God commanded Jeremiah to stand at the gate of the temple and tell the people of Judah to repent. Jeremiah prophesied that they would suffer at the hands of a conquering nation but that the day would come that Israel would be gathered and again become the Lord’s people. Though the people became angry with him, Jeremiah continued to preach repentance.
Jeremiah stands at the gate of the temple and calls the people to repentance
Provide students with copies of the following statements, or write them on the board. Ask students to read each statement carefully and determine whether the statement is true, partly true, or false.
If I go to church, pay my tithing, and do baptisms for the dead with my ward, then I will be ready for the Savior’s Second Coming.
Partaking of the sacrament automatically cleanses me from sin each week.
Explain that you will discuss students’ responses to these statements later in the lesson. Invite students to look for principles as they study Jeremiah 7 that can give them greater insight into these statements.
Remind students that God had called Jeremiah as a prophet to warn the people of Judah that unless they repented, they would be conquered by another nation. Explain that as recorded in Jeremiah 7:1–2, Jeremiah was commanded to stand at the gate of the temple and preach to the people. Many of the Jews in Jeremiah’s day behaved as though worshipping at the temple made them righteous, regardless of whatever else they did.
Invite a student to stand and read Jeremiah 7:3–11 as though he or she were Jeremiah, delivering the Lord’s message to a multitude of people at the temple gate. (Note: Ensure that the student reading is respectful of the sacred nature of the text.) Ask the class to follow along and look for what the Lord told the people through Jeremiah.
According to verse 3, what did the Lord say to those who were coming to the temple? What does it mean to “amend your ways and your doings”?
According to verse 7, what did the Lord promise the people if they would amend their ways? (They could remain in the promised land.)
According to verses 8–11, what sins were the Jews committing, even though they were coming to offer sacrifice at the temple?
Summarize Jeremiah 7:12–20 by explaining that the Lord reminded the people that the tabernacle in Shiloh had been destroyed because of “the wickedness of [the] people Israel” (verse 12) and that the people of the Northern Kingdom had been taken away captive. The Lord then warned that the temple in Jerusalem would not protect the people of Judah from destruction if they did not repent.
Invite a student to read Jeremiah 7:22–23 aloud. Ask the class to follow along and look for what the Lord said was more important than the sacrifices the people offered at the temple.
What is more important to the Lord than sacrifices? What did He promise the people if they would obey His voice and walk in His ways?
Divide the class into pairs. Invite students to work with their partners to identify a principle from Jeremiah’s words recorded in these verses. Encourage students to write down the principle in their study journals. Invite students to share with the class a principle they identified. (Students may identify principles such as the following: Religious worship and practices alone cannot save us if we do not keep God’s commandments. If we repent and obey God’s voice, then He will be our God and we will be His people. If we strive to walk in all of God’s ways, then it will be well with us.)
Review the statements students evaluated at the beginning of the lesson.
What have you learned that gives insight into these statements? (Help students understand that each of the statements can be only partly true. In each case, outward observance of only some commandments is insufficient. Salvation comes through inward conversion to the gospel of Jesus Christ, faith in His Atonement, and sincerely striving to obey all of His commandments.)
Summarize Jeremiah 8:1–16:13 by explaining that Jeremiah prophesied of the calamities that would befall the Jews. He told them that because of their wickedness they would suffer famine and be taken captive and scattered among heathen nations, and Jerusalem would be destroyed. Jeremiah felt great sorrow for his people and prayed for them, but their hearts were hardened, and the Lord decreed their destruction. In Jeremiah 8:20 Jeremiah taught, “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.” This same tragic warning has been given to us in our day (see D&C 45:2; D&C 56:16).
Show the picture Moses Parting the Red Sea, available at lds.org/media-library, or describe this event to students.
What thoughts might you have had if you had been there to experience the parting of the Red Sea?
Invite a student to read Jeremiah 16:14–15 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for what event people would witness in the latter days that would be as miraculous as the deliverance of Israel from Egypt.
What did Jeremiah prophesy that the Lord would do in the latter days? (You may need to explain that bringing “up the children of Israel from the land of the north” and from other lands [verse 15] means that the Lord will gather the descendants of Israel, including the lost ten tribes, bringing them to the knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ and to membership in His Church. Jeremiah also prophesied that in the last days the Gentiles would seek to know the truth about God and would be gathered along with the descendants of Israel [see verses 19–21].)
Invite a student to read Jeremiah 16:16 aloud. Ask the class to follow along and look for whom the Lord said He would use to help gather the house of Israel.
Whom did the Lord say He would use to help gather Israel? (After students respond, write Fishers and Hunters on the board.)
Whom do you think the words fishers and hunters refer to? (They refer to those who help gather Israel through missionary work.)
How are the skills and characteristics needed to fish and hunt similar to the skills and characteristics we need to be successful in missionary work?
Invite a student to read Jeremiah 16:21 aloud. Ask the class to follow along and look for the outcome of this great missionary effort. Ask students to report what they find.
