The words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin. 2 The word of the LORD came to him in the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah, 3 and through the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, down to the fifth month of the eleventh year of Zedekiah son of Josiah king of Judah, when the people of Jerusalem went into exile.My Understanding: This is one of my most favorite passages of scripture in the Bible, and one the Lord has used in my life many, many times to encourage and to strengthen me in ministry. Although Jeremiah was a prophet of God who spoke God’s exact words to the people as God-breathed words (scripture), and even though this is an Old Testament book concerning the Jewish people and events of Jeremiah’s time, still there is much truth here that can be applied to our lives today that should bring much encouragement and hope.
The Call of Jeremiah
4 The word of the LORD came to me, saying,
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.”
6 “Ah, Sovereign LORD,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am only a child.”
7 But the LORD said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a child.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. 8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the LORD.
9 Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “Now, I have put my words in your mouth. 10 See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.”
11 The word of the LORD came to me: “What do you see, Jeremiah?”
“I see the branch of an almond tree,” I replied.
12 The LORD said to me, “You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled.”
13 The word of the LORD came to me again: “What do you see?”
“I see a boiling pot, tilting away from the north,” I answered.
14 The LORD said to me, “From the north 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.
16 I will pronounce my judgments on my people
because of their wickedness in forsaking me,
in burning incense to other gods
and in worshiping what their hands have made.
17 “Get yourself ready! Stand up and say to them whatever I command you. Do not be terrified by them, or I will terrify you before them. 18 Today I have made you 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 you, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the LORD.
The Call
As believers in Jesus Christ, we are all called of God to service, to be his servants and messengers, to live holy lives pleasing to God, to be his witnesses, and to be lights in this dark and sinful world for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Before God even formed us in the wombs of our mothers, he knew us, and he had a plan and a purpose for our lives. I believe with all my heart that God had planned for me to do exactly what I am doing now even before he created me, and that I was set apart by God for this very purpose which he is now fulfilling in my life. We, as believers in Jesus Christ, all have the Holy Spirit of God within us, and we have all been given spiritual gifts and natural abilities and talents to be used of God for his glory and for his service. As parts of the Body of Christ, we all have a part that we were designed by God to fill in order to complete the Body and to make it work like it is supposed to function with all its parts working and none rejected. So, all believers in Jesus Christ are called of God and all of us have been given an assignment.
The Challenge
Jeremiah felt as though he was not up to the task. He knew what it would mean for him to be a prophet of God. He did not feel his speech was mature enough for him to be God’s messenger. Moses had the same problem, only Moses took it to the extreme and asked God to “Please send someone else.” It is an awesome task to be one of God’s messengers, and there is always the underlying fear that we won’t say things the right way or that we don’t have enough knowledge to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. And, the biggest hindrance, I believe, is the fear of the rejection of people. I think most people want to be loved and liked. Most people want to have friends and acceptance. Most people, I believe, do not speak words they know will get them rejected because they crave rejection and negative attention. So, to say “Yes” to Jesus to be among those whose feet are beautiful because they bring the Good News, means denying ourselves and taking up our cross and following Jesus, even knowing that we might be hated, rejected, falsely accused, mocked, forsaken, and/or abandoned for the sake of Christ and the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Assignment
Jeremiah was to go to everyone God sent him to and he was to say whatever God commanded him to say. He was not to be afraid of the people. He was appointed by God to be a messenger of judgment of God on the people, yet he was also to bring the Good News of salvation through the One and Only true God. He was to tell the people what they were doing wrong and how they were displeasing their holy God, and he was to warn of coming judgment, yet his messages also were messages of hope, healing and restoration to those who were willing to repent of their sin and to turn to God in faith, obedience and surrender of their wills to the will of God for their lives. This is truly the “Good News.”
It is not good news if we are left in our sins because no one is willing to let us know that Jesus came to set us free from bondage to and the control of sin over our lives and that he daily calls us to repent, to obey and to submit to him and to his will. The “Good News” is not just that Jesus died on the cross for our sins so that we could escape hell one day and so we could go to heaven when we die. The “Good News” is that we no longer need to be captive to sin’s dark sway while we are still on the face of this earth, but Jesus came to set us free – free to not sin, and free to obey, honor and serve God/Jesus Christ with our whole hearts and to be in fellowship with him. So many preachers of the “gospel” today are watering down the message, are removing the words “sin” and “repent” and “obey” and are telling people that repentance and obedience are not necessary for salvation, so the “good news” they are bringing is no good news at all, because it still leaves people hopelessly bound in sin.
