Key Thought : Symbols and symbolic acts can communicate powerful messages, and Jeremiah is probably the prophet that uses them the most..

Lesson on Symbolic Acts, October 31 – November 6, 2015

1. Have a volunteer read Numbers 21:5-9.

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a. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
b. What was the serpent on the pole a representation of? Give some evidence for your answer.
c. Personal Application : Are their symbols and symbolic acts we use today in proclaiming God’s message? Share your thoughts.
d. Case Study : One of your relatives states: “What’s the difference between a symbol and an idol? Didn’t some people start to worship the serpent on the pole instead of accepting it as a symbol, of the Messiah?” How would you respond to your relative?

2. Have a volunteer read Jeremiah 18:6-10.

a. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the most important point is in this passage.
b. Can God’s punishments or lack of intervention be just and merciful, as terrible as they may seem?
c. Personal Application : How can we learn to trust in the lesson of the potter and the clay, regardless of present circumstances? Share your thoughts.
d. Case Study : One of your friends states, “How can we trust God’s absolute sovereignty when there is so much evil in the world? When sudden death becomes a reality in your world, how do you submit to God’s control of all things?” How would you respond to your neighbor?

3. Have a volunteer read Jeremiah 19:8-11.

a. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main idea of this text is.
b. What was the symbolic meaning of the breaking of the jar? Why does this symbolic act add significant meaning to the prophet’s words?
c. Personal Application: Think of something you had that was ruined beyond repair. What was it made for, and what happened that now made it useless? Share your thoughts.
d. Case Study : One of your neighbors states, “Is there a point in time when we could reach the point of no return – where we could be broken beyond repair in God’s eyes?” How would you respond to your neighbor?

4. Have a volunteer read Jeremiah 13:1-11.

a. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main idea of this text is.
b. Is there a positive message we can get from this passage?
c. Personal Application: Why didn’t Jeremiah leave Judah and Jerusalem to their fates and move away, rather than stay and take abuse and ridicule? Share your thoughts.
d. Case Study : Think of one person who needs to hear a message from this week’s lesson. Tell the class what you plan to do this week to share with them.

(Note : “Truth that is not lived, that is not imparted, loses its life-giving power, its healing virtue. Its blessings can be retained only as it is shared.” Ministry of Healing, p. 148)

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