Jeremiahs doubts find an echo in J. R. R. Tolkiens novel The Fellowship of the Ring. in the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem; they will come against all her surrounding walls. 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. Limited Atonement We have already been given a clue that the book of Jeremiah does not have a happy ending. New Testament Pauline Epistles God sent Jeremiah to a crumbling nation to warn of their impending demise a warning they didnt heed. Part of this requires a partial overview of the history of the Israelites in the Promised Land. So, Jeremiah is to not be afraid of them why? While Jeremiah was being carried around in his mothers womb, God was making preparations for his salvation and his ministry. In other words, God is saying in Jeremiah 1:7 that hehas it all planned out. Who makes him deaf or mute? Meanwhile, Assyria had been conquered by Babylon. This article appeared in Unity Magazine. He continually urged focusing on the inner spirit and right actions rather than external religious practice. 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. Manasseh was eventually carried away by Assyrians and repented of his evil ways. Verse 8. Jeremiah served God even when it meant giving up everything and facing persecution in a culture that had abandoned God. The angel's words to Mary should leave us no doubt: "For with God nothing will be impossible" (Luke 1:37). He was a preachers son, for his father Hilkiah was a priest. You might remember that in Jeremiah 1:5 God says that he knew Jeremiah before he was born. The book of Jeremiah is a record of the ministry of a prophet, including the calling and the development of a prophet. 2. Foolishly, he attempts to flee the presence of the Lord by taking a ship to foreign shores (Jon. All rights reserved. Give possible dates of these kings. The below passage well demonstrates the cause of Jeremiahs agony: And if they ask you, Where shall we go? tell them, This is what the Lord says: Those destined for death, to death;those for the sword, to the sword;those for starvation, to starvation;those for captivity, to captivity., I will send four kinds of destroyers against them, declares the Lord, the sword to kill and the dogs to drag away and the birds and the wild animals to devour and destroy. In 721 B.C., the northern kingdom of Israel fell to the Assyrians. You may be sure that it was not for any merit that others do not possess; not for power or wisdom, at any rate. See Theology of Work Key Topic #2, Calling, at www.theologyofwork.org. Scriptures: Jeremiah 8:4-21. The modern spokesman for God will have authority only as he has a personal experience of Gods presence and of Gods power, and as he surrenders himself completely for the accomplishment of the divine will in the world in which we live. The rabbis called him the Weeping Prophet. They said he began wailing the moment he was born. From another point of view, however, these are the words of God himself: The word of the Lord came to him (v. 2). I have loved you with an everlasting love, God says in Jeremiah 31:3. To set something apart is to sanctify it or to dedicate it to holy service. So, in Jeremiah 1:9-10 God makes a symbolic gesture and touches Jeremiahs mouth. Isaiah had one or two doubts about his calling too, but his doubts were different. All rights reserved. Jeremiah 10:13 (NIV) "When he thunders, the waters in the heavens roar; he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth. The temple of Jesus body was uprooted and torn down from the cross. And with that, God has finished his commissioning of Jeremiah as a prophet to the nations. ), Jeremiah (Soncino Books of the Bible London: Soncino Press, 1949), p. 2. Was it right for him to object to Gods call or not? Porteous, Rowley, Guy, Knight, and Brockington. None of the prophets received his call from God in the same manner; Even so, as is obvious, God uses many ways of revealing his will to men in the present. He looks like a man who has wept so long he has no tears left to shed. During this time, Jeremiah wrote to the exiles in Babylon, telling them they would not be returning to their homeland anytime soon. This promise is for the whole church. A prophets life is never easy, but Jeremiah had an especially rough time. We likely will not have the same calling as Jeremiah. The promise suggests that the prophet will fall into grave danger. Isaiahs experience was somewhat different from Jeremiahs. Photo credit: Getty Images/KatarzynaBialasiewicz. And third, God reminds Jeremiah that hes given him theauthority to carry out his ministry. For less than $5/mo. In the prophets call-experience God not only inducted them into the prophetic ministry but also revealed his character and purpose to them in a way so as to leave a lasting impression upon their minds. 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. In that experience God became more than a name or a fact to them. 17Get yourself ready! Isaiah's lips were cleansed and his sin removed as a seraph touched his mouth with a glowing coal. Alyssa Roatstudied writing, theology, and the Bible at Taylor University. (LogOut/ (U)16I will pronounce my judgments(V) on my peoplebecause of their wickedness(W) in forsaking me,(X)in burning incense to other gods(Y)and in worshiping(Z) what their hands have made.