Kingdom Divided Lesson 25 - Jeremiah 1

 

Note:  For clarity the Kings of Israel are coded in Orange and Kings of Judah are coded in Blue.

Jeremiah is one of the well-known prophets in the Bible.  He was the son of Hilkiah, one of the priests in the territory of Benjamin.  He spent the first twenty years of his ministry under Judah’s last good king, Josiah.  The rest of his ministry was under Josiah’s sons, Jehoiakim and Zedekiah who opposed Jeremiah. 

The Lord called Jeremiah to be His prophet even before he was born.  “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” – Jer. 1:5. 

This verse applies to all humans.  The second part applies specifically to the prophet Jeremiah.  God reveals that when He creates a person, He has a plan for them right from the womb.  He is sovereign over our makeup and wiring, our personality, our gifts, our talents, and all our physical attributes.  He plans us according to His purposes and for us to glorify Himself by our lives.

Jeremiah was like Moses and didn’t believe he had the experience or the character.  He believed he was too young to be a prophet.  Jeremiah said, “I do not know how to speak; I am only a child” – Jer. 1:6.  The Lord denied Jeremiah was too young.  He told him to not be afraid and He would give him His authority to be His prophet.  The Lord would protect him.  “Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you.” – Jer. 1:8  The Lord touched his mouth and gave him the words to speak. 

Jeremiah’s protest was true.  He was just a youth, but God didn’t want to hear it.  God calls the right people whether they are young or old.  David was a youth who served his father in the shepherd’s field, killed a lion and bear, killed Goliath, and served King Saul.  God filled John the Baptist with the Holy Spirit in the womb (Luke 1:15).  Timothy was a young man when he worked with Paul (1 Tim. 4:12).

We can be like Jeremiah in thinking we don’t know how to speak to others about Jesus.  We think we’re too young in our faith or we’re afraid we may not know what to say.  I am not a Jeremiah.  Neither are you.  But God has put you in this time, at this place, with your past, for a purpose and for a reason.  Our excuses do not move God.  God is bigger than Jeremiah and He’s bigger than you and me.  He can use your life.  So let Him.

In Jeremiah 1:10-19 God described Jeremiah’s mission that he was to give to Judah and the nations.  He used two visions.  First, Jeremiah saw an almond tree.  It has the first flowers awaking the start of spring.  Jeremiah’s message would awaken the fulfillment of God’s promised judgment.  Second, he saw a boiling pot tilting toward him from the north symbolizing the coming invasion from Babylon.

Jeremiah shared God’s message with the people of Judah.  We see this in many chapters as he described the seriousness of Judah’s coming judgment. 

Jer. 2:5-6; 3:19-20 – They strayed far from God; they followed worthless idols and became worthless themselves; they didn’t ask where is the Lord who brought them out of Egypt; they turned away and didn’t call Him, father; they had been unfaithful.

Jer. 4:6; 6:1 – God will bring disaster from the north, even terrible destruction; disaster looms out of the north and they should flee.

Jer. 10:17-18 – They should gather their belongings and leave because God will bring distress so they will be captured.

Jer. 25:8-14 – Because they have not listened to the Lord’s words, the people of the north and King Nebuchadnezzar and destroy them, banish their joy and gladness and they will serve the king of Babylon for seventy years.

Jeremiah was very saddened by this.  He felt agony in his heart.  He cried day and night.  He was deeply burdened for the people, but he knew the Lord must punish the people.  He prayed for the people and appealed for mercy.  He knew they must be corrected.  (Jer. 4:19-21; 9:1; 10:23-25; 15:16-18)

How are you burdened by those who are lost?

What are you doing about it?

These verses show Jeremiah’s personal experiences as a faithful servant of God:

Jeremiah 16:1-4 – He was commanded not marry or have children.

Jeremiah 20:1-2 – Because of his prophesying, he was beaten.

Jeremiah 26:7-11 – The priests and all the people wanted to kill him.

Jeremiah 37:1-2, 16 – He was put in a vaulted cell in a dungeon.

Jeremiah  38:6 – He was put into a cistern that had no water and he sank into the mud.

We can reconcile Jeremiah’s personal suffering with his faithfulness and God’s provision.  He knew that since God called him, God would always protect and provide for him.  He refused to stop speaking God’s true message.

In Jeremiah 38:7-13 we learn when Jeremiah was in the cistern, Ebed-Melech the Cushite along with some other men took pity him and pulled him out.  This is encouraging that a stranger had more compassion than anyone else to save him.  This reminds us of the Parable of the Good Samaritan we read about in Luke 10:25-37.   Also we see God’s faithfulness as He continued to provide for Jeremiah.

In Jeremiah 18:7-8; 21:8-9 he called the wayward people to repent as he warned of pending judgment.  These verses display God’s heart.  He said if they repent, God will change His mind.  God is setting before the people a way of life and a way of death.  They must choose.

Jeremiah 29:1-23 – Jeremiah wrote a letter to the exiles in Judah.  They were to build houses, plant gardens, marry and have children, increase in number, and seek peace and prosperity.  They were to pray to the Lord.  They were to not be deceived by those prophesying in the Lord’s name.  Then when the 70 years is completed, they will be brought out of exile.  “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” – Jer. 29:22

With all the idols, lies, and evil in the world today, people need true hope.  Hope reduces feelings of helplessness and stress – and we know there is a lot of stress in the world today.  When we have hope, we have peace, confidence, and happiness. True hope is anchored in God, His Word and His promises.  “Do any of the worthless idols of the nations bring rain?  Do the skies themselves send down showers?”  No, it is you, O Lord our God.  Therefore our hope is in you, for you are the one who does all this.” – Jer. 14:22 

Principles: 

God knows everything about you.

You are never too young to be used by God.

God promises to protect and deliver us.

True hope is anchored in God, His Word and His promises.

A time is coming when true Christians will be in a position similar to Jeremiah and be hated by people.  We see a lot of that now.  You might experience persecution, but you can draw strength from God’s protection and knowledge that you are doing the right thing.  You may feel as if God doesn’t know who you are, but He does.  You may feel as if you are not useful to God, but you are.  You may feel as if the whole world is against you, but God is for you.

Is God calling you to be a Jeremiah to someone?

What is He asking you to do for Him?

Do you agonize over those who are lost?

How is God leading you to reach out to those who need Jesus?

What is holding you back?

What comfort are you willing to give up to obey God?

Do you struggle to find hope in this evil world?

How will you allow God’s truth and hope to fill you today?

Key verses:

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” – Jer. 1:5 

“Do not be afraid of the, for I am with you and will rescue you.” – Jer. 1:8

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” – Jer. 29:22

This week’s attribute of God is He is Faithful.  He will do what He has promised.  He loves us and has had a plan for us even before we were born.  We know He is faithful because He sent His son to the cross to keep His promise.  We can trust Him to keep all His promises.

Next time we will continue our study of Kingdom Divided by continuing in the book of Jeremiah.  Hope to see you here. – I encourage you to trust in Jesus.

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