Jeremiah 16 “The Reason We Hope for the Future”

Jeremiah 16 NIV

Suggested Praise Songs:                                                             

• Third Day – God of Wonders
• All Things New – Steven Curtis Chapman
• Blessed Be Your Name – Matt Redman

Resources for Family Worship (with Children):

• What’s That Word: Trust – Lesson for Kids
• This is My Father’s World (Motions for Kids) – Song for Kids
• God Is Good | Cross Culture Norway VBS Music Video | Group Publishing – Song for Kids
• Turn Your Eyes | Stellar VBS | Group Publishing – Song for Kids
• Discussion Questions for Children & Youth are located in the section after Explanation, Meditation, and Prayer (at the end of this email/blog).

Explanation:

The Lord commands Jeremiah not to marry or have children. This is because when God’s judgment comes, all the people of Judah will suffer greatly, and Jeremiah would not be able to bear seeing his wife and children experience such pain (vv. 1–4). At that time, there will be no need to visit houses of mourning or join in lamentation, because the entire nation will have become one great house of mourning. No one will be able to find comforters for the bereaved, and no one will have the emotional strength to comfort others, for everyone’s sorrow will be overwhelming (vv. 5–7). The Lord also tells Jeremiah not to go to feasts or celebrations, because there will be no more rejoicing in the land (vv. 8–9).

When the people of Judah hear this prophecy of judgment, they will ask why they must suffer such severe disaster, what sin could be so great? The Lord answers that although their ancestors forsook Him and practiced evil, the present generation has become even more corrupt. Therefore, the people of Judah will be taken away and live as captives in foreign lands (vv. 10–13).

Yet in due time, the Lord promises restoration. Just as He once brought Israel out of Egypt, He will one day gather His people from among the nations and bring them back to their homeland (vv. 14–15). However, this will not happen immediately. The coming restoration lies in the distant future, and it will only arrive after Judah has passed through severe judgment (vv. 16–18).

Jeremiah finds courage in the word God gives him. Though Judah must face God’s discipline for its sin, the nation will not be abandoned forever. In time, the Lord will restore His people. Holding on to that hope, Jeremiah confesses, “Lord, my strength and my fortress, my refuge in time of distress” (v. 19). He also proclaims that not only Judah, but all nations of the earth will one day return to the Lord (vv. 19–20). The Lord confirms this promise: it will indeed come to pass (v. 21).

Meditation:

Jeremiah’s feelings toward the people of Judah can best be described as a mixture of love and grief. On one hand, he had deep compassion for them. Even when the Lord commanded him not to intercede with them, Jeremiah could not help but plead earnestly for them. Yet the very people he prayed for rejected him, despised him, mocked him, and persecuted him. Whenever he was deeply heartbroken, Jeremiah cried out to God, asking Him to bring judgment upon those who wronged him.

Because of this, some have suggested that Jeremiah may have suffered from what we now call bipolar disorder — and it is quite possible. The great Reformer Martin Luther also struggled with similar emotional highs and lows. When frail human beings take up a divine calling that is too heavy for them to bear, it often comes with a painful and costly price.

When Jeremiah was called to be a prophet, he hesitated and tried to refuse. Yet, at the same time, he surely considered it an honor to be called “a man of God.” When God’s word came to him, he said, “I ate them” (v. 16), meaning he received them with joy and hunger. But he never expected that this same word would make him hated by the people of Judah and even threaten his life among his own townspeople. The suffering became so unbearable that he was tempted to give it all up and live like everyone else. Although God had promised to watch over him and protect him, his suffering only seemed to grow worse.

Jesus once explained what it means to live as His disciple through two parables. He said that a man who plans to build a tower must first calculate the cost and prepare the resources before beginning, and a king preparing for war must make sure he has enough troops before going into battle (Luke 14:25–33). In the same way, anyone who chooses to follow the Lord’s calling must be ready to endure loss and hardship. There is a cost to being a disciple. Even if we begin this journey fully aware of the cost, like Jeremiah, we may still falter. How much more likely are we to give up if we start without knowing it?

Prayer:

Lord, after reading Jeremiah’s story, it is hard to dare say, “Let me be Your disciple” or “Make me a man (or woman) of God.” If we were in Jeremiah’s place, we would likely want to turn away from Your calling and walk the other way. Yet, Lord, You know our hearts. You see that, despite our fear and weakness, there is still a deep longing within us — a desire to live as Your disciples, as Your people. Please help us, Lord, to become what You have called us to be. Amen.

Discussion Questions for Children & Youth:

Key Point: God is in control of the future, and His plan ends in hope, not destruction.

• For Preschool-Elementary:
  • When you think about the future, what makes you scared or worried?
  • Who is the one who takes care of the whole world and makes everything new?
  • What can we do when we feel afraid about what might happen in the world?
    
• Youth:
  
  • Jeremiah felt hopeless at first but found hope again in God. When do you feel like Jeremiah—worried or discouraged about the world or your future?
  • How does believing that God will make “a new heaven and a new earth” change the way you see your future?
  • What helps you hold on to hope when the world seems dark or uncertain?