Jeremiah Part 1
LESSON #1 THE PROPHET NOBODY LISTENED TO (Jeremiah)
TRUTH:
The Lord sends warnings through His prophets as an expression of His love and mercy.
FIRE IN THE BONES:
What gives me a fire in the bones for teaching this lesson is how the context of Jeremiah’s life helps us to feel the cost of being a prophet. Jeremiah’s rejection came from almost every direction, including his own family. But who were they refusing? Not a man, but God. The Lord had sent His words in the hope that His people would turn, be forgiven, and avoid the terrible consequences their choices were leading them to. Jeremiah’s message was difficult to hear, but it was the only thing that could save them from destruction. Perhaps understanding this story can help us to receive difficult counsel with a softer heart.
WHAT THE TEACHER SHOULD KNOW:
When I think of difficult prophetic assignments in the scriptures, Jeremiah is the first prophet that comes to mind. We do get a lot of his prophecies in his book, but what’s nice here is that it also tells us quite a bit about the life of the man who had to deliver them. And I feel that his message means more when we understand the context of what his life was like.
Jeremiah lived during the years leading up to the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem. He was a contemporary of Lehi, and Nephi even mentions that in 1 Nephi 7:14 where he tells us that Jeremiah had been shut up in prison. While Lehi was led away from Jerusalem, Jeremiah remained and continued warning the people who were still there. His was a hard and unpopular message to deliver. He had to tell them that, because of their wickedness and rejection of God, Jerusalem would fall to Babylon—resisting the Babylonians would not save them. To many of his listeners, that sounded like betrayal and treason when they wanted him to support their efforts to defend the city.
And the opposition that Jeremiah faced for this didn’t come from just one direction. The list of all the groups of people who rejected him is sobering. King Zedekiah imprisoned him because of his prophecies about Babylon (Jeremiah 32:2–5). Officials wanted him put to death, claiming that his words were weakening the soldiers and the people (38:4). Priests and false prophets also said he deserved to die (26:11). Later, even after Jerusalem fell, the leaders and all the people who remained still refused his counsel (43:4).
Perhaps saddest of all, Jeremiah couldn’t count on the support of his own family. In Jeremiah 12:6, the Lord warns him that even his brethren and his father’s house have dealt treacherously with him. Can you imagine how that must have felt? It’s one thing to have a king or a group of officials oppose you. It’s another to wonder whether you can trust the people that are supposed to be closest to you.
So what did that opposition look like in his everyday life? Jeremiah was put in the stocks (20:1–2), imprisoned (37:15–16), and lowered into a pit where he sank into the mire (38:6). That last scene is especially distressing. There was no water in the pit, only mud, and Jeremiah was left there while the city was running out of bread. Somebody finally speaks up for him and arranges to have him pulled out with ropes and old cloths placed under his arms (38:7–13).
Then there’s the opposition to his words. In Jeremiah 36, Baruch records Jeremiah’s prophecies on a scroll, which eventually reaches King Jehoiakim. As it’s read aloud, the king cuts off sections and throws them into the fire. Think about that for a moment. Jeremiah and Baruch had taken the time to preserve this message, and the king destroyed the scroll as he heard it. But the Lord told Jeremiah to dictate the words again, and Baruch wrote another copy. The king could burn a scroll; he couldn’t make the Lord’s warning disappear.
There were other sacrifices in Jeremiah’s life as well. The Lord instructed him not to marry or have children in that land (16:2) so no family to comfort him. Jeremiah describes his pain as persistent, says that he sat alone, and calls himself a man of strife (15:10, 15, 17–18). In 20:7, he says that people mock him. We can hear the weariness in his own words. He isn’t a prophet who sailed through opposition without feeling it.
But perhaps the most painful response was simply this: people would not listen. In Jeremiah 18:18, his opponents say, “Let us not give heed to any of his words.” After the prisons, the threats, and the public humiliation, they still refused the counsel he had suffered to give them. That’s why I’ve called this lesson “The Prophet Nobody Listened To.” It’s an expression of the widespread rejection he faced.
And tragically, Jeremiah was right. Jerusalem fell, just as he had warned. Helaman 8:20 later points to that fulfillment. But before we think of Jeremiah as a man who was proved right in the end, I think we should remember why the Lord sent him. In Jeremiah 36:3, the Lord says He wanted the people to hear the warning, turn from their ways, and be forgiven. Jeremiah’s difficult assignment was an act of mercy toward people who kept refusing that mercy.
