Jeremiah for Me! Lesson 6: "Choose the Good Way!" A Jeremiah Journey, Journal, and Puppets
In chapter five, Jeremiah wrote about the man that ran through the streets of Jerusalem looking for just one person who stood for truth. In olden times a Greek man named Diogenes also ran through the streets of Athens with a lantern looking for someone who was honest. In chapter six, Jeremiah challenges the people to walk down pathways--pathways that are good. Would the people listen to his pleas to do this? Read and see!
Note: IYB=In Your Bible and IYJ=In Your Journal
Flee Out of Jerusalem! Blow the trumpet! Set up a fire signal! Evil is coming forth from the north, and great destruction! IYJ: Inside an "exclaim frame" draw Jeremiah announcing war would soon come.
"This City Jerusalem:" Like a well that poured out water, God said, Jerusalem poured out evil, IYJ draw a Jerusalem city scape with water tumbling out. See journal idea.
Answer This Jerusalem! "To whom shall I speak and give warning, that they may hear? ...." IYB draw a "sad face" in front of verse ten. IYJ make a sad faced person with "Xs" or "plugs" in their ears. See Journal page sample faces below. Focus in on the closed ears, won't blush cheeks, and so on!
How About You? Are your ears open to hearing and obeying the Lord? Do you delight in the law of the LORD? Psalm 1:2 says that a person will be blessed if his delight is in the law of the Lord or God's word!
Greed and Falsehoods: Jeremiah said the people were given to greed, and the priests and the prophets were given to lying. Priests and prophets even said, "Peace, peace when there was no peace." IYJ illustrate the people, and the priests and prophets. View journal page photo.
A Shame Frame: Verse fifteen is a "face place" that asks the people if they were feeling sorry or ashamed when they sinned? The answer was, "Nay!" or "No!" Instead, they couldn't even blush. Make a frame. Inside, draw a person having blush cheek circles with a "x" on them. Click on journal page photo. Hey, do you know what makes people blush?
The Good Way Gem Verse! Verse sixteen tells these sinful people what they could do to find peace and rest. It says: "... Stand ye in the ways (or at the crossroads) and see and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls ...." IYB put a shiny sticker by the jewel verse. IYJ write the verse and then trace over it with a glitter crayon or marker. Sing: "I Met Jesus at the Crossroads."
The Y Puppet Path: Cut an outline Y from bubble wrap. Place "Jerusalem Man" at the Y path starting place. Have puppet walk choosing the good old way side. Reread the "Gem Verse."
They Wouldn't Listen! Even after God told the people how to have hope and rest, what was their reply? Our gem verse ends like this. "But they said, "We will not walk therein." Where wouldn't they walk? Sadly, they didn't want to obey and follow the Lord on the good paths. IYJ draw a person who wouldn't walk in the right way. See journal photo.
Which Path Do You Walk On? Do you know the Lord Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me?" John 14:6* Jesus also said, "Come unto me ... and I will give you rest."(Matthew 11:28) Think about it. *Recall the Lesson 5 O Ring center verse!
Listen to the Trumpet! God said he set "watchmen" (another word for prophets) over them saying listen to the trumpet warning sound, but again what was the reply? "But they said, "We will not hearken (hear)." How sad Jeremiah must have been at their rejection of God's words. Then God said, " ... behold, I will bring evil on this people...." (v.19) and (v.22) "... behold, a people cometh from the north ...."
"Warrior, Watchman, and Witness": Roger Oakland in his book The Good Shepherd Calls (Lighthouse Trails Publishing, 2017) describes Jeremiah as a warrior, watchman, and witness. Oakland writes, "The Jeremiah calling is still in place today." Oakland continues, "A warrior is one who is willing to lay down his life for the truth. ... A watchman is someone always prepared to be on the wall looking toward the horizon to see if danger is coming. ... A witness is someone who will share the Gospel by pointing the people of his day to God's Word, which is truth. ... The Gospel of Jesus Christ is based on truth, which is the Word of God; therefore, Jeremiah was a true witness for the Lord." (pp.35-36)
A Fame Frame: When the people heard God's words and heard of the fame of Babylon their hands felt weak as they realized trouble was coming. Show IYJ how they felt and how their hands hung down. Around these pics place words "fame" making a "fame frame." Opposite hands hanging down are hands that are lifted up to the Lord in prayer and praise. Draw this IYJ!
