Study questions

Life-Study of Jeremiah

1. An Introductory Word

  1. What are the parties revealed in the book of Jeremiah? What is the particular nature and standing of this book, and how does this nature and standing relate to Jeremiah as Jehovah's prophet?
  2. What is the subject, content, and central thought of the book of Jeremiah?

2. Crucial Aspects of the Divine Revelation in Jeremiah

  1. In what particular, crucial ways is Christ revealed in the book of Jeremiah?
  2. What is the ultimate consummation, the ultimate issue, of the revelation in the book of Jeremiah?

3. The Intrinsic Content of Jeremiah

  1. What is the negative aspect of the intrinsic content of Jeremiah?
  2. What are the positive aspects of the intrinsic content of Jeremiah?

4. God's Faithfulness in Fulfilling His Economy

  1. What is God's purpose in desiring to be the fountain of living waters to His elect people? Why is this matter crucial?
  2. Describe how God is faithful in fulfilling His economy, making mention of how this matter relates to God's compassions never failing and Christ becoming our righteousness.

5. Jeremiah's Call and Commission

  1. What are the two meanings of the name Jeremiah, and how is this significant in relation to Jeremiah's commission?
  2. What is the significance of the two visions given to Jeremiah at the beginning of his ministry? In addition, what is the significance of God makng Jeremiah into a fortified city, an iron pillar, and brass walls?

6. Israel's Sin Against Jehovah and Jehovah's Punishment Upon Israel (1) Two Evils of Israel

  1. What is the first evil committed by Israel, and what is its significance?
  2. What is the second evil committed by Israel, and what is its significance?

7. Israel's Sin Against Jehovah and Jehovah's Punishment Upon Israel (1) Israel's Return or Jehovah's Correction for Her Apostasy

  1. What is the significance of the ark of the covenant no longer being cared for by Israel?
  2. What is the significance of Israel as Jehovah's wife calling Him "Father"?

8. Israel's Sin Against Jehovah and Jehovah's Punishment Upon Israel (3) Jehovah the Husband's Further Complaint Against Israel the Wife's Wickedness and His Determination in Correcting Her

  1. How do the two sections of Jehovah the Husband's complaint against Israel the wife's apostasy correspond to the two sections of the ten commandments?
  2. Please summarize Jeremiah chapters 2 through 6 in a simple way.

9. A Word Concerning Israel's History and the Situation of Israel in the Sunset of the Divine Revelation

  1. Briefly describe Israel's history in relation to the divine revelation.
  2. Describe how Jeremiah fulfilled God's commission at the time of the sunset of the divine revelation.

10. Israel's Sin Against Jehovah and Jehovah's Punishment Upon Israel (4) Israel's Hypocritical Worship to Jehovah (1)

  1. What are the key points presented in this message concerning Israel's hypocritical worship to Jehovah their God?
  2. What are the key points presented in this message concerning the evils of Israel as the hypocritical worshippers of God?

11. Israel's Sin Against Jehovah and Jehovah's Punishment Upon Israel (5) Israel's Hypocritical Worship to Jehovah (2)

  1. What do we see concerning Jeremiah the prophet's reaction to Jehovah's correction of Israel in chapters 8—10? What do we see concerning Jehovah's feeling concerning Israel's suffering of His correction?
  2. What are the crucial points of the words of wisdom written by Jeremiah to the erring and suffering Israel?

12. God's Economy and His Dispensing in the Book of Jeremiah

  1. What is God's economy and the goal of His economy? How does Jeremiah relate to God's economy with its goal?
  2. What does Jeremiah's prophecy show us concerning Christ in God's economy and our experience?

13. Israel's Sin Against Jehovah and Jehovah's Punishment Upon Israel (6) Israel's Breaking of Jehovah's Covenant

  1. What was God's intention in giving the law, and how did Israel become a total failure under the test of the law? Provide New Testament Scripture references to help support your answer.
  2. How does the book of Jeremiah portray Israel's breaking of the covenant of the law, God's punishment over them, and Jeremiah's reaction?

14. Israel's Sin Against Jehovah and Jehovah's Punishment Upon Israel (7) Jehovah's Punishment of Israel with Drought

  1. What is the significance of Jehovah's punishment of Israel with drought? In your answer, please provide references from other Scripture portions that relate to this matter.
  2. How do we see that Jehovah and the prophet were one, and how do we see that God was still sympathetic to His people even in His punishing of them?

