GOD’S WORD OF CALLING (1)

“Then the WORD of the LORD came to me, saying: Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you…” – Jeremiah 1:4-5a

Jeremiah encountered GOD’S WORD of CALLING: “Then the WORD of the LORD came to me, saying: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations (Jer.1:4-5). The Call of God was not unique to Jeremiah, but the explicit and repeated reference to “the WORD of the LORD” makes his case a classic example worthy of closer study (vv.2-4). The book of Jeremiah is different from other prophetic books because it has a lot of biography about Jeremiah the man.

Jeremiah’s ministry began in the 13th year of the reign of Josiah (Jer.1:2). He carried a message from God – a message of repentance. But sadly, his prophecies fell mostly on deaf ears. He was viewed as a rebel who preached disloyalty to the state of Judah. Because of the nation’s refusal to listen and change, God allowed Jerusalem to be destroyed by the Babylonians – an example of the fate of the unrepentant. The prophet Jeremiah was called for a special purpose, and even today, we can learn three relevant and pertinent lessons from his calling, namely: God knows everything about us; we are never too young or too old to be used by God; and God promises to protect and deliver us.

God knows everything about us: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you” (v.5a). The God who made heaven, earth, the sea, and all that is in them, knew Jeremiah from the moment of conception. David also spoke of how God knew him: “Your eyes saw my substance being yet unformed” (Psa.139:16). God knows about us before we began to take shape in the belly of our mother. Each of us is not just a number or a puny drop of water in the sea of humanity. I am not just another person on the planet. I am not some insignificant, unintended by-product of evolution. I am a unique individual whom God knows and cares about. God is acutely aware of who we are and has a purpose our lives.  

We are never too young to be used by God. He told Jeremiah, “Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations” (v.5b). The objective was clear: Jeremiah was to go to the people and prophesy to them. But he immediately protested. Speaking the uncomfortable truth to Judah’s sinful people would not be easy, especially for a young man; hence, he tried to turn down the responsibility using age as an excuse, but it didn’t work. God didn’t invite him – He ordered him. God’s response to Jeremiah’s objection was succinct and conclusive: “Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak” (v.7).

God has always worked through young and old alike to accomplish His purpose. God used youthful David to faithfully watched over his father’s flock of sheep, kill a lion and bear, slay Goliath and serve as Commander in Saul’s army. God used Josiah, who ascended the throne of Judah when he was 8 years old, to institute several reforms and lead the nation to a spiritual revival. In the New Testament, God used Timothy, a young pastor and evangelist, to preach His Word and be a positive example (1 Tim. 4:12). In noting these individuals, we should realize that we can worship, serve and follow our great God at any age. We should never use “I am too young or too old” as an excuse.

God promises to deliver and protect us in our task of denouncing sinful living in a decadent society! Jeremiah was dispatched to publicly condemn sin and iniquity in his society. Doing that wouldn’t make him popular. But God encouraged him to “not be afraid of their faces” being divinely defended (Jer.1:8). God’s Word then came to strengthen and reinforce the confidence and faith of the sensitive young man (vv.9-10).