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F-260 Promise of Restoration - Jeremiah 33:1-26  How do you feel when you have misplaced something you value highly, and then you find it?  What laws of nature are commonly used by writers, speakers, or other communicators to illustrate a point?  Where was Jeremiah when God spoke to him? (33:1)  How did God identify Himself to Jeremiah? (33:2)  On what basis did God assert His authority to speak? (33:2)  What invitation did God issue to Jeremiah? (33:3)  What outcome did Jeremiah predict in the current war in which Babylon was besieging Jerusalem? (33:4-5)  How did God promise to reverse His actions in the more distant future? (33:6-7)  How would God satisfy His own righteousness with regard to the sin and rebellion of Judah? (33:8)  How did God predict that the rest of the world would react to a restored Judah? (33:9)  How did Jeremiah contrast the sights, sounds, and moods in Jerusalem before and after God’s merciful intervention? (33:10-11)  What common sight of everyday life in Jeremiah’s time would serve as a sign of God’s restoration? (33:12-13)  What promise did God make that should have given great hope to Jeremiah’s hearers? (33:14-16)  What promise did God make to David and reiterate to Jeremiah? (33:17-18)  What did God offer as the guarantee of His promises? (33:19-22)  What conclusions were foreign nations drawing about God’s people as they were being punished? (33:23-24)  How did God assure His people that He would indeed have compassion on them? (33:23-26)  What may have been helpful about the fact that God revealed the near and distant future to Jeremiah at the same time?  What difference does it make that some of the prophecies about the Messiah were given to an imprisoned prophet in a besieged city?  How does God’s Lordship over Creation help us understand His power over human affairs?  What is an example of a “great and unsearchable thing” that has been revealed to us by God?  Why is God concerned when people misunderstand His nature?  What example of God’s faithfulness in nature can inspire your understanding of His constant love for you?  What unanswered question of your heart will you call out to God?

F-260 Jeremiah Buys a Field - Jeremiah 32:1-44  When have you had the opportunity to deliver a well-deserved “I told you so”?  What do you think would happen to the crime rate if people believed the world would end tomorrow? Why?  How long had the kings of Judah and Babylon been reigning when Jeremiah received this word from God? (32:1)  Where was Jeremiah, and who had put him there? (32:2-3)  What were the specifics of Jeremiah’s prophecies about the outcome of the siege? (32:3-5)  What happened to Jeremiah while he was in the courtyard, just as God had told him? (32:6-8)  What course of action did Jeremiah take? Why? (32:8-12)  What did God say after Jeremiah hid the deed to his newly purchased property in a clay jar? (32:13-15)  What truths did Jeremiah proclaim about God’s nature? (32:17)  How did Jeremiah summarize God’s role and Israel’s role in their relationship throughout history? (32:18-23)  Why was Jeremiah left to marvel over what he had just done? (32:24-25)  What was God’s reply to Jeremiah’s doubts? (32:26-27)  What had the people of Judah and Jerusalem done to deserve the punishment that was about to befall them? (32:28-35)  What glimpse into the immediate future was Jeremiah giving the people as God instructed? (32:36)  What glimpse into the more distant future did God give to Jeremiah? (32:37-44)  How did Jeremiah’s seemingly irrational actions concerning a piece of property serve to illustrate what God was revealing?  What different reactions are we likely to get when we communicate God’s ways to our world?  What should we do when obedience to God’s clear directives seems confusing, illogical, or even contradictory?  How does the unbelieving world view our hope in the triumph of Jesus Christ over sin and death?  What might have happened if Jeremiah had been so caught up in appearances that he was afraid to look inconsistent to the people around him?  What element in this story illustrates the maxim that actions speak louder than words?  What kinds of purchases would you be likely and unlikely to make if you knew the world would end tomorrow?  In what area of your life could it be helpful to ponder the truth that nothing is too hard for God?  What steps can you take to evaluate how your concern for appearances is affecting your obedience to God?