(AA). 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. But if God actually physically came to Jeremiah then its very likely that this was a pre-incarnate Christ that came to Jeremiah! The reason Jeremiah has authority over nations and kingdoms (Jeremiah 1:10) is that he is not speaking on his own behalf. If you ask, he has promised to answer. While the book of Jeremiah shared the last, desperate days of the Jerusalem the prophet loved, Lamentations expresses the cries of his heart. 2:8 f.). In fact, he treated him the same way he treated Moses. Sigmund Mowinckel, The Spirit and the Word in the Pre-Exilic Reforming Prophets,, The Prophets Call A Dialogue With God: As Seen In Jeremiah, Southwestern Journal of Theology Vol. God himself possesses everything Jeremiah needs to answer his call. He did all this long before Jeremiah drew his first breath or shed his first tear. See 1:2-3. God knew your child, and he knows your child. And in the more immediate context in Jeremiah 1:7 its all those people to whom God will send Jeremiah. By this, the Lord is signifying that he has put and will continue to put his words in Jeremiahs mouth. Ezekiel's ministry occurred during a difficult time for the nation of Israel. Their kings will come and set up their thrones. BEST VALUE in digital Bible study. 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. The dialogue begins in Chapter 2 as a voice speaks from out of the throne vision: "Son of man, stand upon your feet, and I will speak with you" (Ezekiel 2:1). 18Today I have made you(AD) a fortified city, an iron pillar and a bronze wall to stand against the whole landagainst the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and the people of the land. 12The Lord said to me, You have seen correctly, for I am watching[b](R) to see that my word is fulfilled., 13The word of the Lord came to me again: What do you see?(S), I see a pot that is boiling, I answered. It was destroyed and overthrown to the grave. The southern kingdom of Judah fell during Jeremiah's prophetic ministry (586 BC), having been threatened for many years by outside powersfirst Assyria and Egypt and then by their eventual conquerors, Babylon. (Jeremiah 15:2-3, 5-9). After studying the call-experience of Jeremiah, I can see no basis at all for believing, as some do, that God no longer calls men to be his spokesmen. We tend to be doubtful when we hear someone say, "God sent me a sign" or "This came to me in a vision. And third, God reminds Jeremiah that he's given him the . You can imagine which message is more popular. The reason Jeremiah did not need to be afraid was that he had the promise of Gods presence. Our mission is to help and serve through prayer, publishing, and community. But you have been chosen and you must therefore use such strength and heart and wits as you have.3. He was not sure what to say or how to say it. Jeremiah 1- Jeremiah's call and commission Jeremiah 7 - Jeremiah Proclaims God's Judgment on Israel Jeremiah 31:31-34 - a new covenant Engage the text as a group: 1. . Jeremiah Cheung. He formed him. Ezekiel's long, detailed call narrative covers Chapters 1 through 3 with visions and dialogues. The Hebrew prophets message as not only an exposition of a previous revelation, but it also included additions to the revelation given previously. Old Testament Wisdom, commissioning of Jeremiah as a prophet to the nations. Many times, he cries out to God, even lashing out, as in Jeremiah 15:18. Stand up and say(AB) to them whatever I command you. It is tilting toward us from the north.. Fort Worth, Texas. 11:1 "When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. He did not deny the basis for the prophets objection. Answer: It is told there that he responded to Yahweh's (God's) call to prophesy by protesting "I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth," but he received Yahweh's assurance that he would put his own words into Jeremiah's mouth and make him a "prophet to the nations." A few scholars believe that after his call Jeremiah . The first chapter of Jeremiah is mainly about his call for his times, not your call for your times. Rescued from what? God replied: "For to all to whom I send you you shall go, and whatever I command you you shall speak. Image by At the height of the Babylonian siege, on orders from God, Jeremiah bought land in the city of Jerusalem to show that the Jews would one day return (Jeremiah 32:6-25). What happens when we mess up badly, like Judah, and end up in a terrible situation that is entirely of our own causing? It is a word that Jeremiah uses more than all the other biblical writers combined, often to describe the uprooting of idols (e.g. All rights reserved worldwide. God not only knows you and chose you, he has a plan for your life. Who wrote the book of Jeremiah? Theology of Work Project Online Materials by Theology of Work Project, Inc. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. I am slow of speech and tongue (Exodus 4:10). 1. R. E. O. When God gives his servants a clear calling, he does not accept any excuses. to some time after 586 b.c. 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