Purpose: To encourage class members to participate in God’s great latter-day work and to have his law written in their hearts.
Background: Did you know that Jeremiah was a contemporary of Lehi? He was! You'll remember that Lehi and his family fled Jerusalem in 600 B.C. and journeyed to the promised land of America. After the fall of Jerusalem, the Jews who escaped into Egypt took Jeremiah with them (Jer 43:5-7). In 1 Nephi 1:4, Nephi mentions "many prophets" who prophesied at the time Lehi, his father, was prophesying and preaching.
"Jeremiah was one of the few ancient prophets who prophesied destruction for the people and then saw the fulfillment of his prophecies during his own lifetime. In a way, he was a lot like Mormon in the Book of Mormon, who was called by the Lord to work with a people for whom there was no hope, because of their extreme wickedness." [The Old Testament Made Easier, pg. 216]
The Old Testament Student Manual, describes the conditions under which Jeremiah served as a prophet: "With the exception of Josiah, all of the kings of Judah during Jeremiah's ministry were unworthy men under whom the country suffered severely. Even during the reign of an earlier king, the wicked Manasseh, the Baal cult was restored among the Jews, and there was introduced the worship of the heavenly planets...Jeremiah therefore found idolatry, Hill-worship, and heathen religious practices rampant among his people Heathen idols stood in the temple, children were scarified to Ball-Moloch, and Ball was especially involved as the usual heathen deity. The worship of the 'queen of Heaven' ought also to be mentioned. The corruption of the nation's religious worship was, of course, accompanied by all manner of immorality and unrighteousness against which the prophet had continually to testify. The poor were forgotten. Jeremiah was surrounded on all sides by almost total apostasy. He was surrounded by plenty of professional prophets, who were smooth, easy-going, popular preachers whose words awakened no conscience, and who assured the people that the nation was safe in the protecting care of God. This was a true message in Isaiah's day, but the time was long since past, and Jerusalem was destined for captivity. Thus Jeremiah was doomed to preach an unwelcome message, while the false prophets persuaded the people that he was unpatriotic, uninspired, and pessimistic.
Elder Jean A. Tefan, Area Authority Seventy wrote a nice article titled, "Jeremiah: As Potter's Clay" that I would highly recommend. It is about how the Lord's tender sculpting of the Prophet Jeremiah's life is a reminder that He can shape each of our lives.
Points to Ponder:
- As recorded in Jeremiah 31:31–34, what did the Lord promise to do in the latter days? (See also Ezekiel 11:17–20; 36:24–28; 2 Corinthians 3:2–3.)
- What does it mean to have God’s law written in our hearts? What must we do to have God’s law written in our hearts? How is our behavior affected when we have God’s law written in our hearts?
- According to Jeremiah 29:12–14, what can we do to draw close to God?
Conclusion: We live in a time that Jeremiah and many other prophets have looked forward to with rejoicing. We can participate in the gathering of Israel and have the law of God written in our hearts.
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