F-260 Restoration of Israel - Jeremiah 30:1-31:40  What thoughts and feelings would go through your mind if you were told you had an incurable illness?  What are the different ways that groups of people celebrate and demonstrate collective joy?  What did God instruct Jeremiah to do with the words that had been revealed to him? (30:1-2)  What good news summarized God’s plans for the defeated and divided nation? (30:3)  What was the picture of judgment painted by Jeremiah? (30:4-7)  What did Jeremiah predict that Israel would receive instead of its enslavement to foreign nations? (30:8-9)  What two blessings did God say Israel once had and would have again? (30:10)  What would characterize God’s discipline of His own people? (30:11)  What was God’s metaphor for the sinful condition of His people? (30:12-13)  How would the future look different for God’s people and for their enemies? (30:16-17)  What miraculous event would be the occasion for great rejoicing? (30:18-20)  What relationship did God intend to reestablish with all twelve tribes of Israel? (31:1-2)  How did God plan to demonstrate the constancy of His love? (31:3-6)  What picture did Jeremiah paint of the future return of the exiles? (31:7-8)  What attitude did Jeremiah predict for Israel as they returned to the land God had given them? (31:9)  Why did God say He would provide streams of water and a level path? (31:9)  What two key actions did God promise to take on behalf of Israel, allowing them to return to the land? (31:10-11)  What causes for rejoicing would the people of Israel have when God fulfilled His promise? (31:10-14)  What hope for the future did Jeremiah hold out in order to encourage the mourners? (31:16-17)  What hypothetical “conversation” did Jeremiah record between the repentant Ephraim (symbolic of the northern kingdom) and God? (31:18-20)  What would become of the fatalistic proverb that reflected the people’s sense of helplessness and doom? (31:29-30)  What was the new covenant described by Jeremiah? (31:31-34)  How did God illustrate the certainty of His preservation of the descendants of Israel? (31:35-37)  Why was it important for prophecies to be recorded for the future, not just spoken in the present?  How is God’s justice balanced with His mercy in the messages of Jeremiah?  Given the fact that our sinfulness is incurable, how can we be made right with God?  How attainable do peace and security seem in our day?  What kind of devotion does God look for in a leader?  What sort of behaviors does God model for earthly fathers to imitate?  In what sorts of circumstances does it help to know that God is a God of compassion?

F-260 A Letter to the Exiles - Jeremiah 29:1-32  How do you respond when someone who is supposed to speak for you expresses an opinion or idea that is not your own?  What kinds of things would you do differently if you moved to a new community but only expected to stay for a year?  To whom did Jeremiah, living in Jerusalem, send a letter? (29:1-2)  Who was able to carry a letter to the exiles? (29:3)  What specific commands did God give the exiles regarding how they should settle down? (29:4-6)  How did God want the Israelites to think about and react to the foreign country in which they lived? (29:7)  By whom were the exiles in danger of being deceived? (29:8-9)  After what period of time did God promise to bring the people back to the land? (29:10)  What was the nature of God’s plans for Israel? (29:11)  Why would Judah’s seeking for God be fruitful after this period of exile? (29:12-13)  How would the people of Israel be “reconstituted” after seventy years of exile? (29:14)  What did Jeremiah’s letter inform the exiles about God’s judgment of those who remained behind? (29:15-19)  What did God have in store for two specific false prophets who were telling the exiles they would soon be home? (29:20-21)  What deeds of the false prophets had not escaped God’s all-seeing eye? (29:22-23)  What did Shemaiah’s letter to Zephaniah the priest in Jerusalem contain? (29:24-28)  How did Jeremiah learn about the letter encouraging his imprisonment? (29:29)  What was God’s judgment on Shemaiah for his treachery against Jeremiah? (29:31-32)  Why was it important for the exiles to know that God planned to prosper them and not to harm them?  What kind of prophet (false or true) told the people what they wanted to hear while requiring nothing of them in return?  What emotional reaction would most people have if asked to pray for the prosperity of their captors?  How do you think God would have us pray for our country?  Why does God want us to seek Him with our whole heart?  What does it mean to you to seek God with your whole heart?  Why is back-stabbing a risky way of trying to get rid of your enemies?  How should we react whenever someone promises us something for nothing in spiritual matters?  How can you maintain a healthy skepticism toward people who promise too much for God?  How does God’s promise of a hope for the future enable you to persevere through the current difficulties in your life?

