The Prophetic Calling of Jeremiah

Memory Text: “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” (Jeremiah 1:5, NKJV).

Jeremiah was a prophet during the last 40 years of Judah’s existence and bore messages of reform and revival to that nation. Jeremiah lived in Anathoth (Jer 1:1), about 4 km northeast of Jerusalem. He was of a priestly descent (vs 1) and was trained from childhood for holy service.

Q. How old was Jeremiah when he was called to be God’s prophet?

Jeremiah 1:6 “….for I am a child.” The Hebrew word for child translates as ‘a young man’. Judging by the length of his ministry, Jeremiah was probably under 25 years of age when God called him to be his prophet.

 Set You Apart

God chose Jeremiah to be his prophet even before he was born. To every person God has assigned a place of duty and responsibility in His great plan. Jeremiah 1:5 “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.”

Q. Who were prophets? What was their work?

In the OT three words are translated as ‘prophet’,

· Hozeh and ro’eh mean “seer”. These words show that God communicated to them through visual representation.

· Na’bi  is used most frequently and it means “to announce”. Thus prophets announces or proclaims a message.

God at times spoke to the prophets directly; other times the Holy Spirit touched them in dreams and visions. A true prophet taught by the Spirit of God (1 Ki 22:14), the message he bore was not his own, but God’s (Eze 2:7). He interpreted past and present, encouraged people to live a righteous life, and pointed their eyes to a glorious future. There are two types of prophets based on their work recorded in the Bible.

Oral Prophets– Prophets such as Enoch, Noah, Elijah , Elisha and Sanctuary singers (1 Chr 25:1-8) did not write any books but brought God’s message through their words, lives and music. There were also students who enrolled in the schools of prophets and they were used by God to carry out his purposes.

Written Prophets– All those who wrote the books of the bible were prophets since they received the message or were inspired by God to write (2 Tim 3:16). There are also some prophets mentioned in the bible who wrote books but were not included in the Hebrew Canon (OT Bible), such as Nathan, Gad, Ahijah and Iddo (1 Chr 9:29).

Jeremiah’s Family Background

Jeremiah’s father was Hilkiah, a member of a priestly family. Scholars think that Jeremiah might be the descendent of Abiathar the priest who was removed from office by Solomon (1 Ki 2:26). Jeremiah was trained to do God’s work from his childhood.

“In those happy years of prepara tion he little realized that he had been ordained from birth to be ‘a prophet unto the nations;’ and when the divine call came, he was overwhelmed with a sense of his unworthiness. ‘Ah, Lord God!’ he exclaimed, ‘behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.’ Jeremiah 1:5, 6.”—Ellen G. White, Prophets and Kings, p. 407

Q. Who were the priests? What was their work?

Whenever an Israelite committed a sin, he would bring an animal to sacrifice in the temple. Priests were authorized to offer this animal as sacrifice for the sins of that person (Heb 5:1). Thus, priests were mediators between God and men. Priests represented men to God, whereas prophets brought God’s message to men. Priests also were the moral and spiritual leaders of Israel.

The Prophetic Calling of Jeremiah

Jeremiah 1:5 “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’s prophetic calling came before he was born. John the Baptist was also called to be God’s prophet before he was born (Lk 1:5)

Q. What did God mean when he said he knew Jeremiah before he was born? Had God predetermined his future? Do we then also have no choice?

2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord…. is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”

God does not randomly choose people to his service and leave out the others. Every human is born with possibilities, it is up to them to develop these possibilities to the full. “The specific place appointed us in life is determined by our capabilities” Ellen White, Education, pg 267. We should discover what this place is and seek to carry out God’s purpose and plan for us.

King Saul was chosen by God to lead the children of Israel. He was talented and definitely had the personality of a great leader. He began his kingship by doing what was right in the sight of God. But later in life he did the opposite. He was overcome by selfishness and pride. He made a choice– not to follow God’s leading. His end was certainly not what God wanted.

 Reluctant Prophet

Jeremiah 1:6 Then said I:“Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.”

Q. Why was Jeremiah reluctant to be God’s prophet?

When Jeremiah learnt that God called him to be a prophet he shrank in fear. He was reluctant because he felt inadequate in regard to his speech and youth. “I cannot speak, for I am a youth.” (vs 6)

Jeremiah, Moses and Isaiah were reluctant to be God’s prophet not because they didn’t want to serve him but because they found themselves unworthy and lacking in ability.

Q. Does God choose a prophet because of his abilities?

God called shepherds, farmers, kings, priests, tax collectors to be his messengers. Many of the above did not have any qualification or abilities. But God used them.

Prophet Isaiah said these words when God called him to be a prophet.  “So I said: “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The Lord of hosts.” Isaiah 6:5

Thus, one of the prerequisites to be God’s prophet is that one must acknowledge his unworthiness and rely on God’s ability. “God does not call the qualified but qualifies the called.”

Q. What problems did Jeremiah face after accepting God’s prophet call?

Jeremiah was called to be a prophet in 627/626 BC, when Josiah was the king of Judah. He went on a preaching tour to many cities in Judah calling people to repentance. At one time when he was preaching in Anathoth, his home town, people there plotted to kill him (Jr 11: 18-23). He was compelled to leave his hometown to avoid death.

His life was in danger again when he spoke boldly against the new king Jehoiakim and the priests (Jr 26:6-11) in Jerusalem. But his life was spared when the princes defended him. (ch 26:16).

When Nebuchadnezzar’s army briefly withdrew from Jerusalem, Jeremiah attempted to go back to Anathoth but was accused of deserting and arrested and beaten. He nearly lost his life in the prison but was rescued by an Ethopian.

Later, king Zedekiah arrested him and kept him in the prison till Jerusalem fell to Nebuchadnezzar’s army. Nebuchadnezzar gave the prophet his freedom and gave him the choice to remain behind or travel with them to Babylon (ch 40:1-5). Jeremiah chose to stay back, but was carried away by Johanan and his men who were fleeing to Egypt. Jeremiah apparently died later in Egypt.

Q. What mission did God call Jeremiah for?

Jeremiah’s ministry coincided with the last five kings of the kingdom of Judah: Josiah, Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah. Two super powers of this time, Babylon and Egypt were in a struggle for supremacy. The kingdom of Judah happened to be in the center of this geo-political conflict.

Judah was spiraling down in sin and its destruction was looming. Jeremiah preached for an internal and real change rather that just superficial. His messages were a call to revival and reformation. He taught that wickedness emerges out of the heart and one must seek a new heart from God.

Jeremiah warned the Judean kings against foreign alliances and admonished Judah to submit to the Babylonian rule and cautioned that revolt would bring the nation to ruin.

 The Almond Branch

Q. How did God help Jeremiah overcome feelings of inadequacy?

God showed Jeremiah a vision of The Almond Branch. “Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see?”And I said, “I see a branch of an almond tree.” Then the Lord said to me, “You have seen well, for I am ready to perform My word.” (Ch 1:11, 12)

There is an interesting word play in vs 11,12. The Hebrew words for ‘Almond tree’ is shaqed, ’to be wakeful’. The tree got its name from the fact that it is the first tree to ‘wake up’ or bear blossoms after winter and ancient Israel would watch it to know spring is near. In verse 12, God says, ‘I am ready’ (Hebrew shaqad) to perform My word.

So just as ancient Israel ‘watched’ the almond to know the arrival of spring. God is watching over Jeremiah and the people of Judah. God wanted Jeremiah to know that he will keep a watch over him. He will help him overcome his inadequacies. Verse 19, “For I am with you,” says the Lord, “to deliver you.”