THE CALL OF JEREMIAH

Passage: Jeremiah 1:1-19

Key verse: 7

NIV

1 The words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests at Anathoth(A) in the territory of Benjamin. 2 The word of the Lord came(B) to him in the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah(C) son of Amon king of Judah, 3 and through the reign of Jehoiakim(D) son of Josiah king of Judah, down to the fifth month of the eleventh year of Zedekiah(E) son of Josiah king of Judah, when the people of Jerusalem went into exile.(F)

The Call of Jeremiah

4 The word of the Lord came to me, saying,

5 “Before I formed you in the womb(G) I knew[a](H) you,
    before you were born(I) I set you apart;(J)
    I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.(K)”

6 “Alas, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak;(L) I am too young.”(M)

7 But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. 8 Do not be afraid(N) of them, for I am with you(O) and will rescue(P) you,” declares the Lord.(Q)

9 Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched(R) my mouth and said to me, “I have put my words in your mouth.(S) 10 See, today I appoint you over nations(T) and kingdoms to uproot(U) and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.”(V)

11 The word of the Lord came to me: “What do you see, Jeremiah?”(W)

“I see the branch of an almond tree,” I replied.

12 The Lord said to me, “You have seen correctly, for I am watching[b](X) to see that my word is fulfilled.”

13 The word of the Lord came to me again: “What do you see?”(Y)

“I see a pot that is boiling,” I answered. “It is tilting toward us from the north.”

14 The Lord said to me, “From the north(Z) disaster will be poured out on all who live in the land. 15 I am about to summon all the peoples of the northern kingdoms,” declares the Lord.

“Their kings will come and set up their thrones
    in the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem;
they will come against all her surrounding walls
    and against all the towns of Judah.(AA)
16 I will pronounce my judgments(AB) on my people
    because of their wickedness(AC) in forsaking me,(AD)
in burning incense to other gods(AE)
    and in worshiping(AF) what their hands have made.(AG)

17 “Get yourself ready! Stand up and say(AH) to them whatever I command you. Do not be terrified(AI) by them, or I will terrify you before them. 18 Today I have made you(AJ) a fortified city, an iron pillar and a bronze wall to stand against the whole land—against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and the people of the land. 19 They will fight against you but will not overcome(AK) you, for I am with you(AL) and will rescue(AM) you,” declares the Lord.

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Footnotes
  1. Jeremiah 1:5 Or chose
  2. Jeremiah 1:12 The Hebrew for watching sounds like the Hebrew for almond tree.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

1 The words of Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, one (A)of the priests who were in (B)Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, 2 to whom the word of the Lord came in the days of (C)Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in (D)the thirteenth year of his reign. 3 It came also in the days of (E)Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, and (F)until the end of the eleventh year of (G)Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, (H)until the captivity of Jerusalem in the fifth month.

The Call of Jeremiah

4 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

5 (I)“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born (J)I consecrated you;
I appointed you a prophet (K)to the nations.”

6 Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, (L)I do not know how to speak, (M)for I am only a youth.” 7 But the Lord said to me,

“Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’;
for to all to whom I send you, you shall go,
and (N)whatever I command you, you shall speak.
8 (O)Do not be afraid of them,
(P)for I am with you to deliver you,
declares the Lord.”

9 (Q)Then the Lord put out his hand and (R)touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me,

“Behold, I have put (S)my words in your mouth.
10 See, I have set you this day (T)over nations and over kingdoms,
(U)to pluck up and to break down,
to destroy and to overthrow,
to build and to plant.”

11 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, (V)“Jeremiah, what do you see?” And I said, “I see an almond[a] branch.” 12 Then the Lord said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it.”

13 The word of the Lord came to me a second time, saying, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see (W)a boiling pot, facing away (X)from the north.” 14 Then the Lord said to me, (Y)“Out of the north disaster[b] shall be let loose upon all the inhabitants of the land. 15 For behold, (Z)I am calling all the tribes of the kingdoms of the north, declares the Lord, (AA)and they shall come, and every one shall set his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, against all its walls all around and against all the cities of Judah. 16 And (AB)I will declare my judgments against them, for all their evil (AC)in forsaking me. (AD)They have made offerings to other gods and (AE)worshiped the works of their own hands. 17 But you, (AF)dress yourself for work;[c] arise, and (AG)say to them everything that I command you. (AH)Do not be dismayed by them, lest I dismay you before them. 18 And I, behold, I make you this day (AI)a fortified city, (AJ)an iron pillar, and (AK)bronze walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land. 19 (AL)They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for (AM)I am with you, declares the Lord, to deliver you.”

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Footnotes
  1. Jeremiah 1:11 Almond sounds like the Hebrew for watching (compare verse 12)
  2. Jeremiah 1:14 The Hebrew word can mean evil, harm, or disaster, depending on the context; so throughout Jeremiah
  3. Jeremiah 1:17 Hebrew gird up your loins
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

INTRODUCTION TO JEREMIAH

Jeremiah lived about 1

years after Isaiah. He began his ministry in the 13th year of Josiah king of Judah (626 BC), and he continued until the people of Judah were taken to Babylon in captivity (586 BC). The lost Bible was found in the 18th year of Josiah's reign, and the king tried to reform the country according to God's word. He could not stem the tide of corruption, however. He was killed in an attempt to stop an Egyptian invasion. During Jeremiah's lifetime, the Babylonian Empire conquered Assyria, then Egypt, to become the leading world power.

Jeremiah was the son of a country priest. He was very young when he was called by God. Because of the nation's impending doom, he was commanded not to marry and have children. He is known as the weeping prophet. He had much to weep about because he prophesied about and lived to witness the death throes of his nation Judah. He loved his countrymen, so he rebuked their idolatry and called them to repent.

He opposed collaboration with Egypt and advised the leaders of Judah to surrender to Babylon. Because of this unpopular stand he was called a traitor and put in prison. After the Babylonian invasion, he followed a group of Jews into exile in Egypt and probably died there.

OUTLINE OF JEREMIAH

1 Jeremiah's call

2-24 Messages calling God's people to repent

25-33 Prophecies about exile and restoration

34-35 Warnings to Judah's kings

36-38 The suffering prophet

39-44 The sorrow and shame of Judah's kings

45 Personal confession to Baruch

46-51 God's judgment on the nations

52 The burning of Jerusalem; exiles and temple furnishing taken to Babylon

1. A prophet to the nations (1-1

)

Jeremiah was the son of a priest. He lived to see the Babylonian conquest of his country. He was chosen by God before he was born to be a prophet and Bible teacher for the world. When God called him, Jeremiah thought he was too young. But God said, 'Don't say, 'I am only a child.'' He was called to go wherever God sent him and say whatever God told him to say. His message would be unpopular, but God would stand by him. Then God touched his mouth and gave him his word. God's word uproots and tears down so that he can build and plant. God's word calls men to repent and turn to God.

2. The almond branch and the boiling pot (11-19)

As the almond branch awakens the spring, God is awake and watching. The boiling pot is the Babylonian Empire, which would soon be poured out to invade Jerusalem. God pours out his wrath because of the wickedness of the people. Jeremiah must stand alone against kings and priests. But God would be with him.

Prayer: Lord, give me courage to obey your call and teach your word without compromise.

One Word: Say whatever I command you