Jeremiah 19 “Jerusalem and Topheth”

Jeremiah 19 NIV

Suggested Praise Songs:                                                             

• MATT REDMAN – The Heart Of Worship
• Take My Life (Holiness)
• Pat Barrett – Build My Life feat (Chris Tomlin)

Resources for Family Worship (with Children):

• Worship from the Heart! | John 4:19–24 Bible Lesson for Kids – Lesson for Younger Kids
• How to WORSHIP Correctly – Lesson for Older Kids/Youth
• Shout Praises Kids – Open The Eyes Of My Heart – Song for Kids
• Power Shuffle | True North VBS | 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 instructs Jeremiah to buy a clay jar and take with him some of the elders of the people and the priests. He is to go to the Valley of Ben Hinnom, near the entrance of Potsherd Gate. The Potsherd Gate was a place where broken pottery was thrown away, and the Valley of Ben Hinnom was where the people of Judah once followed the practices of foreign religions and sacrificed their children as offerings (vv. 1–2). There was a temple for idol worship built there, and it was called Topheth. King Josiah had destroyed Topheth (2 Kings 23:10), but the Lord commands Jeremiah to proclaim His message there.

It is a message of judgment (v. 3). This disaster is being declared because the people have committed the sin of worshiping foreign gods, building shrines for Baal, and even burning their own children as offerings (vv. 4–5). The Lord says that when the time comes, the Valley of Ben Hinnom will be called the “Valley of Slaughter” (v. 6), because the people of Judah will be slaughtered there (v. 7). When that day comes, neighboring nations will mock their fate, and the people of Judah will become so devastated that they will eat their own children (vv. 8–9).

The Lord then tells Jeremiah to break the clay jar in front of the leaders who are with him. Just as a broken jar cannot be repaired or used again, the people of Judah will be shattered in judgment (vv. 10–11). On that day, Jerusalem will become like Topheth—ruined and forsaken—because the people of Judah have filled it with idolatry (vv. 12–13).

After proclaiming this message to the representatives of the people at Topheth, Jeremiah returns to Jerusalem and stands in the courtyard of the temple, delivering the same prophecy to all the people (vv. 14–15).

Meditation:

When I was young, there was a sangyeo-jip (funeral bier house) in the middle of our neighborhood. It was a place where the bier and various funeral tools were stored for use when someone passed away. People considered that place unclean and avoided going near it as much as possible. For the people of Judah, the Valley of Ben Hinnom and Topheth would have been places like that. In the Valley of Ben Hinnom, Israelites who had fallen into idolatry sacrificed their children; in the temple of Topheth, sacrifices were offered to false gods. After offering sacrifices, people engaged in sexual acts with male and female cult prostitutes who lived there, all under the guise of religion.

King Josiah, out of zeal for the Lord, destroyed the Valley of Ben Hinnom and the Topheth shrine. After that, the people of Judah likely regarded that place as unclean and ominous, much like the funeral bier house of my childhood.

But now God says He will make Jerusalem like Topheth. This means Jerusalem had become like Topheth. In the place God had set apart for worship, they served other gods, and they worshiped the Lord as if He were a powerless idol. They no longer cared about God’s will; their hearts became corrupt, and as a result, the land of Judah became filled with the blood of innocent people. Therefore, the Lord who once made Topheth a ruin through King Josiah now declares that He will make Jerusalem a ruin through Babylon. The holiest place on earth had become the most defiled and impure.

Prayer:

It was the very people who claimed to believe in You, Lord, who defiled what was holy. It was those who said they belonged to You who dishonored Your holy name. O Lord, we are afraid that we too might commit the same sin. Please guard us and help us to keep holiness. Amen.

Discussion Questions for Children & Youth:

Key Point: God desires our worship to be real, sincere, and holy. When we forget God’s heart and treat worship like a routine or just “something we do,” our hearts can become distant from Him. God calls us to return to Him with respect, love, and honesty.

• For Preschool-Elementary:
  • What does it mean to honor God? How can we show God that we love Him?
  • Sometimes we do things just because we are used to doing them—like coming to church. How can we remember why we worship God?
  • Is there a place that feels special to you because God is there (church, prayer spot, outdoors)? Why does it feel special?
    
• Youth:
  
  • Jeremiah spoke at a place where people had forgotten God. Why do you think people sometimes forget God’s love even while doing religious things?
  • What does real worship look like to you? Not just outward actions, but inward heart and attitude?
  • Is there any area in your life where you feel your heart has grown distant from God? What is one small step you could take this week to return to Him?