Have you ever visited a place that makes pottery, or have you personally made pottery? What happens if, while you are shaping the clay, it gets a flaw or crack, or fails to conform to the shape that you desire? You start over with the lump of clay. The potter is in control of the outcome for the piece of clay. God teaches a very important lesson to Jeremiah in the Explore the Bible Study: Shapes.

If you have trouble imagining how the potter works to shape the clay perhaps the following video will help:

The Lord instructed Jeremiah to visit the potter’s house to learn an important spiritual lesson about God as the Potter.  Jeremiah 18:1-12 describes Jeremiah’s visit and the lessons he learns regarding God being in control of shaping His people for His purposes. The lessons God provided as he watched the potter at work were valuable for the people of Judah—and for us. 

The Master Potter doesn’t give up on a flawed lump of clay—Jeremiah 18:1-4

Who was in control of the clay in this passage? What kind of vessel did the potter make? How does this relate to how God works with us and with our flaws?

When Jeremiah followed God’s instruction and arrived at the “potter’s house,” God immediately began to teach Jeremiah a special lesson. Jeremiah noticed the potter’s clay had become “flawed” as he shaped it. The word translated “flawed” indicates the state of being corrupted or ruined. Something in the clay was not right. Instead of throwing out the clay, though, the potter simply restarted his project. Because the clay wasn’t dry yet, he could put it back into its original shape and begin something new. As long as the clay stayed in the potter’s hand, he could shape it for his purposes.

What would be the inclination of someone who isn’t a skilled potter, when a piece of clay develops a flaw? What does the skilled potter’s response communicate about the character of God and His relationship with His people?

Imagine your life is a piece of pottery clay in the hands of God. What kind of vessel do you believe He is shaping, and how would that vessel illustrate how God is working in your life?

God used the picture of the potter working the clay to show Jeremiah how He was working to shape His people for His plans and purposes. Next, He reminded Jeremiah that He was (and still is) in complete control of our lives.

We are in the hands of the Master Potter—Jeremiah 18:5-10

The Lord asked a question all mankind, especially believers, must answer, “Can I not treat you as this potter treats his clay?”

What are possible responses people might give to this question? Why would many be inclined to respond with “no”? Does answering “no” change the fact that everyone is still in the hands of the Master Potter?

The question was rhetorical and anticipated an affirmative response. Naturally, God is God and can do whatever He pleases. 

The Lord answered His own rhetorical question: just like clay in the potter’s hand, so you are in my hand. Jeremiah had seen the potter’s hand rework the clay. Likewise, God could refashion His people for His purpose. 

God then elaborates on what it means to be a lump of clay in His hands in verses 7-10.

God affirmed His sovereignty over everything and everyone. The verses stress the thoroughness of God’s judgment. He remained true to His righteous character, even when executing judgment on those who oppose Him.  As sovereign, God can also change the course of His actions if a nation turns from its evil. The word translated turns also can mean “repents.” In context, it carries the basic idea of coming back to God. Sadly, verse 10 announced the consequences if a nation does what is evil and rejects Him.

God was showing Jeremiah that His sovereignty gives Him the right and power to forgive those who repent and to judge those who do not. However, we will see that some clay is just not pliable. This is when the potter must determine what happens next.

The Master Potter determines what happens to the clay—Jeremiah 18:11-12

Just as the potter fashioned his clay, the Lord was fashioning His plan against His people. Their flaws were just too much to continue. Yet, God still offered them a choice: “Turn now.” The wording expresses a special urgency to God’s command. The people needed to repent quickly! 

When a potter begins to see a flaw in a vessel, his first inclination might be to just stop and start over. But usually, the potter will work to remove the flaw before starting over, even though, an experienced potter will know that the flaw most likely won’t correct itself. God knows our future and knows when or if we will repent. Yet He still works with us as the Master Potter. Yet, at a point, it’s time and His discipline and judgment will come in order to correct the flaw and restore the vessel.

Notice, though, how Judah responded to God. As Judah’s circumstances deteriorated, the people yielded to despair rather than turning to the God who could rescue them. They chose to follow their own plans. The people determined to stay with their own futile ways and to act according to the stubbornness of their evil heart. God warned His people of disaster, and the hope of restoration was always present. Sadly, most residents of the nation were determined to choose their own course, even if that course inevitably led to ruin. 