According to tradition, Jeremiah was later stoned to death in Egypt. The scriptures don’t tell us how his life ended, so I wouldn’t present that tradition as a certain fact. What the scriptures do show us is a prophet who kept delivering the Lord’s words through years of painful opposition. Knowing that helps us appreciate both Jeremiah and the warning his people were given the chance to hear.
ICEBREAKER:
Time: 2 min
To introduce Jeremiah, I like to show a few pictures of what I consider some of the worst jobs ever. Dog food taster. A crocodile feeder. Those people that stand on the side of the road in silly costumes advertising a business. And then this poor guy. Show just a few pictures and let your class react. Then say, “Well, when I think of difficult jobs or assignments in the scriptures, the prophet Jeremiah comes to mind. He was asked to warn people who didn’t want to hear what he had to say. And as we’re about to discover, that opposition came from almost every direction. Let’s take a look at what his life as a prophet was like.”
SEARCH ACTIVITY:
Time: 9 min
Divide the class into six groups, or simply assign these references to different parts of the room. Display the references and ask each group to answer one question:
Who opposed Jeremiah in their verses?
1. Jeremiah 32:2-3—The King
2. Jeremiah 26:11 —The priests and prophets (false prophets)
3. Jeremiah 38:4 — The princes (officials or rulers)
4. Jeremiah 43:4 — The leaders and people who refused his counsel
5. Jeremiah 12:6 — His brethren and his father’s house
6. Jeremiah 20:7 — Everyone!
Give them a couple of minutes to read and then go through the groups fairly quickly and write what they discover on the board as they report.
You don’t need a long explanation after every answer. Just let the list itself do the teaching. But there are two places where I’d pause.
First, Jeremiah 12:6. Even members of his own family dealt treacherously with him. That’s a different kind of pain from being opposed by a king or an official. These were people from whom he might have hoped for some support.
Second, Jeremiah 43:4. This refusal comes after Jerusalem has fallen. Jeremiah’s warnings have proved true, and still the people won’t follow the word of the Lord through him after all of that.
Then step back and ask:
“Looking at that list, what do you think it would have been like to be Jeremiah?”
Take two or three responses. I’d want the class to feel something for him before moving on. He wasn’t dealing with one difficult person. Rejection from all directions had become a regular part of his life.
One More Response: The King and the Scroll
Time: 3 min
Now tell the class there’s one more response you want them to see. Jeremiah had written the Lord’s words on a scroll and eventually those words were read to King Jehoiakim.
Read Jeremiah 36:21–23 as the teacher and then ask:
What did the king do when he heard the warning?
He cut up the scroll and threw it into the fire. In a very visible way, the king did what so many others had done to Jeremiah’s message: he rejected it.
Ask your class:
Why had the Lord sent Jeremiah with this warning in the first place? To try and control them? To make their lives miserable? To undermine the king’s power? Because he enjoyed predicting their destruction?
Let them search for the answer in Jeremiah 36:2–3.
And they should find the answer: hear, turn, and be forgiven.
And that’s the part of the story that really gets to me. The king saw a message he wanted to get rid of. But the Lord had sent that message because He wanted to give His people a chance to return to Him. Jeremiah wasn’t warning them because he enjoyed predicting their destruction. He was delivering words that could have helped them to avoid it. And, Jeremiah’s words DO come true! Jerusalem is destroyed by the Babylonians.
TAKE IT TO HEART:
Time: 3 min
Now bring it close to home. You might say:
“None of us is likely to cut up a prophet’s words and throw them into a fire. But it’s possible to dismiss counsel without doing anything that dramatic. We might decide it doesn’t apply to us. We might put off thinking about it. Or we might stop listening as soon as we realize it could ask us to change.”
Then we just want to invite our students to ponder this question. Ask:
Have you ever found a prophet’s counsel or direction difficult to hear?
How might this lesson apply to that situation?
Then, if time permits, you may also want to ask: Has there ever been a prophet’s teaching that you found it difficult to hear but you later realized it was exactly what you needed?
And you could invite a few to share their experiences.
