Old Testament Scriptural
Selections and Commentary
Jeremiah, Selections from
chapters in the Teacher's Manual
Gospel Doctrine Class, Sunday
School Lesson #41
"I Have Made Thee This
Day…an Iron Pillar" Jeremiah 1:18
Reference: Old Testament Gospel
Doctrine Teacher's Manual, (2001), 194-197
Reference: The Old Testament Made Easier, Part Three, David J. Ridges
JEREMIAH
"Born of a priestly family in
Anathoth, (Jeremiah was ordained to be a
prophet in the premortal life (Jer. 1:4–5) and prophesied from the 13th year of [King] Josiah till after the downfall of
Jerusalem, a period of over 40 years, 626–586 B.C. (He lived
near the time of other great prophets: Lehi, Ezekiel, Hosea, and Daniel.) After Josiah’s death he tried to stem, almost alone, the tide of idolatry
and immorality, of self-deception founded on superficial reforms (Jer. 3:4–5; 7:8–10), and of fanatical confidence in the Lord’s protection, in which all
classes were carried away. He had to face continuous opposition and insult from
the priests (20:2), the mob (26:8–9), his
townsmen at Anathoth (11:19), the frivolous and cruel (22:13; 36:23; 26:20), the king (36:19), and the army (38:4). After the
fall of Jerusalem the Jews who escaped into Egypt took Jeremiah with them as a
kind of fetish (43:6), and at last, according to
tradition, stoned him to death. The circumstances under which his prophecies
were written down are described in Jeremiah 36.
"The
prophet dwells much on the inwardness of the Lord’s relation
to the mind of His servants. External service is useless where there is no
devotion of heart and life; superficial reforms were of no avail—a complete
regeneration in the national life was required. He develops the idea of
individual fellowship with the Lord (Jer. 5:1, 7,
26–28; 9:1–6;18); though the
Jewish state falls, the Lord remains, and religion remains in the life of the
individual." (Source: LDS.org/scriptures/study
helps/Bible Dictionary). (See also, Jeremiah,
Ensign, October 2014) excerpted from an article by Linda K. Burton, “Is
Faith in the Atonement of Jesus Christ Written in Our Hearts?” Ensign, Nov.
2012, 111.
The
purpose of this lesson is "to [help
us] remain faithful in times of opposition and adversity." (Old Testament Gospel Doctrine Teacher's Manual, (2001), 194-197.)
From
the Teacher's Manual: "Jeremiah’s life was full of sorrow, but his
response to trial can teach and inspire us. He was beaten and imprisoned for
prophesying against the kingdom of Judah. His life was constantly threatened.
But through all the adversity and opposition, Jeremiah was like an “iron
pillar” (1:18). The book of Jeremiah provides a personal,
faith-promoting record of the prophet’s response to his life’s sorrow and
frustration."
Chapter 1 - Jeremiah is called to be a prophet
4 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.
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.
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.
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 (1:4-10).
The Prophet Joseph Smith said, “Every man who has a calling to
minister to the inhabitants of the world was ordained to that very purpose in
the Grand Council of heaven before this world was” (History of the Church, 6:364; quoted from the
Teacher's Manual).
Chapter 2 - The
people of Judah forsook the Lord, the fountain of living waters
"For my people have committed
two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed
them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water" —"meaning they had sought fulfillment
and security in worldly things" (OT Teacher's Manual).
Elder Marion D. Hanks said:
“Material objectives consume too much
of our attention. The struggle for what we need or for more than we need
exhausts our time and energy. We pursue pleasure or entertainment, or become overinvolved
in associations or civic matters. Of course, people need recreation, need to be
achieving, need to contribute; but if these come at the cost of friendship with
Christ, the price is much too high.
“‘For my people have committed two
evils,’ said the Lord to Israel; ‘they have forsaken me the fountain of living
waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.’
(Jer. 2:13.)
“The substitutions we fashion to take
the place of God in our lives truly hold no water. To the measure we thus
refuse the ‘living water,’ we miss the joy we could have” (quoted in the
Teacher's manual; Conference Report, Apr. 1972, 127; or Ensign, July
1972, 105).
Jeremiah faced continued opposition from the leaders and the people
Now Pashur the
priest, who was also chief governor in the house of
the Lord, heard that Jeremiah was prophesying of the wickedness of the
Jews and their leaders (20:1).
"Then Pashur smote Jeremiah the prophet, and put
him in the stocks that were in the high gate of Benjamin,
which was by the house of the Lord. And it came to pass on the morrow, that
Pashur brought forth Jeremiah out of the stocks. Then said Jeremiah unto him,
The Lord hath not called thy name Pashur, but Magor-missabib
("terror all around"—see footnote 3a). For thus
saith the Lord, Behold, I will make thee a terror to thyself, and to all
thy friends: and they shall fall by the sword of their enemies, and thine eyes
shall behold it: and I will give all
Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall carry them captive
into Babylon, and shall slay them with the sword.…And thou, Pashur, and all
that dwell in thine house shall go into captivity: and thou shalt come to
Babylon, and there thou shalt die, and shalt be buried there, thou, and all thy
friends, to whom thou hast prophesied lies" (20:2-4,5).
Because
Jeremiah prophesied according to the words the Lord put into his mouth
concerning the destruction of the cities and people of Judah, the princes
[leaders] and most of the people of Judah gathered against him. They took him "and sat down in the entry
of the new gate of the Lord’s house. 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" (26:7-11). He was opposed and hated even by his
"brethren" [family] and neighbors in Anathoth (11:19-21. 12:6).
