9/19/2020 – Day 118 – Jeremiah 22 – 26 – Responses to group study questions.
Jeremiah – wk 5 – Chapters 22 -26 – Group Discussion Questions
“It is a poor sermon that gives no offense, that neither makes the hearer displeased with himself nor with the preacher.” George Whitefield
Please share with us your reflections:
- FYI: Historical perspective:
- King Josiah ruled for 31 years. He tried to turn Judah back to God.
- The four successors that cover the 22:1 – 23:8 verses were wicked:
- Jehoahax or Shallum , son of Josiah who lasted only 3 months before
Pharaoh Necho deported him to Egypt.
- Jehoiakim, son of Judah, reigned for 11 years until his death in Jerusalem.
- Jehoiachin, son of Jehoiakim lasted only 3 months. He was exiled to
Babylon where he died.
- Zedekiah – reigned 11 years , the king that saw the kingdom destroyed
By Babylon.
- Read Jeremiah 22. What specific sins of the kings did Jeremiah Rebuke? Do you see these sins among leaders today? If so, where?
Vs 1-9 : Zedekiah lived lavishly , a Godless life, and he exploited the poor.
-vs. 13 -23 – My book notes; “It was against the law to hold back wages or to enslave fellow Jews”, yet Jehoiakim violated both. (Ex. 21: 1-11; Lev 19:13; Deut. 24:14-15; James 5: 1-6) The nation was wasting away whilethe king’s covetousness was widely displayed in the excessive lavishness of his palace.
Jehoiachin was a wicked man
Yes, the same sins are evident in our rulers today. The leftist city mayors in NYC, Chicago, Portland, Minneapolis, Seattle, Baltimore, etc .lead defund police movements, leaving the poor neighborhoods exposed to rampant crime and riots, while the very same leaders live lavishly with their own private security. We’ve seen rulers that pass and pontificate on the absolute necessity for heavy government controls in the covid crisis but have shown they somehow are not subject to the same laws and mandates. (Pelosi as the hair salon, Chris Cuomo (brother of the governor) and the husband of the Michigan governor are 3 prominent examples just recently.
Just thinking about Chicago’s history brings one to tears. My family lived in the metro area from 1960 to 1967. From white elitist to black elitist ruling the city with total disregard for the needs of the people. Why do their children continue to be trapped in failing gulag schools controlled by evil teacher’s unions, instead of a voucher system where they can choose the schools they want for their children.
2, Read Jeremiah 23: 1-8. How did Jeremiah contrast the righteous branch, or Messiah, with the current rulers of God’s people?
“The Lord Our Righteousness” as noted at the end of verse 6. Also see Jeremiah 33: 15-16, the same phrase from the name “Jehovah Tsidkenu”, a compound name related to: God as Judge, God as our justice, or God of justice. The promised Messiah: (Jeremiah 30; Isaiah 2: 1-5; 4: 1-6; 9: 1-7; 11: 1-12.6; Zechariah 12 thru 14)
And my book adds: “David’s ‘family tree might have been cut down, but a branch (shoot) would grow from the stump and become Ruler of the nation (Isaiah 11:1; 53:2)”
3. How does this prophecy affect us today?
His Kingdom is now! Let us fight for it until Christ comes again to defeat evil forever.
4. To whom are you a leader, or whom do you have the ability to influence? How can living more decisively for God affect the people you influence?
I am at least a potential leader as a messenger for Christ to anyone I come in contact with. Living decisively means I am not concerned with the earthly consequences of proclaiming the Good News in Jesus Christ! We must engage evil like Jeremiah did.
5. Would you rather hear bad news that is the absolute truth , or half-truths and lies that cushion the bad news for you? Why? Share the most significant incident in Your life that in retrospect was or would have been better had the later option been Chosen, the half-truth(s) and lies option?
In retrospect, I can’t think of a single incident in my lifetime where even a half-truth would have been better, taking into account “I don’t know” what “I don’t know. If that were not true, logically, heaven would not be perfect! No?