TAKEAWAY:
Time: 3 min
To conclude, display the takeaway slide and conclude with something like this:
Think back to that list we made. Jeremiah’s family, religious leaders, rulers, and the people all found ways to reject him. And then the king took the Lord’s words and put them in the fire. But what did the Lord say He wanted? He wanted His people to hear. He wanted them to turn. And He wanted to forgive them. That’s what the king missed when he burned the scroll. And it’s something I hope we won’t miss when the Lord gives us counsel that’s hard to hear. Before we push it aside, we can ask, “Could the Lord be trying to help me through these words?” Jeremiah’s warning came from a place of love and mercy and protection. I believe God still speaks to us with that same desire, through the mouths of his holy prophets.
OPTIONAL LESSON ENHANCEMENTS:
VIDEO:
A video suggestion for this lesson. Instead of concluding with your own testimony of listening to the prophets, perhaps it would be more powerful to hear the testimony of a latter-day prophet. One of the most powerful expressions of faith in prophets I’ve ever heard came from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland in a general conference talk he gave back in 2006. You could show the following clip from General Conference from time stamp 5:58-7:35.
QUOTE:
A favorite quote comes to mind here. Something that President Harold B. Lee once said:
“You may not like what comes from the authority of the Church. It may contradict your political views. It may contradict your social views. It may interfere with some of your social life. . . . Your safety and ours depends upon whether or not we follow. . . . Let's keep our eye on the President of the Church. “
Harold B. Lee (Conference Report, October 1970, p. 152–153.)
And keep in mind, he said that before he was the president of the church.
HANDOUT:
Now some of you have said that sometimes your classes have really enjoyed the secret phrase and crossword puzzle type ideas that I’ve done in the past and if I plan to still do those in the future. Honestly, if you’re teaching a 25-minute class, they don’t make as much sense anymore, but I still think you could use them on occasion for variety and if we make them a little shorter and less involved. So I’ll provide you with one of those as an option here instead of doing the scripture assignment search. This crossword puzzle can help your students to discover who opposed Jeremiah during his life.
LESSON #2 THE PROPHET WHO STAYED (Jeremiah 9, 40, 42-43)
TRUTH:
The Lord’s servants continue to love and serve people even when they reject them.
FIRE IN THE BONES:
What gives me a fire in the bones for this lesson is that Jeremiah doesn’t come across as someone who found it easy to keep loving his people. He wept over them, and at one point he wished he could get away from them. I can understand that. But after Jerusalem fell, when he was finally free to leave, he chose to live among the people who remained. I think that choice can help us see the heart behind his warnings. And it may help us think about how we treat people who haven’t listened to us.
WHAT THE TEACHER SHOULD KNOW:
Jeremiah spent years warning the people of Judah about the destruction of Jerusalem and encouraging them to repent. But, as we saw in lesson #1, his message brought him opposition from all directions. AND THEN, Jerusalem fell. In Jeremiah chapter 39 we get a vivid description of what the Babylonians do when they finally take the city. They destroy the temple; they tear down the walls. All the nobles and the rich of the city are slaughtered and only the poorest of the people are left behind. And the King, Zedekiah, this is just awful, but they kill all of his sons in front of him, and then they put out his eyes. Jeremiah had been right, but what a terrible thing to be right about.
That’s why I find Jeremiah 9:1–2 so interesting. In verse 1, he wishes his eyes were a fountain of tears so he could weep for the people. But in verse 2, he also wishes he had a place in the wilderness where he could leave them. I mean, I love the honesty of those two verses together. He cares deeply, and he’s weary of living among people who continue to ignore his teachings and warnings. Now, those words come from earlier in his ministry, so we shouldn’t present them as something he said while watching Jerusalem burn. Still, they do help us to understand his feelings toward his people.
What happens next is really fascinating. What do the Babylonians do with Jeremiah? Is he carried away captive by them as well? No, in 39:11-12 the King of Babylon tells the captain of his army not to hurt him, but to free him from prison. And then he gives Jeremiah a choice. In the following chapter, chapter 40, Jeremiah is given food, and money and is told the following in verse 4:
4 And now, behold, I loose thee this day from the chains which were upon thine hand. If it seem good unto thee to come with me into Babylon, come; and I will look well unto thee: but if it seem ill unto thee to come with me into Babylon, forbear: behold, all the land is before thee: whither it seemeth good and convenient for thee to go, thither go.
And then at the end of verse 5:
“go wheresoever it seemeth convenient unto thee to go. So the captain of the guard gave him victuals and a reward, and let him go.”