In what ways might believers react as the Israelites did? Why is it so hard to repent?

It’s hard for people to admit they have fallen short of God’s standard. Regardless, God stands ready to forgive anyone who confesses their sins and puts their faith in Jesus. When we do, the sovereign God will shape us for His purpose and use our lives to the fullest.

What Kind of Vessel are You?

Would you say you are a lump of clay, a vessel on the potter’s wheel, a vessel in need of being remade, or one that is complete?

Recall an occasion when you refused to do what you knew God wanted you to do and you experienced consequences as a result. Consider the actions you will take this week to conform more completely to God’s purposes? Take time this week to reflect on how God might be shaping you for His purposes, and ask God for the strength to remain pliable in His hands.

The downloadable teaching helps provide more details for this study, along with some tools you can use in guiding a group Bible study. 

Download PDF Version

Download Word Version

LifeWay Explore The Bible Resources

These teaching helps are intended to be used as a supplement to your study of Lifeway's Explore the Bible curriculum resources. Portions of this material are taken directly from content copyrighted to Lifeway Christian Resources Explore the Bible and is used with permission.  This material has not been reviewed by Lifeway Christian Resources. 

Do you believe people take promises like “‘til death do us part,” “I solemnly swear to tell the truth,” or “I will defend the constitution of the United States" seriously today? These phrases indicate we are making a very exclusive and serious promise or covenant.  Sadly, when we observe the breaking of covenants and promises, it might cause us to question God about His justice. You will discover in the Explore the Bible Study: Exclusive, that Jeremiah asked God some hard questions when he observed the people of God breaking their promises to God.

Jeremiah asked God a hard question and God’s response related to the devastating impact when people reject the exclusive relationship God desires to have with His people. Let’s begin by examining Jeremiah’s question to God.

Is God just? – Jeremiah 12:1-4

Notice how Jeremiah approached God. He affirmed that God is righteous, but Jeremiah had some questions. We can learn from Jeremiah’s actions that it’s o.k. to ask God tough questions. He wants us to understand His work and His ways. Jeremiah needed a sense of peace because of what he was observing. He couldn’t understand how God was working.

Notice how Jeremiah expressed what he already knew about God. He emphasized the consistency of God’s nature and character.  God is perfect and can be trusted in every aspect of life. God also understands the questions we might have. He is not scared of them or intimidated by them. He wants us to bring them to Him.

Today, we probably know people who ignore God, yet prosper—even as we struggle to live godly lives. Sometimes such circumstances are difficult to understand, but we must remember that God remains in control. He does not always bring justice when we’d like, but He will bring it in His own timing. 

What do you know about God? Do you have similar questions for God as Jeremiah did? What additional questions might you ask God as you observe the actions of people today? 

When Jeremiah looked at the past and how God’s people had rebelled time and time again, he struggled. Now God asks Jeremiah a question. 

Can you handle the heat? – Jeremiah 12:5-6

Have you ever complained to God about others, and God in turn leads you to examine your own life first? What can we learn from God’s response to Jeremiah in this passage? How would God word this if He were talking to you?

The Lord’s response to Jeremiah is something we can apply when we are struggling: 

1. He asked how Jeremiah could “compete with horses” when racing against human “runners” wore him out. Jeremiah’s new task would be as difficult as outrunning horses! God had promised Jeremiah His presence and protection, but He never promised the ministry would be easy. 
2. This leads to a second response. If Jeremiah had struggled in a “peaceful land,” it would be very difficult to navigate “the thickets of the Jordan.”  The Hebrew wording suggests trust and security. God likened Jeremiah’s situation to a “peaceful” place, though Jeremiah disagreed. Jeremiah already had battled conspiracies (Jeremiah 11:21-23) and corrupt leaders (Jeremiah 6:13-14). But God’s response implied that his toughest situations were still ahead. 
3. The Lord then reminded Jeremiah of facts he already knew; even his family had been “treacherous” toward him. Still, Jeremiah’s emotional pain was especially intense. Rejected at home and in Jerusalem, Jeremiah had few places of refuge.
4. Finally, God warned Jeremiah not to base his confidence on them speaking well of him. The command implies that Jeremiah may have been trusting them—or was thinking about it. But God emphasized that while the people’s words seemed good or encouraging, they ultimately meant him harm.

