Purkey's Bible Study Outlines

KEY VERSE: But the Lord said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. (Jeremiah 1:7)

INTRODUCTION: Jeremiah is called the weeping prophet (the prophet with the broken heart), and he is the writer of this Book.

Jeremiah is a prophet whose prophecy is largely autobiographical. He gives to us much of his own personal history. Let’s run through this list of facts about Jeremiah so that we will know this man whom we will meet in this book.

(1) Jeremiah was born a priest in Anathoth, just north of Jerusalem (See Jeremiah 1:1).

(2) Jeremiah was chosen to be a prophet before he was born (See Jeremiah 1:5).

(3) Jeremiah was called to the prophetic office while he was very young (See Jeremiah 1:6).

(4) Jeremiah was commissioned of God to be a prophet (See Jeremiah 1:9–10).

(5) Jeremiah began his ministry during the reign of King Josiah and was a mourner at his funeral (2 Chronical 35:25).

(6) Jeremiah was forbidden to marry because of the terrible times in which he lived (See Jeremiah 16:1-21).

(7) Jeremiah never made a convert. He was rejected by his people (See Jeremiah 11:18–21; 12:6; 18:18), hated, beaten, put in stocks (See Jeremiah 20:1–3), imprisoned, and charged with being a traitor (See Jeremiah 37:11–16).

(8) His message broke his own heart (See Jeremiah 9:1).

(9) He wanted to resign, but God wouldn’t let him (See Jeremiah 20:9).

(10) He saw the destruction of Jerusalem and the Babylonian captivity.

(Jeremiah 1:4-5) Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 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.

INSIGHT: The Lord’s message to Jeremiah included the statement that before Jeremiah was conceived in his mother's womb, God had already set apart the prophet (Jeremiah 1:5). Moreover, long before he entered the world as a baby, the Creator called and commissioned him to herald God’s Word to Judah and the surrounding "nations" in the ancient Middle East. Jeremiah’s prophecies included words predicting judgment, as well as statements of comfort. 

A. God Told Jeremiah That The People Had Sinned.

Instead of giving their devotion and obedience to the true and living God, who had blessed them, the Jews adopted the idols of the nations around them and made these false gods more important than Jehovah God.

At the high places in the hills, they built altars to various gods and planted obscene symbols of the goddess Asherah. This defiled the land -- their rich inheritance from Jehovah, and because of their idolatry, their inheritance would be plundered. They would lose everything, and it would be their own fault.

B. God Told Jeremiah That The People Had Broken God’s Law.

God’s holy Law should have been written on their hearts, but instead their sin was engraved there. We may forget our sins, but our sins never forget us. They’re inscribed on our hearts until we ask the Lord for forgiveness, and then He cleanses our hearts and makes them new.

INSIGHT: The Apostle John’s final admonition to believers in his first epistle is “Little children, keep yourselves from idols” (See 1 John 5:21).

There were many false gods in that day (See 1 Corinthians 8:1-5), but there are false gods in our world today, such as money, possessions, fame, “success,” power, pleasure, achievement, and many more.

Anything that we love and trust more than the true and living God, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, is an idol and must be removed from our hearts.

(Jeremiah 1:6-10) Then said I, Ah, Lord God! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child. 7 But the Lord said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. 8 Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord. 9 Then the Lordput forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth. 10 See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.

INSIGHT: In Jeremiah 1:6 he refers to Israel's God as the "LORD God," which in Hebrew is "Jehovah God." The spotlight is on God Almighty as the all-powerful King of the universe. Although Jeremiah understood this Biblical truth, it did not prevent him from being afraid because of his own apparent inadequacies. He said that he was not eloquent and he said that he was not experienced (these are the same problems that Moses had).

A. Jeremiah Acknowledged Their Sin Of Unbelief.

The leaders of Judah were prone to trust their political allies and lean on the arm of flesh instead of depending on the power of God. To emphasize the difference, Jeremiah contrasted a desert bush with a fruitful tree by the water (See Psalm 1:3-4).

Unbelief turns life into a parched wasteland; faith makes it a fruitful orchard. Soon, the Babylonian army would overrun the kingdom of Judah, and the land of milk and honey would become a wasteland.

B. Jeremiah Acknowledged Their Sin Of Backsliding.

The heart of every problem is the problem in the heart, and the human heart is deceitful (Jacob in the Hebrew) and incurable. We often say, “Well, if I know my own heart,” but we don’t know our own hearts.

The Lord searches the heart and mind and knows exactly how to reward each person. If we want to know what our hearts are like, we must read the Word and let the Spirit teach us. The hearts of the Jewish leaders were turned away from the Lord and His truth. Consequently, they made unwise decisions and plunged the nation into ruin.

C. Jeremiah Acknowledged Their Sinful History.

The Jewish people have a record of unbelief.

(1) It was unbelief that kept the people of Israel out of the Promised Land.

(2) It was unbelief that caused them to worship idols and invite the chastening of God during the time of the Judges.

(3) During the time of the kingdom, it was unbelief that kept the leaders from repenting and turning to God for help.

The Hebrew people became entangled in the costly politics involving Assyria, Egypt, and Babylon. Would they ever learn?

