eternity bible study

Jerusalem falls. King Zedekiah fails to heed God’s warning and eventually is captured. God’s judgement is real. So often we don’t want to believe God must and will judge us.

How do you feel when sometimes you don’t have the right answer? Jeremiah was in jail, walking in faith, but not understanding. He prays to God, and God answers him. However it’s often not clear, but God wants us all to trust him. Sometimes from our human perspective we can’t understand God‘s plan. But God directly answers Jeremiah saying with a rhetorical question, “Is anything too hard for me?” We can be reassured sometimes as we walk in faith we don’t have all the answers, but we know we have a God who loves us. And also, we have a God in which nothing is impossible or too hard for him. Things are not out of control even if they seem so. We have a God who has a perfect plan for us even in the midst of trouble.

Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, is outside the city gates of Jerusalem. This city is going to fall, and be burned. In the darkest time for the nation Israel, the fall of Jerusalem, God gives a promise of a new covenant. This is the only reference in the Old Testament of the new covenant promise. God expresses his love to the nation as an everlasting love and continued faithfulness. This is the character of God for us. How encouraging it is to be loved so much!

God promises to give us hope even in the darkest times. It’s the presence of God that gives us hope. When we seek God, with all our hearts, God promises that we will find him. This same promise that Jeremiah gives to the people is with us today. If we seek God with all our hearts we will find him.

All alone Jeremiah continues to prophesy God‘s word. He gives all God‘s word to all the people. He doesn’t hold back. He doesn’t try to filter God’s word. He gives all of God’s word out to do the work of what God‘s Word was intended to do. God‘s word shows he is sovereign over all people, and all nations. God rebukes the politicians, the officials, the religious rulers, The people, and especially the false prophets..

Jeremiah warns us about dealing with the poor. He warns against having eyes and hearts only for dishonest gain, practicing oppression and violence. Despite God’s harsh judgment on the nation, Jeremiah tells of a Righteous Branch, a reference to Jesus Christ, that will come and eventually one day be a righteous king. Jeremiah also gives a parable of good figs and bad figs. Those who are in exile, in Babylon, who have good hearts are referred to as good figs. These are people that God will one day bring back to the nation of Israel, and he will give them a heart to know him, to know him with their whole heart. How important it is for us to know God with our whole hearts.

Jeremiah is a profit all alone. Alone, in a nation that has rejected God, he has to continue to deliver a message condemning his own nation. He’s beaten, and he feels anguish for his people. Jeremiah delivers a message to condemn the nation, the southern kingdom of Judah, and Jerusalem. Jeremiah also gives a message of condemnation on the living kings of Israel. The bloodline of the house of David ends here. God says no more Kings will come from this lineage. Although Jesus Christ will come from the house of David through his father Joseph, his direct father will be from heaven.

The parable of the Potter and the Clay. We are just like a lump of clay in the Potter’s hands, in God’s hands. The potter can rework a lump of bad clay into something else, or the potter can work a lump of good clay into something beautiful and useful. We need to make sure we hear God’s voice, and allow God‘s hand to work in our lives to make us into something useful and purposeful for him. Jeremiah gives this warning to the nation of Israel, and indicates because of their evil they will be destroyed, just like a lump of bad clay.

Jeremiah is all alone. He prays for the forgiveness of his people, and puts himself, includes himself in this prayer also. He finds encouragement in the word of the Lord. He pours his heart out to the Lord. We are to pray like this. God says the heart is desperately sick. Our hearts are all desperately sick in need of the Lord, and trusting in ourselves is so bad. The Lord searches our hearts and tests our minds. Our hope is only in the Lord.