With which of these responses to Jeremiah from God can you most closely identify? Do you wonder if you can “compete with horses”? Do you wonder if you can navigate the “thickets of the Jordon”? Has your family criticized or rejected you because of your commitment to the Lord? Do you base your confidence on people speaking well of you?

Next God responds to Jeremiah’s frustration with an expression of pain of His own. He sees His covenant people abandoning the exclusivity of their relationship with Him. It prompts God to tell Jeremiah how He feels about what He is observing.

When the relationship with God isn’t exclusive – Jeremiah 12:7-13

What feelings did God express regarding how the people had abandoned this exclusive relationship with Him? What broke His heart the most regarding the way they had abandoned him? How is His pain similar to Jeremiah’s pain that he has already expressed to God in the previous passages? 

We see in verse 7 the overall feelings of God toward His people. First, He “abandoned” His house, likely referring to God’s people in general. Second, God affirmed that He had “deserted” His inheritance. The wording here describes God’s people as His special portion or possession. Finally, God “handed the love of my life over to her enemies.” One can’t imagine God handing the love of his life over to her enemies. This sounds so painful for God to do, yet He had no choice.

Judah’s rejection of the Lord had led Him to reject them and leave them to the consequences of their sin. God had a special relationship with His people, but their disobedience would bring His discipline. God had invited the people of Judah into a special covenant relationship with Himself. They had rejected God, so He was forced to abandon them.

Advice When You Are Discouraged

Based on Jeremiah’s question and God’s response, what advice would you give to a believer who might be so discouraged that they are tempted to quit serving the Lord? How can we encourage one another to maintain a singular and exclusive devotion to the Lord while living in a sinful world?

The Lord’s description of His people as “the love of [His] life” is a beautiful statement, yet it is accompanied by sadness because of how God’s people abused this relationship. Consider how God views your relationship right now. Is He excited to say that you are the “love of His life,” or is He sad because of the way the relationship has been abused?

We are in the middle of growing season for most gardens. If I were to plant seeds in my garden, what would I expect them to produce? How would you respond if the seeds you planted didn’t produce what you expected them to produce? You will discover in the Explore the Bible Study: Personal, that God expects our worship to produce the right kind of fruit. If we claim to be followers of Christ, then the way we worship should impact the way we live.

What is the significance of God’s telling Jeremiah to deliver this message to the people as they were entering the gates of the temple to worship? What is the difference between simply hearing a person and listening to a person?

Imagine that, instead of greeters at each entrance to the church worship center, you had spiritual leaders like Jeremiah challenging you to listen to the Lord regarding how you worship. How would you respond? How would it help you remember why you came to church to worship the Lord?

What actions today might reveal believers are “worshipping” in the same manner while committing the same sins as the Israelites did? How can you prevent your worship from decaying as theirs did?

If God said to you, “I will banish you from my presence” because of your unrepentant heart, how would you respond? How do most people respond today?

When someone questions if your worship practices are authentic or are producing fruit, how should you respond?

Spiritual drift is something every believer and every individual church must always monitor and protect against. The Explore the Bible Study: Judges, reveals the spiritual drift taking place with God’s chosen people in the Old Testament.  It should cause us to realize that spiritual drift has always been a constant challenge for all people and is catastrophic to those who claim to be followers of Christ. 

God called Jeremiah to proclaim repentance and judgment to Israel. Israel had drifted so far away from God, and they were going to face unprecedented discipline and judgment from God unless they repented. These were God’s chosen people, and God desired for them to correct their course. Even though God knew they would not repent, He still sent Jeremiah with the twofold message—judgment and discipline are coming, but you can still renew your relationship with God through repentance.

Before we examine Jeremiah 2:1-13, let’s go back and look at God’s calling to Jeremiah again from Jeremiah 1.

