Jeremiah’s Call and Commission
Adult 1 Sunday School Class Jeremiah 1:4-10 July 16, 2017
Theme: Each of us has some aspect of our lives that might convince us that we have nothing to give others. How do we overcome these perceived shortcomings? Jeremiah’s response was based on God’s promise to be with Jeremiah as he carried out his calling.
Understanding and Interpreting the Scriptures, the verses are in regular print (responses are in bold print)
Please explain the meaning or significance of the following verses:
* Jeremiah 1:4 and 5, “Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 5. Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee, and before thou canst forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” These verses are the “calling of Jeremiah” by God to be His prophet, messenger, to the disobedient people of Judah. God called Him even before his conception, and knew him before he was in his mother’s womb. (Similar, but not exactly the same situation as John the Baptist.) This was planned by God even before his birth that Jeremiah would serve God’s need, and was by no means by chance. God spoke directly to Jeremiah as a boy of about 20 yrs. and told him that before he was born he was consecrated (set apart for a divine purpose). God had commissioned him to speak His Word to the people of Judah and to all nations.
* v 6 and 7.” Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child. 7. But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shall speak.” Like Moses, like Jonah and others, Jeremiah first tried to excuse themselves from their assignment from God. God doesn’t pick those who can do the job, but those through God’s help will accomplish the task, and God will get the glory. Age is not a calculus for God in selecting one for an assignment. God wants obedience from this prophet, and will equip him and not leave him. God reassures Jeremiah that he will protect him from the challenges that he will encounter; death threats, great suffering, imprisonment, and persecution, just for spreading the Word of God.
*v.8 and 9. “be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD. 9. Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the lord said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.” God assures Jeremiah that he will deliver him from any foes that he might encounter. “God put forth His hand and touched my mouth”, is probably symbolic that he was anointed to preach the WORD from his mouth as God had directed him to. This would legitimize Jeremiah’s words as the representative of God’s.
*v.10, “See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.” Jeremiah’s message from God was to root out, pull down, throw down and to destroy all of those who were disobedient and/or opposed God. No wonder Jeremiah feared for his life from his enemies. The message also had a glimmer of hope when He said to build and to plant. This may have meant that after the “exile”, the people would have to rebuild their Temple and Jerusalem; and plant the seeds of obedience to God as well as the crops needed for subsistence after returning from the “exile”.
THINGS TO REMEMBER
* Answer the call to be of service to God, and it is not dependent on age, education, station in life, or your experience, or ethnicity because God will equip you for the task which He has assigned you to do.
* God will protect you along the way.
* When you complete the task with God’s help, He gets the glory.