Today’s passage: Jeremiah 11:1-23
Helpful thoughts:
- Israel had heard the words of the covenant with God and agreed to them. They broke the covenant over and over.
- Israel wanted to sin against God and then expect Him to hear their prayers and come to their aid. They were not interested in relationship or repentance. They were not interested in being loyal to God. They wanted to use Him for their own selfish interest.
- The “Iron furnace” is being used as a metaphor for the hardship Israel had endured as slaves in Egypt.
- Verses 18-23 record a plot to kill Jeremiah by the people of the village of Anathoth (Jeremiah’s home!) and God’s response.
Questions to consider:
- What had to be true of the values and desires of Jeremiah’s heart to endure this plot by his own neighbors?
- What role does God have in your daily life? Would you characterize your activities with Him as a relationship or as a pursuit of an ideal or an interest? Would you say you are growing in knowledge of God or growing in your relationship with Him?
- How does the concept of relationship affect your prayers, your activities, your Bible reading, etc. How does the concept of a relationship with God change the way we would look at repentance? Is repentance just stopping being bad and starting being good? When are a married couple restored in their relationship? How do they know they are doing well? How would that relate to our relationship with God?