Jeremiah, by Walter Rane

October 19–25: “Before I Formed Thee in the Belly I Knew Thee”

Jeremiah 1–3; 7; 16–18; 20

At first, Jeremiah didn’t think he would make a good prophet. “Behold, I cannot speak,” he protested (Jeremiah 1:6). But the Lord reassured him, “I have put my words in thy mouth” (verse 9). Jeremiah felt that he was an inexperienced “child” (verse 6), but the Lord explained that he was actually more prepared than he realized—he had been ordained to this calling even before he was born (see verse 5). So Jeremiah set aside his fears and accepted the call. He warned Jerusalem’s kings and priests that their pretended holiness would not save them. The “child” who thought he could not speak came to feel God’s word “in [his] heart as a burning fire” and could not be silent (Jeremiah 20:9).

Jeremiah’s story is also your story. God knew you, too, before you were born and prepared you for your mission in life. Among other things, that mission includes something Jeremiah foresaw: gathering God’s people, one by one, to “bring [them] to Zion” (Jeremiah 3:14). And even if you don’t know exactly what to do or say, you can “be not afraid … ; for I am with thee, saith the Lord” (Jeremiah 1:8, 19).

For an overview of the book of Jeremiah, see “Jeremiah” in the Bible Dictionary.

Ideas for Learning at Home and at Church

Jeremiah 1:4–19; 7:1–7; 20:8–9

Prophets are called to speak God’s word.

Imagine you’re talking to a friend who has never heard of prophets, and you decide to explain the concept using Jeremiah’s call to be a prophet in Jeremiah 1:4–19. What do you find in these verses that teaches something about prophets of God? You could also look in Jeremiah 7:1–7; 20:8–9 and a hymn like “We Listen to a Prophet’s Voice” (Hymns, no. 22).

You might also want to teach your friend about today’s living prophet. Is there anything in these verses that might help? For example, what do prophets in our day “root out” or “pull down”? What do they “build” and “plant”? (Jeremiah 1:10). How have you come to know that our living prophet is called of God?

See also Articles of Faith 1:6, 9; “Why Do We Have Prophets?” (video), ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

Why Do We Have Prophets?

Jeremiah 1:5

God knew me before I was born.

What did Jeremiah learn about himself in Jeremiah 1:5? As a newly called prophet, why would that information be important for him to know?

Much of what Jeremiah learned about himself in Jeremiah 1:5 is also true about you. God also knew you before you were born and prepared you for specific responsibilities. To learn more about your life before you were born, read Alma 13:1–4; Doctrine and Covenants 138:53–56; and Abraham 3:22–23. You might make a list of truths you discover. Why is this information important for you to know?

To learn about how these truths affected the life of Elder Ahmad S. Corbitt, study his message “You Can Gather Israel!” (Liahona, May 2021, 61–63). How does knowing about your premortal life affect the way you live your mortal life?

Here is what President Russell M. Nelson said about your premortal life:

“Your Heavenly Father has known you for a very long time. You, as His son or daughter, were chosen by Him to come to earth at this precise time, to be a leader in His great work on earth. You were chosen not for your bodily characteristics but for your spiritual attributes, such as bravery, courage, integrity of heart, a thirst for truth, a hunger for wisdom, and a desire to serve others.

“You developed some of these attributes premortally. Others you can develop here on earth as you persistently seek them” (“Decisions for Eternity,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2013, 107).

Think of some situations you might face in which it would be important to remember these truths about your premortal life. What can you do to remind yourself of these truths?

See also Russell M. Nelson, “Decisions for Eternity,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2013, 106–9; Topics and Questions, “Foreordination,” “Premortal Life,” Gospel Library.

In Jeremiah 2:13, the Lord compared the people’s spiritual state to “broken cisterns” and compared Himself to the “fountain of living waters.”

Jeremiah 2; 7

“They have forsaken me the fountain of living waters.”