So Jeremiah has got to decide whether he’s going to stay with the remnant of the people who are left? Or will he go into Babylon? And you can almost hear the Babylonian captain’s argument here. “Hey Jeremiah, forget these lousy people who have treated you so badly who wouldn’t listen to you and tried to kill you. Come to Babylon! We’ll take care of you. We’ll treat you well and support you. Come and live out the rest of your life in ease and comfort. You deserve it after all you’ve been through. You don’t owe these people anything. Even your God would understand this.”
But what does Jeremiah decide to do?
6 Then went Jeremiah unto Gedaliah the son of Ahikam to Mizpah; and dwelt with him among the people that were left in the land.
He decides to remain behind. He stays with his people. The ones that are left anyway. And I say, “Wow, Jeremiah, you’re a better man than I am.” I would have gone to Babylon with a ‘good riddance’ on my lips.
But what happens next in this Jeremiah saga adds another painful chapter to his efforts to help his people. The remnant left behind begins to worry about life under Babylonian rule. So they start debating about whether they should stay in Judah or try to find refuge in Egypt?
In Jeremiah 42:1–6, the people actually come to Jeremiah for counsel for a change. They ask him to pray for them and promise to obey whatever the Lord tells them. You can imagine how encouraging that might have been for Jeremiah. Finally, someone is going to listen!
Well, Jeremiah’s answer comes in verses 9–16. The Lord tells them to stay in Judah. They don’t need to fear the king of Babylon. He’ll be with them and show them mercy. But if they flee to Egypt, the very things they hope to escape—the sword and famine—will find them there.
And now they’re going to listen to him, right? They’ve learned their lesson?
Unfortunately, no. In Jeremiah 43:1–4, they accuse him of speaking falsely and refuse to obey. You just kind of want to hit your head against a wall for Jeremiah, don’t you? They promised to follow the Lord’s counsel, but apparently only if it was what they wanted to hear.
So they go to Egypt, taking Jeremiah with them (43:5–7). But even there, he continues to deliver the Lord’s message. In chapter 44, we find the people worshipping false gods and Jeremiah warning them again.
That’s what I’d want you to notice here. Even after everything that’s happened, Jeremiah continues trying to help these people hear the Lord. Their refusal to listen doesn’t change his desire to teach them.
ICEBREAKER:
I would begin by displaying Rembrandt’s Jeremiah Lamenting the Destruction of Jerusalem as large as you can. Give your class a few seconds to look at it before saying anything.
Then ask:
What do you notice about Jeremiah? What do you think Rembrandt is trying to help us feel?
Take a few impressions. Some may notice his posture or expression. Others may see Jerusalem burning in the background. Then explain:
Rembrandt is imagining Jeremiah watching as the city is destroyed. He had told the people this would happen, and they wouldn’t listen.
The painting is an artist’s interpretation, of course. But it raises a good question for us: How did he feel about these people that rejected him so many times?
SEARCH ACTIVITY:
Time: 3 min
Have your students read Jeremiah 9:1–2 and Jeremiah 40:4–6. You could display the references with this question:
What does Jeremiah say he wishes he could do?
What does he choose to do when he’s free to go?
Give them a couple of minutes to find the two answers. But before they read, you may need to give them some historical background regarding Jeremiah’s experiences with the people and the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem. Perhaps you could summarize some of the information we went over in Lesson #1 to set up the context of this situation. Basically, they just need to know that Jeremiah spent his whole life warning them about the coming Babylonian invasion and inviting them to repent, and yet, nobody really listened to him. He was treated terribly and constantly in and out of prison. Eventually, Babylon does conquer and destroy Jerusalem, just as Jeremiah had prophesied. The verses that they read in chapter 40 occur after Jerusalem has fallen and a Babylonian captain spares Jeremiah’s life and gives him a choice.
After they’ve read those verses help them to see the contrast in chapter 9 between Jeremiah expressing love for his people, while at the same time wanting to get away from them. You might even ask: Have you ever cared about someone and still felt worn out by their choices? Jeremiah would have understood that feeling.
From chapter 40, your students should see that Jeremiah is given a chance to leave these people that have treated him so terribly to go and live in Babylon in ease and comfort. But he ultimately decides to remain and “dwell . . . among the people”.
You may wish to point out in the Rembrandt painting the precious golden objects lying at his feet. This moment of choice is what the artist is hoping to represent. Will Jeremiah choose wealth and ease, or will he choose to remain with a people that have rejected and mistreated him?
