Courageous Prophets of Change: Lessons from Jeremiah's Faithful Witness
Explore the story of Jeremiah, a courageous prophet faithful to God's covenant, and his unwavering commitment to sharing challenging advice with King Zedekiah despite potential consequences. Witness his struggles, his bravery, and his devotion to speaking truth in the face of adversity, encouraging reflections on standing firm in faith and offering godly counsel in today's ever-changing world.
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SPRING QUARTER THEME: Prophets Faithful to God s Covenant Unit III: Courageous Prophets of Change
LESSON 11: Sunday, May 16, 2021 Lesson Title: The Consequences of Giving Challenging Advice (Faith Pathway) Lesson Title: Jeremiah: The Suffering Preacher of Doom (Townsend Press SS Commentary)
Devotional Reading: Jeremiah 38:7-13; 39:15-18 Background Scriptures: Jeremiah 37 38 Print Passage: Jeremiah 38:14-23
KEY VERSE: Jeremiah said unto Zedekiah, If I declare it unto thee, wilt thou not surely put me to death? and if I give thee counsel, wilt thou not hearken unto me? (Jeremiah 38:15, KJV) . . . . . Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, If I give you an answer, will you not kill me? Even if I did give you counsel, you would not listen to me. (Jeremiah 38:15, NIV)
LESSON AIMS: As a result of experiencing this lesson, you should be able to do these things: Identify Jeremiah s hesitation to give controversial advice to Zedekiah. Sense Jeremiah s apprehension when talking to Zedekiah. Commit to giving challenging godly advice.
KEY TERMS: Babylonians(verse 19) Hebrew: Kasdim (kas-dah - ee): inhabitants of a region of South Babylon (or Chaldea) who led the conquest and capture of Judah; Chaldeans (KJV). Counsel(verse 15) Hebrew: yaats (yaw-ats ): to advise.
ANALYSIS OF THE BIBLICAL TEXT (Lesson Outline) AProphet s Dilemma (Jeremiah 38:14-16) AProphet sAdvice (Jeremiah 38:17-18) ALeader s Folly (Jeremiah 38:19-23)
A Prophets Dilemma (Jeremiah 38:14-16) 14 Then King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah the prophet and had him brought to the third entrance to the temple of the LORD. I am going to ask you something, the king said to Jeremiah. Do not hide anything from me. 15 Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, If I give you an answer, will you not kill me? Even if I did give you counsel, you would not listen to me.
A Prophets Dilemma (Jeremiah 38:14-16) 16 But King Zedekiah swore this oath secretly to Jeremiah: As surely as the LORD lives, who has given us breath, I will neither kill you nor hand you over to those who want to kill you.
What Do You Think? What is the right and wrong way to handle rejection for speaking God s truth?
A Prophets Advice (Jeremiah 38:17-18) 17 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, This is what the LORD God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: If you surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, your life will be spared and this city will not be burned down; you and your family will live. 18 But if you will not surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, this city will be given into the hands of the Babylonians and they will burn it down; you yourself will not escape from them.
What Do You Think? In what ways do some Christians, preachers, teachers, and even some gospel songwriters water down or compromise God s Word?
A Leaders Folly (Jeremiah 38:19-23) 19 King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, I am afraid of the Jews who have gone over to the Babylonians, for the Babylonians may hand me over to them and they will mistreat me. 20 They will not hand you over, Jeremiah replied. Obey the LORD by doing what I tell you. Then it will go well with you, and your life will be spared. 21 But if you refuse to surrender, this is what the LORD has revealed to me:
A Leaders Folly (Jeremiah 38:19-23) 22 All the women left in the palace of the king of Judah will be brought out to the officials of the king of Babylon. Those women will say to you: They misled you and overcame you those trusted friends of yours. Your feet are sunk in the mud; your friends have deserted you. 23 All your wives and children will be brought out to the Babylonians. You yourself will not escape from their hands but will be captured by the king of Babylon; and this city will be burned down.
What Do You Think? Why do you think Zedekiah refused to take Jeremiah s counsel?
A Closing Thought Your Life Your World!
Closing Prayer Dear God, thank You for the promise of Your presence, power, and provision that strengthens us to do Your will. In Jesus name we pray.Amen.
Conclusion (Preparing for Next Weeks Lesson) Next week, we will discover that as difficult as the task of taking responsibility for our mistakes may be, God holds each of us accountable for our own behavior (see Ezekiel 18:1-9; 30-32). The lesson topic for Sunday, May 23, 2021, is Take Responsibility! The Devotional Reading is Psalm 147, the Background Scripture is Ezekiel 18, and the Printed Text is Ezekiel 18:1- 9, 30-32.
