Jeremiah 22: Group Study Handout

How to use: read Jeremiah 22 aloud together, then take the questions in order. One page is enough for an evening.

Overview

Yahweh instructs a prophet to deliver a message to the king of Judah, telling him to execute justice and righteousness (vv. 1-5). Kings will enter through the gates if they do this, but if they refuse, Yahweh declares that the house will become a desolation (vv.

Key verse

“Yahweh says: “Execute justice and righteousness, and deliver him who is robbed out of the hand of the oppressor. Do no wrong. Do no violence to the foreigner, the fatherless, or the widow. Don’t shed innocent blood in this place.”
Jeremiah 22:3 (WEB)

Outline

Jeremiah 22:1–5 A Call for Justice
Jeremiah 22:6–9 Judgment on the King
Jeremiah 22:10–14 Lamentation and Woe
Jeremiah 22:15–19 Condemnation of Jehoiakim
Jeremiah 22:20–23 A Call to Cry Out
Jeremiah 22:24–27 Coniah's Fate
Jeremiah 22:28–30 A Childless Record

Discussion questions

In v6, why does Yahweh compare the house of the king to Gilead and Lebanon?
What does Yahweh say in v9 about the reason for the city's destruction?
In v18, why does Yahweh predict that no one will lament for Jehoiakim?
In vv. 24-25, what does Yahweh’s promise about Coniah suggest about his future?
When have you seen power used for oppression, as described in v17?

Go deeper

Passages that echo Jeremiah 22: Micah 6, Isaiah 1, Jeremiah 6.

Before next time: read Jeremiah 23.