I would also invite them to take a look at Jeremiah’s face in that painting. I think it teaches us something about the soul of a prophet. Does it look like he’s happy that he was right? Do you think Jeremiah ran around shouting “I told you so” triumphantly in the faces of the people that had so callously and cruelly treated him? We know he didn’t. Rembrandt got that detail right. You don’t read of Jeremiah gloating over the people anywhere. In fact, the very next book of the Old Testament tells us how Jeremiah felt about his being right. It’s called Lamentations-which means “mournings,” “weepings”, or “the passionate expression of grief or sorrow.” That’s how the dictionary defines it. Even when prophets are rejected and persecuted and ignored, they still love their people. They lament the consequences the disobedient have to suffer.
ONE MORE GLIMPSE OF JEREMIAH’S HEART
Time: 4 minutes
Depending on time, you could end this scripture search portion with a short look at what happened later. After further trouble among the survivors, they came to Jeremiah and asked him to seek the Lord’s direction. You could have someone read Jeremiah 42:2–4 and ask: “How does Jeremiah respond when the remaining people ask for help?”
Answer: He agrees to pray for them and promises to tell them whatever the Lord says. Briefly explain that the Lord tells them to stay in the land and promises to care for them. Then read or summarize Jeremiah 43:1–4. They accuse Jeremiah of speaking falsely and refuse to stay.
At that point, I’d pause and say something like:
“That must have been discouraging. They finally come and ask Jeremiah for counsel, promise to listen, and then reject the answer. But notice what we’ve learned about Jeremiah. When they came to him, he didn’t refuse to help them. He sought the Lord for them and gave them the answer faithfully. For a 25-minute lesson, you’re going to want to keep this part brief. The purpose of this part is just to deepen what we’ve already seen in chapter 40: staying among the people gave Jeremiah another opportunity to serve them, even though they might still refuse him—which they ultimately do.
TAKE IT TO HEART:
Time: 3 min
For the take it to heart portion of the lesson, I believe that there are two very important ways of likening the scriptures to ourselves here.
One, what Jeremiah reveals about the soul of a prophet. We believe in modern prophets. So I’d ask:What does Jeremiah’s choice to stay with his people help you understand how living prophets may feel toward us when they give counsel that’s hard to hear?
After their responses you may wish to bear your own testimony of the love and concern YOU feel from the living prophets.
Also, I would want them to consider how they might apply Jeremiah’s example in their personal relationships. You might ask:
When someone you love doesn’t listen to your counsel, how can you follow Jeremiah’s example in that situation, especially if things don’t turn out well for them?
TAKEAWAY:
Time: 3 min
For the conclusion of the lesson, display this takeaway slide and perhaps say something like this:“At the beginning of the lesson, we looked at Jeremiah grieving while Jerusalem burned. Now we know something else about him. He had once wished he could leave his people. And then a day came when he actually could. And what did he do? He chose to live among those who remained. That must not have been an easy choice. But it helps me understand that when Jeremiah warned his people, he cared what happened to them. He didn’t celebrate when they suffered the consequences he had foreseen. I believe we can apply that same truth to our modern prophets. They care about us. When they speak, do you sense love and loyalty in their voices? Do you feel their concern for our well-being? I do. I believe it’s obvious. They’re not trying to control us or exploit us as some would have us think. Therefore, let’s not make the same mistake as the people of Jerusalem. Let’s listen to them and heed their words.
Also, I think we can remember Jeremiah the next time someone we care about doesn’t listen. We may not be able to make their choices for them. But we can still care about them. We can still want what’s good for them. And when there’s an appropriate opportunity to help, we can choose kindness over the satisfaction of saying, “I told you so.”
OPTIONAL LESSON IDEAS:
VIDEO:
For this lesson, to summarize some of the main events of Jeremiah’s life, you could show this short, animated video that briefly covers some of the main events and themes of Jeremiah’s life. That should give you more time to focus on the power of Jeremiah’s reaction to the destruction of Jerusalem.
CROSS REFERENCE:
When you discuss the way the Lord and his prophets feel when the people they have warned reject them and then face the consequences of their poor choices, you could share the following cross reference from Ezekiel 18:23
23 Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord God: and not that he should return from his ways, and live? (Ezekiel 18:23)
You can use that to make the point that God finds no pleasure in the suffering of the wicked. He loves his people and doesn’t run around shouting “I told you so” when he turns out to be right.
