“October 10–16. Jeremiah 1–3; 7; 16–18; 20: ‘Before I Formed Thee in the Belly I Knew Thee,’” Come, Follow Me—For Sunday School: Old Testament 2022 (2021)
“October 10–16. Jeremiah 1–3; 7; 16–18; 20,” Come, Follow Me—For Sunday School: 2022
Jeremiah, by Walter Rane
October 10–16
Jeremiah 1–3; 7; 16–18; 20
“Before I Formed Thee in the Belly I Knew Thee”
As you study, think about the members of your class, and seek the Spirit’s guidance to know what messages may be most important to them.
Record Your Impressions
Invite Sharing
One way you could encourage sharing is to invite class members to write on a slip of paper a gospel truth they learned during their study of Jeremiah this week. You could then collect the slips of paper and choose a few to discuss as a class. How do the writings of Jeremiah help us understand these truths?
Teach the Doctrine
Prophets are called to speak the Lord’s word.
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You might begin a discussion about Jeremiah’s call as a prophet by displaying a picture of the living prophet and asking class members to share how they came to know that he was called of God. You could also ask them to share how they have helped others come to know this important truth. How does this knowledge bless our lives? Class members could then list on the board things they learn about prophets from Jeremiah 1:4–19. What do prophets in our day “root out” or “pull down”? What do they “build” and “plant”? (verse 10).
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Invite class members to share what Jeremiah learned about himself in Jeremiah 1:5. How might this knowledge have affected his ministry? Class members could read the statement in “Additional Resources” and the following scriptures that support this truth: Alma 13:1–4; Doctrine and Covenants 138:53–56; Abraham 3:22–23. How do these truths about our premortal life affect the way we live our mortal life?
People in ancient Israel used cisterns to store precious water.
“They have forsaken me the fountain of living waters.”
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To prompt a discussion about Jeremiah 2:13, you could draw on the board a cistern (a large underground reservoir) and a fountain (like a natural spring). Class members could then read Jeremiah 2:13 and talk about why it is better to get water from a fountain rather than digging a cistern. What might be the spiritual equivalent of making broken cisterns? You could invite class members to read verses from Jeremiah 2 and 7 and share some of the ways the Israelites had forsaken “the fountain of living waters” (see, for example, Jeremiah 2:26–28; 7:2–11). Why is “living water” a good symbol for what the Savior gives us?
The Lord will gather His people.
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Because Jeremiah compared the latter-day gathering of Israel to Israel’s deliverance from Egypt through Moses, you might show a picture of the Exodus (see the outline for April 4–10 in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families). Invite class members to discuss how meaningful the Exodus was to the Israelites for generations. Class members could then read Jeremiah 16:14–15 and talk about how the latter-day gathering of Israel will be even more important to God’s people (see also Jeremiah 3:14–18). Class members who reviewed “Hope of Israel” as part of their personal study could share what they learned about the importance of the gathering of Israel (see Russell M. Nelson and Wendy W. Nelson, “Hope of Israel” [worldwide youth devotional, June 3, 2018], supplement to the New Era and Ensign, Aug. 2018, 2–17, ChurchofJesusChrist.org). Or you could review parts of that message as a class. How is Israel being gathered in our area?
Additional Resources
Heavenly Father knows you.
President Russell M. Nelson taught:
“Your spirit is an eternal entity. The Lord said to His prophet Abraham: ‘Thou wast chosen before thou wast born’ [Abraham 3:23]. The Lord said something similar about Jeremiah [see Jeremiah 1:5] and many others [see Alma 13:2–3]. He even said it about you [see Doctrine and Covenants 138:55–56].
“Your Heavenly Father has known you for a very long time. You, as His son or daughter, were chosen by Him to come to earth at this precise time, to be a leader in His great work on earth. You were chosen not for your bodily characteristics but for your spiritual attributes, such as bravery, courage, integrity of heart, a thirst for truth, a hunger for wisdom, and a desire to serve others.
“You developed some of these attributes premortally. Others you can develop here on earth as you persistently seek them” (“Decisions for Eternity,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2013, 107).
Improving Our Teaching
Live the gospel with all your heart. You will become a Christlike teacher as you embrace the gospel and live it every day of your life. Christlike teaching doesn’t require you to be perfect—just to try and to keep on trying. When you diligently do your best and seek forgiveness when you fall short, you can become the disciple of Christ that He needs you to be. (See Teaching in the Savior’s Way, 13–14.)