The Wiersbe Bible Study Series: Jeremiah: Taking a Stand for the Truth
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About this ebook
Hundreds of years before Christ's birth, the people of Judah were in full rebellion. Influenced by the pagan culture surrounding them, the Israelites began to worship idols instead of the one true God. As their depravity grew and destruction loomed, a lone prophet was given an enormous task: call God's people back to Him.
The Wiersbe Bible Study Series explores timeless wisdom found in God's Word. Based on Dr. Warren W. Wiersbe's popular "BE" series of commentaries, each study provides topical, relevant insights from selected books of the Bible. Designed for small groups or individuals, this eight-week study examines events that led to the fall of Isreal, while exploring the heart and mission of a prophet who made a decision to stand for the Lord no matter what.
Warren W. Wiersbe
Warren W. Wiersbe, former pastor of the Moody Church and general director of Back to the Bible, has traveled widely as a Bible teacher and conference speaker. Because of his encouragement to those in ministry, Dr. Wiersbe is often referred to as "the pastor’s pastor." He has ministered in churches and conferences throughout the United States as well as in Canada, Central and South America, and Europe. Dr. Wiersbe has written over 150 books, including the popular BE series of commentaries on every book of the Bible, which has sold more than four million copies. At the 2002 Christian Booksellers Convention, he was awarded the Gold Medallion Lifetime Achievement Award by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association. Dr. Wiersbe and his wife, Betty, live in Lincoln, Nebraska.
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The Wiersbe Bible Study Series - Warren W. Wiersbe
together.
Lesson 1
Reluctance
(JEREMIAH 1)
Before you begin …
• Pray for the Holy Spirit to reveal truth and wisdom as you go through this lesson.
• Read Jeremiah 1. This lesson references chapter 1 in Be Decisive. It will be helpful for you to have your Bible and a copy of the commentary available as you work through this lesson.
Getting Started
From the Commentary
Jeremiah’s father Hilkiah was a priest as was his father before him, and young Jeremiah was also expected to serve at the altar. He may even have been at the age when he would have stepped into his place of ministry when God called him to be a prophet.
Since serving as a prophet was much more demanding than serving as a priest, it’s no wonder Jeremiah demurred. If I had my choice, I’d take the priesthood! For one thing, a priest’s duties were predictable. Just about everything he had to do was written down in the law. Thus, all the priest had to do was follow instructions. Day after day, there were sacrifices to offer, lepers to examine, unclean people to exclude from the camp, cleansed people to reinstate, official ceremonies to observe, a sanctuary to care for, and the law to teach. No wonder some of the priests said, Oh, what a weariness!
(Mal. 1:13 NKJV).
—Be Decisive, pages 15–16
1. What made the ministry of a prophet so challenging? How did Jeremiah respond to his call to be a prophet? How did God change his mind?
More to Consider: The word heart is used at least sixty-six times in the book of Jeremiah. What does this tell us about Jeremiah? About God’s choice of Jeremiah to be a prophet?
2. Choose one verse or phrase from Jeremiah 1 that stands out to you. This could be something you’re intrigued by, something that makes you uncomfortable, something that puzzles you, something that resonates with you, or just something you want to examine further. Write that here.
Going Deeper
From the Commentary
In his ministry, Jeremiah had to be
• a destroyer and a builder (1:9–10)
• a pillar and a wall (1:17–18)
• a watchman (6:17)
• a tester of metals (6:27–30)
• a physician (8:11, 21–22)
• a sacrificial lamb (11:19)
• a long-distance runner (12:5)
• a shepherd (13:17, 20; 17:16 NIV)
• a troublemaker (15:10, 15–17)
—Be Decisive, page 17
3. As you learn about Jeremiah in the first chapter, what stands out to you about his character? About the roles God had given him? Skim the verses listed above to get an overview of Jeremiah’s various roles. In what ways does a prophet’s job involve each of these roles?
From the Commentary
Jeremiah was born during the reign of King Manasseh, the most evil man who ever reigned over the kingdom of Judah (2 Kings 21:1–18). The son of godly Hezekiah, Manasseh came to the throne when only twelve years old, and the officials around him easily influenced him toward idolatry. Manasseh seduced them [the people of Judah] to do more evil than the nations whom the Lord had destroyed before the children of Israel
(v. 9 NKJV). When Manasseh died, his evil son Amon continued his father’s evil practices.
Thus, Jeremiah grew up in Anathoth at a time when idolatry flourished in Judah, children were offered in sacrifice to idols, the law of Moses was disregarded and disobeyed, and it looked as though there was no hope for the nation. Godly priests were not greatly appreciated.
—Be Decisive, pages 17–18
4. How did the culture of the time (flourishing idolatry) determine when God chose to raise up a prophet? Why was idolatry such a dangerous practice? How might the prospect of speaking out against common practices, however evil, have influenced Jeremiah’s initial response to God’s call? Could he have rejected the call from God? Why or why not?
From Today’s World
It’s easy for political leaders to invite religious leaders in for consultation and then do exactly what they’d already planned to do. Today, it’s good public relations to give people the impression that religion is important. Consider the role religion plays in politics—especially during election campaigns. Nearly all politicians ally themselves with one particular belief system or another—and in most cases in the United States that belief system is Christianity.
5. What role does religion play in the leadership of your country? What role (if any) should it play? What is the proper role of religious advisers in government? How was Jeremiah’s role similar to and different from the religious advisers of our time?
From the Commentary
Jeremiah preached to the nation for forty years, giving them God’s promises and warnings; yet he lived to see Jerusalem and his beloved temple destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar’s army and his people taken captive to Babylon. Jeremiah ministered in turbulent times and yet remained faithful to the Lord. He exposed the futile foreign policy of the rulers, pleading with them to turn to the Lord with all their hearts and trust God instead of trusting their political allies. Jeremiah is one of Scripture’s greatest examples of faithfulness and decisive action in the face of physical danger and national decay.
—Be Decisive, pages 19–20
6. Given the fact that God’s people were taken into captivity, was Jeremiah’s prophetic life a failure? Explain. How can you know if a prophet has been successful
? What role, ultimately, did Jeremiah play in God’s unfolding story?
From the Commentary
Jeremiah hesitated as he looked at the work before him and the wickedness around him, and when he looked at the weakness within himself, Jeremiah was certain that he wasn’t the man for the job.
When it comes to serving the Lord, there’s a sense in which nobody is adequate. And who is sufficient for these things?
(2 Cor. 2:16) asked the great apostle Paul as he pondered the responsibilities of ministry. Paul then answered his own question: Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God