Read Jeremiah 18:1–10. What important principles about prophetic interpretation do we find here?
In those same verses, what crucial spiritual principles do we find as well?
Despite all the evil, the Lord was still willing to give people a chance to repent. Hence, here, too, we see the grace of God being offered to those who will accept it. Even now, they still had time to turn around, despite all that they had done.
In these verses, too, we can see the conditionality of many prophecies: God says that He will do something, which is often to bring punishment. But if the people repent, He will not do what He said He would do. What He will do is conditional, depending upon how the people respond. Why would God do anything else? He would not admonish the people to turn from their evil ways and then still bring punishment upon them if they repented and turned from their evil ways. In such cases, He won’t punish, and He explicitly says so in these texts.
Read Jeremiah 18:18–23. What reasons do the people believe they have for what they want to do to Jeremiah? What is Jeremiah’s very human response?
How utterly frustrated Jeremiah must have felt to be condemned by people who attacked him because, they said, they wanted to save the “teaching of the law,” the “counsels of the wise,” and “the word from the prophets.” How self-deceptive the heart really can be!
What lessons should we learn about how careful we need to be in doing things in the name of the Lord? Bring your answer to class on Sabbath.
Adventist Sabbath School Lesson for Adults
Q4 2015 «Jeremiah»
Lesson 5 – More Woes for the Prophet
