A Divine Calling and a Fearless Commission
Scripture Reading:- Jeremiah 1:4–10
Opening Prayer
Gracious and Sovereign God,
We come before You today with hearts open to hear Your voice. As we study the call of Jeremiah, remind us that You are the God who knows us, forms us, and calls us—even before we are aware of You. Quiet our fears and insecurities, and help us to listen with humility and courage. Speak to us through Your Word, and may Your Spirit awaken in us a fresh sense of purpose and faith.
Like Jeremiah, may we not shrink back because of weakness or youth, but may we stand strong in the knowledge that You are with us, and Your Word is in our mouths.
In Jesus’ name we pray,
Amen.
The opening words of Jeremiah launch us not into comfort, but into divine confrontation. Jeremiah’s calling comes amid a national crisis: a people spiraling in idolatry, injustice, and spiritual apathy. His voice would rise like a lone trumpet in the chaos, echoing God’s plea for repentance and return. The prophet’s life and message were shaped by the turbulent times in which he lived—and by the eternal purposes of the God who formed him before birth.
After the death of King Solomon, the once-united kingdom of Israel had fractured into two: the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah. Jeremiah was born in Anathoth, a small town just four miles north of Jerusalem, located in Judah. He ministered during the reigns of Judah’s last five kings—a time of staggering political instability and moral decline. Assyria, Babylon, and Egypt—three great world powers—clashed for dominance, and tiny Judah was caught in the middle of this geopolitical triangle. Against this backdrop of fear and false security, Jeremiah was called to be God’s mouthpiece. Despite prophesying faithfully for over 40 years, Jeremiah never witnessed the revival he longed for. His ministry, though outwardly fruitless, was deeply faithful.
The first major section of his book—Jeremiah 1:1–45:5—records God’s judgment on Judah and sets the stage for the prophet’s long and difficult task. Jeremiah foretold the seventy-year exile in Babylon and the eventual return, enduring imprisonment, threats, and rejection for speaking the truth. He was even forcibly taken to Egypt after Jerusalem fell. And yet, he remained resolute. His life is a reminder that spiritual success is not measured by popularity or visible results, but by unwavering obedience. As Eugene Peterson once wrote, “Prophets don’t volunteer; they’re called.” And that calling, as we see in Jeremiah 1:4–10, was not a vague inspiration—but a deeply personal summons that began before Jeremiah even drew his first breath.
Jeremiah 1:4
“The word of the Lord came to me, saying,”
Jeremiah opens not with personal background or emotional musings, but with a solemn declaration: “The word of the Lord came to me.” This short phrase is foundational, anchoring the entire prophetic ministry of Jeremiah not in human insight but in divine revelation. It tells us that prophecy is not born from human reflection or intuition—it originates in God’s initiative. Jeremiah does not begin by introducing himself but by pointing to the God who speaks. This is not a man searching for God, but God reaching down to a man with a specific and personal word. As Eugene Peterson reminds us, “Prophets do not volunteer; they are called.” The authority of Jeremiah’s voice rests not in his experience or intelligence, but in the reality that God has spoken and continues to speak.
Charles Spurgeon once noted, “The Word of the Lord is always the source of a true servant’s strength.” Jeremiah, like all true prophets, draws his identity, mission, and courage from the living voice of God. This aligns with 2 Peter 1:21, which affirms that “prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets… spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” In this light, Jeremiah’s calling becomes a mirror for all who seek to discern God’s will: it begins not with action, but with attentiveness. We don’t declare our ministry and ask God to bless it—we receive His Word and respond in faith. This verse reminds us that before there is proclamation, there must be revelation. Before there is courage, there must be calling. And before there is movement, there must be the voice of God breaking into human history.
Jeremiah 1:5
“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.”
This verse is one of the most intimate and astonishing revelations in all of Scripture. God speaks directly to Jeremiah, reminding him that his life is no accident, and his calling is not a late addition. “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.” The Hebrew word for “knew” (יָדַע, yada) signifies not just intellectual awareness but deep, covenantal intimacy. Long before Jeremiah took his first breath, God knew him completely—his temperament, gifts, struggles, and future ministry. As Tim Keller insightfully puts it, “You are not your own. You were dreamed, designed, and destined long before you were aware.” In these words, we see the echo of Psalm 139:13–16, where the psalmist praises God for knitting him together in the secret place and declaring, “All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”
God’s sovereign knowledge is followed by intentional consecration: “I set you apart… I appointed you.” The phrase “set you apart” translates the Hebrew word הִקְדַּשְׁתִּיךָ (hiqdashtikha), which means to consecrate, to make holy, or to dedicate for sacred purpose. This is the same root used in the word “holy” (kadosh). Jeremiah’s calling was not earned by merit, seniority, or education—it was a gift of divine grace. From the very beginning, he was marked out for God’s mission. Alexander Maclaren comments, “God sees in the embryo of a man the man he is to become; He sees in the seed the tree.” This reveals that God doesn’t just react to history—He writes it. Jeremiah’s calling as “a prophet to the nations” was not limited to Judah; his words would shape empires and resonate across ages. His life, like ours, was embedded in a grander story authored by God. This truth gives dignity to every life and purpose to every calling.
Finally, this verse reminds us that our identity is not forged by our performance but rooted in God’s call. In a world where value is often tied to productivity or perfection, God speaks a freeing word: “I have already set you apart.” Our limitations, our age, our fears—even our failures—do not disqualify us from God’s purposes. Thomas à Kempis once wrote, “Man proposes, but God disposes.” It is God who ordains our steps and assigns our roles. Jeremiah’s reluctance, as we’ll see in the next verses, does not negate his calling—it only magnifies God’s power working through weakness. When we, like Jeremiah, rest in the truth that we are known and chosen by God, we are released from the pressure to manufacture our worth and freed to walk boldly in the path He has prepared.
