Jeremiah 2:2b-3 – Be faithful and love God consistently

In Jeremiah 2:2b-3, God was contrasting Israel’s present condition with their past devotion to Him. God’s love for Israel had never wavered. But the same cannot be said of Israel’s love for Him. He wished Israel would be consistent in their love toward Him. But obviously, she was not. Reading these verses, we sense how God was disappointingly recounting their early devotion to Him. Through Jeremiah, He pointed out to the people of Judah their inconsistency. They had lost their first love.

Here they were being compared to an unfaithful wife who had left their earlier devotion to their faithful husband. God described the early days and pointed to their devotion to Him. They trustingly followed Him as He led them out of Egypt through the barren wilderness. They became His consecrated people, for He had set them apart for Himself. As a nation, they became God’s covenant people, and He became their God. He even prided in them as the first of His harvest and would protect them. Any nation seeking to do evil to them would be punished.  

 

The first lesson we can learn from these two verses is that God cherishes faithfulness. Like Israel was God’s wife, the church is Christ’s bride. Through Christ, God has espoused us. We have become the apple of God’s eye. And He wants us to be consistent in our love for Him for faithfulness is demonstrated through consistent love. That’s why in the book of Revelation, Christ’s counsel to the church in Ephesus was for them to return to their first love. God treasures faithfulness. So we must not lose our first love for Him!

 

The second lesson we learn is that there are benefits to being faithful.  Not only will God protect us, but He will also provide for us. These are indicated in these two verses.  When Israel followed God trustingly through the barren wilderness, God not only provided but also protected them throughout their journey. Today we are also God’s pilgrims traveling through the barren land of his world. If we remain faithful to Him on this journey, He will also provide for us as well as protect us in the journey. So we must remain faithful to Him!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jeremiah 2:1-2a - Don’t just hear, listen and pay attention

 Jeremiah began his ministry during King Josiah’s reign. We are told in 2 Chronicles 34 that Josiah ascended to the throne at age 8 and began to seriously seek the God of David his father at age 16. We are also told that it was only in the 12^th year of his reign that “he began religious reform by purging Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the Asherim, the carved images, and the molten images.” 

The call of Jeremiah took place in the 13^th year of his reign. In other words, one year after Josiah had started religious reform that the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah. Both of them were used for different tasks. While the king was used to reshape the nation's religious’ front, God commissioned Jeremiah to deal with the ingrained negative attitude of the people. For He knows that for deep and abiding change to happen, the attitude of the people needed to be reshaped.  

 

In Jeremiah 2:1, we read that the prophet was sent by God to go and proclaim to the people of Jerusalem.  Notice he was to proclaim to their ears. Interestingly, God has given each of us two ears to facilitate the entrance of His word. However, we need to know that more than hearing, God wants us to listen. Is there a difference between hearing and listening? Certainly! Hearing is the process of receiving sounds and being aware of sounds that pass through the ears. But listening is the process of making a conscious effort to pay attention to what is said to perceive the message, to understand it, and then to apply the message. God wants us to listen carefully to the message and not cursorily hear the sound.  

 

The lesson to take away is this, more than hearing, God wants us to listen and understand what He is saying. Each one of us must come to the Word of God with the desire and attitude of wanting to know what God is saying, understanding it, and then purpose to act on it. This is where we need to consider afresh and apply Ecclesiastes 5:1-2: “Guard your steps as you go to the house of God and draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools; for they do not know they are doing evil. Do not be hasty in word or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your words be few.” Ever wonder why God gives us two ears but only one mouth? It is because He wants us to listen more than we speak. It is said that the difference between hearing and listening is paying attention. Are we paying attention to what God is saying?!

Jeremiah 1:17-19 – Empowered to serve

At the start of the book, we saw how Jeremiah responded to God’s call to ministry with reluctance. He felt he was too young and inadequate to be a good spokesman.  And we also saw how God helped him to refocus. He was redirected from looking at his personal inadequacy to the commission, he was called to fulfill. God commanded him to speak His word wherever He would send him (Jeremiah 1:1-10). 

Hence in Jeremiah 1:17-19, alongside the second vision of the boiling pot tilting away from the north, God admonished him to be courageous. Jeremiah was to gird up his loins and arise and speak to God’s people as he was commanded.  The prophet was admonished not to be terrified before them or God would allow his fear to unnerve him. He was to do the work of God without fear.

 

God then assured him that He would empower him, and give him fortitude and determination. He was promised triple protection. God would make him like “a fortified city, a pillar of iron and a bronze wall.” As a fortified city, he would be impregnable; as an iron pillar, he would be indestructible; and as a bronze wall, he would be impenetrable. Simply put, Jeremiah would be unshakable before his opposers.  

 

Though the kings, priests, and officials would all oppose and come against him; even the people he worked with him would turn against him, but they would not be able to overcome him. For God, Himself would empower him with His presence and power.   Then like the reticent Joshua was told years ago before he took over Moses’ leadership, God assured Jeremiah that He would be with Him. He said to him in verse 19 “I am with you to deliver you.” In other words, God’s presence will always be with him to deliver him. 

