Study Desk

But the Lord is the only true God. He is the only God who is alive. He is the King who rules forever. The earth shakes when he is angry. The people of the nations cannot stop his anger.

God is the one who used his power and made the earth. He used his wisdom and built the world. With his understanding he stretched the sky over the earth.

God causes the loud thunder, and he causes great floods of water to fall from the sky. He makes clouds rise in the sky every place on earth. He sends lightning with the rain. He brings out the wind from his storehouses.

But Jacob's God is not like the idols. He made everything, and Israel is the family that God chose to be his own people. His name is Lord All-Powerful.

Tell them that this is what the Lord , the God of Israel, says: ‘Bad things will happen to anyone who does not obey this agreement.

I am talking about the agreement I made with your ancestors when I brought them out of that furnace called Egypt.' At that time I told them, ‘Listen to me and obey all the commands I give you. Then you will be my people and I will be your God.'

"People of Judah, you have many idols—there are as many idols as there are towns in Judah. You have built many altars for worshiping that disgusting god Baal—there are as many altars as there are streets in Jerusalem.

"Jeremiah, say to the people of Judah: ‘This is what the Lord , the God of Israel, says: Every wineskin should be filled with wine.' They will laugh and say to you, ‘Of course, we know that every wineskin should be filled with wine.'

Honor the Lord your God. Praise him or he will bring darkness. Praise him before you fall on the dark hills. You people of Judah are hoping for light, but the Lord will turn the light into thick darkness. He will change it into the deepest gloom.

"The nation of Judah cries for people who have died. The people in the cities of Judah grow weaker and weaker. They lie on the ground. People in Jerusalem, cry to God for help.

God, you are the hope of Israel! You save Israel in times of trouble. But now it seems like you are a stranger in the land, like a traveler who only stays one night.

But I said, "Lord God , the prophets were telling the people something different. They were telling the people of Judah, ‘You will not suffer from war or from hunger. The Lord will give you peace in this land.'"

Foreign idols don't have the power to bring rain. The sky does not have the power to send down showers of rain. You, the Lord our God, are our only hope. You are the one who made all these things.

Your words came to me, and I ate them up. They made me very happy. I was glad to be called by your name, Lord God All-Powerful.

This is what the Lord All-Powerful, the God of Israel says: I will soon stop the sounds of people having fun. I will stop the happy sounds of people enjoying a wedding party. This will happen during your lifetime. I will do these things very soon.

"Jeremiah, you will tell the people of Judah these things, and the people will ask you, ‘Why has the Lord said these terrible things to us? What have we done wrong? What sin have we done against the Lord our God?'

"So I will teach those who make idols. Right now I will teach them about my power and my strength. Then they will know that I am God. They will know that I am the Lord .

They are like a bush in a desert where no one lives. It is in a hot and dry land. It is in bad soil. That bush does not know about the good things that God can give.

From the very beginning, our Temple has been a glorious throne for God. It is a very important place.

Then the enemies of Jeremiah said, "Come, let us make plans against Jeremiah. We will always have a priest to tell us what the law says. We will still have wise men to advise us and prophets to tell us a message from God. So who needs Jeremiah? Let's tell lies to ruin him and stop listening to what he says."