Jeremiah feels the weight of tragedy when the shepherd kings of Israel promote unfaithfulness, and the prophets speak falsehood. But in his words of judgement, there are hints of how shepherds can get it right and prophets can get it right.

If God is sovereign, how should we respond? What does God’s sovereignty mean when we are caught in sin? What does it mean when we are sinned against? Jeremiah 18 articulates a principle about how God’s sovereignty and human choices interact. The text then shows us how the principle works out in real life situations. It’s a wonderful opportunity to learn how our plans interact with His, and how we can shape our life around the good plans of the sovereign God.

Jeremiah 9 drips with tears as God calls his prophet and his people to join him in weeping over sin and its destructive consequences. We are invited to cry, too. Jeremiah 9 also highlights the many ways people deceive each other and to deceive themselves, being lured into manipulative religion and relationships and confidence in intelligence, strength and wealth. Jeremiah finds a way to wipe away the tears in the ways God works in the world.