Jeremiah 1:4 ff

Jeremiah was called to be a prophet in the 13th year when Josiah, the son of Amon was the king of Judah.

His call came when he was too young. Because of his tender age, Jeremiah tried to raise objection against the Lord's will.

The call was in form of a remarkable dialogue with the Lord who talked to him and he responded accordingly.

His call was God's initiative to warn the people of Judah about and save them from the impending destruction and the punishment. This was because of their continued their sinfulness and failure to turn back to God.

The Lord revealed to Jeremiah that he had chosen him long before he had given him life.

Besides, Jeremiah was told that he was selected to be a prophet to the nations before he was born. This signified the universal of nature of God.

Referring to the Lord as sovereign, Jeremiah expressed inability to speak and being too young to heed to God's call and take up the responsibility.

However, the Lord went on to call Jeremiah despite his claim of being unable to speak and being too young.

The Lord ignored Jeremiah's excuses and instead commanded him to go to the people of Judah and tell them everything he would be told to say.

The Lord told Jeremiah to remain calm and firm giving the assurance that he would be with him to offer protection. This was a call for Jeremiah to trust in the lord.

The Lord stretched out his hands and touched Jeremiah's lips to signify his anointing as a prophet.

The Lord commanded Jeremiah to listen as he was being given the words that he had to speak. This proved that Jeremiah was a true prophet of God.

Jeremiah was told that he had been given authority over nations and kingdoms. He had the power to uproot and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow and to build and to plant them. This showed the omnipotence of God.

Jeremiah saw two visions during his call each pointing the future of Jerusalem depicting massive destruction.

Jeremiah saw a branch of almond tree (a tree which produced nuts) but which had shed off its leaves and was now waiting to bloom again.

The branch of an almond tree led Jeremiah to the understanding that the Lord was watching and waiting to see his words come true.

The bare branch of an almond tree seemed to suggest the difficult experience Jeremiah would face in performing the tasks being handed over to him.

Besides, it signified suffering among the people of Judah willed by the Lord himself.

Jeremiah also saw a pot boiling in the north and it was about to overflow towards his direction.

Accordingly, the Lord made Jeremiah to understand that destruction would boil over from the north on all those living in the land.

The Lord told Jeremiah that he was calling upon all the nations in the north to come to Judah. This meant that the Lord had exposed his people to their enemies from the north.

Besides, this vision signified a great siege of the Jerusalem city and Judah as nation.

The Lord made Jeremiah to understand the kings of the northern nations would set up their thrones at the gates of Jerusalem and round its walls as well as those of other cities in Judah.

The Lord told Jeremiah that he was going to punish his own people because they had sinned. They had abandoned him, offered sacrifices to other gods, made idols and worshipped them.

The Lord reminded Jeremiah to get ready and go to his people to tell them everything he was commanded to say.

He told Jeremiah to be strong hearted or else he would be made more afraid when with the people.

The Lord warned Jeremiah that everyone in the land of Judah would be against him. This would include the kings of Judah, the officials, the priests and the people.

However, the lord assured Jeremiah that he was now being given strength to resist all those against him. Accordingly, he would be like a fortified city, an iron pillar and bronze wall.

Besides, the Lord assured Jeremiah that he would defeat all those against him. This meant that the prophet would succeed in his mission despite the difficulties he would face.

The Lord reiterated his earlier support to be with Jeremiah and protect the prophet in work.

Revision Questions

1.    Comment on the call of Jeremiah to be a prophet.

2.    For what reason does some Christians today fear or resist God's call?

•  Inability to speak

•  Being shy

•  Physical inability or poor health

•  Language barrier

•  Age by being too young or too old

•  Fear of commitment

•  Worldly attractions

•  Peer influence

•  Strict religious code

•  Family influence

•  Opposition

•  Lack of confidence Poverty

•  Past sinful life

REASONS FOR JEREMIAH'S CALL

God wanted Jeremiah to remind the people of Judah about the need to turn away from their sinfulness if they were to be spared from destruction.

God wanted the people of Judah to reflect on their past particularly the blessings they had received from him because of their righteousness.

Jeremiah was called to condemn the insincere repentance that had characterized Judah's ways of life.