15. Israel's Sin Against Jehovah and Jehovah's Punishment Upon Israel (8) Jehovah's Further Commission to Jeremiah to His Further Statement of Judah's Sins (1)

  1. What is the significance of God coming in to speak to Jeremiah while he was speaking to his mother?
  2. What crucial points concerning being God's mouthpiece do we see in this passage of Jeremiah? What is the significance of Jehovah's word to Jeremiah about not having a wife or children?

16. Israel's Sin Against Jehovah and Jehovah's Punishment Upon Israel (9) Jehovah's Further Commission to Jeremiah and His Further Statement of Judah's Sins (2)

  1. What are the two different ways to understand Jeremiah 17:5-8? Which is the right way?
  2. What is the significance, in relation to God's economy, of the the word concerning the incurable heart of man, Jeremiah's trusting prayer to Jehovah, and the word concerning keeping the Sabbath?

17. A Full Picture of God's Economy by His Dispensing

  1. What are the crucial aspects of God's economy seen in the record of Jeremiah and Jehovah's speaking to one another?
  2. What is the spiritual significance of keeping the Sabbath? How does this relate to God's economy? In addition, what does it mean to come to the orchard of Jeremiah to pick ripe fruit?

18. Israel's Sin Against Jehovah and Jehovah's Punishment Upon Israel (10) Jehovah as the Potter and Israel as the Pottery

  1. What is the deep significance of the word concerning Jehovah being the Potter and His chosen people being the pottery in His hand?
  2. Why did Jeremiah curse his birthday? How does this relate to our experience today?

19. Israel's Sin Against Jehovah and Jehovah's Punishment Upon Israel (11) Jehovah's Condemnation of and Punishment Upon the Kings and Prophets of Judah (1)

  1. What is the deep significance of the word concerning Jehovah raising up to David a righteous shoot who will reign as King, act prudently, and execute judgment and righteousness in the holy land?
  2. What is the significance of the name of the Shoot being "Jehovah our righteousness"?

20. (An Additional Message) Experiencing and Enjoying Christ as the Son of David and the Son of Abraham

  1. What does it mean to enjoy Christ as the Son of David? What does it mean to enjoy Christ as the Son of Abraham?
  2. What were the covenants made with David and Abraham? How does this matter relate to the gospel?

21. Israel's Sin Against Jehovah and Jehovah's Punishment Upon Israel (12) Jehovah's Condemnation of and Punishment Upon the Kings and Prophets of Judah (2)

  1. How does the word concerning the false prophets in Jeremiah relate to the situation of Christians today?
  2. What is one crucial way we can discern between the false prophets and the genuine prophets sent by God?

22. Israel's Sin Against Jehovah and Jehovah's Punishment Upon Israel (13) Judah's Captivity and Judah's Reaction to Jeremiah

  1. What is the significance of Jeremiah's vision of two baskets of figs?
  2. In the book of Jeremiah, and in this passage in particular, how do we see Satan using idols and distractions to frustrate the carrying out of God's economy among His people?

23. Israel's Sin Against Jehovah and Jehovah's Punishment Upon Israel (14) Jeremiah's Genuine Prophecies Versus the Others' False Prophecies

  1. What are the key points concerning Jeremiah's genuine prophecies versus the others' false prophecies?
  2. How can we apply the situation described in these chapters to the situation in Christianity today?

24. Israel's Sin Against Jehovah and Jehovah's Punishment Upon Israel (15) Jehovah's Promise Concerning the Restoration of Israel (1)

  1. What are the key points with respect to Jehovah's promise concerning the restoration of Israel?
  2. What is the significance of Jehovah sowing the house of Israel with the seed of man and with the seed of beast?

25. Israel's Sin Against Jehovah and Jehovah's Punishment Upon Israel (16) Jehovah's Promise Concerning the Restoration of Israel (2)

  1. What are the eight covenants revealed in the Bible? Of these, which two are mentioned by name? What is the significance of these two covenants?
  2. What are the contents of the new covenant?

26. The Inner Law—the Center of the New Covenant

  1. How can we say that the inner law of life is the center of the new covenant?
  2. What is the function of the inner law of life?

