Please read through my Jeremiah study questions and then as much as you can of the first half of Jeremiah. Be sure to read Chapters 16, 20, 23, and 28. Suppose you are asked to help prepare an anthology of great quotations from the ancient world. There are going to be two Jeremiah quotes, and you get to pick two of them. Of all of Jeremiah's many quotable lines, which two would you choose? Why these particular lines?
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There are many great quotations from Jeremiah that not only tell a great deal about what kind of prophet/person he was, but also what he was going through. My first pick for a quote is chapter 20:7. “O Lord, thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived: thou art stronger than I, and has prevailed: I am in derision daily, ever one mocketh me.” Jeremiah was doing a tough job for which he got mocked for. It seems like he thinks God deceived him because he does not feel he making any progress. The second quote I would pick shows two things about Jeremiah. The first thing it shows is that he believes God will be with him. The second thing it shows is that he is not as sympathetic as some of the previous prophets. (20:11) “But the Lord is with me as a mighty terrible one: therefore my persecutors shall stumble, and they shall not prevail: they shall be greatly ashamed; for they shall not prosper: their everlasting confusion shall never be forgotten. Another quote that could not be left out of anthology about Jeremiah is 23:9. “Mine heart within me is broken because of the prophets; all my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine hath overcome, because of the Lord, and because of the words of his holiness.” This is truly a great quote. Happy Blogging!!!
The first quote that I would include is 20:13 “Sing to the Lord! Praise the Lord! For He has delivered the life of the poor from the hand of evildoers”. I like this quote because it is simple and straightforward. It is an easy reminder of what God has done for people and what he deserves for doing that. Mainly though, I think I am just a sucker for the up beat messages of hope!
The second quote I would pick is 17:14 “Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me and I shall be saved, for you are my praise”. This one is important because it goes along with the idea of praising God’s doings. But it also makes a very important point of asking God. Sometimes we forget that we have to communicate with God not just assume that if we believe in him, he will make our lives wonderful. We have to do our own part.
For my first quote I picked 23:5-6.
"The days are coming," declares the Lord, "when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord Our Righteousness."
I picked this one because it seems like a great message of hope and safety to the people of Judah in the book of Jeremiah, a book whose first half seems mostly negative. Second, I picked this verse because of its meaning which we today can now understand better than those in Jeremiah's time--a message of the Messiah and all the good he will do for Judah and the entire world.
The second quote I picked was 24:6-7, the first half of the vision of the baskets of figs.
My eyes will watch over them for their good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up and not tear them down; I will plant them and not uproot them. I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me wit all their heart.
Again a great passage because of its great message of hope. Its explaining that even God gives his people over to invaders and sends them into exile, even then he will be always watching over them and looking out for their well-being. Then God promises to bring them back and make them strong once again; they will follow him and know him in their hearts, not just in their actions. I liked how it ended with the "I will be theirs and they will be mine" section--a true relationship.
The first quote I would pick is Chapter 9 verses 22-23
“Thus says the LORD: Let not the wise man glory in his strength; nor the rich man glory in his riches; But rather, let him who glories, glory in this, that in his prudence he knows me, Knows that I, the LORD, bring about kindness, justice and uprightness on the earth; For with such am I pleased, says the LORD.”
This quote reminds us to live for God, not for our own glory, not for monetary possessions, but for Him. I think we often times get caught up in worldly possessions, popularity, and the need for being the ‘best’ and forget what life is really all about. We forget Him who gave life to us and how we are called to live it everyday.
The second quote I would choose is found in Chapter 20 verse 13
“Sing to the LORD, praise the LORD, For he has rescued the life of the poor from the power of the wicked!”
I would pick this quote because it is a message of hope for the people of his time and for us as we look for the ways God rescues the lowly everyday – maybe even through the work of each of us. Let us be so blessed that we may be called to be a part of God’s plan of deliverance for those who seek His glory.
One of my favorite quotes from Jeremiah is 20:13, “Sing to the Lord; praise the Lord! For he has delivered the life of the needy from the hands of evildoers.” I thought this quote would be particularly appropriate because it is straight forward, easy to understand, and uplifting to underdogs everywhere.
Quote number two goes to Jeremiah 16:19, “O Lord, my strength and my stronghold, my refuge in the day of trouble, to you shall the nations come from the ends of the earth…” I liked this one because it asserted the presence of the Lord and that he is the solid rock on which we stand.
I think that one of the great quotes of Jeremiah is 16:17. "My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from me, nor is their sin concealed from my eyes." It is a great reminder to all of us that even if there isn’t an immediate or devastating consequence that our sins our not just forgotten or not seen. The Lord does see it all and we must not forget that.
"He rescues the life of the needy from the hands of the wicked." Jeremiah 20:13. It seems that on this earth the most prosperous in worldly/material terms are the one who do wicked things. And the ones who follow the Lord are often oppressed and brought to shame in the eyes of the world. They are often dependent on the wealthy to live even the most meager of lives. But the Lord recognizes this and eventually he will rise up the needy and take them away from the dependency of the wicked.