Fear On Every Side: The people were afraid even to walk in the field or by the way because the
enemy might come. How sad was this!
Put on Sackcloth! The people were told to put on sackcloth and sit in ashes. They were to lament and cry out for a spoiler (raider) would soon be coming. But God told Jeremiah he was to stand strong whatever happened for the Lord would make him test or try the ways of the people. How can you show this IYJ?
Have You Heard of These Words? Jeremiah Chapter Six Vocab
1. delight 2. destruct 3. oppress 4. spoiler 5. instruct 6. desolate 7. blush 8. reproach 9. uncircumcised 10. covetousness 11. watchmen 12. lament
a. raider b. joy c. red cheeks/face d. closed e. treat badly f. greed g. to mourn h. scouts i. ruin j. without people/inhabitants k. dishonor l. teach
Unscramble Lesson Message! earth: "O Hear, this people...." bring evil will I upon behold,
Just As in Jeremiah's Day: Just as in Jeremiah's time, many do not delight in reading God's Word. Some folks I've met have never ever read Jeremiah because they think it's violent and depressing. However, when an amazing book like Jeremiah is left unread people truly can't understand all of Israel's history, nor can they understand how the New Testament flows out of the Old Testament. Jesus himself continuously quoted the Old Testament; and so should we!
An exciting site the iBIBLE for kids notes, ..."There are more than one thousand references in the Old Testament about things that happen in the New Testament. The Scriptural narrative is so interconnected that only God could have written it." Find this brand-new Bible source here:
Vocabulary Quiz answers: 1. b 2. i 3. e 4. a 5. l 6. j 7. c. 8. k 9. d 10. f 11. h 12. g Message answer: Jer.6:19: "Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evil upon this people, ...."
A Sackcloth Puppet: The Lamenting Man/Woman: In Jeremiah's day when trouble was about to happen people were told to put on coarse cloth covering and sit in ashes to show their sorrow and their sadness for their sin. Read verse twenty-six. To create: Roll a toilet tube in light pink paper; add a bubble wrap head band and bottom strip. Also add beard with down curved mouth, facial features, and tear spots. For "sackcloth" add a see-through mesh potato bag piece. Change puppet to a lady by removing the beard leaving the downcurved mouth. View puppet photo below!
Synopsis of This Chapter: Jeremiah was the prophet that gave the "war warnings." Jerusalem was the wicked city where the war would be. Babylon was the city in the north that would bring forth war. God's people were the ones who closed their ears to God's war warnings. The false prophets were the ones who said, "Peace, peace!" and told the people war would not come. God's people were the ones that were not sad over their sins and wouldn't blush. God was the one who said, "Ask for the old paths and the good paths to walk in." God was the one who said, "Hear, O earth, behold I will bring evil on this people." God's people were the ones who said, "We have heard of the fame of Babylon, and our hands hang down." And it was God who said, "Jeremiah you are the one who will be a tower and a fortress for my people to test their ways. For these people are the ones who are revolting from my ways." Jeremiah 6
Jeremiah "6 Booklet": Cut out six purple sixes; cut out eight yellow sixes. Check journal pages for strips to print, and ways to assemble. Use yellow sixes for front, n' back covers and in between pages. Draw little faces and silhouette of Jerusalem. Remember for the smallest folks make larger sixes and larger drawings. Help them print or glue on printed word strips. Staple. How good to read that faithful Jeremiah would be a tower and fortress to his own people. May we too be encouragers as well as watchmen! View ideas below!
Journal Hint: Consider the Journal Pages a resource of ways to use the lesson. Use a few ideas or all of them.