27. Israel's Sin Against Jehovah and Jehovah's Punishment Upon Israel (17) Jehovah's Promise Concerning the Restoration of Israel (3)

  1. What is the significance of Jehovah's word that He would give His people one heart and one way? How can we apply this word to our situation today?
  2. How can we see Christ and a picture of the church life in Jeremiah 33?

28. Israel's Sin Against Jehovah and Jehovah's Punishment Upon Israel (18) Israel's Stubbornness in Their Sinning Against Jehovah and Jeremiah's Firmness in His Speaking for Jehovah (1)

  1. What is the significance of the example of the Rechabites?
  2. How do we see Israel's stubbornness in sinning against Jehovah and Jeremiah's firmness in speaking for Him in this passage?

29. Israel's Sin Against Jehovah and Jehovah's Punishment Upon Israel (19) Israel's Stubbornness in Their Sinning Against Jehovah and Jeremiah's Firmness in His Speaking for Jehovah (2)

  1. What was the first step of Jeremiah's imprisonment?
  2. What was the second step of Jeremiah's imprisonment?

30. Israel's Sin Against Jehovah and Jehovah's Punishment Upon Israel (20) Israel's Stubbornness in Their Sinning Against Jehovah and Jeremiah's Firmness in His Speaking for Jehovah (3)

  1. What was the punishment upon king Zedekiah?
  2. What are the key points concerning the record of things that happened after the fall of Jerusalem?

31. Israel's Sin Against Jehovah and Jehovah's Punishment Upon Israel (21) Israel's Stubbornness in Their Sinning Against Jehovah and Jeremiah's Firmness in His Speaking for Jehovah (4)

  1. What are the key points concerning Israel's stubbornness in their sinning against Jehovah seen in the further aspects of the history of the remnant of Judah from Gedaliah to Johanan?
  2. What are the key points concerning Jeremiah's further speaking to the remnant of Judah in these passages?

32. The Principle of Being One with God as Revealed in the Book of Jeremiah

  1. How can we see the principle of being one with God as revealed in Jeremiah? In Jeremiah 34—45 how do we see Israel's forsaking of God as the source, the fountain, of living waters and how do we see the children of Israel not being one with God?
  2. What is the essence of the book of Jeremiah?

33. The Spiritual Sequence in the Bible and in the Book of Jeremiah

  1. What is the spiritual sequence in the Bible?
  2. What is the spiritual sequence in the book of Jeremiah?

34. Jehovah's Punishment and Judgment Upon the Nations Involved with God's Elect, Israel (1)

  1. What does Egypt typify, and what is the significance of God's people going down to Egypt?
  2. What do the Philistines signify?

35. Jehovah's Punishment and Judgment Upon the Nations Involved with God's Elect, Israel (2)

  1. What do Moab and Ammon typify?
  2. What do Edom, Damascus, Hazor, and Elam typify?

36. Jehovah's Punishment and Judgment Upon the Nations Involved with God's Elect, Israel (3) And a Supplement to the History of Captivity

  1. What does Babylon typify?
  2. What is the relationship between Babylon and human government as revealed in the Bible?

37. Babylon—the Beginning and the Ending of Human Government

  1. How can we say that Babylon is the entire human government on earth? What are the two aspects of Babylon?
  2. What does it mean to say that the whole world has become Roman, and how do we see the destruction of the Roman Empire and the removal of all Roman things from the earth in the prophecy of the Bible? In addition, what are the two prominent cities in the Bible and what are their destinies?

38. The Separation of the Church, God's New Testament Elect, from the World in All Its Aspects for the Accomplishment of God's Economy

  1. How do the words in the book of Jeremiah concerning the judgment upon Egypt and Babylon apply to us in the church life today?
  2. Why is the separation of the church from the world in all its aspects crucial for the accomplishment of God's economy?

39. The Foundation of the New Covenant, the Covenant of Life, in the Book of Jeremiah

  1. What is the most important part of the book of Jeremiah and why?
  2. What is the position and function of the old covenant of the law, and what is the content of the new covenant?

40. The Kernel of the Book of Jeremiah

  1. How does the book of Jeremiah reveal what God wants from us and what we are in our fallen condition?
  2. How does the book of Jeremiah reveal what Christ is to us?