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CHAPTER 1

Jeremiah

1. The words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin. It is not for nothing that the start of Jeremiah's work as a prophet in God's church is stated. It began when the people were in a very corrupt state, with all their religion vitiated, because the book of the law had been lost. Nowhere else can we find the correct way to worship God. At this time, when impiety had long been the prevailing custom among the Jews, Jeremiah suddenly appeared.

The heaviest of burdens was placed on Jeremiah's shoulders. Most people were trampling underfoot the pure doctrine of the law, and he was trying to bring them back to it; but many people opposed him.

Son of Hilkiah. Jeremiah does not say that Hilkiah was the high priest. On the contrary, he adds, one of the priests at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin. We know that Anathoth was an insignificant village, not far from Jerusalem. And Jeremiah says that it was in the territory of Benjamin. Its closeness to Jerusalem may be gathered from the words of Isaiah who says that poor Anathoth was terrified (see Isaiah 10:30ff.).

Jeremiah also says that Hilkiah was one of the priests. Hence Jeremiah was more suited to the prophetic office than many of the other prophets, such as Amos and Isaiah. God took Isaiah from the court (he was a member of the royal family) and made him a prophet. Amos had a different background: he was a shepherd.

2. The word of the LORD came to him in the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah. Jeremiah explains in this second verse that he brought nothing to the people that he had not received from God; he faithfully declared what God had commanded him. The word of the Lord was given to him.

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. In my introduction I have shown why Jeremiah says that he had been chosen as a prophet in the thirteenth year of Josiah's reign and that he continued until the eleventh year of Zedekiah.

4. The word of the LORD came to me, saying ... Jeremiah introduces God as the speaker in order to lend more weight to what he says.

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." God declares that he knew Jeremiah before he formed him in the womb. This is not said especially of the prophet, as if other people are unknown to God; it refers to the prophetic office. It is like saying, "Before I formed you in the womb, I destined you for this work, so that you may undertake the burden of being a teacher among these people. I formed you in the womb and at the same time appointed you for a special work. And it was not your power that qualified you for this office, for I created not only a man, but a prophet."

It may seem strange that Jeremiah should be called a prophet to the nations. God designated him to be the minister of his church. He did not go to the Ninevites, as Jonah did (see Jonah 3:3), nor did he travel into other countries but spent all his time working among the tribe of Judah. So why was he called a prophet to the nations? The answer is that although God appointed him especially for his church, his teaching belonged to other nations as well.

6-7. "Ah, Sovereign LORD," I said, "I do not know how to speak; I am only a child." 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." Here God not only predicts what the prophet was going to do but also declares what he appointed him to do, as if he had said, "It is your duty to obey because I have the right to command. You must, therefore, go wherever I send you, and you must proclaim whatever I tell you." Through these words God reminds Jeremiah that he was his servant and that there was no reason why a sense of his own weakness should make him afraid. It should have been enough for him to simply obey God's command.

It is very important that we know this teaching, for we should not do anything without thinking in whose strength we will accomplish the task. So when God asks us to do anything, we should immediately obey his Word, as it were, with closed eyes. When God calls we should not say, "I am only a child." It is as if God has said, "Although you think you have no talents at all and are fully conscious of your weakness, you should still go wherever I send you." God requires people to obey his commands, even if they think they lack the necessary qualifications.

8. "Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the LORD. From this verse we learn that Jeremiah was greatly upset when he saw the hard conflicts that faced him. He saw that he had to deal with a people who had almost completely wandered away from God's law. They had shaken off this yoke for many years, and now it was difficult to bring them back into the paths of obedience. It seems that Jeremiah was so overcome by the difficulty of the work that he did not want to undertake the office of prophet. But God provided a suitable remedy for his fear. What does he say? "Do not be afraid of them." God, who penetrates into the hearts of people and knows their hidden feelings and motives, heals Jeremiah's timidity by saying, "Do not be afraid of them."

