Sunday School Lesson

God Gathers All Nations

Lesson Text: Jeremiah 3:11-20

Related Scriptures: Acts 2:36-41; 1 Peter 5:1-4; Ezekiel 37:15-28; Revelations 7:4-12; Jeremiah 3:1-10

TIME: between 627 and 600 B.C.

PLACE: Jerusalem

Golden Text “At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the Lord, to Jerusalem; neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart” (Jeremiah 3:17)

Introduction

Have you ever wondered if you had sinned so badly that the Lord would never forgive you? How do you think the Lord feels about us when we are walking in sin? Today’s passage from Jeremiah reveals that even as His people walk in sin, the Lord is full of love and is ready to forgive us. The Lord loves His wayward children and will always forgive those who repent. Though Jeremiah elsewhere warned of God’s chastening hand, even God’s discipline is motivated by love, intended to draw His people back to Himself. He may be angry briefly, but His love is overwhelming (Ps. 30:5).

Jeremiah revealed how much the Lord loved His people through several repeated metaphors (that of a Father and Husband). He revealed how badly they had betrayed Him; nonetheless, He was not only willing to forgive them, but He extended grand promises to them, which we see ultimately fulfilled by Jesus Christ.

LESSON OUTLINE

1. A SURPRISING REVERSAL – Jer. 3:11

2. A CALL TO REPENTENCE – Jer. 3:12-14

3. A LOOK TO THE FUTURE – Jer. 3:15-18

4. A LONGING FATHER - Jer. 3:19

5. A BETRAYED HUSBAND – Jer. 3:20

QUESTIONS

1. What did Jeroboam intentionally do to minimize the influence of Judah within Israel?

2. What kinds of Judah reached out to Israelites?

3. Why would God’s statement in Jeremiah 3:11 have been starting?

4. What did it mean for Jeremiah to speak “toward the north” (vs. 12)?

5. What was ironic about the Lord calling Himself their Husband?

6. What did the Lord mean by “pastors” (vs. 15)?

7. Why would the absence of the ark be a good thing?

8. How was God’s plan greater than merely restoring Israel and Judah?

9. What would God do for the divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah?

10. What two metaphors are repeated in this passage?

ANSWERS

1. Jeroboam had intentionally instituted new religious practices for his newly formed kingdom of northern Israel to prevent the northern tribes from falling under the spiritual (and political) influence of Judah through participation in the temple worship at Jerusalem (1 Kings 122:26-33).

2. King Josiah organized a lavish celebration of Passover (2 Chr. 35:1-19). Another good king, Hezekiah, had previously arranged a Passover celebration, inviting not only those under his reign in Judah but also the Israelites in the north (2 Chr. 30).

3. Further, it would have been starting to hear that despite having had some good rulers, Judah had still sunk into depravity and idolatry and was somehow worse than Israel.

4. God told Jeremiah to proclaim His message to the north. The north could be a reference to the remnant of Israelites from the northern tribes still present there, or it could be a reference to Assyria, the land of their exile even farther to the north.

5. In a surprising turn of phrase, God said to the Israelites that He was their Husband, perhaps referencing the covenant made at Sinai. Additionally, the Hebrew word “ba’al” can be translated as “husband,” “master,” or even as the name of the Canaanite deity Baal, the god of the storm. There is an underlying irony here, for a significant element of the people’s unfaithfulness was their devotion to Baal. God was saying that they need no other “ba’al” than Him.

6. Part of the grace, mercy and blessing that God promised to give to repentant Israelites was godly “pastor” or shepherds – leaders who would nourish those under their care with knowledge and understanding. This likely referred to rulers in David’s line, foreshadowing Jesus, the coming Messiah (cf. John 10:11; Matt. 21:4-5.)

7. The ark represented God’s presence and it was where God had told Moses that He would meet with him (Ez. 25:22). But with the description of this future dynamic, Jeremiah revealed that the place of God’s manifest presence would expand beyond the arc, the throne of the Lord (Jer. 3:17).

8. Even more remarkably, Jeremiah revealed that the nations would be gathered there in the name of the Lord and that they would no longer walk in the stubbornness of their hearts. Here the promise took a turn that emphasized the mission of God: this was not merely about God’s work among Israel and Judah. God’s purposes included all the nations.

9. The text continues noting that God would bring back both branches of the people from the land of the north to the land of their inheritance. God would restore and reunite the people of Israel and Judah and would no so in the broader context of a call to repentance, transformation, and mission to the surrounding nations.

10. The text moves on from the metaphor of God as a longing Father and returns to that of God as a betrayed Husband, portraying the Israelites as a treacherous wife.