Jeremiah 1:4 Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

6 Then said I, Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.

7 But the Lord said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.

8 Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord.

9 Then the Lord put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.

10 See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.

16 And I will utter my judgments against them touching all their wickedness, who have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands.

17 Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them.

19 And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the Lord, to deliver thee.

Jeremiah 20:9 Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.

MEMORY VERSE: Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts. — Jeremiah 15:16

CENTRAL THOUGHT: God called young Jeremiah to reprove, rebuke, warn, predict judgments, and console with promises the Israelite people. He was rejected and persecuted by his own people, yet maintained his faithfulness and trust in God, even after the woeful fulfillment of his prophecies.

WORD DEFINITIONS

Jeremiah 1:5 “I sanctified thee”: I set you apart, or consecrated you.

Jeremiah 1:17 “Confound”: to shatter or dismay.
Jeremiah 20:9 “Forbearing”: to contain or hold in. “Stay”: endure; be able.

LESSON BACKGROUND

Jeremiah began his ministry at about age fourteen, during the thirteenth year of Josiah’s reign (Judah’s last good king). Along with Hilkiah, the high priest (not thought to be the same as Jeremiah’s father), the prophetess Huldah, and the prophet Zephaniah (other contemporaries were Habakkuk, Daniel and Ezekiel), he worked to help King Josiah in the reformation of the worship of God. His first call was to proclaim God’s message to Jerusalem; then, about five years later, a book of God’s law was found in the temple, and he toured the cities round about to announce its contents.

He ministered eighteen years during Josiah’s reign and several months under Jehoahaz. Under King Jehoiakim, however, the priests, prophets and people called for his execution. The princes intervened, but put limits on his ministry. In Jehoiakim’s fourth year, God commanded Jeremiah to write his prophecies and have them read to the people of Israel. The king became so incensed that he slashed the scroll with his knife and threw it into the fire, then tried to harm Jeremiah and his scribe, Baruch, but the Lord hid them. Jeremiah wrote again God’s words on a scroll, this time adding many more.

Jeremiah was afterward imprisoned and left in a miry dungeon until Ebed-melech, an Ethiopian, beseeched the king to allow him to take him out. He then remained in the court of the prison until the day Jerusalem was taken. Later, God spared Ebed-melech’s life as a reward for his faithfulness.

Although for forty years Jeremiah had been persecuted by his own countrymen, as a true patriot, he chose to stay with the remnant rather than live under the protection of the Babylonians after Jerusalem had been taken captive. Living to see the heart-rending results of his prophecies, he wept over his beloved city and wrote the sorrowful poem, The Lamentations. He was later forced to accompany the rebels when they fled into Egypt, where, according to tradition, he was stoned to death.

—Sis. Angela Gellenbeck

DISCUSSION:

1. Foreknown: Jeremiah was known, set apart, and ordained by God before__________.
2. A Child: About how old was Jeremiah when God’s word came to him?
3. His Mission: What six things was Jeremiah called to do?
4. Pressure of Duty: What happened when Jeremiah decided not to speak any more?
5. Rescued: Who showed Jeremiah kindness by bringing him out of the dungeon?
6. His Joy: What caused Jeremiah to rejoice even though he was so persecuted?

COMMENTS AND APPLICATION

Today we focus on the prophet Jeremiah, who was divinely called to warn the Jews about the coming destruction. His ministry was marked by opposition from his own people, including the priests, the other prophets, several kings and his own family. From his example we are challenged and encouraged to speak God’s Word wherever and to whomever, even in the midst of severe persecution.

Jeremiah’s messages from God were full of signs and object lessons: a potter’s vessel on the wheel, a marred linen garment, baskets of figs. Knowing his times of deep despair, it is no wonder that some of the most comforting verses in the Bible come from him: “For I know the thoughts I think toward you…” (Jeremiah 29:11) and “It is of the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed…” (Lamentations 3:22-23). He also was given the important prophecy of the new covenant (Jeremiah 31:33-34) which is quoted in Hebrews 8:8-12. A most serious warning for anyone called to work or speak for God is given in Jeremiah 48:10: “Cursed be he that doeth the work of the Lord deceitfully, and cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood.”

Like we learned from Abraham, Moses and Elijah, there were times when Jeremiah’s faith and courage weakened. He was even so low he decided not to preach anymore and cursed the day he was born. The dynamite power of God’s Word soon broke through his despair, and for over forty years he persevered, drawing strength and even joy from that Word. What a delight it must have been to have found that lost book of the law hidden in a dusty, closed-up temple chamber!

Jeremiah was also encouraged by his kind friend when in his deepest despair, sunk to his knees in the foul-smelling, slimy dungeon. Ebed-melech pushed aside the stone lid and grinned down into the blackness. “I’m here to get you out!”

What a great lesson we can learn from Ebed-melech. How can we help the minister or prophet who is suffering? How can we relieve his pain or deliver him from his dungeon?

What else may we learn here? Though we may be forsaken by our own brethren, it is not time to give up. We don’t have to doubt our calling. God never said it would be easy or that all men would receive our message. There is always hope, even in the darkest dungeon.

—Sis. Angela Gellenbeck

REFLECTIONS

The often quoted verse found in Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” No doubt those thoughts gave hope to Jeremiah in his miry pit experience. The Lord is not only able to bring deliverance out of the pit, He is also able to destroy the enemy and work things out for spiritual good in order that His name might be magnified.

Just like Jeremiah, Daniel also had a pit experience: a pit of lions. But the Lord gave Daniel deliverance, caused his enemies to be devoured by the lions and turned the heart of the king. King Darius proclaimed that the God of Daniel was a living God, and His kingdom was an everlasting kingdom that would never be destroyed.

The Lord was faithful to Joseph in his pit of death as well. His brothers had intentions of letting Joseph die in the pit but then changed their minds to send him down with the merchants to the land of Egypt. Joseph kept a pure heart toward God in the up and down experiences of his time in Egypt. He was able to deliver his family as well as the whole nation during the famine. He testified to his brothers that what they meant for evil, God turned into good.

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

—Sis. LaDawna Adams