Jeremiah 4 (CEB)
1If you return, Israel, return to me, declares the Lord.
If you get rid of your disgusting idols from my presence
and wander no more,
2 and if you swear by the living God
in truth, justice, and righteousness,
then the nations will enjoy God’s blessings;
they will boast about him.
3 This is what the Lord says to the people of Judah and to the residents of Jerusalem:
Break up your hard rocky soil;
don’t plant among the thorns.
4 Dedicate yourselves to the Lord;
don’t be thick-skinned,
people of Judah and residents of Jerusalem,
or else my anger will spread like a wildfire.
It will burn, with no one to put it out,
because of your evil deeds.
Experiencing God’s blessing is conditioned on the renewal of hearts.
Here are some questions for discussion:
1. Jeremiah warns that true salvation is not found in chasing after false things. What intentional practices can help guard our hearts against distractions that seek to pull us away from this truth? Why do you think those “shiny” things can often seem so alluring and more attractive to us?
2. Whether the Assyrians or Egyptians, aligning themselves with an earthly power was not going to help the people. In what manner do we find ourselves doing that today?
3. One cause of hard ground is being trampled. What are some of the things trampling the ground around us today making it hard? What of those things might we be responsible for as well? Jeremiah 4:3 speaks directly to nations as he urges God’s people collectively to “break up unplowed ground” rather than let their hearts go hard. God’s people are called to seek justice and defend the vulnerable. In what ways does resisting hard-heartedness enable us to better serve, protect, and uplift the oppressed in our midst?
If you’d like to dig a little deeper, consider the following:
1. How can busyness, comfort, or even the “good” things we engage in like family, work, volunteering, or ministry become idols if our hearts are misplaced? Think about your own life. What might you need to lay down or reprioritize to more fully return to God? How might letting them go create space for God’s peace and abundant fruit in your life?
2. Like Mrs. Schectner’s class the world has enough good things to satisfy us all, what stands in our way of everyone partaking in that abundance? What role do we each play in that?
3. Not getting to use the table was not punishment but it felt like it. How does this analogy mirror our lives sometimes? What does this do if we feel this misplaced sense of punishment collectively as well?
For further contemplation, consider this prompt:
Jeremiah speaks of “uncircumcised hearts.” What defenses do people build around their hearts that keep God out—fear, pride, shame, control? What feelings stir when the plowing up process begins? What does having a “soft heart” before God look like personally? In community? In the church?