F-260 Seventy Years of Captivity - Jeremiah 25:1-38  What are your thoughts whenever you meet someone with a “holier-than-thou” attitude?  What are five situations that, in your opinion, must make God very angry?  When did Jeremiah’s next message fall in relation to the kings of Judah and Babylon? (25:1)  How long had Jeremiah been speaking the word of God to the people of Judah and Jerusalem? (25:2-3)  How did the people of Judah respond to God’s servants? (25:4)  What was the message of the prophets? (25:5-6)  How did the people bring God’s judgment on themselves? (25:7)  Whom did God specify as His instrument of judgment, and how long would Judah remain in captivity? (25:8-11)  How would Babylon eventually pay for her guilt before God? (25:12-14)  What was the cup that God ordered Jeremiah to deliver to many nations? (25:15-16)  What nations were named in Jeremiah’s prophecy as being in line to be judged by God? (25:17-26)  What was God’s answer to any nation that refused the cup from Jeremiah? (25:27-29)  What images did Jeremiah use to convey the coming of God’s great wrath? (25:30-31)  How did Jeremiah describe the magnitude of the destruction he foresaw? (25:32-33)  What would become of all the leaders who did not fear God? (25:34-38)  Why did it anger God that the people worshiped things they had created?  What could the people of Judah have done to avert God’s punishment?  Why was it significant that Jeremiah’s prophecy of judgment included the most powerful nations on earth?  Why did God refer to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, as his servant?  How bad do conditions have to be in order to prevent people from burying and mourning their dead?  What was God saying about the supposed “exemption” of the leaders when He used many of the same words to describe their plight as He had used with the sheep?  In what ways do people who love and serve God need to acknowledge their own inherent sinfulness?  How can you avoid making gods out of your own accomplishments?  How can you avoid becoming complacent about your own sinfulness and need for God?

F-260 Israel Forsakes God - Jeremiah 2:1-3:5  What is one of the more outrageous excuses or rationalizations you’ve heard recently?  How would people be likely to view the heir to a large fortune who refused it and insisted on striking out on his or her own?  What did God, through Jeremiah, remind Judah about her history with God? (2:1-3)  What acts had God performed on behalf of His people only to be answered by disobedience? (2:6-7)  What two sins did God say His people had committed? (2:13)  How was Israel being humiliated because of her disobedience? (2:14-16)  Why were terrible things happening to God’s people? (2:17)  What attitude did the people of Judah fail to have toward the Lord? (2:19)  What two pictures from the practice of farming did Jeremiah use to illustrate Judah’s rebellion? (2:20-21)  To what animal behavior did God compare the behavior of Judah? (2:23-24)  To what did Jeremiah compare the disgrace of Israel? (2:26)  How did Israel respond to God’s correction? (2:29-30)  To what did God compare Israel’s abandonment of God? (2:31-32)  Besides spiritual prostitution, of what sin did God find Judah guilty? (2:33-34)  What behavior on the part of Israel made it unthinkable that God would return to her? (3:1-3)  How did Judah’s talk contrast with her behavior? (3:4-5)  What should a history lesson on God’s dealings with His people inspire in us?  How is it possible for people to have no awe of God?  What options do men and women have once they are stained by sin?  What was ironic about the way Judah cried out to God, or even blamed God, when they were in trouble?  Why does violence toward the powerless tend to follow when people abandon respect for God?  Why are people inclined to call upon God without changing their sinful ways?  What meditation would help revive your awe of God in the coming week?  To whom could you tell about God’s love and provision in your life?