HANDOUT:
Now, if you’d like your students to examine the painting a little more closely, you could give them a printed copy to look at as you discuss it. You could provide one for each person or let them share with a partner. That would give them a chance to notice some of the smaller details that might be harder to see on a screen. Invite them to look carefully at Jeremiah’s face, his posture, and what’s happening in the background. What do those details suggest about how he feels toward his people?
LESSON #3 BECOMING AN IRON PILLAR (Jeremiah 1, 15, 20)
TRUTH:
The Lord can give us strength to face difficult things as we remember that He knows us, trust that He is with us, and let His word become part of us.
FIRE IN THE BONES:
What gives me a fire in the bones for this lesson is the contrast between the way God describes Jeremiah and the way Jeremiah sometimes feels. God calls him an iron pillar. But later, Jeremiah gets discouraged enough to say he doesn’t even want to teach anymore or be the prophet. I really love that honesty and humanity. But God gave Jeremiah help. He gave him some things that would strengthen him and help him to move forward even when times were hard. The interesting thing is that God has given us those exact same three things. Reminding our students of those things might just help them get through a tough time of their own.
WHAT THE TEACHER SHOULD KNOW:
As we’ve already discussed this week, we know that Jeremiah had an incredibly difficult life and mission. But God makes Jeremiah a fascinating promise about his future before he ever even began his ministry. The Lord tells him that he would be like three specific objects. Jeremiah 1:18:
18 For, behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brasen walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land.
So the three objects are, “A defenced city,” so a city with a large wall . . . “an iron pillar” . . . and “brasen walls,” or walls made out of brass. Aren’t those great images to describe Jeremiah, now that we know what we know about his life? My favorite is the iron pillar. You can just sense the strength in that image. And Jeremiah was an iron pillar, especially considering all the opposition that he encounters throughout his life.
So one of the great things I feel that the life of Jeremiah can teach us is how to become iron pillars ourselves. Perhaps some of us may feel like we got the short end of the stick when they were handing out life assignments in the premortal world. We may look around and feel like we have had to face more than our fair share of adversity in life. Jeremiah surely fits that description. So if we can relate to that, Jeremiah will teach us how to become iron pillars ourselves in the face of opposition.
I see three powerful things in the book of Jeremiah that I feel contributed to his ability to stay strong in the face of great adversity.
First. Jeremiah 1:5.
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.
One thing I feel will help us to be iron pillars in the face of opposition is to know and understand our divine potential and destiny. I’m sure it must have been comforting for Jeremiah to realize that he had been ordained to this very calling before he was ever born—that God had something important and great for him to accomplish in his life—a direct message from God that this was his divine destiny. Do we have the benefit of anything like that? Or is that the kind of thing only reserved for prophets? Actually, we do. We have patriarchal blessings. What else is a patriarchal blessing if not a manifestation of the great things God desires for us to accomplish in life and the blessings that he promises us if we fulfill them? Just knowing this, I believe, can give us great strength in facing our adversities and hardships. We can rest easier knowing that God was aware of the nature of the challenges we would face in life and prepared us for them beforehand. So he trusts us, and he knows we can’t do it. Therefore, because he believes and knows we can do it, then we know we can too! If we ever start to feel weak, or incompetent, or unable to do what the Lord has placed before us—to fulfill a challenging calling, to face a difficult trial or tragedy, or face an overwhelming temptation, if we remember this destiny that we have, it can give us power to do it. It will help us to be an iron pillar.
Jeremiah 1:8, 19
What’s the message here?
8 Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord.
And 19
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.
What will help us to be iron pillars here? Remembering that the Lord is with us. We cannot fail if he is at our side. It’s a principle we’ve seen over and over again in the Old Testament this year. It’s almost as if the Lord really wanted us to understand this truth. That even the small, the outnumbered, and the seemingly weak can conquer anything and anybody, as long as God is on your side. We saw it with Moses and the Children of Israel triumphing over Egypt, we saw it with Gideon, overcoming the Midianite army with only 300 men, we saw it with David triumphing over Goliath, we saw it with Elijah prevailing over the priests of Baal on the top of Mt. Carmel, and in many, many other stories from the Old Testament. I believe the same principle is true of us. We know we can conquer anything placed in our way, not because of our own strength, but the strength of our God that stands beside us.