A. By An Enraged Crowd (Jeremiah 26:8-11).

(Jeremiah 26:8-11) Now it came to pass, when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking all that the Lord had commanded him to speak unto all the people, that the priests and the prophets and all the people took him, saying, Thou shalt surely die. 9 Why hast thou prophesied in the name of the Lord, saying, This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be desolate without an inhabitant? And all the people were gathered against Jeremiah in the house of the Lord. 10 When the princes of Judah heard these things, then they came up from the king's house unto the house of the Lord, and sat down in the entry of the new gate of the Lord's house. 11 Then spake the priests and the prophets unto the princes and to all the people, saying, This man is worthy to die; for he hath prophesied against this city, as ye have heard with your ears.

Who responded? The priests, the prophets, and all the people (verses 7–8). And rather than repenting, they were so furious at Jeremiah for his prophecy of doom for the temple and Jerusalem that they wanted to kill him (verses 8–9). They even grabbed the prophet and dragged him to the temple for a trial! The city officials gathered at the New Gate of the Lord’s temple, where the priests and prophets themselves called for the death penalty on God’s spokesman—another indication of how far Judah had sunk into sin (verses 10–11). 

B. With A Horrendous Warning (Jeremiah 26:12-15).

(Jeremiah 26:12-15) Then spake Jeremiah unto all the princes and to all the people, saying, The Lord sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city all the words that ye have heard. 13 Therefore now amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the Lord your God; and the Lord will repent him of the evil that he hath pronounced against you. 14 As for me, behold, I am in your hand: do with me as seemeth good and meet unto you. 15 But know ye for certain, that if ye put me to death, ye shall surely bring innocent blood upon yourselves, and upon this city, and upon the inhabitants thereof: for of a truth the Lord hath sent me unto you to speak all these words in your ears.

1. Jeremiah’s defense was simple but powerful. He had not spoken on his own, but God had sent him to prophesy all the words he had shared (verse 12). In fact, Jeremiah began and ended his defense with a plea to God’s authority on him and his message (verses 12, 15). Remember, then, that when you faithfully proclaim God’s truth, it’s backed by his authority, not yours.

2. Jeremiah also reminded the court that even though his word from the Lord contained a message of judgment on Judah, there was also the offer of forgiveness. In other words, Jeremiah was not simply bashing his people or giving them no chance to turn away God’s wrath. God was willing to relent concerning the disaster he had pronounced (verse 13). However, if these rulers put God’s prophet to death, they would bring innocent blood upon their own heads and upon the city (verse 15).

By Waren Wiersbe 

First, Are You Available? Moses did not feel adequate for the task when God called him, but the Lord reassured him (Exod. 3–4). “And who is sufficient for these things?” asked Paul (2 Cor. 2:16); and his answer was, “Our sufficiency is from God” (2 Cor. 4:5–6). When God calls you to do a task for Him, He does not ask you to be adequate; He only asks you to be available.

Second, God’s Touch. The touch of God makes the difference between success and failure. God touched Isaiah’s lips to give him purity (Isa. 6:1–7) and Jeremiah’s lips to give him power (Jer. 1:9–10; Luke 21:15). He touched Jacob’s hip and gave him a limp (Gen. 32:25), thus helping him to become a “prince with God.” God touched Daniel and set him on his feet (Dan. 8:18), gave him strength (Dan. 10:18), and opened his mouth for ministry (Dan. 10:15–16). The call of God and the touch of God must go together or we fail.

-- Adapted from Bible teacher Warren W. Wiersbe, from his Old Testament Commentary. 

CONCLUSION: What did we learn today from Jeremiah chapter 1 and chapter 26?

Kings and rulers come and go, but the Word of God remains and accomplishes God’s work in the world. Yet God needs a voice to herald the Word, and nobody feels adequate for the task.

A. Jeremiah Chapter One:

First, Hearing (Jeremiah 1:1–10). God’s word to Jeremiah was, “You will be what I want you to be, go where I want you to go, and say what I want you to say. I supervised your conception, I consecrated you, and now I am ordaining you.” If God calls you, believe what He says and obey Him. You may not feel up to it, but your adequacy comes from God, not from yourself.

Second, Seeing (Jeremiah 1:11–16). God’s servants must have open eyes as well as open ears, for God can “speak” through what they see. In Hebrew, the words “almond” and “watch” are similar. God watches over His Word to perform what He says. Our job is proclamation; His job is performance. Babylon came from the north and destroyed Judah and Jerusalem.

Third, Doing (Jeremiah 1:17–19). It was difficult for youthful Jeremiah to confront his elders with a message of denunciation; but God made him, and God was with him. God’s messengers must be walls and not shifting sand.

B. Jeremiah Chapter 26.

First, How Patient The Lord Is With Us! He keeps speaking to us and pleading with us to listen. “Listen and turn—hear and heed!” is His loving message to us. Will we obey?

Second, How Prone Human Nature Is To Resist The Word! The leaders should have called for a time of fasting and prayer, but instead they called for the execution of God’s prophet! Are we “swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath” (James 1:19)? Do we want what is right for us and the nation, or what is popular?

Third, How Wise Are Those Who Learn From The Past! The elders knew the Word of God and the history of the nation, and they were able to guide the mob toward sanity and justice.

INSIGHT: How safe are those who are faithful to God when everything seems against them! Jeremiah stood his ground, and God protected him. Urijah ran away and was captured and killed. The safest place in the world is in the will of God, for there you are ready to live or die.

THOUGHT TO REMEMBER:“The safest place in the world is in the will of God, for there you are ready to live or die.”