Accept Your Commission
Jeremiah 1:4-14, 17-19
The “big picture”: If someone asks what the Bible is about, I always say, “Redemption.” I see, from Genesis to Revelation, the God of the universe in pursuit of His prodigal creation. He is longing always for a closer fellowship, but our will tends to want to “do our own thing.”
After the fall and the flood, God would restart, making a promise with Abraham to create a nation of followers through him. After that, we see the law and the Exodus and finally the Promised Land. Now to help guide these wayward folks, God sent the judges and then the kings.
As these kings would rule, there would always be a voice to represent God. Many of the kings were bad and did not honor God. As a result, the Northern Kingdom (Israel) fell to the Assyrians and now Judah (Southern Kingdom) was on the verge of falling and would eventually fall to Babylon. It was in the midst of this that God called out Jeremiah to warn Judah of impending judgment.
The man (1-3): Jeremiah was a preacher’s kid. His father was a priest and they lived in a small town full of priests near Jerusalem. His name meant “the Lord throws,” and Jeremiah was going to be thrown into a battle. The battle was against the moral compromise and weak leadership of these kings, and Jeremiah was to speak truth into this situation.
God’s call and Jeremiah’s response (4-10): God had a life planned for Jeremiah. He had a purpose, and it was decided before Jeremiah was born. Jeremiah was reluctant. He said he couldn’t speak (sounded like Moses) and he was too young. God said He would supply what Jeremiah needed. He told Jeremiah not to be afraid and that He would be with him. His task – to uproot, tear down, destroy, overthrow, then to build and plant (sounds like boot camp). In other words: judgment, then revival; or brokenness, then freedom.
To confirm his call, God gave Jeremiah two visions – an almond branch, and then a boiling pot. One to say, God is watching; and the other to say, judgment is coming from the North. Judah had committed the greatest of sins by sacrificing and bowing down to other gods.
The prediction and promise (17-19): God told Jeremiah, “There is going to be a fight – get ready. Do what I tell you. They will come against you, but I will protect you and rescue you.”
Application
1. God knows us and has a plan for us all (Psalm 139).
2. God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things.
3. Sometimes what God ask of us is not fun — so much for “feel good” religion.
4. We pay the price when we ignore God’s Word.
Something to think about: Everything God does is to win us back, not pay us back.
“I am watching over my word to perform it” (Jeremiah 1:12, NASV).
Barker– Lessons by Ron Barker, evangelism and prayer strategist for the evangelization and missions team of the South Carolina Baptist Convention. He holds a doctorate from Southwestern Seminary.