Sabbath school lesson 1, 4th quarter of 2015

1. Jeremiah 1:5
Before I formed thee in the
belly I knew thee; and before
thou camest forth out of the
womb I sanctified thee, and I
ordained thee a prophet unto
the nations.
Lesson 1 for October 3, 2015

2. “But truly I am full of power by the
Spirit of the Lord, and of justice and
might, to declare to Jacob his
transgression and to Israel his sin.”
(Micah 3:8)
“Do I have any pleasure at all that
the wicked should die?” says the
Lord God, “and not that he
should turn from his ways
and live?” (Ezekiel 18:23)
Prophets usually had two main goals:
1. Condemning sin.
2. Proclaiming God’s forgiveness.
They were in a dilemma. If they preached the
message, they might suffer persecution or
death (Luke 3:19-20). If they didn’t, God would
judge them.
They decided to do the work God had
commanded them to despite the consequences.
They preached the message they received from
God through dreams, visions and revelations.
Thanks to their perseverance, we are able to
read about God’s message today.
THE MESSAGE OF THE PROPHETS

3. JEREMIAH’S BIOGRAPHY
“The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests
who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin.” (Jeremiah 1:1)
Jeremiah was a priest. He was raised to serve
at the temple.
He was born in Anathoth—current Anata—,
4km (2.5miles) NE of Jerusalem.
Abiathar was part of Eli’s descendants. He was
exiled toAnathoth when he lost his High
Priesthood. Therefore, Jeremiah could be one of
his descendants (1Kings. 2:26).
His prophetic ministry began in 627 BC and didn’t
stop until later than 586 BC.
According to Jeremiah 1:2-3, he served as a
prophet for more than 40 years during the reign
of the last five kings of Judah.

4. Nevertheless, God had already chosen him
long before that. He had put him aside
(sanctified) to be a prophet to the nations.
God provides us all with gifts when we are
born, so we fulfill missions, although we are
responsible to develop those gifts.
“Before I formed you
in the womb I knew
you; before you were
born I sanctified you;
I ordained you a
prophet to the
nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5)
THE PROPHETIC CALLING
God has a plan for each one of us. We must discover our mission and fulfill the
purpose and the plan God has prepared for us.
Jeremiah was about
18-20 years old when
we was called to the
prophetic ministry.

5. “The young man [Jeremiah] shrank back in terror from the
thought of being a prophet. A sense of unworthiness
overwhelmed him, and his nature recoiled from a task in
which he would be out of step with the men of his
generation.” (SDA Bible Commentary, on Jeremiah 1:6).
“Then said I: ‘Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am
a youth.’ But the Lord said to me: ‘Do not say, ‘I am a
youth,’ for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and
whatever I command you, you shall speak.’” (Jeremiah 1:6-7)
 “Do not be afraid… for I am with you.” (1:8).
 “I have put My words in your mouth.” (1:9).
 “I have made you… a fortified city… an iron
pillar… bronze walls.” (1:18)
He used the same excuse Moses did, his inability to
speak in public (Exodus 4:10-15).
God equips those He calls. He gave Jeremiah strong
promises when He called him:
JEREMIAH’S DOUBTS

6. “The word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘Jeremiah, what do you see?’ And I
said, ‘I see a branch of an almond tree.’… And the word of the Lord came to me
the second time, saying, ‘What do you see?’ And I said, ‘I see a boiling pot, and
it is facing away from the north.’” (Jeremiah 1:11, 13)
The first prophecy is better understood in Hebrew.
THE ALMOND TREE AND THE BOILING POT
It may be translated like, “I see the branch of a ready [shaqed] tree…
You have seen well, for I am ready [shaqad] to perform My word.”
The almond tree announces the coming of spring. When we see it, we know
for certain that spring is coming. We can also be sure that the Word of God will
fulfill.What was going to be fulfilled in that moment? A “boiling pot.”

7. The pot was tilted from the north, so it was
going to spill the boiling content to the south
over the land of Judah.
Babylon’s army came from the east of Judah.
They needed to go to the north following
river Euphrates to avoid the desert. They
would attack Israel from the north.
“The word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘Jeremiah, what do you see?’ And I
said, ‘I see a branch of an almond tree.’… And the word of the Lord came to me
the second time, saying, ‘What do you see?’ And I said, ‘I see a boiling pot, and
it is facing away from the north.’” (Jeremiah 1:11, 13)
People in Judah had only two options before
that threat: to keep on sinning or to repent.
Depending on their decision, Jeremiah’s
message would either “destroy and throw
down” or “build and plant.” (Jeremiah
1:10).
THE ALMOND TREE AND THE BOILING POT

8. “In the youthful Jeremiah, God saw one
who would be true to his trust and who
would stand for the right against great
opposition. In childhood he had proved
faithful; and now he was to endure
hardness, as a good soldier of the cross.
‘Say not, I am a child,’ the Lord bade
His chosen messenger; ‘for thou shalt
go to all that I shall send thee, and
whatsoever I command thee thou shalt
speak. Be not afraid of their faces: for I
am with thee to deliver thee.’”
E.G.W. (Prophets and Kings, cp. 34, pg. 407)

9. Lessons from Jeremiah’s calling:
We all have been called to condemn sin and to announce
God’s forgiveness.
God has prepared a special mission for each one of us.
He equips us to fulfill that mission.
He promised to be with us and to strengthen us.
God will certainly fulfill His word. The signs of
the end (“almond trees”) announce the events
that are going to take place (“boiling pots”).
Let’s trust His promises and be
faithful “bronze walls” that proclaim
the World of God.
1
2
3
4
5
6