When God called Jeremiah to join Him in fulfilling His plan for judgment and redemption for Israel, Jeremiah responded with reservations and excuses. God reminded Jeremiah that he had been chosen for this task way before he was even born. Then God revealed His plans to Jeremiah and assured him that He would prepare and instruct Jeremiah as he obeyed God. (Jeremiah 1:4-19). The Lord challenged His prophet to “get ready. Stand up and tell them everything that I command you.” (Jeremiah 1:17). Jeremiah’s life of obedience to God’s plans was not a cakewalk. Jeremiah faced faithless kings and opposition from Judah’s governmental and religious leaders, as well as the general population. Jeremiah could not have imagined all that lay ahead of him, just as we cannot when we serve God.

Now we come to Jeremiah 2 where God instructs Jeremiah on exactly what to tell the people of Israel. The Lord’s words to Jeremiah begin by recalling the way things were when the people of God were excited about their relationship with the Lord. You will see how the relationship started out so well.

Things started out so well. —Jeremiah 2:1-3

"The Lord remembered" does not mean He had forgotten those early days when Israel was faithful and loyal, and loved Him as a bride and groom love each other during those early seasons of their marriage. It simply means He recalled those days because they were special. 

Israel’s loyalty and love was demonstrated in their trust as they journeyed through the unknown wilderness enroute to the Promised Land.  Jeremiah affirmed that at that time, Israel was holy to the Lord. While they weren’t perfect and they certainly had times when they struggled, they were still set apart as God’s “firstfruits” of His harvest. They were the firstfruits of His grand salvation plan that would eventually be available to all through Jesus Christ. Because of this special relationship, those who came against Israel (“ate of it”) as they moved toward and entered the Promised Land would realize their guilt. This guilt resulted in disaster if they did not honor Israel’s unique relationship with the Lord God Almighty.

Today we are also the fruit of God’s harvest if we are believers, and we are part of God’s church (the bride of Christ). When God remembers when you, or His church as a whole, were most loyal, trusting, loving, obedient, and were being the light and salt that reveal man’s guilt and his need for salvation, then those are special times for the Lord and for us as well.

How do you, as a believer, protect your love for Christ? In what ways can you strengthen your loyalty to Him? How can you remain obedient in a world that challenges your beliefs? How can you remain the salt and light to the lost world?

God remembered how this great relationship began, but now the Lord reveals what happened to the relationship.

What happened to the relationship? —Jeremiah 2:4-8

God speaks first to the Israelites in this passage. Then He turns His attention to the leaders of the people—the priests, the experts in the law, the rulers, and the prophets.

First, the people abandoned the Lord and “followed worthless idols” that only led to them becoming “worthless themselves.” 

The Lord asks, much like someone who has been betrayed by a spouse might ask, “what fault did you find in me? After all I did for you and the fact that you were the firstfruits, why would you choose to distance yourself from me?” God’s question implied Israel’s ancestors found no fault in Him; yet they pursued idols to their own ruin. God said that when they did that, they “became worthless themselves”—These idols didn’t help them become better or feel better about themselves.

What “faults” might people claim God has today in order to justify their reasons for turning from God? What do people pursue today other than God that only leads to feeling more worthless?

We see this pattern repeated time and time again because we live in a broken world. Man continually defaults to a view that God can't do for him what man can do for himself. We pursue things we feel are better than God’s plans. These paths only lead to more brokenness, pain, problems, and questions. When man thinks he has figured it out, another problem surfaces that reminds him that the only path to peace is through a growing and loving relationship with the one that “brought us out of the land of Egypt”—who offers redemption through Jesus Christ.

Second, they stopped asking about the one true God.  The first step always leads to the second step. 

Exodus 13:14 reminds us of the priority God placed on His followers asking questions: “In the future, when your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ say to him, ‘By the strength of his hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, out of the place of slavery.” Questions are opportunities for God's people to tell God's story. But if we quit asking questions, there will be no need to answer questions, therefore there will be no need to learn about the works of God.

In Deuteronomy 6:6-9 God emphasized the importance of passing the history of God's work down to other generations: “6 These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. 7 Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them be a symbol on your forehead.  9 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your city gates.” Many times this was done through the process of asking questions and by telling the stories of God's work, especially to the children.