F-260 The Call of Jeremiah - Jeremiah 1:1-19  What does it feel like to bring news that you know will be unpopular?  When have you been chosen for a task for which you felt totally unqualified?  How is Jeremiah identified at the beginning of the book bearing his name? (1:1)  How long did Jeremiah serve as a prophet to Judah? (1:2-3)  How did God announce to Jeremiah that he was chosen as a prophet? (1:5)  What was Jeremiah’s assessment of his own abilities in relation to God’s call? (1:6)  How did God respond to Jeremiah’s reservations? (1:7)  What promise did God make to Jeremiah from the outset of his ministry? (1:8)  By what action did God transform Jeremiah into His mouthpiece? (1:9)  How did God describe Jeremiah’s mission as prophet? (1:10)  By what symbol did God show Jeremiah that He was watching both Jeremiah and the people of Judah? (1:11-12)  What did the boiling pot tilting away from the north symbolize? (1:13-15)  What sins had caused God to execute judgment on Judah by means of the peoples from the north? (1:16)  What consequences did God promise if Jeremiah did not say what He commanded? (1:17)  Although He predicted that the people would oppose Jeremiah, what did God promise His prophet? (1:19)  What difference can it make to know that God knew us and set us apart even before our birth?  What reservations do you have about your ability to serve God according to His call?  When we tell people about Christ, whose words do we speak?  How did God make it clear to Jeremiah that there was nothing to fear?  Why do you think God sent Jeremiah to Judah, knowing that they would fight against him?  What is the source of our strength to preach God’s Word?  When can you make a list of the ways you have seen God work in your life throughout your life?  What regular practice of prayer, meditation, or Bible study can you use to enhance your fear of the Lord and put your fear of people into perspective?

F-260 Jehoiakim and Jehoiachin - 2 Kings 23:36-24:17  What do you imagine to be some of the hardships of living in a small country that is continually being conquered by one large neighbor or another?  If you had to choose between these two options, would you prefer to be banished from your native country for life or confined in your current home under house arrest?  How long did Jehoiakim (who was installed and renamed by the Pharaoh Neco of Egypt) rule in Jerusalem? (23:36)  What kind of a king was Jehoiakim? (23:27)  How did Jehoiakim’s relationship with Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon change during his rule? (24:1)  When raiders from Babylon and other countries attacked Judah, what prophecy was being fulfilled? (24:2)  When the Lord executed judgment against Judah, what sins in particular was He unwilling to forgive? (24:3-4)  Who succeeded Jehoiakim on the throne of Judah? (24:6)  Why was the king of Egypt no longer a potential ally and protector for Judah against Babylon? (24:7)  How long did Jehoiachin sit on the throne of Judah? (24:8)  What happened when Nebuchadnezzar and his army laid siege to Jerusalem? (24:10-12)  What was left of Judah’s people and wealth after Nebuchadnezzar captured the king and the city? (24:13-14)  Who were some of the notable people taken captive to Babylon? (24:15-16)  What was the relationship of Nebuchadnezzar’s puppet king to the previous king? (24:17)  Why did Nebuchadnezzar install a new king rather than deal with the old one?  Who were the various enemies that contributed to the downfall of Judah?  According to the prophets, why was Judah destroyed?  Why does God take it upon Himself to avenge “innocent blood”?  In what ways did Judah push God too far?  What are the pitfalls of relying on someone else’s strength, whether physical or spiritual?  What advantage was there in Nebuchadnezzar taking captive all but the poorest people of Judah?  What “riches” and “strength” do we possess in Christ that cannot be taken away by anyone?  How can you reaffirm your relationship with Christ and that you are not depending on anyone else’s faith or goodness to save you?  For what innocent or defenseless person could you step forward? In what way?