What can we learn from this prophecy about our efforts to help others come to know the Lord? (After students respond, write the following on the board: As we labor diligently to share the gospel with others, we can help them come to know the power of the Lord.)
What are some things we can share with others to help them come to know the power of the Lord?
Invite students to take a few minutes to ponder and then record in their study journals responses to the following questions:
When have you seen others come to know the power of the Lord as they learned about the gospel?
How could you make a more diligent effort to share the gospel with others to help them come to know the Lord?
What skills and attributes could you develop to help you share the gospel more effectively with others?
Invite students to share some of their responses. You might also share a personal experience and testify of this principle.
Encourage students to make diligent efforts to share the gospel with others to help them come to know the Lord.
Jeremiah warns the people and counsels them to keep the Sabbath day holy
Summarize Jeremiah 17:1–18 by explaining that through Jeremiah the Lord told the people of Judah that they would be forced out of the promised land to “serve [their] enemies” in strange lands (verse 4). This consequence would come as a result of forsaking the Lord and “trust[ing] in man” (verse 5) more than in the Lord. Invite students to consider marking verse 5.
Invite a student to stand and read Jeremiah 17:19–22 as though he or she were Jeremiah standing at the gates of Jerusalem. (Note: Ensure that the student reading is respectful of the sacred nature of the text.) Ask the class to follow along, looking for what Jeremiah was commanded to tell the people at the gates of Jerusalem.
What did the Lord command Jeremiah to tell the people?
Display the following statement by President James E. Faust (1920–2007) of the First Presidency. Invite students to share how they would fill in the blank.
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Jeffrey R. Holland
“In this day of increasing access to and preoccupation with materialism, there is a sure protection for ourselves and our children against the plagues of our day. The key to that sure protection surprisingly can be found in ” (James E. Faust, “The Lord’s Day,” Ensign, Nov. 1991, 35).
After students respond, write Sabbath observance on the board.
Invite a student to read Jeremiah 17:24–25 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for what would happen if the Jews kept the Sabbath day holy.
What did the Lord promise the Jews if they kept the Sabbath day holy? (He would preserve them and help them prosper.)
What principle can we identify from these verses about keeping the Sabbath day holy? (Help students identify the following principle: If we keep the Sabbath day holy, then the Lord will preserve us and help us prosper.)
What are some ways the Lord might preserve us or help us prosper if we keep the Sabbath day holy?
How has the Lord preserved you (or someone you know) or helped you (or someone you know) prosper for keeping the Sabbath day holy?
Ask students to read Jeremiah 17:27 silently, looking for what would happen if the Jews continued to break the Sabbath. Invite students to report what they find.
Invite students to ponder ways they can keep the Sabbath day holy and to act on any promptings they may receive.
Summarize Jeremiah 18–29 by explaining that Jeremiah continued to warn the people of the destruction that would occur if they did not repent. He likened the house of Israel to clay in a potter’s hand to teach that if they would repent, the Lord could mold and reshape their lives. The people became angry with Jeremiah and smote him. Nevertheless, Jeremiah continued to preach against the people’s wickedness and warn them of captivity in Babylon.
To conclude, invite students to share with another member of the class one of the principles in today’s lesson that was meaningful to them and what action they will take because of what they learned.
Elder Donald L. Hallstrom, who served as a member of the Presidency of the Seventy, taught that religious worship and practices alone cannot save us if we do not let the ordinances and covenants of the gospel become a part of us:
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Donald L. Hallstrom
“Some have come to think of activity in the Church as the ultimate goal. Therein lies a danger. It is possible to be active in the Church and less active in the gospel. Let me stress: activity in the Church is a highly desirable goal; however, it is insufficient. Activity in the Church is an outward indication of our spiritual desire. If we attend our meetings, hold and fulfill Church responsibilities, and serve others, it is publicly observed.
“By contrast, the things of the gospel are usually less visible and more difficult to measure, but they are of greater eternal importance. For example, how much faith do we really have? How repentant are we? How meaningful are the ordinances in our lives? How focused are we on our covenants?” (Donald L. Hallstrom, “Converted to His Gospel through His Church,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2012, 14).
Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin (1917–2008) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles told about an experience he had during a visit to West Africa and how it relates to the mission we all share to spread the gospel:
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Joseph B. Wirthlin
“We traveled to Ghana in West Africa. There the Church is growing rapidly and is on very solid footing. …
“As the sun was setting, we saw a large crowd of villagers. Young, old, and middle-aged all were pulling on a huge net and drawing it out of the water. We stopped and inquired about what they were doing. They were pulling in the fish caught that day. In the net were large and small fish of many kinds. Each villager put his hands to the net to help bring in the catch. The thought ran through my mind of the gathering of Israel in the last days as referred to in Jeremiah. The Lord said, ‘I will send for many fishers … and they shall fish them’ (Jeremiah 16:16).
“That, brethren and sisters, is the mission of all of us as members of the Church: to put our hands on the net and pull in thousands of fine men and women who are searching for the truth” (Joseph B. Wirthlin, “Pulling in the Gospel Net,” Ensign, Nov. 1986, 61).