God had commanded the Israelites to always talk about God’s deliverance to their children. Much of this was done through a question-answer dialogue. The parents would ask questions and help the children answer the questions. But, the adults had to first be walking with God so they would know how to ask and answer the questions. Sadly, the entire Israelite system of sharing about God to future generations, broke down because the adults traded their intimate relationship with God for “worthless idols.” 

Third, turning to worthless idols and not “asking” about God eventually corrupted the entire spiritual fabric of the community:

• The priests also stopped asking, “Where is the Lord?” The priests served as mediators between God and His people and were called to guide Israel in spiritual matters. But they stopped seeking God, which encouraged the people to stop seeking Him even more. 
• “The experts in the law no longer knew me.” – This left man to create laws and make moral decisions based on their own preferences and desires.
• The “rulers rebelled against me.” The leaders pursued dishonest gain, and their corruption was an affront to Him. 
• The “prophets prophesied by Baal” instead of prophesying in the Lord’s name. 

What warning signs might indicate that we are headed down the same path as a society, church, or individual believer? 

The Lord remembered how great things were, He identified what happened, and now He decrees what happens next.

What happens now? –Jeremiah 2:9-13

God determined the time was right to execute the judgment He had promised. “Your children’s children” highlights how the sin of God’s people had continued for generations.

God was about to ask His people an important question that they needed to ponder seriously. He invited them to visit the surrounding pagan nations to find out if anything like this had ever happened.  These nations worshipped false gods, but they loyally followed those they worshiped. They didn’t swap their god for new ones. Yet, Israel, who worshipped the Lord God Almighty, willingly, and readily swapped Him for false idols.

Jeremiah was suggesting that if someone had asked Cyprus and Kedar to comment on Judah’s spiritual situation, these countries would have responded with amazement.

How might an atheist evaluate our commitment to Christ compared to their set of beliefs? How might a Muslim evaluate our commitment to Christ in the same manner? How might a Jew view our commitment to Christ? How might our lost family or neighbors evaluate our commitment to Christ? How might a community evaluate our churches' commitment to Christ compared to their set of values and beliefs?

Ironically, God’s people knew the one and only true God, but they had switched their loyalty to useless idols. They exchanged what was real for a cheap and worthless imitation. In fact, that was God’s primary indictment: they had exchanged their Glory for idols. In Him, God’s people had more than they ever needed. However, they settled for something useless. 

God’s indictment doesn’t stop with the nations. He then turns His focus to the heavens. Heaven and earth provided reliable witnesses to what God and His people had done, for they were present for all of it (Deuteronomy 30:19; Isaiah 1:2). God further commanded the heavens to be shocked and utterly desolated. 

Finally, God accused Judah of a double evil.

The expression s"living water" refers to water that came from underground channels. He had given them pure water for their thirst, but they had rejected His provision for water and gathered other water in cracked cisterns that cannot hold water, thus committing a double evil.

A cistern was a reservoir that collected precipitation during Israel’s winter rainy season. Cisterns not only collect rainwater, but also dirt, debris, and anything else that washes in. Consequently, cistern water was not as pure as spring water and, therefore, less desired. 

The idols were the equivalent of cracked cisterns. Jeremiah’s application was clear. God was living water to Judah. He would provide the best for them. However, the idols to which they had turned left them with only mud and muck.

What are the cracked cisterns people would rather drink from today?

What Would God Say Today?

Israel had experienced so much of God’s blessings, grace, and power. They started out with a relationship with Him that was amazing, but, over time, that relationship was compromised and ignored, which eventually led to impending judgment.

The Bible teaches that a Christian’s salvation is secure through faith in Jesus (Romans 8:38-39). Nevertheless, it also teaches that if we are not faithful to God, we may miss out on many of the blessings He has for us, and we will be disciplined for our rebellion.

Believers must guard against drifting away from God. If we have strayed God will most definitely discipline us, but God stands ready and willing restore us when we repent.

If Jeremiah were sent to the church today, what would God instruct him to say? Would it be the same message? What else might he be instructed to say?

