Jeremiah: Week 2 (Good Morning Girls Resources)
π Welcome back to Week 2 in the Book of Jeremiah!
βοΈ It’s cold and snowy here in Ohio! I hope you all are staying warm βοΈ
π You are doing a great job – keep on going! Our daily discussions out onΒ FacebookΒ have been wonderful!Β If you missed them β I hope you will join us this week.Β They are so helpful!
Here are the links to last weekβs posts on the blog, in case you missed any of them:
Will You Choose the World or the Word? β Based on Jeremiah 2:13
Intro and Resources for Jeremiah Week 1
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This Weekβs Bible Reading Plan:
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This weekβs Reflection & Discussion Questions
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Week 2
Jeremiah 9 & 10
God instructed his people not to boast in wisdom, might, or riches, but in the fact that they knew and understood God and his ways. The word βboastβ in the Hebrew is βhalalβ and means to praise or worship. What we identify with becomes our object of worship.
In Jeremiah 9, we see that an idol is any object of our worship other than God. While we may not bow down and pray to physical idols of gold and silver, like in the ancient times, we often find that we value people, things, or activities more than God.
In Jeremiah 10, he compares idols made by human hands with the Lord God, creator of heaven and earth. He describes these idols as ones who must be carried by the person worshiping them because they do not have the power to move themselves. How different these idols are from our almighty God who created all we see and canβt see by the power of his word!
Jeremiah goes on to emphasize that in contrast to the inanimate and helpless idols of wood, gold, silver, — the almighty God is the only true God who is living and eternal. He is the only one who can save, protect, and heal.
Jesus said in Matthew 6:21 that whatever we value becomes the seat of our affections and spiritual life. Putting our trust and hope in anyone or anything else is futile, because there is none that can save, heal, or deliver but God. He is for you!
Is there something in your life you value more than God? What gets in the way of you spending time with him in his word and prayer?
Jeremiah 11 & 12
In Jeremiah 12, we see Jeremiah struggling with the age-old question: βWhy does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all who are treacherous thrive?β It is a question many still battle with today. Why would a just God allow the wicked to have success while godly people suffer?
While we find the answer to this puzzling question in other portions of Godβs Word, God chooses not to answer it in this chapter. Instead, he answers Jeremiahβs question with a question.
God turns to Jeremiah and asks him, βIf you have raced with men on foot, and they have wearied you, how will you compete with horses?β
If Jeremiah thought it was tough now, he had no idea what was about to come. Jehoahaz is king, Babylon is about to plunder Judah, and Jerusalem is about to be burned to the ground. Jeremiah could not afford to run this race in his own strength. He would need the strength of God to keep going.
It is easy to look at our culture today and allow ourselves to grow cynical and hard. We can grow weary constantly swimming against the current of ungodly and unbiblical philosophies. But we must learn to be strong now because we do not know what is in our future. Bigger challenges could be ahead. We cannot afford to stand in our own strength. We must be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might.
Is something discouraging you? What is making your feel weary today? How does remembering that we must be strong now, so we are prepared for the future, encourage you today?
Jeremiah 13 & 14
God led Jeremiah to give the people of Judah two object lessons. The first was a sash that had once stood for nobility and status but was now ruined. The second was wine bottles. These bottles had a purpose, and it was to hold wine. In the same way, God had a purpose for his people but from the kings and priests, to all those who inhabited Jerusalem, all had lost their dignity, their moral clarity, and had grown corrupt in their thinking.
Jeremiah asks the rhetorical question, βCan a leopard change his spots?β The people of Judah could no more change their evil nature than a leopard could change who he is. They needed a change of heart.
So, in Jeremiah 14, a severe drought that led to a famine came to the land of Judah that affected everyone. No one was left untouched, man or beast, old or young, rich or poor. The famine was not just limited to a physical famine, there was also a famine of truth. God warned Jeremiah that the prophets were prophesying false visions, divinations, worthless things, and the deceit of their own heart, and they, too, would be affected by the sword and famine.
In the New Testament, in 2 Timothy 4:3-4, Paul warned Timothy that in the last days, people will not tolerate sound teaching, but instead turn their ears from truth. Jesus said of himself in John 14:5, βI am the way, the truth, and the life.β In a world where truth is so often twisted, may we say with Jeremiah, βWe set our hope on youβ.
In what ways do you see truth being distorted in our world now? Sometimes truth is hard to hear, and yet it is necessary for our spiritual growth and maturity. Do you struggle with this?
Jeremiah 15 & 16
Jeremiah stood alone in the midst of the corrupt culture of his day. He said to the Lord, βYour words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and delight of my heart.β (Jeremiah 15:16).
Psalm 34:8 says, βOh taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the man who trusts in him.β Like Jeremiah, when we purpose to stand for the truth of Godβs word, in the face of a culture that rebels against God, we will find every word of God a joy and delight.
From the very beginning, God had warned his people that great suffering would come if they failed to keep his commandments. In Deuteronomy 28, we read the lists of blessings and curses God gave Moses as a promise and a warning to the people regarding his Law. God is now telling Jeremiah that when he shows the people the words of this prophecy, the people will not recognize how their own sin has brought Godβs judgment on them.
And so once again, God assured Jeremiah that one day he will redeem is people from captivity. He said, βI will make them know my power and my might, and they shall know that my name is the Lord.β They will finally recognize the futility of their idols and turn back to God.
Do you remember the moment when you realized that your attempts to rescue yourself were futile? When was that moment you first turned to the Lord? Take a moment to reflect on all the Lord has done in your life since that moment. How have you experienced Godβs power and might in your life?
Jeremiah 17 & 18
In Jeremiah 17, the Lord warned that the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately sick. The Hebrew word for βdesperatelyβ means incurable. There is no cure for our heart. It cannot be fixed or mended. It can only be recreated.
The world often tells us to follow our hearts, but this is the most dangerous thing we can do as children of God. Our heart is incurably sick and deceitful to the point that we donβt understand it. Because sin has been irreversibly engraved upon it, we need a completely new heart. That is why David said in Psalm 51, βCreate in me a clean heart, O Godβ.
In Jeremiah 18, God directed Jeremiah to go to the potterβs house and observe his work. While Jeremiah watched, he observed that the vessel the potter was making was, for whatever reason, spoiled. The potter, then, took the spoiled vessel, crumpled it back into a ball and began again.
This object lesson illustrated the state of Israel. God had formed them into a nation, but they had become spoiled by their disobedience and idolatry. In an attempt to shape them, God had sent many prophets to warn them of judgment if they failed to turn to him, but they were hardened and would not listen. Now God was going to have to, in his judgement, take them, crumple them back in a ball and start over.
The illustration of God as the potter and man as the clay is seen repeatedly throughout Scripture. In every instance, the potter is forming the clay according to its purpose and design. God has a purpose and design for you, but problems arise when we allow sin and disobedience to spoil his plan and purpose, preventing God from shaping us into the person he wants us to be.
Consider, in what ways do you tend to follow your heart? Has it led you astray at times? How can you live your life more surrendered to the potter (God) so you (the clay) can be shaped into the woman God wants you to be?
This Weekβs Verses of the Day:
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Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
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Keep walking with the King,
COURTNEY
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