 

As Christians, we know that this assurance is not to Jeremiah alone, but also to all of us who bear the name of Christ. And we must not be intimidated by people who may oppose our ministry, our God, and our message. Know that we are not in the business of gaining popularity and winning the applause of man. We are here to advance God’s Kingdom. He not only qualifies our calls but also empowers us for service. Our equipping comes from Him. As Billy Graham said, “The will of God will never take us where His grace cannot sustain us.”  

 

Be encouraged by two stanzas of Margaret Mulling’s poem entitled, Empowered to Serve:  

 

Empowered to serve,
With humility and Grace.
Elegantly standing completely,
Adorned in the Father’s Armor.

No foe can disarm,
Nor conqueror  the one,
Empowered to serve.
For the gates of hell,
Shall not prevail!

 

 

Jeremiah 1:13-16 – There's a price to be paid for unfaithfulness

The first message to the prophet was about the blossoming almond tree in Jeremiah 1:11-12. Through it, God was making the guarantee that every promise of His would be fulfilled, for He was watching over it to bring it to pass. Whether God promises words of hope or words of judgment, they will all come to pass.

 So in Jeremiah 1:13, God asked Jeremiah a similar question on a second occasion. He again asked the prophet, “What do you see?” This time what Jeremiah saw was “… a boiling pot, facing away from the north. And he told the Lord so. Once again, the object God used was something common to enable an easy understanding of the message. A metal either of iron or copper boiling pot was that common object.

What the prophet saw was that pot being laid over an open burning flame. We all have seen scenes in movies of people having a campfire. Water in a pot placed over a naked fire fueled by burning wood would boil over very easily. However, the Hebrew word used here is not “boiling” but “blown up.” The picture the prophet saw was a fire being stoked and the flame fanned. Imagine the woods underneath the pot bursting into flame. And the pot was seen tilted to one side and the boiling water bubbling up and the hot steam rising. This was what Jeremiah saw. But what does it mean?

In Jeremiah 1:14 God Himself then provided the interpretation. He said, “Out of the north the evil will break forth on all the inhabitants of the land. For, behold, I am calling all the families of the kingdoms of the north….” What was God saying? It’s a picture of impending trouble coming from the north where wind is blowing from. The pot was tilting threateningly away from the north. The threat could be Assyria, but its power and influence were diminishing. Or it could be Babylon which had incrementally grown in strength. Either way, the point is this: God Himself was bringing the judgment. This was made clear in verse 16. For their wickedness of forsaking Him to offer sacrifices to other gods and worship works of their own making. They would be getting more than what their sin and waywardness deserved.

Jerusalem would be scalded by the boiling water of that pot. What would that mean? The later part of verse 15 said that the kings of the north would come and would set each one his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, and besieged it and all the cities of Judah. There would be a total disgrace as the kings would set their thrones at the gates of the capital. Judgment is sure when God’s children choose to walk in disobedience. God guarantees it for He is watching over His word to fulfill it. It behooves us to think carefully about how we ought to walk. Don’t be enticed by the gods of this world. Sex, money, power, and the likes may charm for a while but alas they will sting like a viper. Choose to be faithful to God! Choose to heed the words of 1 John 2:15, “ Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”

Jeremiah 1:11-12 – Every promise of God will come to pass

In the call of Isaiah, God gave the prophet a vision of Himself high and lifted up with the train of His robe filling the temple. The prophet also saw Seraphim standing above the awesome God, each with six wings. Two of them were used to cover their eyes, two to cover their feet, and the remaining two for them to fly around. One Seraph would proclaim to another crying out, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts, the earth is full of His glory.” It was a majestic sight and plenty of object lessons concerning the holy and awesome God. Many things could be learned about God from Isaiah’s encounter, but we shall not deal with them here.

As for Jeremiah, God’s object lessons to him did not come at the same moment as his call, but on two other separate occasions. On the first occasion, God directed the prophet’s sight to an almond tree and on the second to a boiling pot and an iron pillar. Each of these visions has object lessons for him and for God’s people. In this reflection,  we will look at the vision and message of the almond tree.

In different places that experience the four seasons,  there are different signs to signal the end of winter and the arrival of spring. In Anathoth where Jeremiah hailed from, the sign of the arrival of spring would be the blossoming of the almond trees. It would be the first tree that would blossom when spring was about to break.  God’s word came to Jeremiah on one occasion and alerted him to the blossoming of almond trees. He asked the prophet “What do you see, Jeremiah?” He answered saying, “I see a rod of an almond tree.” What Jeremiah saw was the budding of an almond rod. The reason God pointed to the blossoming almond tree was to send His message in a way that would be humanly comprehensible. God was using the blossoming almond tree to point to a spiritual lesson to Jeremiah and to us.

Following the prophet’s answer, God commended him and then went on to tell him the significance of the blossoming almond tree. His message to Jeremiah and to us is: He Himself is watching over His word to bring it to pass. God never says anything that He will not bring to pass. Whether positive or negative, a blessing or a curse, whatever God has promised it would be brought to fruition.

