed this new course to make it accessible
and exciting for those who want to go deeper into the life, times, ministry and
messages of one of the great Old Testament prophets.
Jeremiah is often portrayed as the prophet of doom and gloom! This may be the
result of people's perception of what is, at first glance, an exceedingly
complex and negative piece of literature. The emphasis of this SEAN course is on
Jeremiah as God's prophet of HOPE, and gives a fresh viewpoint from which to
approach the biblical material.
This course is aimed at a much higher level than previous SEAN texts. It makes
many demands on the student, and requires three months commitment and serious
application to take full advantage of this fascinating material. As in all other
SEAN courses, it combines individual home study with weekly meetings of a small
number of students under the guidance of a Group Leader, where the work is
checked, topics discussed, while extra reading and Bible study, prayer and
mutual support are developed.
The course consists of three texts:
1. Study Book A, which contains 12 weekly Units of three Studies each.
2. Study Book B, which contains summaries that the student completes to make a
coherent, chronological overview of the whole of Jeremiah. There are also maps
of the corresponding area of the Near East, 12 key charts to clarify and
consolidate the teaching, an extensive series of tear-out memory-cards and a
comprehensive alphabetical and topical index.
3. A group leader's manual, which gives help, advice, correct answers and
additional material to be incorporated in the Group Meeting as appropriate.
The biblical text itself contains key dates or 'historical signposts' that act
as pegs on which the chronological development can be reconstructed despite the
seemingly chaotic order in which Jeremiah's scrolls and letters have been
stitched together. Based on these datings, a 'Wave Pattern' has been developed
in a special 'structure shart'. Five waves have been identified, each starting
and finishing that little bit further up the beach of time than the previous
one. The structure shart allows the student to trace the events of each
successive reign, and of the thrilling story of Jeremiah's life and ministry
within this context, in its most likely chronological order.
In effect, the student becomes a fly on the wall in the workshop of Jeremiah and
his secretary Baruch as, in those highly dangerous and inflammatory days and
between successive imprisonments or periods of hiding from persecution, they
painfully dated and stitched together the varied scrolls of this book.
Successfully finishing the course and its final exam entitles the student to one
credit towards a SEAN Extension College diploma. Send for a SEC brochure for
further information.
Principal goals of the course
That on completing the course, each student will be able to do the following
tasks:
1. Build up progressively a Sequence of Summaries outlining the principal points
in the Book of Jeremiah in their approximate chronological order. Trace events
in the life and ministry of Jeremiah as they unfold in chronological order and
link these to his approximate age, from 20 to 60.
2. Name and describe the lives of the last five kings of Judah and how each
influenced the ministry of Jeremiah. Trace the events in the history of Judah up
to the fall and destruction of Jerusalem and the exile.
3. Name the principal world powers at the time of Jeremiah and the important
part each played in the destiny of Judah.
4. Give from memory the dates of all the principal events of this period in the
history of the Near East.
5. Mark throughout the Bible, the Historical and Literary Signposts within the
text and use these to trace the chronological order of what appears to be a
random anthology of Jeremiah's writings.
6. Describe the conditions and events surrounding the writing of Jeremiah's
original scrolls and how they were gradually assembled into our present day
text; explain the part Baruch played in this.
7. Explain the extent of Jeremiah's international ministry and name the main
nations about which he prophesied.
8. Name Jeremiah's chief supporters and describe the contribution each made to
his ministry. Name his main enemies and describe the damage they caused him.
9. Explain the main teaching-points of the book of Jeremiah and apply these to
our situation today.
10. Outline Jeremiah's messianic hope and its impact on the Jewish people in
exile (such as Ezekiel and Daniel).
11. Explain how this was gloriously fulfilled in Cyrus, king of Persia, and then
in the Lord Jesus Christ. Describe ways in which Jeremiah himself foreshadowed
Jesus.
