God Warns Judah

Lesson Summary

Jeremiah is known as the weeping prophet. God told him to speak of the coming judgment against Judah from the north—from Babylon. God told Jeremiah that the people would not listen to him, but would fight against him. However, God also told Jeremiah that he would be with him to deliver him (Jeremiah 1:17–19).

A unique way that God used Jeremiah and other prophets was to have them present an object lesson to the people—a physical picture of the message God wanted to convey to them.

This week, we’ll read several of these object lessons, seeking to understand the message that God was giving to Judah.

Read and Discuss

Read the following passages and discuss the questions together.

The Linen Sash—Jeremiah 13:1–11

1.     What was Jeremiah told to do with the linen sash?

2.     What did the ruined sash represent?

3.     What was God’s intent for his people (v. 11)? But what had they done instead?

The Clay Vessel—Jeremiah 18:1–11

4.     What did Jeremiah watch the potter do?

5.     What did the marred and remade vessel represent?

6.     What did God promise to the people of Judah?

7.     What does this passage tell us about God’s sovereignty over the nations?

The Two Baskets of Figs—Jeremiah 24:1–10

8.     What did Jeremiah see set before the temple?

9.     What did the good figs represent? What did God promise to these?

10.  What did the bad figs represent? What did God promise to these?

The Stones in Egypt—Jeremiah 43:8–13

11.  What did God tell Jeremiah to do after he had been taken to Egypt?

12.  What was the message that God was sending to Egypt and to those who had fled to Egypt to escape the captivity?