The clue is found in Jeremiah's initial response. But at the same time the Holy Spirit is the One who breathed out the words of the book of Jeremiah. From another point of view, however, these are the words of God himself: The word of the Lord came to him (v. 2). And third, God reminds Jeremiah that he's given him the . We can see in Jeremiah a pattern for all those who follow God faithfully in their work. Jeremiah and Lamentations: From Sorrow to Hope. In one of the most famous passages in the Bible, Jeremiah 29:11, God addresses the captive Jews. Jeremiah responded faithfully to God's call to work, and God gave him the knowledge he needed to accomplish it (Jer. As we have seen, God prepared Jeremiah from before his birth for the work of a prophet (Jer. To overthrow is to demolish, to bring to complete ruin. Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Gods promise to rescue Jeremiah is also a bit worrisome. The Israelites may have feared the future as . Scriptures: Jeremiah 8:4-21. But if God actually physically came to Jeremiah then its very likely that this was a pre-incarnate Christ that came to Jeremiah! He knew him. Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain Images/Rembrandt. Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations." a. The spiritual problems we face at the dawn of the twenty-first century were the same problems that Jeremiah found depressing 2,500 years ago. Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say (Exodus 4:11-12). Unfortunately, the governor was murdered two months later, and Jeremiah was carried off to Egypt against his will by Jewish rebels. What dragon? This verse is not only Jeremiahs job description, it is also a helpful plot-summary of his book. He set him apart and appointed him as a prophet to the nations. (The church was frequented by scholars and other learned individuals.) The first two actions seem to focus on the initial stages of destruction rooting out and pulling down. Worst of all, they didnt listen. God formed Jeremiah in the womb. 14The Lord said to me, From the north(T) disaster will be poured out on all who live in the land. New Testament General Epistles Fort Worth, Texas. 4 The word of the Lord came to me, saying, 5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew[ a] you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.". Proud member 1:5), not a priest like his father and his grandfather. Salem Media Group. Though Jeremiahs birth date isnt exactly clear, he received Gods call at a young age, probably as a teenager (Jeremiah 1:6). We tend to be doubtful when we hear someone say, "God sent me a sign" or "This came to me in a vision. Yet even after he received his divine call, he was still a dubious candidate: Ah, Sovereign Lord, he said, I do not know how to speak; I am only a child (Jeremiah 1:6). We often think of prophets as people who can tell the future. He was alone with the knowledge of the horrors coming for Judah. Used under license from Veer And in the more immediate context in Jeremiah 1:7 its all those people to whom God will send Jeremiah. His commission was not only dangerous, it was often depressing. Jeremiah responded faithfully to Gods call to work, and God gave him the knowledge he needed to accomplish it (Jer. It may be as simple as writing a letter of encouragement to those who need it, or as all-encompassing as creating a new, forgiving relationship with someone who may have wronged us. If God has done all that for you, will you go wherever he tells you to go, and say whatever he wants you to say, even if it turns out to be a dangerous commission? Because God is with Jeremiah to deliver or protect him. He was a preachers son, for his father Hilkiah was a priest. When preachers preach according to Gods Word they are mightier than presidents. 2:8 f.). Instead, he passed along a message from the Lord telling them to settle in Babylon. God not only knows you and chose you, he has a plan for your life. Jeremiah 1:7-10 relates God's response to Jeremiah's doubts regarding his call to be a prophet to the nations. (Jeremiah 15:2-3, 5-9). Jeremiah 12:14-17). When God called Jeremiah to become a "prophet to the nations," Jeremiah cried: "Ah, Lord God! This includes the obvious things, such as spending time in prayer and Bible study, serving the people with whom you live, remaining active in the worship of the church, and being Gods witness in the world. Article Images Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. Perhaps his grasp of Akkadian and Ugaritic was deficient. He was called as a prophet in the thirteenth year of the reign of King Josiah. But everyone who believes in Christ also has a special calling to a particular sphere of obedience and ministry. There is no essential difference in the manner of their being inspired by God. Yet shortly before he died, he said, I know that I am absolutely immortal until I have finished the work that God intends for me to do. Gods servants are indeed immortal until they have completed their service. This does not mean that your gifts and abilities do not matter when you are trying to figure out what God wants you to do with your life. [83]Rudolf Otto, The Idea of the Holy, Trans. First, God assure Jeremiah that he will tell the prophet where to go and what to say. Our God is a God of forgiveness. Alyssa Roatstudied writing, theology, and the Bible at Taylor University. I am not made for perilous quests, cried Frodo. Then the word of the LORD came to me: Jeremiah had a personal encounter with . And she pondered them. And then the last two are positive build and plant. Q.6) List the kings in which reign Jeremiah's ministry covered. What Do We Learn from Reading Jesus Genealogy? He was not allowed to marry (Jeremiah 16:2), and his family abandoned him. Although Jeremiahs profession was prophet, there is no reason to believe that the pattern of Gods call, followed by faithful human response, followed by Gods equipping is limited to prophets. Perhaps worst of all, Jeremiah was alone. The reason Jeremiah has authority over nations and kingdoms (Jeremiah 1:10) is that he is not speaking on his own behalf. And hell do so on the