Jeremiah 1 - "A Mouthful"
In a way, God calls all of us to be a prophet, to exercise a function similar to Jeremiah’s role in the ancient kingdom of Judah. He gives some of us a Spiritual Gift of prophecy to empower us even more, but all of us are to be a prophet of sorts in our homes, communities, and nation.
Consider a few points of similarity:
- A prophet is called to serve God by speaking God’s words, not his own.
- Prophets spent more time applying God’s words to the current situation than predicting the future.
- A prophet was a mediator, standing before God and His people, often pleading with God on their behalf, serving others as a kind of conscience, condemning sinful acts, praising godly ones.
- Because wicked people oppose God, there will be pushback and opposition to the prophet.
The important thing here is God and His word as a means of understanding and applying His will to our lives and communities. The prophet’s chief concern is faithfulness to the truth and bringing glory to God.
God calls all His children to bring His word to a needy world.
1. God chose you to be a fit vessel of His word . (1-5)
God chose Jeremiah in his circumstance; He has chosen you in your circumstance. Verses one to three place Jeremiah in his setting in the course of world history. Among his people, Jeremiah was a priest’s son, which made worship of God a large part of his life. The event of his calling occurred DURING THE THIRTEENTH YEAR OF THE REIGN OF JOSIAH SON OF AMON, KING OF JUDAH. God called him to speak to His people through to the reign of King Zedekiah. This puts Jeremiah in the 630-570 BC range, encompassing the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC. Jeremiah witnessed the heartbreaking loss of the city of Jerusalem and the deportation of many of her citizens.
Verse four makes it clear that Jeremiah’s words are not his own; it is the LORD speaking through him. Whatever the words, whatever the situation, it must always be the Lord’s MESSAGE. Opinion and pride have no role in determining the prophet’s message. This is the opposite of the false prophet, whose messages are only opinion, lies, and half-truths that are selected to benefit the prophet.
God chose Jeremiah before birth and He has chosen you before you were born. (5) It should be very comforting to hear that God knew us before we were born. It should be encouraging to know He’s included us in His plans, set before the creation of the world.
2. God is making you a fitting vessel for His word. (6-10, 17-19)
Jeremiah must’ve seen some of the difficulties ahead, as he attempted to disqualify himself in verses six through 8. Jeremiah said, “I’m too young.” This is an odd objection, considering God had just told Jeremiah he’d been appointed BEFORE BIRTH! The word translated as YOUNG can be “child,” “youth” or “young man.”
God replied, “Just obey me, I’ll be with you and PROTECT you.” Jeremiah’s shortcomings were opportunities for God to glorify Himself by empowering Jeremiah. (And He didn’t really give Jeremiah a choice, did He?) Jeremiah had no need to FEAR THE PEOPLE, because God would be WITH HIM, protecting (“rescuing”) him. God guaranteed his promises with the best oath possible, Himself: “I, THE LORD, HAVE SPOKEN!” (And repeated it again in v. 19!)
God qualified Jeremiah with His WORDS. (9-10) In a manner like the calling of the prophet Isaiah, God put his word in Jeremiah’s mouth. This symbolizes God’s Spirit entering Jeremiah in an unusual way. The Spirit is the means of the transmission of God’s words, guaranteeing that Jeremiah’s message was from God.
The upshot of all of this is that as Jeremiah spoke God’s words aloud, he would activate the power of God to change the course of history. Jeremiah himself had no power. Though he advised kings, he had no political power. The only effect he had on history came thru God’s power, His words.
To exercise this power, he had to STAND UP AGAINST NATIONS. He had to have courage to tell the truth, repeat the messages God gave him, regardless of opposition.
The power of God’s words was so great, it could UPROOT, TEAR DOWN, DESTROY AND OVERTHROW some nations, while building up and planting others. What’s implied here is a process where evil and disobedient nations were taken down and replaced with governments that would be responsive to God’s will.
On a practical level, I have learned that the closer you stay to the actual words of the Bible, the more authority you have and the more “bulletproof” it makes you. Stick to God’s word and then if you get pushback, at least it’s on them, not on you.
Elaborating on v. 8, God promised to make Jeremiah strong to stand in the face of opposition. (17-19) In case God’s promises weren’t enough to motivate Jeremiah, God included a warning; “DO NOT BE AFRAID OF THEM OR I WILL MAKE YOU LOOK FOOLISH IN FRONT OF THEM.”
It’s interesting that God’s commission to Jeremiah is a call to ACTION. The ministry of the prophet would certainly be suitable material for an action drama.
God’s used architectural imagery to give Jeremiah confidence. With God’s strength, Jeremiah would be as STRONG as a FORTIFIED CITY, beyond CAPTURE. He would be like an IRON PILLAR or a BRONZE WALL that could stand against a nation and its leaders.
Knowing their hearts, God knew full well that evil people would reject His message and they would FIGHT against Jeremiah. He promised Jeremiah they would not overcome him, they would FAIL. God said all this to prepare Jeremiah for the inevitable moment when things would get difficult and he would be tempted to either water down God’s word or not speak to them at all. In that moment, Jeremiah was to remember that God was with him, protecting him. Failure was not an option, no matter how bleak things seemed.
3. God put His word in you. (11-16)
With a pair of visions, God showed Jeremiah what He intended to do. (11-15) The first vision was the almond tree branch. (11-12)b The Hebrew word for WATCHING (shoqed) is very similar to the word for ALMOND TREE (shaqed). Word plays like this are fairly common in the Bible. The ALMOND TREE is the first to bloom in the Spring, its blossoms appear before its leaves unfold. For this reason, it was called the “Waker Tree” or the “Watching Tree,” as it was one of the first signs of Spring. This was an appropriate choice of visions as Jeremiah’s hometown, Anathoth, was a center for almond groves.
God explained the meaning of the vision; “I AM WATCHING AND I WILL CERTAINLY CARRY OUT ALL MY PLANS.” This could be said to be the theme of the book of Jeremiah.
The second vision is that of the boiling pot. (13-15) In ancient cultures, a boiling pot was a symbol of war. God has appropriated it as a symbol of his divine judgment. The Babylonians would be God’s instrument of punishment on His rebellious people. They would come at Jerusalem from the north. Military pavilions located at the gates of the city was a sign of having been utterly conquered in battle.
God explained why He intended to do this. (16) Judgment was to be visited against Judah because of the idolatry of the people, their failure to recognize God and give their worship to false gods instead. Foolishly, the people deserted God to WORSHIP IDOLS they’d MADE WITH THEIR OWN HANDS.
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