God wanted Jeremiah to pronounce judgement and punishment upon the people of Judah. This was because of the terrible sins they had committed.

It was intended to announce God's love to his own people. The lord wanted to show that despite their sinfulness, he was still mindful and caring about his people.

The call was intended to announce God's rejection of his own people. He was no longer their God and they were no longer his children because of their disobedience.

God intended to show the rebelliousness of his own people. They had deliberately turned against him by behaving contrary to the requirement of the Sinai covenant.

Jeremiah's call was intended to warn the people of Judah about the dangers of failure to behave in accordance to their chosen status. Accordingly, the lord would use their neighbours to punish them and teach them a lesson.

Jeremiah's call was intended to make the people repent and turn back to their own God.

Jeremiah was called to pronounce God's mercy upon the people of Judah. He showed them that there would be future restoration.

Jeremiah's call was intended to give warnings to Judah about the dangers of failing to follow the laws of Moses. The Lord was willing to use their neighbours to punish them.

The call was intended to show the wickedness of the people of Judah. The prophet wanted to show that there was no one righteous in the land.

Jeremiah's call was intended to announce to the people of Judah that the Lord would make a new covenant with them. This covenant would be permanent and the law written in the hearts of each individual as opposed to the old covenant that had been broken.

THE EVILS OF JUDAH THAT JEREMIAH CRITICIZED

Judah had over been taken up by idol worship. The people worshipped the images of worthless gods and had become worthless themselves.

The people of Judah worshipped Baal and other gods instead of their own God Yahweh. Jeremiah showed that the people loved the foreign gods so much that they could no longer turn back to God

The people had rejected the Lord's prophets and therefore denied them the chance of delivering the Lord's messages. Among others, priest Pashhur stopped Jeremiah from doing his prophetic work during the temple sermon.

False prophets had dominated Judah and people preferred to listen to them instead of listening to Yahweh's prophets. This meant that they the people rejected the lord's teachings.

The people of Judah were involved in offered sacrifices to pagan gods. This defiled Israel's religion.

There was dishonesty in the means and process of acquiring wealth in Judah. The rich merchants cheated their customers by using false weighing scales.

The people of Judah lived luxurious life yet others continued to live in poverty. This meant that they ignored the poor among them.

There was rampant killing of innocent people particularly by the kings of the time. The prophet showed that the people's clothes were stained with the blood of the poor and the innocent but not with the blood of burglars.

There was charging of high interests on money lent. According to Jeremiah, this was a kind of injustice meted upon the poor by the rich.

The people of Judah had false confidence in the Jerusalem temple. They believed that they were safe because of the presence of the temple and would be protected from any danger despite their sinfulness.

The people of Judah took God for granted by thinking that their covenant status guaranteed the Lord's protection despite their sinfulness.

There were injustices in the court of law. The rich people were favoured at the expense of the poor. Therefore, the poor denied justice because of their status.

The Sabbath day had become an inconvenient to the people of Judah. The rich were only interested in accumulating wealth on that day.

The leaders of Judah turned to the gods of others nations including that of the Egypt. For this, Jeremiah declared that they would be disappointed by the Egyptians in the same way the Assyrians had done.

The people of Judah were found guilty of telling lies under oath. By doing so, they misled each and broke the covenant law which had forbidden telling lies.

The people of Judah took advantage of the aliens (foreigners), orphans and widows. They ignored their plight and allowed them to continue with their suffering.      .

The people of Judah were involved in adultery. This was lack of respect for marriage which was against the Sinai covenant.

The people of Judah signed treaties with pagan nations. They allied with earthly kings and trusted in their power for their own protection instead of trusting in their own God.

The people of Judah were involved in theft and this had led to loss of property and suffering of the victims.

Jeremiah saw that Judah had devoted herself completely into whatever the Lord hated and could still come to his presence.

The people of Judah were full of pride that the rich in particular put themselves above the poor.

Revision Questions

1.    Justify Jeremiah I s message of judgement and punishment upon Judah.

2.    Why was prophet Jeremiah critical of the people of Judah?

3.    Account for prophet Jeremiah's condemnation of the people of Judah

4.    Examine the sins of Judah during the prophetic ministry of Jeremiah