The Provision
God said that he would be with Jeremiah and that he would rescue him. He did not promise to rescue Jeremiah from the rejection of the people, but that God’s love and grace to him would sustain him and would deliver him from the fear of the people and their reaction to him and to his words. I have seen God do that in my life so many, many times. We serve an awesome God! He is able!! We don’t ever have to fear man or what man might do to us or say about us, because, if we know we are in the center of God’s will and we are doing exactly what he has called us to do, we can be at peace even when people are warring against us, because they don’t like the messages. God also told Jeremiah that he would put his words in his mouth. The Lord Jesus and his Holy Spirit within us will also give us words to speak. We don’t have to fret about what we are going to say or how to say it. It is good to be prepared, i.e. to have knowledge of the word of God and to be practicing what knowledge we do have, but one of the greatest testimonies I know of is that of the blind man that Jesus healed. He didn’t have book smarts or a lot of knowledge about Jesus Christ, but one thing he knew, “Once I was blind, but now I see.” Our personal testimonies of what Jesus Christ did for us in saving us is one of the best testimonies for Jesus we have.
The Preparation
Jeremiah was to get himself ready for the task before him and he was to stand up and say whatever God commanded him to say. The preparation could have involved Biblical study of what scripture was available to Jeremiah at that time, but I sense that most of his preparation was spent at the feet of his Lord God, listening to what God had to say to him, and him preparing his heart to receive what the Lord had for him, getting ready spiritually, mentally and emotionally for the difficult task before him. To stand means to be strong in the faith and in the knowledge of God and in the task God has assigned us to do and to not have weak knees to where we vacillate back and forth and we give no clear message to the people. He had to be willing to hang tough and to say whatever God gave him to say even in the face of much opposition and rejection of the messages by the people. That’s a tough place to be, but that is where God has called all of us to be to where we choose to obey God above our own comfort level, above personal acceptance of people, and above our own personal interests and pleasures. We must be totally abandoned to Jesus Christ and to obedience to his will for our lives if we are to be effective ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ, not vacillating or swaying in opinion depending upon the audience.
If we give in to fear and we fail to give out the messages God has given us to give, then fear will control us and we will live fearful lives. I know. I did that many years. When I finally understood the absolute sovereignty of God over my life and his plan and purpose for my life and that he can handle anything that comes my way, then I was willing to say “Yes” and to not turn back, and I would never go back to living by fear ever again. Too much is at stake. I will face rejection (“they will fight against you”), but that’s ok as long as I know I am following the Lord Jesus and that I am obeying his calling upon my life. The only way man can overcome me is if I give in to fear of man and I let man overpower me. I must be loving and kind, gracious and compassionate, as was/is the Lord Jesus, but I must also give out the whole gospel message, holding nothing back, and giving to my Lord the responses of the people to the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ, trusting the Lord, too, with my reputation and with my level of social acceptance and all my relationships with people. And, I must go forward in his love, in his compassion, and in his will to do what he has called me to do, without giving in to the fear of man, and out of a heart of love for my God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
How Beautiful / An Original Work / May 27, 2011
How beautiful the feet of those
Who bring to us Good News.
Their voice has gone to all the earth,
So all the world could choose.
They tell the story of Christ’s love;
He died on Calvry’s tree.
He took our sins upon Himself,
So from sin we’d be free.
How beautiful the saints of God
Who join in holy prayer
To offer up to God requests,
To meet them in despair.
They’re burdened for their loved ones’ need
To know the Lord above;
To trust upon His saving grace,
And know His wondrous love.
How beautiful the servants of
Our Lord and Savior, King.
They sit at Jesus’ feet each day
To hear the words He brings.
They love their Lord and Master, friend.
He’s first love of their lives.
They wait for His return one day;
They’ll meet Him in the skies.
Song Lyrics @ Public Domain
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