In the dry region where the Israelites lived, people stored precious water in underground reservoirs called cisterns. What do you think the “broken cisterns” mentioned in Jeremiah 2:13 might symbolize? Why would receiving water from a fountain be better than relying on a cistern? What does it mean to forsake “the fountain of living waters”? As you read Jeremiah 2 and 7, notice how the people were forsaking the Lord’s living waters (see, for example, Jeremiah 2:26–28; 7:2–11). Why is “living water” a good symbol for what the Savior gives you? Think about how you are receiving living water.

Jeremiah 7 is addressed to people who were entering “the Lord’s house … to worship the Lord,” but their actions didn’t match their outward devotion (see verses 2–11). What messages do you feel the Lord might have for you in verses 21–23?

Use object lessons. The Lord’s prophets often compare spiritual truths to familiar objects. Consider doing the same as you learn and teach the gospel. For example, to visualize Jeremiah 2:13, you could put water in a cracked or broken container or drink from a drinking fountain. How is Jesus like a “fountain of living waters”? (Jeremiah 2:13). How do we drink from His living water?

Jeremiah 3:14–18; 16:14–21

The Lord will gather His people.

In Jeremiah 16:14–15, Jeremiah compared the gathering of Israel in the latter days with the Exodus of Israel from Egypt. In your opinion, why would the gathering be even more important to God’s people than the Exodus?

What do Jeremiah 3:14–18; 16:14–21 suggest about how the gathering happens?

In his message “Hope of Israel,” President Russell M. Nelson, like Jeremiah, taught that the gathering of Israel “is the most important thing taking place on earth today” (worldwide youth devotional, June 3, 2018, Gospel Library). Read or listen to his message, and see if you can discover (a) how President Nelson defines the gathering of Israel, (b) how he describes its importance, and (c) how you can be part of the gathering.

For more, see this month’s issues of the Liahona and For the Strength of Youth magazines.

Ideas for Teaching Children

Jeremiah 1:5

Heavenly Father knew me before I was born.

• To introduce the important truth taught in Jeremiah 1:5, you could show your children a picture of a baby (or, if possible, you could look at pictures of your children when they were babies). Ask your children if they know where they lived before they were born. You could also sing together a song that teaches about our premortal life, such as “I Lived in Heaven” (Children’s Songbook, 4).

• If your children would like to learn more, you could help them find “Premortal Life” in the Guide to the Scriptures. They could look for answers to “who,” “when,” and “what” questions about the premortal life.

Jeremiah 1:4–19

Prophets are called to speak the words of the Lord.

• Consider showing pictures of the living prophet or prophets from the scriptures (you can find some in Church magazines, the Gospel Art Book, and Come, Follow Me). Ask your children what they know about these prophets.

• To teach about what prophets do, you might select some helpful verses from Jeremiah 1, such as verses 5, 7, 10, and 19. Your children could each pick one of the verses, read it, and share something they learn about prophets.

Jeremiah 16:14–16

I can help Heavenly Father’s children come back to Him.

• While you read Jeremiah 16:16, your children could pretend to “fish” or “hunt” for objects around the room. President Russell M. Nelson has compared the fishers and hunters in this verse to missionaries (see “The Gathering of Scattered Israel,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2006, 81). What do missionaries do? How can we help “fish” and “hunt” for scattered Israel? (see “A Message for Children from President Russell M. Nelson” [video], ChurchofJesusChrist.org).

  Video: A Message for Children from President Russell M. Nelson

Jeremiah 18:1–6

I can let the Lord guide my life, like a potter shapes clay.

• To explore these verses, you might discuss or show how pottery is made (see the picture at the end of this outline). What message does the Lord have for us in Jeremiah 18:1–6? What does it mean to be clay in the Lord’s hands? (see also Isaiah 64:8). For another story that compares us to potter’s clay, see Elder Richard J. Maynes’s message “The Joy of Living a Christ-Centered Life” (Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2015, 27–30).

For more, see this month’s issue of the Friend magazine.

“Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel” (Jeremiah 18:6).