Now our final set of verses, Jeremiah 1:9, 15:16, 20:9
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.
Our third and final thing that will help make us into iron pillars is by having God’s word inside us. This is my favorite one. God’s truth, his gospel, his wisdom as taught by the scriptures, the prophets, and the Spirit can give us the strength we need to face ALL of our challenges. I like that image of God reaching out and touching Jeremiah’s mouth with his hand. Sometimes, before I teach, I like to pray for that same blessing so that I can teach with power. I pray that God will touch my mouth with his hand and put his words into my mouth. And I know that I have felt that at times, that God is giving me the words to say. We might call it, teaching with the Spirit. We don’t want to teach our own words, but his. Along those same lines, Jeremiah 15:16
16 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.
I love that imagery! Jeremiah eats God’s words. He feasts upon the words of Christ. When we eat something, it goes down inside of us and nourishes us and gives us strength to move and live and act. That’s what God’s word does for us. But we’ve got to feast on them. Not just snack, or nibble, or sample it. Dig deep, is another way of saying that. And what happens to Jeremiah when he does this? What effect does eating God’s words have on him? It makes him happy. He rejoices. Have you ever had that happen to you? Have the scriptures, or the words of the prophets ever made you happy? Have you ever walked away from scripture study, or a general conference feeling “fed”? That’s the power of God’s words. We too have got to get the word of God down inside of us.
And I’ve decided to end with this last one here in chapter 20. It’s my favorite verse in all of Jeremiah. And it’s all the more powerful now that we’ve studied and understand his life. And I’ll add the preceding verses to this one just to help you understand Jeremiah’s mindset when he says this. He’s discouraged. And I love that about Jeremiah. He was human. There are a few places in Jeremiah where you see him get discouraged. This is one of those moments. And so he says:
7 O Lord, thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived; thou art stronger than I, and hast prevailed: I am in derision daily, every one mocketh me.
8 For since I spake, I cried out, I cried violence and spoil; because the word of the Lord was made a reproach unto me, and a derision, daily.
So, “Lord, these people are unrelenting. I’ve been made a reproach, a laughingstock, a joke. I am in derision daily. Why have you called me? I’m tired of this! What’s the point?! And so he makes a resolve.
9 Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name.
Have you ever gotten to that point? With teaching people? Your children perhaps? Or as a missionary, and nobody is listening to you. And you just want to throw your hands up and say, “All right, that’s it. I’m done. You do your thing and I’ll do mine. It’s not worth the effort anymore.” That’s the point Jeremiah has gotten to here. And so he tries it. He says he’s going to give up on the people. And how long does that last? He continues:
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.
So it doesn’t last very long. The power and fire of God’s word is so strong within him. He just feels it beginning to build and build in pressure inside. And, he just can’t hold it in anymore. He gives up trying to stop it because he is weary with forbearing. And he says, “Ok, I have to go out and teach again. I can’t keep this fire within me.” That fire in the bones is what we want to get inside ourselves. That’s why I always begin each of these lessons with that heading. I always like to share the reasons I get excited about teaching that particular lesson. What gives me a fire to go out and share that specific gospel principle. So I hope, with that section, that it helps to inspire and get you excited.
So how are we going to teach this?
ICEBREAKER:
Time: 3 min
For an icebreaker, I like to ask my students a question. What is considered to be the oldest continuously living thing on earth? Now some may start to guess whales or giant tortoises, but usually it doesn’t take them long to realize that plants are living things too, and they start guessing different species of trees. And the answer to the question may surprise you. The oldest living thing on earth is a Great Basin bristlecone pine tree. They're found in parts of Utah, Nevada, and California and some of these trees are believed to be close to 5000 years old. How are they able to live so long? You’d think that it’s because they have the luxury of being planted in the most ideal of growing conditions. Lots of water, sunlight, and great soil. But you’d be wrong. In fact, it’s exactly the opposite. Bristlecone pines live longer than anything else because they grow under the harshest of conditions. They don’t get much water, the soil is poor, and they experience extremes in temperature and weather. But it is those very conditions that have made them so hardy. The rings of a bristlecone pine are very, very close together. Their growing season is incredibly short each year. This results in the wood becoming extremely hard and dense, almost like stone. Therefore, they are almost impervious to high winds, disease, insects, and even fire. It just goes to show that it is adversity and opposition that produces longevity and strength, not ease and comfort.