If Jeremiah were sent to speak to you, what would God instruct him to say? Would it be the same message or something different, or might it be something affirming?

What can you learn from God’s words to Israel that could help you avoid spiritual drift and rebellion?

The downloadable teaching helps provide more details for this study, along with some tools you can use in guiding a group Bible study. 

Download PDF Version

Download Word Version

LifeWay Explore The Bible Resources

These teaching helps are intended to be used as a supplement to your study of Lifeway's Explore the Bible curriculum resources. Portions of this material are taken directly from content copyrighted to Lifeway Christian Resources Explore the Bible and is used with permission.  This material has not been reviewed by Lifeway Christian Resources. 

I'm sure you have been asked at some point in your life to do something that you felt you weren’t skilled or qualified to do. How did you handle the situation? The Explore the Bible Study: Prepares, begins a new study of the book of Jeremiah and the prophet for which it is named. You will discover that he too was asked to do something for which he felt unskilled and unqualified.

God called Jeremiah to warn God’s people of how He would use Babylon to judge them, but the people largely ignored his warnings. Jeremiah’s ministry would continue for about 40 years (627-586 B.C.), and he served under 5 Kings until he was deported to Egypt and there probably died.

It’s in this context that you will discover, at the very beginning of God’s assignment to Jeremiah, that he felt he was asked to do something that he was not able to do. It’s out of this God-sized assignment that you will discover how God prepares His people to represent Him in this world. First, you will discover the plans that go into the way in which God chooses.

God Has a Plan and Chooses – Jeremiah 1:4-10

Here are some excuses believers might use when God prompts them to fulfill a certain plan: I can’t. I don’t know how. I don’t have time. I’m afraid. I can’t afford it. I won’t. I have better things to do with my time.

Jeremiah's response might be similar to ours had we been in his place. He said he was not qualified to serve as God’s prophet because he could not speak eloquently and was only a youth.

Can you imagine saying what Jeremiah said to God? Can you imagine someone protesting and offering excuses when God gives them an assignment?

Before we are too critical of Jeremiah’s response, perhaps we should examine our own responses to God. Maybe we have said something similar.

God said to Jeremiah 1:5 that “I chose you before I formed you in the womb; I set you apart before you were born. I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Yet, Jeremiah said he couldn’t do what God had planned for him! So God reminds Jeremiah about who is really in charge. He tells Jeremiah and demonstrates to him in Jeremiah 1:9-10 exactly why Jeremiah was going do what God said he was going to do. It wasn’t determined by Jeremiah’s capabilities or capacities but by God’s plans and God’s power.

God took Jeremiah’s life in a direction the prophet certainly had not expected. Jeremiah would not be proclaiming his own message. Rather, he would go to everyone and speak whatever the Lord commanded. The Lord told Jeremiah not to be afraid of anyone. The Lord promised to be with Jeremiah and to rescue him when he faced opposition. 

Do you find it difficult that the God who chose you and set you apart before you were formed in your mother’s womb can also give you the tools needed to fulfill those plans? What can you learn from this passage about how God works with you when you doubt Him?

The reality of who God is and His power and plans for us should be enough. Yet, we might struggle as did Jeremiah. That’s when God will remind you of who He is and give you the strength and capacity to join Him in fulfilling those plans. God will also show you His plans.

God Will Show You His Plans – Jeremiah 1:11-16

God used the visual of the almond tree blooming to remind Jeremiah that he could depend on God’s message. The almond tree was the first to bloom (typically around January). When people saw it blossom, they were reminded spring was soon to come. God used this object lesson to confirm to Jeremiah that God was in control. His promise to fulfill His word was even more certain than knowing that spring would come after the almond tree blossomed. 

As you strive to follow God, how can God’s Word serve as a reminder of God’s faithfulness? How can it help you when you face uncertainties?

God also showed Jeremiah a “boiling pot” that “tilted from the north to the south.” This vision pointed to God’s impending judgment against His people, including “all the clans and kingdoms of the north.”