F-260 Josiah Renews the Covenant - 2 Kings 23:1-35  How would you dispose of an object if you wanted to make sure that no one would ever recognize it or use it again?  What does each member of your family contribute to the overall tone and personality of the whole?  What is satisfying about conquering a tough cleanup job?  To whom did Josiah the king read the recently discovered book of God’s law? (23:1-2)  What did the king and the people do in response to the words they heard? (23:3)  What did Josiah do with the objects, buildings, and priests associated with pagan worship in Judah? (23:4-7)  How did Josiah treat the high places and shrines where people had worshiped other gods? (23:8)  Prior to Josiah, what privileges did the pagan priests have in Judah? (23:9)  What were some of the gods represented by the altars that Josiah desecrated and made unusable? (23:10-14)  What important, historic symbol of disobedience did Josiah destroy at Bethel? (23:15)  Whose tomb did Josiah happen upon while using human bones to desecrate pagan worship sites? (23:16-18)  What practices of the kings of Israel did Josiah root out of the remnant of God’s people in Judah? (23:19-20)  What did the king order the people to do when his cleansing work had been completed? (23:21)  How long had it been since Israel had celebrated the Passover as commanded by God? (23:22-23)  What abhorrent spiritual practices did Josiah eliminate? (23:24)  How did Josiah compare with other kings? (23:25)  What had provoked God to be angry enough to destroy Judah before Josiah had ever come on the scene? (23:26-27)  How did Josiah’s death and burial fulfill the prophecy that he would not see the judgment that was coming upon Judah? (23:29-30)  How did Jehoahaz compare to his father, Josiah? (23:32)  What foreign king removed Jehoahaz from the throne and replaced him with his brother? (23:33-34)  Why do you suppose Josiah called the whole nation to repentance even though he had already heard the prophecy of doom for Judah?  What did Josiah’s actions do for Judah’s relationship with God?  What did Josiah contribute to the nation of Israel?  For whom do you set an example (whether you intend to or not)?  In what various ways had the temple of God been defiled and compromised?  What foreign influences were represented in the panoply of shrines and worship sites?  Why was it not sufficient for Josiah to halt the pagan worship practices?  Why do you suppose that the presence of human bones was a universally recognized desecration that would prevent worship in that site ever again?  Why do you think people fall out of the habit of observing traditional celebrations, even those with religious significance?  What mood do you suppose prevailed in Judah during Josiah’s reforms?  What opportunities do you have to set a moral example for others this week?  The next time you learn of an area of disobedience to God’s Word in your life, how can you respond to fulfill your desire to obey?  What step of obedience, however small, can you offer to God as a confirmation of His covenant with you?

F-260 The Book of the Law Found - 2 Kings 22:1-20  What interesting item have you found while sorting through an attic, basement, or old box?  What is the best way to deliver bad news?  When someone must deliver bad news to you, what do you most want that person to do?  How do you feel when someone responds defensively to valid criticism? when he or she responds with a humble apology?  How old was Josiah when he was made king of Judah? (22:1)  What kind of a king did Josiah prove to be? (22:2)  As a young man, what important work did Josiah want to see resumed? (22:3-5)  How did Josiah want the supervision and payment of the repair work to be handled? (22:4-7)  What news did the high priest give to Josiah’s trusted secretary? (22:8)  What did Shaphan the secretary do with the book shown to him by the high priest? (22:8)  What two parts did Shaphan’s report contain when he returned to the king? (22:9-10)  What did Shaphan do in the presence of the king? (22:10)  How did Josiah react to the words of the book that was read? (22:11)  What instructions did Josiah give his most trusted officials? (22:12-13)  From reading the book, what did Josiah know about God’s feelings toward Judah? (22:13)  To whom did Josiah’s officials go to “inquire of the Lord”? (22:14)  Which part of the prophetess’ answer confirmed Josiah’s worst fears? (22:15-17)  What promise did the prophetess communicate to Josiah personally? (22:18-20)  Why was the Lord favorably inclined toward Josiah? (22:19)  What does it indicate about the spiritual condition of Judah that the Book of the Law had been missing for a long time?  What attitude did Josiah have toward the supervisors and their workmen?  What important choices did Shaphan the secretary make after he received the book from the priest?  What makes the job of delivering bad news so difficult?  When should we be willing to deliver bad news?  How does it feel to receive the news that it is too late to remedy a situation?  What are some of the different ways people respond when they hear that they are not obeying God?  What is admirable about the way Josiah responded when he heard the Book of the Law read?  What was it about Josiah that enabled him to tear his robes in repentance when he realized that he and his people had not been obeying God?  Why was God favorably disposed toward Josiah?  What can we learn about God from the fact that though Josiah’s repentance pleased God, it was not enough to turn away His anger from Judah?  What conclusions can we draw from the fact that Josiah was the son and grandson of wicked kings?  What is one concrete step can you take to make sure that God’s Word is not lost to you and your family?  What relationship in your life gives you an opportunity to work on an attitude of faithful service?