1:1-2). Ezekiel was set as a watchman over Israel in order that he might warn them to turn from their wicked ways (Ezek. Unfortunately, the governor was murdered two months later, and Jeremiah was carried off to Egypt against his will by Jewish rebels. He was not sure what to say or how to say it. Was Jeremiahs call like the call of Moses? They refused to do so. Those who have been appointed to preach that Word have a spiritual authority over the nations. The Israelites may have feared the future as . Another brief upswing occurred under King Josiah, but after that, Judah was a mess of puppet kings placed by Egypt and Babylon, some reigning for only three months. And as the Spirit empowered that child of God, the divine spirit entreats all humans as children of God to listen, to discern, to answer, to accept the strength of God's energy, the empowerment of God's loving embrace. 1. To download full issues and find more information on the Southwestern Journal of Theology, go to swbts.edu/journal. So, in Jeremiah 1:9-10 God makes a symbolic gesture and touches Jeremiahs mouth. Jeremiah 12:14-17). It would be a mistake to think that our calling to our work must resemble Jeremiahs. But when we refuse this forgiveness, a just God can only allow wickedness to continue for so long. But to be a prophet to the nations also includes announcing Gods judgment. Old Testament Poetry . The call and preparation of the Prophet Jeremiah. FORM THREE the call of prophet Jeremiah | how. His entire work force is comprised of dubious candidates. The Excuse: The Task is Demanding. 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). Eugene Peterson offers these practical conclusions about Gods choice of Jeremiah: 4. (K), 9Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched(L) my mouth and said to me, I have put my words in your mouth. It turns out that God doesnt abandon us then, either. Gods choice is not unique to Jeremiah; it is true for every believer. His inspiration and authority will be no deeper than his personal experiences with God. Sarah laughed. New Testament Pauline Epistles While Jeremiah was being carried around in his mothers womb, God was making preparations for his salvation and his ministry. All rights reserved. For one, it might mean a formal ministry to a congregation, for another, working at a local mission to the homeless. . This verse testifies that the personal relationship between God and his child takes place in the womb, or even earlier. Find out more about herhere and on social media@alyssawrote. See 1:10-19. I knew you. What a beautiful thing for God to say to his children! However, his words live on thousands of years later, offering teaching and hope even today. 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. Be not afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you" (Jeremiah 1:7-8). 2:8 f.). We don't know when he perceived that he was to have a public ministry, but Jesus was still a child when he stayed behind in Jerusalem in the temple, dialoguing with his teachers. J. R. R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1965), p. 70. Why was I chosen?, The answer Frodo is given is similar to the one Gods prophets often receive: Such questions cannot be answered. New Testament General Epistles Blessed are you among women!" and her response initially to this greeting was: "But she was much perplexed by these words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be". One must not dare to speak authoritatively for God unless he has stood in the council of the Lord and received a commission to speak to the needs of his generation. 42, (Cambridge University Press, 1841), 102. He looks like a man who has wept so long he has no tears left to shed. Signs and visions are rather problematical in our modern, technological world. I will put the survivors to the swordbefore their enemies, declares the Lord. But everyone who believes in Christ also has a special calling to a particular sphere of obedience and ministry. 28 Therefore you must say to them, 'This is the nation that would not listen to the voice of the LORD their God and would . So, who was this weeping prophet in a dying nation who also brought such words of comfort and promise? You may be sure that it was not for any merit that others do not possess; not for power or wisdom, at any rate. The Bible doesnt say exactly what happened to him, but it is known that he died there, possibly killed by the very people who brought him there, according toextrabiblical sources. It comes in meditation as we gain new insights into the call. This is not to imply that the prophet received his inspiration once and for all in one single experience, but it does mean that he received the seed or germ of every great idea that he was to proclaim to Israel in that experience. