Bible Study: Jeremiah 1:1-19

Today’s Scripture covers the calling and commission of the prophet Jeremiah.  Jeremiah was a young prophet.  His exact age is not given but it is clear that he was called when he was not old enough to be considered an adult in his own eyes.  He is also known as the “weeping prophet” because his voice exhibits great sorrow over the judgment of Israel; he was a tender-hearted man who greatly loved the Lord and his people.

Jeremiah Chapter 1

Lessons from the text

To be anointed means to be covered in something. Christians and Jewish priests use oil to symbolize the Holy Spirit covering an individual.

Finding Your Calling
God has ordained every individual with specific gifts and anointings.  When He forms you in the womb, He does so keeping in mind His plan for your life.  God does not create “accidents.”  He does not allow probability to dictate what type of genes become dominant and which dormant.  When God gives someone the knack for learning math, He does so intentionally so that person can use mathematical skills in life.

  If you stay faithful to Him and walk according to His will, then you will live up to your full potential, fulfilling all the desires of you heart which God implanted there in your creation.  That is, being true to God also means being true to yourself, for you are being true to the person God created you to be.  Such is why it is important for every individual to acknowledge and nurture whatever his/her calling is.

If God has gifted you with a talent in art, pursue it.  If He is calling you to be a mason, pursue that.  Regardless of the nature of the work, if you ask God to show you what your gift is and how to use it, He will be certain to change your life for the better, placing you where your gifts and anointing can shine and bring Him glory.

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Verse by Verse Commentary

1-3  The book opens with historical references to give the context of the prophet’s message.  Jeremiah is the son of the priest Hilkiah who lived in Benjamin.  He is called by God to be a prophet in the thirteenth year of King Josiah, placing the event roughly forty years before the final deportation and destruction of Jerusalem.  Jeremiah continued to preach through the entire reign of Zedekiah and through the last king of Judah.

4-5  God calls Jeremiah to be a prophet on the basis that He knew Jeremiah before he was born and created and gifted him to be a prophet.  God makes each person with specific gifts and anointings to perform the calling of one’s life.  Some may be called to music, teaching, praying, missionary work, or even encouraging others.  That is, God makes a person to perform a certain work in this life and gives that person gifts accordingly.

6  Jeremiah protests to God's commission because he feels like he is too young for the task.  Compare with Tim. 4:12.

7-9  God reassures Jeremiah that he is able to perform all that God has asked of him.  God says that although Jeremiah thinks of himself as a child, he is ready for the adult task of traveling while proclaiming God’s word.  God encourages him by telling Jeremiah to not be afraid of rejection or rebuke from others because He will deliver him from harm for prophesying in His name.  God then stresses the point with a physical gesture.  From this it is clear that Jeremiah is not only hearing the voice of God but is also seeing Him.

10  Jeremiah's commission comes with authority:  God has granted him the power to – through His words – destroy and build nations.  The words of God are power.  Buy words God created the universe and all that is in it (Gen. 1:3-31).  Buy words God will destroy His enemies (Rev. 19:15, 21).  By prophecy, Jeremiah is a vessel for the power and authority of God.

11-16  God speaks to Jeremiah through visions.  God sends him a vision and then talks with him to explain what he sees.  In this vision, the almond tree is the nation Israel.  The seething pot is a conquering nation from the north who will bring God's judgment on Israel for their sins.

17-19  God repeats and expounds on His assurance from versus 7-9.  To gird up one's loins is to set one's mind to accomplishing a task.  God tells Jeremiah to take courage and to do as He asks of him because God will make him a defense city that cannot be conquered.  God strengthens and protects His servants, enabling them to accomplish their work even in the face of great opposition.  That is, God does not allow His people to perish until they have completed all their work on earth.

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Thank you for your faithfulness in studying God’s word.
Please comment below to share what you learned from today's lesson.

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