Jeremiah Study

As we near the end of our study in Jeremiah, there have been a few things to keep in mind. We started off in a pretty strange way by getting the understanding of how we are to live. Jeremiah 12: 5 really gives us a good idea of what God want from not only Jeremiah, but from us as believers in Christ as well: How can you compete with the horses if men have worn you out? Looking at the first twelve chapters, understanding God’s point of view here may be a little harsh. Jeremiah was being attacked physically, mentally and spiritually. Why would our heavenly father treat him in this fashion? For the simple fact that Jeremiah needed to be in God’s will for the long haul. Paul tells us that we need to run the race as if to win the prize and not all are willing to do that (2 Cor. 9:24).
Jeremiah learned much about doing things God’s way not by depending on his own strength. Not only did he follow God’s will, but we also found out there were “friends” who would look after him. Jeremiah knew when to accept help from others. The Egyptian, Ebed-Melek, came to Jeremiah’s aid at just the right time and was eventually rewarded for his efforts in saving Jeremiah (Jeremiah 39:16-18).
Jeremiah was not just a preacher, because he actually believed what he was preaching (Jer. 32). We wonder all the time what it would be like to hear the voice of God. Would we know it was really Him? Jeremiah had the type of relationship with God that at times was frustrating. We can see at time he does indeed get anger with God, but he never stays there. He was always willing to trust. Think back to when God told him to buy his uncle’s field in Anathoth. It seems like the perfect time to not buy real estate, but here is Jeremiah doing just what God told him to do. No matter what the circumstance (prison) or what was sitting on the land (Babylonians), he was willing to go with God’s plan and not his own.
We also had Jeremiah’s big show in the Temple (Jer. 35). The time God told him to go out and invite the Rekabites over for dinner and offer them wine to drink. Now the Israelites knew all about the Rekabites and wondered what Jeremiah was up to bringing them into the Temple to eat. But it was very much Jeremiah’s style to go big or not at all. One of the Rekabite ancestors told them not to drink wine, so they didn’t. When it comes to the Israelites, God’s word told them exactly how to live, yet they decided it wasn’t good for them and went their own way. The Rekabites were a great example of doing the right thing because they were told to do the right thing.
My favorite image from Jeremiah is when he was told to go to the Potter’s house and see what was going on there (Jer. 18). Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in My hands, house of Israel (Jer18: 6). Just because we make a mistake and don’t do what God best is for our lives doesn’t mean that it is over. Just as the potter did not throw away the malformed clay, God will not give up on us. Romans 8:38-39 tells us: For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. We can rest on this understanding.