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. He is the one who is in charge of the beginnings and endings of history. They sacrificed to the Baals and they burned incense to images. So what happens when we dont repent? For Sarah and Mary, pregnancy served as an indisputable sign of the veracity of the call. Looking for Biblical wisdom? God sent Jeremiah to a crumbling nation to warn of their impending demise a warning they didnt heed. Jeremiahs unique appointment was to be a prophet to the nations. NIV, Lucado Encouraging Word Bible, Comfort Print: Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV, The Story: The Bible as One Continuing Story of God and His People, NIV, Story of Jesus: Experience the Life of Jesus as One Seamless Story, NIV, Biblical Theology Study Bible, Comfort Print: Follow Gods Redemptive Plan as It Unfolds throughout Scripture, NIV, Chronological Study Bible, Comfort Print: Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, Red Letter Edition: Bringing to Life the Ancient World of Scripture. In fact, enabling weak tools to do strong jobs is Gods standard operating procedure. Among its important teachings are the following: 1. Explore what the Bible says about God's calling and your work. Copyright 2023 Unity World Headquarters. 1:10). [83]Rudolf Otto, The Idea of the Holy, Trans. The memory of that experience remained with them as a constant challenge and as a compelling force to be Gods spokesmen of eternal truth. And with those words, Jeremiah will perform the actions listed in Jeremiah 1:10. Their oracles were never such as would contradict what they had learned in their initial experience with God. This was precisely Jeremiahs objection. Taken from Jeremiah and Lamentations: From Sorrow to Hope by Philip Graham Ryken. In any case, we can be confident that God will equip us for our work, whatever it is, if we will be faithful to him in it.[2]. By Rev. For the Christian, the answer to that question is that you belong to Jesus Christ. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God himself possesses everything Jeremiah needs to answer his call. By submitting your email address, you understand that you will receive email communications from Bible Gateway, a division of The Zondervan Corporation, 3900 Sparks Drive SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546 USA, including commercial communications and messages from partners of Bible Gateway. He began proclaiming God's messages and continued to do so through trial and peril. We do not choose God before God chooses us. A Divine Call Jeremiah's sufferings began with a divine call: The word of the Lord came to me, saying, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." ( Jeremiah 1:4-5) Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family" (Judges 6:15). When God calls Jeremiah to ministry, the prophet initially protests, arguing that he was too inexperienced. 1:3). So what if youre thirteen? (LogOut/ The Spirit moves in us always, nudging us, a "still, small voice" within that calls us to small, daily duties. He proclaimed a coming foe, and after the reforms under Josiah, he urged the people to adhere to the covenant (Jeremiah 11). If you think you know what the Lord wants you to do with your life, get busy, trusting him to give you the grace to answer his call. Almost always gives a huge, overwhelming task to accomplish. In that experience God became more than a name or a fact to them. The true prophets were conscious of a living, personal relationship with Yahweh which had been established in their call-experience. From Hosea Chapter 11:1-7. What Does It Mean That "Your Life Is Hidden with Christ"? The temple of Jesus body was uprooted and torn down from the cross. God did not disqualify Jeremiah on the basis of his youth and inexperience. God is the Lord of life. It is tilting toward us from the north.. Perhaps you are still trying to figure out what Gods plan is for you. Once God had issued his divine call and dealt with his dubious candidate, he gave him a dangerous commission: You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. (Fort Washington, PA: Christian Literature Crusade, 1993), p. 17. (Exodus 3:11) Like Jeremiah, Moses is bold, even quarrelsome, in his discussions with God. As F. B. Meyer so eloquently puts it, From the foot of the cross, where we are cradled in our second birth, to the brink of the river, where we lay down our armor, there is a path which he has prepared for us to walk in.2. The book of Jeremiah is a record of the ministry of a prophet, including the calling and the development of a prophet. If you do not know what God is calling you to do, take an honest look at the gifts he has given you. Your email address will not be published. Once the Lord uproots, tears down, destroys, and overthrows a nation, there is not much left. He was a preachers son, for his father Hilkiah was a priest. Its ironic then that Jeremiah responds back to the Lord here I dont knowhow to speak. All he needs to do is to go where God tells him to go and say what God wants him to say. Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain Images/Rembrandt. When the man or woman is ready, God then teaches them what they need to know to fulfill their calling. She has had 150+ bylines in publications ranging fromThe Christian Communicator toKeys for Kids. The Lord of life uses the natural processes he designed to plant human life in the womb. The result was failure. Now, again if Jeremiah is about thirteen to sixteen years old which I argue is likely the case then this protest is a little more understandable than if he were say fortyyears old. That wasn't quite enough for Moses, and he argued his inadequacy over and over until he was convinced that God would be there for him. An angel appears to Mary and begins with "Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you!" Four decades is a long time to be a weeping prophet. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight (Ephesians 1:3-4). The prophet continued to oppose those who wanted to rebel against Babylonia and promised the people a bright and joyful future. This is Gods plan for the kingdoms of this world (cf. God not only knows you and chose you, he has a plan for your life. And in the more immediate context in Jeremiah 1:7 its all those people to whom God will send Jeremiah. As an adult, Jesus struggled with the overwhelming implications of his ministry. With reference to Jeremiah chapter 1:4- 19, state Jeremiah's five responses to God's call Atika School Provides Christian Religious Education questions and answers for KCSE preparations. God replied: "For to all to whom I send you you shall go, and whatever . Would you feel comfortable preaching to so-and-so? I was asked. However, two of the most important lessons are those of repentance and Gods faithfulness. 11:1 "When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. The Spirit moves in us always, nudging us, a still, small voice within that calls us to small, daily duties.. It is my deep and abiding conviction that the ministerial office should never be assumed by anyone who does not have a sense of call from God. Telling children who ask where babies come from that they come from God is good theology. The prophet had a mission to accomplish and a message to deliver to his generation. God is with you! God did not deal with them with any unusual harshness; in fact, the fact that he gave the wicked people such a long time to repent shows His love. Perhaps he has nothing left to say. I am inclined to believe that the difference in the inspiration of the great prophets and that of genuine spiritual leaders of today is not in the manner of inspiration, but in the content of the revelation. The book of Jeremiah gives us a glimpse of the personality and experiences of the man, Jeremiah. In any case, Jeremiah had his doubts about whether he could do the job. He was hesitant/immature due to age (young) He was not ready; Did not know how to speak; Many times, he cries out to God, even lashing out, as in Jeremiah 15:18. If you are not sure, there are at least two things you ought to do. 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. Their kings will come and set up their thronesin the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem;they will come against all her surrounding wallsand against all the towns of Judah. 14The Lord said to me, From the north(T) disaster will be poured out on all who live in the land. Judah's Idolatry Persists 26 Yet they would not listen to Me or incline their ear, but they stiffened their necks and did more evil than their fathers. His eyes also are cast down, as if he can no longer bear to see Gods people suffer. Old Testament History Yet how often we ignore the prompting of Spirit! In Jeremiah 1:8, God tells Jeremiah to not fear their faces in the Hebrew. What about the call of Moses? It is the sad story of the decline of Gods people from faith to idolatry to exile. - The priests, etc.The blame principally falls on the three leading classes (as in ver. The southern kingdom of Judah temporarily pulled itself together under King Hezekiah and avoided destruction from the forces of Assyria under Sennacherib through miraculous intervention (2 Chronicles 32). And they didnt listen. He did all this long before Jeremiah drew his first breath or shed his first tear. Often when God calls individuals in the Bible He gives grand, overwhelming vision of His glory; or a powerful reminder of His greatness, strength, presence. . No matter how low we have fallen, we have not fallen from the love of God, and we are not beyond the reach of His plans. Two to one, his words to the nations will be words of judgment. To be called by God is to be chosen by God for certain purposes. New Testament Epistles But God built and planted resurrection life into the body of Jesus Christ. We can see in Jeremiah a pattern for all those who follow God faithfully in their work. Jeremiah was called to be "a prophet to the nations" (Jer. 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