Then transition by saying that the prophet Jeremiah also faced some incredibly harsh conditions. But before his ministry even began, the Lord gave him a striking description of what he could become. Look in Jeremiah 1:18 and see if you can find the three things God compared him to?
Let them find a defenced city, an iron pillar, and brasen walls. And maybe I’d ask which image stands out to them and take one or two answers.
Then say that Jeremiah is going to teach us how to become iron pillars ourselves. How to become bristlecone pines when it comes to our own opposition and trials in life.
SEARCH ACTIVITY:
Time: 3 min
We’re going to take a look at three different things that God gave Jeremiah to help give him strength.
You’re going to assign your students to study a specific scripture reference based on the letter their first name begins with.
If their first name begins with a letter from A-I, they will study
Jeremiah 1:5
If their name begins with J-R, they will study
Jeremiah 1:8, 19
And if their name begins with any letter between S and Z, they will study
Jeremiah 1:9, and 15:16
Tell them that their assignment is to look for something in their reference that they feel could help a person to become an iron pillar.
Guided Share
Time: 8 min
Take the groups in order and have them share their findings. As they share, you may want to write those things on the board. When you’re done you may have a list that looks something like this.
God knew him and foreordained him before he was born. He had a divine potential and destiny.
God was with him. He didn’t face the opposition alone.
God’s word was in him.
The Fire in His Bones
Time: 4 min
Now tell the class you want them to see why the third source of strength matters so much. Give them the immediate context: Jeremiah has been struck and put in the stocks, and he’s deeply discouraged. Read Jeremiah 20:7–9 together and ask:
What did Jeremiah decide he wasn’t going to do anymore?
And why couldn’t he stick with that decision?
He said he wouldn’t speak in the Lord’s name anymore. But the word was in his heart “as a burning fire shut up in [his] bones.”
I’d linger on that for a moment. Jeremiah, the iron pillar, felt like quitting. That’s important. He wasn’t strong because rejection never hurt him. He had found something from the Lord that could carry him through the hurt.
You might say:
God’s word had become so much a part of him that even when he wanted to stop, he couldn’t simply set it aside. I think there’s a lesson there for us. We can get the Lord’s words inside us before the difficult days come. And when they do come, we may find that something He taught us is still burning there.
TAKE IT TO HEART:
Time: 3 min
You could ask:
Which of these things has helped you most during a difficult time?
Give them a chance to share a few experiences or be prepared to share one of your own.
TAKEAWAY:
Time: 2 min
To finish out the lesson you could show the following takeaway slide and conclude with something like this:
When the Lord called Jeremiah an iron pillar, He already knew what Jeremiah would face. And He knew there would be moments when Jeremiah felt discouraged enough to stop speaking. But the Lord knew him. The Lord promised to be with him. And His word became like a fire in Jeremiah’s bones. So if you’re facing something difficult right now, I hope you’ll remember this prophet. Strength in the Lord doesn’t mean we never feel tired or afraid. We can turn to Him with those feelings. We can hold on to His promises and give His words a place in our hearts. And with His help, we can keep standing.”
OPTIONAL LESSON IDEAS:
QUOTE:
A quote from Dallin H. Oaks that connects well with this lesson. Use it to help your students see where Jeremiah’s strength came from and where ours can come from too. You can connect it to the Lord’s promise, “I am with thee” in chapter 1:8 and 19.
“Our Savior experienced and suffered the fulness of all mortal challenges “according to the flesh” so He could know “according to the flesh” how to “succor [which means to give relief or aid to] his people according to their infirmities.” He therefore knows our struggles, our heartaches, our temptations, and our suffering, for He willingly experienced them all as an essential part of His Atonement. And because of this, His Atonement empowers Him to succor us—to give us the strength to bear it all.”
(Conference Report, Oct. 2015 “Strengthened by the Atonement of Jesus Christ”)
HANDOUT:
For a handout option, you could give your students a copy of this “My Iron Pillar” activity. It includes the three truths we’ve found in Jeremiah’s experience, along with the scripture references and a question for each one. Invite them to think about a challenge they’re facing and choose the question that feels most meaningful to them. Give them a minute or two to write their thoughts. Then have them finish the statement at the bottom: “This week, I’ll draw strength from the Lord by…” Their answers can stay private, but you could invite a few who feel comfortable to share what helps them to stand strong.
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