Jeremiah 25 is a sobering chapter in which the prophet recounts twenty-three years of God’s warnings to Judah, announces seventy years of Babylonian rule, and then describes a cup of wrath passed to many nations. These questions are for small groups, Sunday classes, and personal study, and each one points to specific verses so you can read the text together before discussing it.
Jeremiah 25 at a Glance
The chapter opens with a date that anchors the message: the fourth year of Jehoiakim, when Jeremiah notes that God has been speaking to Judah for twenty-three years and the people have not listened. God’s call to turn from evil is followed by a clear announcement that Babylon will be the instrument of judgment, and that its own time of punishment will come after seventy years.
The middle of the chapter shifts to a vision of a cup of wrath. Jeremiah is told to make many nations drink from it, beginning with Jerusalem and moving outward to Egypt, the Philistine cities, and far-off kingdoms. The chapter closes with a roar from heaven and a lament for the shepherds, the rulers who failed the flock.
Observation Questions
Start here, keeping the discussion close to the text itself. Ask the group to point to the words on the page before anyone offers an interpretation. These questions work well as the first round, with each person reading a verse or two aloud.
Jeremiah 25:4-6
4 The LORD has sent to you all his servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them (but you have not listened or inclined your ear to hear), 5 saying, “Return now everyone from his evil way, and from the evil of your doings, and dwell in the land that the LORD has given to you and to your fathers, from of old and even forever more. 6 Don’t go after other gods to serve them or worship them, and don’t provoke me to anger with the work of your hands; then I will do you no harm.”
(WEB)
Reading this passage aloud lets the group hear the repeated call to return from evil and the clear promise attached to it. It sets the emotional and spiritual tone for the whole chapter. Ask someone to read it slowly so the words of invitation are not lost.
Jeremiah 25:11-12
11 This whole land will be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years. 12 “It will happen, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation,” says the LORD, “for their iniquity. I will make the land of the Chaldeans desolate forever.
(WEB)
These verses give the timeline of seventy years and the promise of later reckoning. Reading them together helps the group see that judgment is neither random nor endless. It is a dated, purposeful action within God’s plan.
Jeremiah 25:15-16
15 For the LORD, the God of Israel, says to me: “Take this cup of the wine of wrath from my hand, and cause all the nations to whom I send you to drink it. 16 They will drink, and reel back and forth, and be insane, because of the sword that I will send among them.”
(WEB)
Hearing God’s command to take the cup of wrath is a strong moment in the chapter. Reading it aloud allows the image to land before the list of nations begins. Pause afterward to let the group sit with its weight.
Jeremiah 25:29
For, behold, I begin to work evil at the city which is called by my name; and should you be utterly unpunished? You will not be unpunished; for I will call for a sword on all the inhabitants of the earth, says the LORD of Armies.”’
(WEB)
This single verse makes clear that God’s city will not escape judgment simply because it bears his name. Reading it brings the chapter’s warning close to home for any community of faith. It is a short, memorable line that works well as a discussion starter.
Jeremiah 25:30-31
30 “Therefore prophesy against them all these words, and tell them, “‘The LORD will roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation. He will mightily roar against his fold. He will give a shout, as those who tread grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth. 31 A noise will come even to the end of the earth; for the LORD has a controversy with the nations. He will enter into judgment with all flesh. As for the wicked, he will give them to the sword,”’ says the LORD.”
(WEB)
The image of God roaring from his holy habitation is vivid and often surprises readers. Reading these verses aloud conveys both the power and the holiness of God. It also prepares the group for the lament that follows.
Memory Verse for Jeremiah 25
Jeremiah 25:5
Saying, “Return now everyone from his evil way, and from the evil of your doings, and dwell in the land that the LORD has given to you and to your fathers, from of old and even forever more.
(WEB)
This verse captures the heart of the chapter’s appeal in a single sentence: return from the evil way and from the evil of your doings. It is short enough to memorize and gives a clear, practical call. Encourage the group to repeat it together at the close of the session.
A Closing Prayer for the Group
Father, we come before you having heard a hard word from Jeremiah. We confess that we, like the people of Judah, can be slow to listen when you speak through your word, your servants, and your Spirit. Help us to hear your call to return from every evil way and to trust you enough to turn toward you. Where we have failed to lead or care well for those entrusted to us, forgive us and give us grace to serve faithfully. Hold the nations in your hand, and let your justice and mercy meet in your good purposes. Amen.