The tilting of the pot symbolically indicated the direction from which disaster would come. The highway system leading from Mesopotamia came from the north of Israel and entered the land above the Sea of Galilee. Invading armies such as Assyria and Babylon came from that direction and would invade the land by coming down through the Jezreel Valley toward the south. The Bible mentions the Babylonians as the chief army, but other people such as the Arameans would join in Judah’s judgment (See 2 Kings 24:2).  These kings who led an element of the invading armies would set up their thrones at the city’s entrance on the day Jerusalem fell (see Jeremiah 39:2-3).

Notice in verse 16 the reason for judgement. Their “evil” was twofold. First, they “abandoned” God, and second, they turned to idols made with “their own hands.”

What form of “evils” would idols take today?

We are reminded in Romans 1:25 that we still live in a broken world where evil is pursued. People today still exchange “the truth of God for a lie,” and worship and serve “what has been created instead of the Creator, who is praised forever.” This refusal leads to ongoing judgment and the final judgment when Christ returns.

Today, we are either committing idolatry or are dangerously close to it when we become obsessed with our own personal goals, successes, and material gains to the exclusion (or diminished priority) of love for God and acknowledging our dependence on Him. We are equally close to committing adultery when we replace God’s moral standards with our own standards that place us at the center of determining what is right and wrong.

Since believers have been appointed to proclaim the gospel, how should the fact that judgment is and will take place for those who refuse to repent, impact the way we respond to God’s assignments for us? 

We have the same assurance that Jeremiah had. We can depend on God and His Word as we face the task of calling people to return to God. But we also have the assurance, as Jeremiah did in Jeremiah 1:17-19, that God will prepare us and instruct us as to how we are to fulfill His plans. 

God Will Prepare You to Fulfill His Plans – Jeremiah 1:17-19

Notice the instructions Jeremiah received and how it might apply to us today:

• First, we are to “get ready” – How can we get ready? Is it more “on-the-job” preparation or do we spend all our time preparing but never going?
• Second, we are to “stand up” – How can we stand up today and proclaim the need for people to return to God?
• Third, we are to “tell everything” – What is “everything”? Why might we be tempted to omit certain biblical things with people in our culture today?
• Fourth, we should “not be intimidated” – In what ways might you be intimidated as a believer? Is it difficult or easy for you to intimidated? Notice the result God will cause if you are intimidated – “I will cause you to cover before them.”

Preparing For God's Plans

God didn’t stop with the instructions. He also gave Jeremiah (and us) a promise in Jeremiah 1:18-19: “Today, I am the one who has made you a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls against the whole land—against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the population. They will fight against you but never prevail over you, since I am with you to rescue you.” This is the Lord’s declaration.

God had made Jeremiah like a fortified city, with all the strength He needed to serve faithfully. He will do the same for you as you join Him in His work.  Like an iron pillar or bronze walls, God equipped Jeremiah and will equip you to stand strong and represent Him. 

Jeremiah’s life of obedience to God’s plans was not a cakewalk, and we should not expect anything different when we live for, follow, and share Christ. Jeremiah faced faithless kings and opposition from Judah’s governmental and religious leaders, as well as the general population. Yet we will discover in this study that Jeremiah continued to strive to fulfill the plans God had already set in motion as stated up front in Jeremiah 1:5, 

“I chose you before I formed you in the womb; I set you apart before you were born.” 

Many Christians give excuses for why they will serve the Lord later. But now is the time. God has promised to be with you and will provide all we need. Even when we seem to be standing alone, God calls us to represent Him faithfully.

What is the greatest challenge you find in this passage regarding God’s plan for you? How can hearing everything God said to Jeremiah help you overcome those challenges?

The Lord challenged His prophet to get ready. Jeremiah could not have imagined all that lay ahead of him, just as we cannot when we serve God. Following the Lord will take our lives on unanticipated journeys, but He will guide our steps through both blessings and challenges

The downloadable teaching helps provide more details for this study, along with some tools you can use in guiding a group Bible study. 

Download PDF Version

Download Word Version

LifeWay Explore The Bible Resources

These teaching helps are intended to be used as a supplement to your study of Lifeway's Explore the Bible curriculum resources. Portions of this material are taken directly from content copyrighted to Lifeway Christian Resources Explore the Bible and is used with permission.  This material has not been reviewed by Lifeway Christian Resources.