Encountering the Old Testament, 4th Edition

A Christian Survey

series: Encountering Biblical Studies

Materials available for professors by request only

Chapter

28. Jeremiah 21–52 and Lamentations: Dealing with Disaster

Discussion Questions

  1. Do you think God should follow his practice with Judah and give sinners today more than one chance to repent?
  2. Why do you think people can hear a good sermon preached but not make any application of it to their own lives?
  3. Can you relate any instance in which preachers today are acting like the false prophets of ancient Israel?
  4. What are some instances where Christianity today suffers from poor leadership from the clergy?
  5. Should our pastors preach against nations other than our own? Why?

Class Activities

  1. Divide the class into six groups and assign one of Jeremiah’s missions to each group. Have the groups study the appropriate Scripture and draw conclusions about what a prophet’s mission today should be. Conclude with a feedback session with the entire class. Class time allowed: 25 minutes.
  2. Discuss each reason for the failure of the leadership. Ask the students to find illustrations for what caused each type of failure. Class time allowed: 20 minutes.
  3. Ask the class to locate examples of object lessons in Jeremiah 21–52. Conclude with a discussion of how object lessons aid learning. Class time allowed: 15 minutes.