global scene. Michigan, Milford | 220 views, 6 likes, 1 loves, 9 comments, 0 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Christ Lutheran Church and School: Service from Christ. Jeremiah may have had reasonable doubts. Birth is not our beginning. Not even conception is our real beginning. burned like a fire in the souls of these prophets. Most of what we know about Jeremiah comes from the book of the Bible that bears his name. 2. Old Testament Narrative He formed him. George Douglas, The Book of Jeremiah (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1903), p. 100. I see the branch of an almond tree, I replied. However, some scholars believe the biblical text may provide a hint that can lead readers to make an informed estimate. Second, ask God to reveal his will for your life. For around forty years, Jeremiah spoke for God to the people of Judah. Before I formed you in the womb I knew you. This is the strong, intimate, Hebrew word for know that is also used to describe sexual intimacy between husband and wife. J. R. R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1965), p. 70. When the seraph flew from the altar to touch Isaiahs lips with a live coal, he said: See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for (Isaiah 6:7). New Testament Pauline Epistles White, The Indomitable Prophet: A Biographical Commentary on Jeremiah (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1992), pp. Contributors: Joshua Moon and Alice Mathews Adopted by the Theology of Work Project Board Nov. 11 2010. Although Luke gives us details of Jesus' commissioning by the Spirit at his baptism, Jesus' call to a life out of the ordinary came through his mother (Luke 1:30-35). By the way, were not told if this is a vision or not. If you do not know what God is calling you to do, take an honest look at the gifts he has given you. You have found favour with God." - The priests, etc.The blame principally falls on the three leading classes (as in ver. However, the unwise actions of his son Rehoboam led to a schism in which the kingdom was split into the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah, each with its own king. Old Testament Poetry To answer the call effectively, we must learn to hear the Inner Voice that guides us, discerning the direction of a call through meditation and prayer. When God touched Jeremiahs lips, it was not to take away his sins, it was to give him Gods words. Herbert W. Hines, The Prophet as Mystic, The American Journal of Semitic Languages and Literature, XL (October, 1923), 41; and T. J. Meek, Hebrew Origins (2d ed. Jeremiah, a faithful, God-fearing man, was called to tell Judah that, because of their unrepentant sin, their God had turned against them and was now prepared to remove them from the land at the hands of a pagan king. In the New Testament, Paul says that God equips every faithful person for work that contributes to the good of the community (1 Corinthians 12-14). 1:1-2). All rights reserved. Since he was an enemy of the drug cartels, his life was in constant danger, until he was finally gunned down by assassins. Why was I chosen?, The answer Frodo is given is similar to the one Gods prophets often receive: Such questions cannot be answered. R. E. O. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight (Ephesians 1:3-4). Copyright 2023, Bible Study Tools. Bible Commentary / Produced by TOW Project, 10 Key Points About Work in the Bible Every Christian Should Know, Beyond Rank and Power: What Philemon Tells Us About Leadership, Learning From the Psalms How to Pray Through Your Work, Introduction to Jeremiah and Lamentations, Jeremiah and His Times (Jeremiah and Lamentations), Work-Related Themes in the Book of Jeremiah, Goodness and Defilement of Work (Jeremiah 2), Acknowledgement of God's Provision (Jeremiah 5), Material Success and Failure (Jeremiah 5), Injustice, Greed, the Common Good, and Integrity (Jeremiah 5-8), Work Within a Balanced Life (Jeremiah 17), Bless Wider Society Through Your Work (Jeremiah 29), The Goodness of Work Restored (Jeremiah 30-33), Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth" (Jeremiah 1:6). Jeremiah witnessed, both in foresight and real time, the destruction of his people. Get Unity news, prayers, and resources straight to your inbox. He proclaimed a coming foe, and after the reforms under Josiah, he urged the people to adhere to the covenant (Jeremiah 11). Well, it could be the nations that God spoke of earlier. To uproot is to dig up nations by the roots and turn them under. . They were warned, over and over and over, but they did not repent. The Lord said to him [Moses], Who gave man his mouth? 17Get yourself ready! They do matter. Ezekiel was set as a watchman over Israel in order that he might warn them to turn from their wicked ways (Ezek. 1:17). Biblical call narratives help us to understand and answer the call of our own potential Being called to go on a God-journey can be an upsetting experience. It is tilting toward us from the north.. He may have even been concerned about his foreign language skills, since God was calling him to an international ministry. The failure of many preachers to make a spiritual impact upon the society in which we live is due to the fact that they have assumed the prophetic office without having an express call from God. After several years of preaching, Jeremiah's family turned against him and even plotted to kill him (Jeremiah 1:8, 11:21-23 . Jeremiah himself was exiled to Egypt, where he died. Cheyne, Davidson, T. H. Robinson, and Skinner. From one point of view, it contains the words of Jeremiah, as the Scripture says: The words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah (Jeremiah 1:1). To paraphrase: Ahhh, wait a second, Lord, about this whole prophet-to-the-nations thing . Part of this requires a partial overview of the history of the Israelites in the Promised Land. So what if youre thirteen? Four decades is a long time to be a weeping prophet. Many times, he cries out to God, even lashing out, as in Jeremiah 15:18. "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?" 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