Jeremiah 27: Group Study Handout

How to use: read Jeremiah 27 aloud together, then take the questions in order. One page is enough for an evening.

Overview

Yahweh commands Jeremiah to make bonds and bars and to wear them on his neck (vv. 1-2). He instructs Jeremiah to send this message to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, and Sidon.

Key verse

“‘“‘It will happen that I will punish the nation and the kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon,’ says Yahweh, ‘with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand.”
Jeremiah 27:8 (WEB)

Outline

Jeremiah 27:1–2 God's Command to Jeremiah
Jeremiah 27:3–7 Message to Regional Kings
Jeremiah 27:8–11 Warning Against Rebellion
Jeremiah 27:12–15 Appeal to Zedekiah
Jeremiah 27:16–20 Denouncing False Prophets
Jeremiah 27:21–22 God's Sovereign Plan

Discussion questions

In v6, who does Yahweh say has been given power over the nations?
What does Jeremiah tell Zedekiah to do in v12 to avoid death?
The command in vv. 8-9 to serve Nebuchadnezzar: why is this so critical for the nations?
In v15, why does Yahweh say the false prophets are prophesying in His name?
When have you faced pressure to act against God's guidance, like in Jeremiah's warning in v10?

Go deeper

Passages that echo Jeremiah 27: Jeremiah 28, Jeremiah 32, Jeremiah 29.

Before next time: read Jeremiah 28.