Foreword During the next three months, the Sabbath Bible Lessons will present Lessons From the Book of Jeremiah. This man of God was called to be a reformer in a time of spiritual crisis and impending judgment. With deep love for his people, he sought to cooperate with his Lord in uplifting and restoring them to God’s own image that they might not be destroyed. “As a wise master builder, Jeremiah at the very beginning of his lifework sought to encourage the men of Judah to lay the foundations of their spiritual life broad and deep, by making thorough work of repentance. . . . They were urged to begin building wisely and for eternity, casting aside the rubbish of apostasy and unbelief, and using as foundation material the pure gold, the refined silver, the precious stones–faith and obedience and good works–which alone are acceptable in the sight of a holy God.”–Prophets and Kings, pp. 409, 410.What can we learn from the way Jeremiah was directed to appeal to the erring people of Judah? “God’s plan is not to send messengers who will please and flatter sinners; He delivers no messages of peace to lull the unsanctified into carnal security. Instead, He lays heavy burdens upon the conscience of the wrongdoer and pierces his soul with sharp arrows of conviction. Ministering angels present to him the fearful judgments of God, to deepen the sense of need and to prompt the agonizing cry, ‘What must I do to be saved?’ (Acts 16:30). But the Hand that humbles to the dust, rebukes sin, and puts pride and ambition to shame, is the Hand that lifts up the penitent, stricken one. With deepest sympathy He who permits the chastisement to fall, inquires, ‘What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee?’”–Ibid., p. 435.“The spirit of opposition to reproof, that led to the persecution and imprisonment of Jeremiah, exists today. Many refuse to heed repeated warnings, preferring rather to listen to false teachers who flatter their vanity and overlook their evil-doing. In the day of trouble such will have no sure refuge, no help from heaven. God’s chosen servants should meet with courage and patience the trials and sufferings that befall them through reproach, neglect, and misrepresentation. They should continue to discharge faithfully the work God has given them to do, ever remembering that the prophets of old and the Saviour of mankind and His apostles also endured abuse and persecution for the Word’s sake.”–Ibid., p. 437.It is our earnest prayer that the study of Jeremiah’s faith and experience may help believers everywhere to gain fresh courage in the vital work of reformation to be carried in our day.
