May 3, 2011
AN INNOCENT LAMB
Jeremiah 21
Sam Royall
Central Truth
No matter what, especially when times are tough, you should trust the Lord. Trust that He does what He says and that He has a plan that is much greater than you could ever imagine.
Key Verse | Jeremiah 21:9
"He who dwells in this city will die by the sword and by famine and by pestilence; but he who goes out and falls away to the Chaldeans who are besieging you will live, and he will have his own life as booty." (Jeremiah 21:9)
Jeremiah 21
Jerusalem Will Fall to Nebuchadnezzar
1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur the son of Malchiah and Zephaniah the priest, the son of Maaseiah, saying, 2 “Inquire of the LORD for us, for Nebuchadnezzar 1 21:2 Hebrew Nebuchadrezzar, an alternate spelling of Nebuchadnezzar (king of Babylon) occurring frequently from Jeremiah 2152; this latter spelling is used throughout Jeremiah for consistency king of Babylon is making war against us. Perhaps the LORD will deal with us according to all his wonderful deeds and will make him withdraw from us.”
3 Then Jeremiah said to them: “Thus you shall say to Zedekiah, 4 ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands and with which you are fighting against the king of Babylon and against the Chaldeans who are besieging you outside the walls. And I will bring them together into the midst of this city. 5 I myself will fight against you with outstretched hand and strong arm, in anger and in fury and in great wrath. 6 And I will strike down the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast. They shall die of a great pestilence. 7 Afterward, declares the LORD, I will give Zedekiah king of Judah and his servants and the people in this city who survive the pestilence, sword, and famine into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of their enemies, into the hand of those who seek their lives. He shall strike them down with the edge of the sword. He shall not pity them or spare them or have compassion.’
8 And to this people you shall say: ‘Thus says the LORD: Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death. 9 He who stays in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, but he who goes out and surrenders to the Chaldeans who are besieging you shall live and shall have his life as a prize of war. 10 For I have set my face against this city for harm and not for good, declares the LORD: it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.’
Message to the House of David
11 And to the house of the king of Judah say, ‘Hear the word of the LORD, 12 O house of David! Thus says the LORD:
‘Execute justice in the morning,
and deliver from the hand of the oppressor
him who has been robbed,
lest my wrath go forth like fire,
and burn with none to quench it,
because of your evil deeds.’”
13
“Behold, I am against you, O inhabitant of the valley,
O rock of the plain,
declares the LORD;
you who say, ‘Who shall come down against us,
or who shall enter our habitations?’
14
I will punish you according to the fruit of your deeds,
declares the LORD;
I will kindle a fire in her forest,
and it shall devour all that is around her.”
Footnotes
[1] 21:2 Hebrew Nebuchadrezzar, an alternate spelling of Nebuchadnezzar (king of Babylon) occurring frequently from Jeremiah 21–52; this latter spelling is used throughout Jeremiah for consistencyDive Deeper | Jeremiah 21
This section of God's Word is particularly meaningful to me because these verses shed light on God's plan for our lives. I know you've heard this, but God does have a plan for you. And no matter what, you should never doubt that. Are you going through a rough patch in your life? You need to know that God will raise you up from your valleys. I'm not saying you shouldn't do anything. If the problem can be fixed by prayer and the Word, then by all means do it. You have to fight, you have to "Make War" as Tedashii would say. Fight the good fight, and let the Lord transform you into a better person, one who can be a light to others all around the world.
In 2000 my little sister, Gracie, was born. We were best friends. In 2003 we moved here, to Dallas, and she enjoyed life. But in May of 2005 she was taken into the hospital for a "stomach ache." She actually had appendicitis. She was treated, although it was painful. She felt great for a week, but then she was back in the hospital again, this time for an unknown sickness. That was early June 2005. On June 3 she left us and went to God. Now, I was very confused, being a 9-year-old boy and all. I knew my parents were devastated. But by the grace of God we survived.
A year later, a little boy named Jake was sitting in a hospital bed with the same disease that had been the end of my sister; but this time, the doctors knew how to treat it. If you are experiencing grief over the loss of a loved one, do not live to hate God or question His doings. He has a plan. And if you are suffering with a problem at work or another problem, remember that good things will come of it for you or for others. The life of a young boy was saved that day by the life of an innocent lamb. Sound familiar?
Discussion Questions
1. What are you going through that is tough in your life?
2. Are you blaming your troubles on God?
3. Who can help keep you accountable or help you through this tough time?
4. How has God shown you His plan in your life?
WEEKLY FAMILY ACTIVITY
JEREMIAH 20-24 (MAY 2-6)
Read Jeremiah 22:13-16.
How did the king in verse 13 deal with his workers?
How was his father different (verse 15)?
Do you think the first builder was focused on himself or others? What about his father?
Who are you typically focused on? What does that typically look like?
Activity: Have every person make a list of seven things, one for each day, that they can do to be focused on others this week.