Jerusalem Falls
Jeremiah began his ministry in the time of King Josiah—a king who conducted one of the
greatest revivals of God’s law in history. But it did not last long. The people did not faithfully
grab and hold onto the reality of God’s provision. The Law was still simply a set of laws, not
God’s perfect word. Jerusalem was flagrantly disobedient, and the Judge of heaven and earth
had to do something about it. Jeremiah 1-6 seems to take place during the reign King Josiah
around 625 BC, before the fall of Jerusalem. The people presumed, arrogantly, that God would
not let the city fall because it was the capital city that He established for His people Israel. But
as the time of judgment came closer and closer, it seems as though God wanted the people of
Jerusalem to feel the weight of their sins get heavier and heavier; that the reality of sin would
take root in their hearts, so that they would turn and repent of their ways. Israel’s ignorance
and disobedience was coming to a dramatic end, and Jeremiah wept.