Jeremiah
was told by the Lord: "Take thee a roll of a book, and write
therein all the words that I have spoken unto thee against Israel, and against
Judah, and against all the nations, from the day I spake unto thee, from the
days of Josiah, even unto this day" (36:2). So Jeremiah called Baruch
[his scribe] who wrote down all the
words from Jeremiah's mouth. Because
Jeremiah was "shut up," he told Baruch to take the scroll and read it
to all the people on the next "fasting day" (36:1-6) which he did
(36:10). And when Jehoiakim the son of
Josiah king of Judah, heard the words he took the book and burned it (36:23).
But the Lord hid Baruch and Jeremiah and commanded them to write them down
again (36:20-32).
Later,
when Zedekiah the son of Josiah was king, Jeremiah was free again to walk
among the people. "And when he was
in the gate of Benjamin, a captain of the ward was there,
whose name was Irijah,…and he took Jeremiah the prophet,
saying, Thou fallest away to the Chaldeans" [Babylonians]. Jeremiah denied this charge but was taken to
the princes where he was beaten and put into prison unjustly (37:12-15). Then Jeremiah was cast into a dungeon without
food or water where he "sunk into the mire" (38:4-6) but was rescued
by an Ethiopian eunuch from the king's house and taken back to the prison house
(38:7-13). Even in all his adversity, Jeremiah continued to prophesy "in
the name of the LORD" (26:12-15).
From
the Teacher's Manual: " Jeremiah’s prophecies that the Babylonians would
destroy Jerusalem were fulfilled, as recorded in Jeremiah 39–40. Jeremiah
had been in prison during the siege, but afterward the Babylonians freed him
and allowed him and a remnant of the Jews to remain in the land of Judah.
Johanan, the leader of those who remained, asked Jeremiah to seek the Lord’s
will for them and promised to obey it (Jeremiah 42:1–6). Through Jeremiah the
Lord told the people to stay in the land of Judah and promised to bless them if
they would do so (Jeremiah 42:9–22). But Johanan led the people into Egypt,
where most of them continued in their wickedness (Jeremiah 43–44)."
Jeremiah is strengthened in adversity by his love for the word of God
Jeremiah
1:9 - "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."
Jeremiah
15:16 - "Thy words were found, and I did eat them [make them a part of me]; 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."
2 Nephi 32:3 - Angels speak by the power of the Holy
Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto
you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the
words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do."
Jeremiah
20:9 - "Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any
more in his name. 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 [stop]."
Supplemental Study - "Clay…in the potter's
hand"
Jeremiah
18:1-6 - "The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying,
2 Arise, and go down
to the potter’s house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words.
4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred [damaged] in the hand of the potter: so
he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.
5 Then the word of
the Lord came to me, saying,
6 O house of Israel,
cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the Lord. Behold, as the
clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in
mine hand, O house of Israel."
Ridges comments: "This
chapter starts out by using the symbolism of a potter creating a pot from clay
on a potter's wheel. While the clay is
pliable, he can form it according to his plans.
He can even start over with the clay, if necessary. This symbolizes what the Lord (the potter)
desires to do with His people (the clay)
He desires to mold and shape them to become His people" (OT Made Easier, Part III, p. 289) (18:5-10).
President Heber C. Kimball
provided the following insights into the comparison in Jeremiah 18:1–10: “All [who] are pliable in the hands of God
and are obedient to His commands, are vessels of honor, and God will receive
them” (Quoted in the Teacher's Manual; History
of the Church, 4:478).
“There are
many vessels that are destroyed after they have been moulded and shaped. Why?
Because they are not contented with the shape the potter has given them, but
straightaway put themselves into a shape to please themselves; therefore they
are beyond understanding what God designs, and they destroy themselves by the
power of their own agency. (Quoted in the Teacher's Manual;
in Stanley B. Kimball, Heber C. Kimball: Mormon Patriarch and
Pioneer [1981], 270).
Jeremiah preached at the same time as the Book of Mormon prophet Lehi
"The
prophet Jeremiah was teaching and warning the people of Judah at the time Lehi
left Jerusalem. Both Jeremiah and Lehi prophesied that Jerusalem would be
destroyed" (OT Teacher's Manual, p. 97).
Where was Jeremiah? 1 Nephi 7:14 "For behold, the Spirit of
the Lord ceaseth soon to strive with them [Israel]; for behold, they have rejected the prophets,
and Jeremiah have they cast into prison. And they have sought to
take away the life of my father [Lehi],
insomuch that they have driven him out of the land."
Now
the prophesies of the prophets begin to come true. Some time around 587 B.C. the fall of Jerusalem begins [Ridges, p. 371]. Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon and all
his army come against Jerusalem. Zedekiah,
the king of Judah at this time, fled to the plains of Jericho where he was
captured by the Babylonians. Then the
king of Babylon brought the sons of Zedekiah before him and slew them
"before his eyes.…Moreover he put out Zedekiah’s eyes, and bound him
with chains, to carry him to Babylon" (39:4-7).
"From
the Book of Mormon we know that one of the sons of Zedekiah was not slain by
the Babylonians" (OT Teacher's Manual).
Helaman
8:20–21 - "And behold, also Zenock,
and also Ezias, and also Isaiah, and Jeremiah, (Jeremiah being
that same prophet who testified of the destruction of Jerusalem) and now
we know that Jerusalem was destroyed according to the words of Jeremiah.
21 And now will you dispute that Jerusalem was
destroyed? Will ye say that the sons of Zedekiah were not slain, all
except it were Mulek? Yea, and do ye not behold that the seed of Zedekiah are
with us, and they were driven out of the land of Jerusalem?"
Omni 1:15 - "Behold, it came to pass that Mosiah discovered that the
people of Zarahemla [descendents
of Mulek] came out from Jerusalem at the time that Zedekiah, king of Judah,
was carried away captive into Babylon."
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