The Hebrew word for almond sounds like the word “waking” or “watching.” God used it as a pun here to say that the almond tree was not only a waking tree but also a watching tree. He was pointing out to Jeremiah and to us that He, the Creator God never sleeps nor slumbers. He is always wide awake and watching over His every promise to fulfill it. Whether positive or negative, a blessing or a curse, God’s word will always come to pass. In short, God is saying that He will always fulfill His word. According to Isaiah, the word of God when it is spoken will never return to Him void. It will always accomplish the purpose to which it was sent forth.   

What a promise! This is our hope and joy. God will never say anything that He would not personally supervise and ensure that it will come to pass. How many of the promises of God are we accustomed to?  Hear what God is saying to us through 2 Peter 1:3-4. “…His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature….” What blessed assurance! Every promise God made to us through His Word will be brought to fruition in our lives. What a blessed thought!  

Jeremiah 1:7-10 – God qualifies and empowers our calling

It’s a fact that no one can ever give a reason good enough to turn down the call of God on his or her life. Jeremiah soon realized it. In Jeremiah 1:7-10, we are told what God did in response to the prophet’s reluctance. 

Firstly, in response to his trepidation, God got him to refocus. He was told not to view the call redirected from looking at his personal inadequacy to Him, the great God who was placing the call on His life. God was assuring Jeremiah that he was not going to do the work depending on his own puny strength but on His strength. And that He would personally be directing him where to go and all he needed was to speak what He would tell him to speak.

Secondly, God assured him that He would be with him. The fear that the prophet had was unfounded for God was fully aware of what he would be coming up against. He knew how stubborn and rebellious the people Jeremiah would have to face could be, especially when they refuse to acknowledge God or His truth. But the prophet was not to be intimidated, for God would be with Him to deliver him. Though not out of the circumstances but through them all.

Thirdly, as God had touched Isaiah’s mouth He also touched Jeremiah’s. With the former, God used a seraph bearing burning coal from the altar with tongs to touch his mouth (Isaiah 6:6-7). For the latter, Jeremiah 1:9 says this, “Then the LORD stretched out His hand and touched my mouth and said, ….“Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.” For Isaiah, God cleansed, for Jeremiah He empowered.   God empowered him to speak His words. 

Fourthly, God not only appointed, and authorized Jeremiah as the prophet to His people, but He also defined the scope of his prophetic call. A prophet was one who not only gives words of judgment but also words of hope. So Jeremiah would give words of judgment that would pluck up, break down, destroy, and overthrow. But he would also be given positive words that would build and plant. His ministry would provide the foundation for the establishment of a new era, the messianic era.  

Some of us may wonder how can I be effective as God’s messenger in this world that is hostile to the Gospel?  The lesson from these verses is that God empowers us in His call for us to be His witnesses in the world. He will be with us in our assignment. What we need is to do the task boldly. We are not only cleansed but also empowered to be His messengers in our hostile world. No more excuses. Just do it!   

 

Jeremiah 1:4-6 – Called to be God’s messengers

The call of Jeremiah was very straightforward. Nothing dramatic like that of the call of Isaiah. The word of the LORD came simply summoning him for service. God began the call by telling Jeremiah that long before that moment, God already knew him. God saw his yet unformed substance even before he was formed in his mother’s womb. Even before he was born, he was already consecrated for him to serve. He was to be a prophet to the nation. In other words, he was going to be God’s spokesman.

Though Jeremiah’s call was not attended by anything dramatic, it was a serious one, and he knew it. Anyone who knows God and the magnitude of His work would undoubtedly face the call with trepidation. Isaiah felt unworthy to serve because he saw his sinfulness before the Holy God. As to Jeremiah, he felt inadequate because he was too young and immature and hence would not be adequately equipped for the work. He honestly told God saying, “Alas, Lord God! Behold I do not know how to speak because I am a youth.” Frankly speaking, how can anyone ever be adequate for the task of God? One would be deceiving himself or herself to think that he or she is adequate for God’s work, without God’s help. Jesus, Himself explicitly said, “Apart from Him, we can do nothing.”

Here are three truths gleaned from these three verses:

Firstly, we learn that life comes from God. He was the one who had formed us in our mother’s womb. The formation of human life is a divine miracle. Know it or not every one of us is put together by God. The process of a foetus becoming a baby to be born attests to God’s marvel. Our anatomy and physiology are God's design.

Secondly, we know that we can only choose God because He first chose us. Ever wonder why we responded to God, while others hearing that same message would not respond to Him. It’s because God has placed His hand on us. Hence it behooves us to know how privileged we are to be called sons and daughters of God.

Thirdly, every one of us needs to know that God has a calling on our lives. He did not call us just to save us from hell, He calls us so that He can shape, form, and return us to the original image He had for us before the fall. We each must become more and more like Christ, the image of God. It is said that “Who we are is God’s gift to us but what we become will be our gift to God.” One last word: our effectiveness as His spokesmen in the world will vary depending on the degree we become like Christ.