Jeremiah

Jeremiah 6: The good way of rest

Begin in prayer

Before we hear the LORD call Jerusalem back to the good way, let us come to Him together. Ask Him to make our hearts willing to listen, to bless our family as we listen, and to show us Christ, our rest.

Show me your ways, Yahweh. Teach me your paths.

Psalms 25:4

Father in heaven, please open our eyes as we read Your Word. Show us the good way, which is Jesus, and help us to turn from our sin and trust Him. Make us more like Jesus. And please bless our family as we worship You together. In Jesus' name, Amen.

See where we're going

Enemies from the north are coming against Jerusalem, and the LORD tells the people of Benjamin to flee from the city. Trumpets sound at Tekoa, a town in Judah, and a signal is raised at Beth Haccherem to give the alarm. The LORD says Jerusalem produces wickedness as a well produces water, and violence is heard within her walls. Greed runs through the people, and prophets and priests heal the hurt of God’s people only lightly, saying “Peace, peace” when there is no peace. The LORD asks His people to stand at the crossroads, ask for the old paths and walk in the good way. They answer, “We will not walk in it,” so the LORD announces that the enemy will come against them.

As you read Jeremiah 6, look for the answers:

Reflect together

Key truth

The LORD calls His people to the good way, and He judges those who refuse to walk in it.

Anathoth, Jeremiah’s hometown, lay in the tribe of Benjamin, so this warning reached his own people. Tekoa was a town in Judah, where a trumpet could be blown to raise the alarm of war. The trumpet and the signal were ways to warn a city that an army was approaching, so the people could prepare. The LORD compared Jerusalem’s wickedness to a well that never stops producing water (verse 7). Prophets and priests treated the wound of God’s people lightly, saying “Peace, peace” even though no true peace was there (verses 13 and 14). The old paths are God’s ways, which His people had known and walked in before (verse 16). Jesus is the true rest that the people refused, and He still calls sinners to come to Him.

How does Jeremiah 6 show us that the LORD calls His people to the good way, and judges those who refuse to walk in it?

Warning comes before judgment.

The trumpet and the signal gave warning of the enemy from the north (verse 1). The LORD calls Jerusalem to be instructed, lest He turn away from her (verse 8). God warns before He judges, so His people can turn while there is time. He gave this warning because He wanted them to listen and turn.

A stubborn heart refuses to hear God.

The LORD says their ears are closed, and they find His word a reproach (verse 10). Prophets and priests spoke of peace, yet the people were not ashamed of their sin (verses 13 to 15). Only God can change a stubborn heart.

God’s old paths lead to rest for the soul.

The LORD tells the people to stand at the crossroads and ask for the old paths (verse 16). They chose to answer, “We will not walk in it” (verse 16). Jesus is the rest that the people refused.

Memorize

Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, ‘Where is the good way?’ and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.

Jeremiah 6:16

Looking to Jesus in my life

Ask yourself in your heart, am I refusing the rest Jesus offers, and will I turn to Him today?

The LORD told Jerusalem, “Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths.” He told them to ask where the good way is, and He promised rest for their souls. The people answered, “We will not walk in it.” Jesus is the way that Jerusalem refused, and He is the rest their souls needed.

Jerusalem stood under the judgment its sin had earned. Jesus stood in the place of His people and bore the penalty their rebellion had earned at the cross. He paid for their sin in full, and His work is enough for all who trust Him. On the third day He rose from the grave.

Turn from your refusal and walk in the way that Jesus gives. Come to Him, and trust Him to give the rest your soul needs. Everyone who comes to Him this way is made clean, and He will never turn that person away. The LORD told them to ask where the good way is, and the answer is Jesus.

Parent's note

Tell your children that God calls His people to walk in His good way, which leads to rest. Parents, you may want to explain the enemy’s coming in verses 22 to 26 gently, in your own words. Please do not tell them they are saved just because they grew up in a Christian home. Call each child to turn from sin and trust Jesus, and pray that God would give them a new heart.

Pray together

Now please close your time together in prayer. Thank God for calling us to His good way, and bring the heart question to Him. Every child can pray, so let each one say a short prayer if they want to.

You will show me the path of life. In your presence is fullness of joy. In your right hand there are pleasures forever more.

Psalms 16:11

Lord, thank You for calling us to Your good way, and for the rest we find in Jesus. Please turn each of us from sin and help us to trust Him. Show us where we have refused to walk in Your ways, and give us hearts that listen. Help us walk in Your way this week. Amen.