“I Will Write It in Their
Hearts”
Lesson 42 –
Jeremiah 16; 23; 29; 31
If you could have witnessed or participated in
any story or event in the Old Testament, which one would you
choose? Why would you like to have
witnessed or participated in that particular event? What is happening in the Church today that might be comparable to
some of the events you have chosen?
Although Jeremiah had few messages of hope for
the people of his day, he foresaw a time of hope during the latter-day
gathering of Israel. This lesson discusses Jeremiah’s prophecies of the great
latter-day gathering that we are participating in today.
Jeremiah foresaw the latter-day gathering
of Israel.
The story of Israel’s exodus from Egypt is one
of the most miraculous events in the Old Testament. It is referred to in the
book of Jeremiah and in other books of the Old Testament, as well as in the
Book of Mormon.
Deuteronomy 4:32-35
- Moses felt that the importance of the Exodus was unparalleled.
Obviously, it would have been a great experience
to have been part of Israel’s exodus from Egypt.
Many generations later, Jeremiah saw visions of
a latter-day event that the Lord said would be as great as the Exodus (see Jeremiah 16:14-16;
Jeremiah 23:3-8). Elder LeGrand Richards said that the fishers
and hunters described in Jeremiah 16:16 are missionaries of the
Church (Ensign, June 1971, 98-99). Think about what fishers and hunters have
in common with missionaries – see Matthew 4:18-19.
Jeremiah 16:15
and Jeremiah 23:3
- The event described here is the gatherring of Israel and the growth of the
Church.
Jeremiah 23:4
- The shepherds spoken of here are priessthood leaders and other Church leaders.
Jeremiah 23:5-6
- The King spoken of here is Jesus Chrisst.
These events are as great as the Exodus.
God will write his law in the hearts of his people.
The children of Israel relied on Moses to
receive revelation for them during their sojourn in the wilderness.
Numbers 11:29
- Moses expressed great longing because he wanted the people to learn God’s law
and learn to listen to the Spirit for themselves.
Jeremiah 31:31-34
- The Lord promised to establish his covvenant in the latter days and everyone
would know him. (See also Ezekiel 11:17-20; Ezekiel 36:24-28; 2 Corinthians
3:2-3.)
Our behavior is affected when we have God’s law
written in our hearts. This helps us obey specific commandments, such as:
·
Loving our neighbors.
·
Honoring our parents.
·
Being morally clean.
· Keeping the Sabbath day holy.
·
Choosing appropriate movies, television programs,
books, and magazines.
·
Wearing modest clothing.
·
Selecting suitable music.
Joseph Smith was once asked how he successfully
governed so many people. He said, “I teach the people correct
principles and they govern themselves” (quoted
by John Taylor, in Journal of Discourses, 10:57-58). This statement relates to having God’s law
written in our hearts.
Jeremiah 29:10-14
- Jeremiah prophesied that 70 years afteer the people of Judah would be taken
captive into Babylon, they would return to their homeland and once again live
in harmony with God (NOTE: the
fulfillment of this prophecy is discussed in lesson 47).
Jeremiah 29:12-14 - According
to these verses, we can draw close to God as we call upon him, pray to him,
seek him, and search for him. The words
call, pray, seek, and search imply something about the attitude
we should have as we strive to draw near to God. We must be humble, diligent, and sincere if we wish to draw
closer to heavenly Father.
The Lord’s mercy is always extended to those who
repent. However, people who postpone repentance may find it increasingly
difficult to repent.
President Joseph F. Smith taught: “The man with
accumulated and unforgiven wrong behind him may find all retreat cut off and
his condition in the world hopeless; and he who recklessly cuts off every
opportunity of retreat by the neglected evils of the past is most unfortunate.
The daily practice, then, of seeking divine mercy and forgiveness as we go
along, gives us power to escape evils” (Gospel Doctrine,
5th ed. [1939], 374).
The following passages teach about the importance of hearing the word of the Lord and repenting promptly:
Jeremiah 5:1-5,
Jeremiah 5:21-25
– hypocrisy and rebellion were prevalent; they would not hear or
see
Jeremiah 6:10-17 – the downfall and destruction of Jerusalem were prophesied
Jeremiah 7:23-28 – disobedience prevailed and
the people hearkened not
Jeremiah 8:6-12,
Jeremiah 8:20
– “The harvest is
past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.”
Jeremiah 13:11,
Jeremiah 13:23
– still the people refuse to hear the Lord
Jeremiah 17:23 – the people refused to
receive instruction
Jeremiah 7:13;
Jeremiah 25:3-4;
Jeremiah 26:2-5;
Jeremiah 32:33
- Jeremiah frequently recorded that the people had not hearkened to his words.
Think about how we individually and as a Church
follow the words of the latter-day prophets.
Might we need to follow more diligently to be found worthy of the Lord’s
blessings?
Jeremiah 11:1-12
- Jeremiah warned the Jews of his day thhat the sins they committed were the
same sins for which past generations had been severely punished.
Jeremiah’s generation would not learn from the
sins of their forefathers, even when the punishment for those sins was so
clearly documented. Think about why
that might be so and then consider how we might benefit more fully from lessons
learned by previous generations of God’s covenant people.
The importance of trusting in
God
Jeremiah 17:5-8
– Here, comparisons are made between people who trust in man and people who
trust in God. People who trust men and
the arm of flesh are cursed and their hearts depart from the Lord. They are
such that will not see good come, but they shall be left in the desert and the
wilderness. On the other hand, those
who put their trust in the Lord will prosper and grow strong—strong enough to
last through tough times and tribulations.
Based on what you have seen, think about which
group you fit into and how accurate these comparisons are.
False prophets
Zedekiah was a king who wanted prophets to tell
him what he wanted to hear.
Jeremiah 28:1-4;
Jeremiah 37:19
– As a consequence of the king’s attitude, many false prophets promised that
Jerusalem would not fall.
Today many false prophets come “in sheep’s
clothing” (Matthew 7:15),
telling people what they want to hear in modern terms.
Think about what messages today’s false prophets
might try to convey.
Think very carefully about how we can avoid
being led astray by false prophets.
We live in a time that Jeremiah and many other
prophets have looked forward to with rejoicing. It is our opportunity to
participate in the gathering of Israel and to have the law of God written in
our hearts.
These
lessons are posted on the Internet at http://www.geocities.com/jeninstitute/