“Jeremiah 16: Hope in the Latter Days,” Old Testament Seminary Student Study Guide (2002), 158–59
“Jeremiah 16,” Old Testament Seminary Student Study Guide, 158–59
Hope in the Latter Days
For hundreds of years before Jeremiah’s time, the Lord, through His prophets, pleaded with the children of Israel to trust and obey Him, promising that He would bless them with peace and prosperity. They chose, however, the seemingly easier and more worldly ways of idol worship and other false religions. The Lord continued to give the Israelites evidence of His power, such as when Elijah met the priests of Baal on Mount Carmel (see 1 Kings 18). But the people still would not wholly follow the Lord; His ways seemed too difficult. What they did not realize was that His way is the only way of peace and salvation. Unfortunately, the time comes when the only way the Lord can show people that He is the only true and living, all-powerful God is to allow them to be cast out where they must trust in their false gods for deliverance, knowing the gods cannot save anyone because they have no life or power. The Lord promised to use this method in Jeremiah 16.
The message in Jeremiah 16 is not all negative, however. The Lord promised to receive Israel back again in the latter days and help them to know that He is their God. The gathering of Israel is something we can participate in today.
Studying the Scriptures
Do activities A and B as you study Jeremiah 16.
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What? and Why?
A stranger to Israel comes upon the land vacated by the Jews when they were taken into Babylon. When he asks you what happened and why, what would you tell him? Look in Jeremiah 16:10–13 for help.
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Scripture Mastery—Jeremiah 16:16
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Read Jeremiah 16:14–16 and tell what the Lord promised to do in the latter days for Israel.
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According to these same verses, how impressive would the Lord’s action be to them?
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Who do you think the “fishers” and “hunters” are in verse 16?
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Why do you think the Lord used the terms “fishers” and “hunters” to describe what He would do?
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