The reason God gives for saying that Jeremiah should be bold should also be noted: "For I am with you and will rescue you." God reminds the prophet through these words that his divine power would be enough to protect him, so that he did not need to dread the anger of his own nation. It was at first a formidable undertaking when Jeremiah saw that he had to fight not against a few people, but against all of the people. But God sets himself against everybody and says, "Do not be afraid of them."

9-10. Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, "Now, I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant." Jeremiah speaks again about his calling. He does not want his teaching to be despised, as if it came from a private individual. Therefore he witnesses again that he does not come on his own accord but was sent from above and was invested with the authority of a prophet. This is why he says that God put his words in his mouth.

This passage should be carefully noted, for Jeremiah describes how a true call can be ascertained when one undertakes the office of a teacher in the church. It is discovered in this way: Nothing of one's own is brought (see 1 Peter 4:11).

A visible symbol was added in order to confirm Jeremiah's call. But there is no reason to make this a general rule, as if it were necessary that the tongues of all teachers should be touched by God's hand. There are two things to note here. First, there is the thing itself. All of God's servants are told they should not bring their own ideas but simply deliver, as from one hand to the next hand, what they have received from God. Second, there was something special for Jeremiah: God, by stretching out his hand, touched his mouth. This was to show in a visible way that his mouth was consecrated to God.

"See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms." God shows that he wants his Word to be received reverently, even when it is conveyed by frail mortals. We should note the authority that God ascribes to his own Word. God here sets his prophet above the whole world, even above kings. So whoever claims this power must bring forth God's Word and really prove that he is a prophet.

"To uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant." Here Jeremiah puts ruin and destruction before building and planting. This seems to be inconsistent, but we must always bear in mind the condition of this people. Impiety, perverseness, and hardened sin had prevailed for so long that it was necessary to begin with ruin and eradication. Jeremiah could not have planted or have built God's temple unless he first destroyed, pulled down, and laid waste.

God says that he gave authority to his servant, not just over Judea, but over the whole world. It was like saying, "You are but a small part of mankind. So do not lift up your horns against my servant, for you will not be able to do this. He will exercise power not only over Judea but also over all nations, and even over kings, for the teaching I have deposited with him is so powerful that it will stand above all mortals and over much more than a single nation."

11-12. The word of the LORD came to me: "What do you see, Jeremiah?" "I see the branch of an almond tree," I replied. The LORD said to me, "You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled." God confirms in this passage what he had just said about the power of his Word. God made his servant see the branch of an almond tree. Why? The answer is supplied: "You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled." God is extolling his Word here. It is as if he announced that what his servants said would not vanish into the earth — his power would accomplish everything, just as he had said. "As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it" (Isaiah 55:10-11).

"Watching to see that my word is fulfilled." It is as if God said, "As they speak from my mouth, I am present with my prophets to fulfill whatever I command them." God ascribes nothing to Jeremiah's power but only to the power of his own Word. It is as if he said, "Provided that you are a faithful minister, I will not frustrate your hope, nor the hope of those who will obey you. For I will fulfill whatever you and they may rightly hope for. Those who resist you will not escape from being punished. For in due time I will bring on them the punishment they deserve."

13-14. 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. The LORD said to me, "From the north disaster will be poured out on all who live in the land." Jeremiah now starts to address the people he has been sent to as a prophet. He accommodates his teaching to the people. Hence he says that he had a vision and saw a boiling pot. This means that the Chaldeans would come to overthrow Jerusalem, to take away all the honor and dignity both of the kingdom and of the priesthood. The pot stands for the nation of the Jews. They are likened to a boiling pot because the Lord, as it were, boiled them until they were reduced to almost nothing.

"From the north disaster will be poured out on all who live in the land." Judea is the land. In these words God declares that the Chaldeans and the Assyrians had already lit the fire by which he would, as it were, boil his people like meat and eventually consume them.

