“Do You See What I See?”
This review is brought to
you by the Kentucky First
Jurisdiction Church of God in Christ Sunday
School Department.
LESSON AIM: By the end of the lesson,
your students will: review God's written promise to restore the people and the
land of Israel and Judah as of old; imagine and express the feelings of safety
in the community that has great promise for the future; and plan a way to
invite people who are not part of the covenant community to become members of
the church and Sunday School.
BIBLE TRUTH: God's promised to restore
the fortunes of the people, Israel and Judah, and to reestablish the covenant
with them.
Jeremiah 30:1-3 | King James Version (KJV)
1 The word that came to
Jeremiah from the Lord, saying,
2 Thus speaketh the Lord
God of Israel, saying, Write thee all the words that I have spoken unto thee in
a book.
3 For, lo, the days come,
saith the Lord, that I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and
Judah, saith the Lord: and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave
to their fathers, and they shall possess it.
Jeremiah 30:18-22 | King
James Version (KJV)
18 Thus saith the Lord;
Behold, I will bring again the captivity of Jacob's tents, and have mercy on
his dwellingplaces; and the city shall be builded upon her own heap, and the
palace shall remain after the manner thereof.
19 And out of them shall
proceed thanksgiving and the voice of them that make merry: and I will multiply
them, and they shall not be few; I will also glorify them, and they shall not
be small.
20 Their children also
shall be as aforetime, and their congregation shall be established before me,
and I will punish all that oppress them.
21 And their nobles shall
be of themselves, and their governor shall proceed from the midst of them; and
I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach unto me: for who is this
that engaged his heart to approach unto me? saith the Lord.
22 And ye shall be my
people, and I will be your God.
There is rich truth
awaiting us in just 7 key verses in the book of Jeremiah. Our lesson lands us a
little more than half way through, and it switches from judgment and wrath to
consolation, as we’ll discover today.
The Lord is instructing
Jeremiah to write these messages, as the first 2 verses open in chapter 30.
These predictions are being documented, because historically, the people denied
and disbelieved the prophesies that were revealed to them. Jeremiah is taking
notes for their (and our) future reference.
The lesson passes over
several scenarios of darkness, turmoil, destruction, and doom. And, we land in
verse 18, where the sun is coming out and hope is on the horizon. Yes, it’s
time for restoration. Jeremiah declares that the Lord will now pass out His
blessings on Israel’s (referred to here as Jacob) houses, land, and
communities. God would begin to allow them to not just survive, but to really thrive.
There’s even mention of restoring the palace like it used to be.
Then, in 19, you’ll see
that there will be cause for celebration! Happiness and justice for all! God
would allow families to multiply and descendants would be everywhere. So much,
that other countries would look upon the Israelites and see their greatness in
number and prosperity. The children of the Israelites would be happy and free,
just like they were before God’s judgment had come upon their parents. And God
would punish all of their enemies too.
Verse 21 is a key verse.
Israel formerly had been taken into captivity and ruled by foreign governments.
Now, the Lord is promising that He would raise them up a leader, an Israelite,
who would be both king and priest (hint, hint, Jesus Christ) who would be their
ruler. The Lord says that He would “let” that ruler approach Him…and there
would be no need for a mediator.
Obedience brings about restoration. Disobedience throws everything off track. It seems simple enough. Jeremiah was anointed to share this prophesy, which was meant to realign God’s people with
His overall plan, restore them back into His covenant, for them to be His people,
and to be their sovereign Lord.
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