Thus says the Lord of hosts: " Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They make you worthless; They speak a vision of their own heart, Not from the mouth of the Lord. Chapter 23:16. This is a wonderful verse because of it's eternal relevance to all societies throughout the ages, including our own. Jeremiah Wright can stand behind the pulpit, take the Lord's name in vain, curse America and tell you it's in the bible. Are these words from the mouth of the Lord, or words from his own heart? Evander Holyfield said he would knock out Lewis in the third round because the prophets told him God had told them this. Mr.Holyfield did not knock out Lewis in any round. Be mindful and use common sense when you hear things prophesied. Especially in todays society.
I'll get down off my high horse and choose 31:34 as keeper. "No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more." How great is that! Even the Wright's of the world will be forgiven if they repent.
Twins win, 3-2.
The first quote that I find interesting from Jeremiah is in Chapter 7 verse 4. It says, Trust not in lying words saying, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, The Temple of the Lord are these. This verse struck me as sort of odd but it appears once again Jeremiah is noticing a tendency with the people. They appear to be putting their trust in temples and buildings, the people do not have their trust in God, and have not turned their hearts to righteousness. The second verse I find interesting is Chapter 23 verse 1, it says Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture, saith the Lord. This verse strikes me as important since there are so many people with authority who guide other people away from Gods path.
My first pick for a quote is Jeremiah 20:7, “O Lord, thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived: thou art stronger than I, and has prevailed: I am in derision daily, ever one mocketh me.”
I think this is a great quote, because it shows his frustration with the lord. No doubt Jeremiah's job was a hard one, and it doesn't help when people mock the job you are doing.
My second quote would be Jeremiah 20:13, “Sing to the Lord! Praise the Lord! For He has delivered the life of the poor from the hand of the wicked."
I like this quote, because there seems to be a message of hope and gratitude here. There is hope, because the Lord does help those in need. And gratitude is expressed, which is sometimes over looked by some people.
Jeremiah is filled with many wonderful quotes, but one of my favorites is Jeremiah 20: 13, Sing to the Lord! Praise the Lord! For he has devilered the life of the poor From the hand of the evil doers. This verse is so full of hope. It shows that even though there is much wrong in the world, God is still there for us and it is up to us to give him thanks and praise him for the things that he has done.
Another great verse is found in Jeremiah 23:28, "The prophet who has a dream, let him tell a dream; And he who has My word, let him speak My word faithfully. What is chaff to the wheat? says the Lord" This is also a very strong message warning the people against false prophets. The comparison between chaff and wheat shows us that false prophets (chaff) will blow away in the wind, while true prophets (wheat) will stay in place and be strong and nourishing.
Jeremiah 1:6; Then said I, Ah, Lord God! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child. When I read this passage, it reminded me of Samuel whom God called at a young age too. Jeremiah felt he was too young to prophesize to the people.I believe this quote would help young people today realize that God calls all ages to minister to His people. The next passage helps us today to ask for the old paths, where is the good way. When we go into the Inipi (Prayer Lodge), I often hear prayers that say in a good way, then their requests are prayed.
Jeremiah 6:16; Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, whre is the good way, and walk threin, and ye shall find rest for you souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.
The first quote I would pick is Jeremiah 23:3-4. "I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the coutries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number, I will place shepherds over tham who will tend them, and they will no longer be afriad or terrified, not will any be missing, declares the Lord." Many times throughout the Bible, the analogy is drawn between God's people and sheep. I believe this is a very good parallel because we as humans tend to be followers much like sheep. This can be a good thing if God's people are following God but this same advantage can be a disadvantage when we are lead astray. These verses give us hope that one day God will gather what is left of his flock and place watchful shepherds over us to keep us from going astray.
The next passage I would choose is Jeremiah 20:8-9. "Whenever I speak, I cry out proclaiming violence and destruction. So the word of the Lord has brought me insult and reproach all day long. But if I say, 'I will not mention him or speak any more in his name,' his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot." This may seem like a interesting choice but I feel that these verses remind us that doing God's work is not easy. Jeremiah was dedicated to carrying out the work of God but all it earned him was ridicule. However, Jeremiah had faith that God would take care of his situation
I would choose Jeremiah 20: 14-18 as my first quote. It is in these verses that Jeremiah curses the day he was born. This is important in his life because it shows how much the burden has been being a prophet--he is getting so depressed that he wishes he was never born.
The second choice would be chapter 23: 5-6. It is in these verses that Jeremiah has a message of hope.
"Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up a righteous shoot to David; As king he shall reign and govern wisely, he shall do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, Israel shall dwell in security. This is the name they give him: "The Lord our justice.""
This shows that Jeremiah is not full of bad messages, that the Lord is telling him of good things that will happen for the Israelites.
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