15. This verse explains the previous one. God explains more clearly that evil will come from the north. He says he will send this evil and speaks of it in this way: "I am about to summon all the peoples of the northern kingdoms." The prediction would not have been so effective had he not added that the Chaldeans would come by God's authority, for people always ascribe to fortune whatever takes place (see Lamentations 3:37-38). So God rebukes the Jews sharply because they were so blind in this matter and did not acknowledge God's judgments.

"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." The power of the Chaldeans would be so great that they would boldly pitch their tents in front of the gates.

16. God now explains why he had resolved to deal so severely with the Jews. They had to be taught two things. First, the Chaldeans would not attack them on their own authority but on God's, who would arm them; and second, God would not be cruel to them or forget his covenant, though he would be angry because of the extreme wickedness of the Jews. God had to break them down — moderate corrections had no effect.

"I will pronounce my judgments on my people because of their wickedness." This is like saying, "Until now I have waived my rights and waited for them to return to me. They have not returned and are so depraved that they add evil to evil; so I will take up my office of judge."

"In forsaking me, in burning incense to other gods and in worshiping what their hands have made." This is like saying, "They have com pletely denied me. I do not say that one of them is a thief, another an adulterer, and another a drunkard. For they have all become apostates. They have all broken the covenant. Thus I am wholly forsaken by them, and they are in every way alienated from me."

17. "Get yourself ready!" (KJV , "Gird up thy loins"). This refers to the clothes Orientals used to wear. When they wanted to start some manual work or go on a journey, they hitched up their long clothes.

"Stand up and say to them whatever I command you." In short, God says he does not want to go to extreme lengths until he has made sure there is no hope of the people repenting. He knew they were irreclaimable, but he intended to find out more fully their perverseness. He would command Jeremiah, finally, to pronounce the extreme sentence of condemnation.

"Do not be terrified by them, or I will terrify you before them." This is like saying, "Take heart, do not be afraid of them, for that would mean you are unworthy of being supported by the strength of my Spirit." From this we learn that God's servants will not lack strength as long as they derive courage from the conviction that God himself is the author of their calling. God will give them strength so that they will be formidable to the whole world.

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." Nobody cared about religion or heavenly truth, and Jeremiah was so diffident that he could not shoulder such a heavy burden without God's supporting hand. So God declares that he will make him like "a fortified city." It might seem enough to call Jeremiah "a fortified city," but the Lord also compares him to "an iron pillar and a bronze wall." This repetition serves to confirm that Jeremiah will be victorious. Even though Satan will attack him, Jeremiah will win the battle, for he is fighting under God's protection.

"Against the whole land." God is not speaking about the whole world but about the land of Judah. Jeremiah was chosen to work among the chosen people; so it says he will be a conqueror of the whole of Judea. So it follows that he would be successful "against the kings of Judah." God encourages this prophet to be firm and to persevere, as though the battle would be long, so that he would not faint from being tired. The prophet would not have to contend with one king only, but as soon as one died, another would rise up and replace him. From this Jeremiah saw there would be no hope of rest until the time that God had appointed arrived.

19. "They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the LORD. This is like saying, "Be prepared to suffer. If I did not deliver you, you would be finished and defeated a hundred times over. But there is no reason for you to be afraid in the midst of a thousand deaths, since I am with you to deliver you."

Jeremiah

1-2. The word of the LORD came to me: "Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem ... God now tells his servant what message he is to deliver to the kings and priests and to all of the people of Jerusalem. In the hearing of Jerusalem refers to all its inhabitants.

"I remember the devotion of your youth, how as a bride you loved me." By these words the Lord shows that he did not act as the Jews deserved, nor did he see them as in any way worthy of his salvation. He tried to bring them back to the right way through the efforts of his prophet, even though this would be ascribed to God's previous benefits. It is as if he said, "It is a testimony to you of my paternal care that I send a prophet to give you hope of pardon, if you return to the right way and are reconciled to me. Since you have forgotten me and have completely neglected my law, why do I still show concern for you? It is because I want to continue to extend my favors to you."

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Excerpted from "Jeremiah and Lamentations"
by .
Copyright © 2000 Watermark.
Excerpted by permission of Good News Publishers.
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