Jeremiah 1:6
“Alas, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.”
Jeremiah’s immediate reaction to God’s call is deeply human and profoundly relatable. His exclamation—“Alas, Sovereign Lord”—carries the weight of reverence mixed with resistance. Like many before him, Jeremiah trembles at the thought of being God’s mouthpiece. He does not respond with boldness, but with a confession of inadequacy: “I do not know how to speak.” This is no false modesty; he genuinely feels unfit, perhaps recalling how prophets were to speak with authority, clarity, and conviction. And beyond his lack of eloquence, he adds, “I am too young.” Some scholars believe Jeremiah may have been a teenager at this point, which would make his hesitation culturally understandable. Prophets were expected to carry the wisdom of age; Jeremiah had only the tremble of youth.
Yet throughout Scripture, this pattern of reluctance is met not with rebuke, but reassurance. Moses pleaded his case of slow speech, Isaiah feared his unclean lips, and Gideon saw himself as the least of his tribe. But in each instance, God didn’t change the call—He changed the man. As Matthew Henry observes, “Even the best of men shrink back at divine calls until God gives courage.” E. Stanley Jones affirms, “Our reluctance is often God’s opportunity.” God delights in using the weak to shame the strong (1 Corinthians 1:27). Jeremiah’s hesitation is not a disqualification—it’s the soil in which trust can grow. His confession of inadequacy becomes the doorway to dependence, reminding us that the call of God is never about our sufficiency but about His. Our sense of weakness should not lead us to retreat, but to lean more fully on the strength of the One who calls.
Jeremiah 1:7
But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you.”
God doesn’t indulge Jeremiah’s hesitation—He lovingly but firmly rebukes it. “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’” In essence, God is saying: stop disqualifying yourself from what I’ve already qualified you for. Age, inexperience, or perceived inadequacy do not hinder divine calling. When God sends someone, the measure of success is obedience, not self-confidence. Jeremiah’s job was not to invent messages or to evaluate how well they would be received. His task was simple and yet deeply profound: “Go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you.” This reflects a prophetic calling grounded not in charisma but in commission. John Stott rightly said, “All true preaching is not the display of the preacher’s wit but the unfolding of God’s Word.” The power of a prophet is never in eloquence or age but in their intimacy with God and their fidelity to His Word.
This divine reassurance echoes what we see in the New Testament. In Acts 4:13, Peter and John stood before religious authorities as “unschooled, ordinary men,” yet their boldness astonished their listeners—because they “had been with Jesus.” Their authority came from their relationship with Christ, not their credentials. Similarly, God assures Jeremiah that what matters most is not the vessel, but the voice behind it.
George Herbert, in his poem The Call, captures this beautifully:
“Come, my Way, my Truth, my Life:
Such a Way, as gives us breath.”
When God calls, He gives breath to our speech and substance to our steps. Jeremiah’s youth wasn’t a liability; it was the context for God’s power to shine all the more clearly. In a world that values polish and position, God still chooses the humble, the hesitant, and the obedient to speak His truth.
Jeremiah 1:8
“Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord.
God now speaks directly to Jeremiah’s deepest fear—not his youth, but the daunting task of confronting people in power. Prophets in Israel often faced fierce opposition from kings, priests, and even the public. Yet God does not offer Jeremiah a life free of conflict. Instead, He offers something greater: His presence. The promise “I am with you” becomes the anchor of Jeremiah’s courage. The word “rescue” does not imply the absence of trouble but assurance in the midst of it. Spurgeon once declared, “He who fears God need fear nothing else.” Indeed, the call of God may lead into storms, but never into abandonment. Jeremiah will go into hostile places, but he will never go alone.
Donald Coggan once said, “A man is never alone when God stands behind his voice.” That truth echoes throughout Scripture. In Isaiah 41:10, God says, “Do not fear, for I am with you… I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” And in Matthew 28:20, Jesus promises His disciples, “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Fear is not eliminated by denying danger; it is overcome by trusting in the One who walks with us. Jeremiah needed more than inner resolve—he needed the sustaining reality of divine companionship. And that’s exactly what God gives. Just as Jeremiah was assured of God’s presence, so are all who speak and live by His Word today. When God sends, He also sustains.
Jeremiah 1:9
Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “I have put my words in your mouth.”
This is a sacred moment—God not only calls Jeremiah, but consecrates and equips him. The touch of God’s hand is deeply personal, affirming that Jeremiah’s authority is not self-generated but divinely imparted. The action echoes the prophetic commissioning of Isaiah 6, where a seraph touches Isaiah’s lips with a burning coal to purify and prepare him. In both cases, the mouth—the instrument of proclamation—is cleansed, claimed, and filled by God. Michael Card insightfully writes, “God’s Word, placed on human lips, is both fire and seed—burning away lies and planting truth.” This divine touch transforms ordinary speech into holy utterance. Jeremiah becomes a living vessel of God’s revelation. He is not just speaking about God—he is speaking for Him.
The imagery in this verse teaches us that true proclamation begins not with eloquence but with encounter. As N.T. Wright says, “To speak for God is not to offer commentary, but to let heaven interrupt earth.” Jeremiah’s mouth is now under divine authority; his role is not to invent, but to convey. This reality carries both weight and wonder. It reminds preachers, teachers, and all believers that no one truly speaks for God unless God has first spoken into them. It is a humbling and holy transaction. Like the apostles in Acts 4:31, who spoke “the word of God boldly” after being filled with the Spirit, Jeremiah’s boldness will stem not from confidence in himself but from the One who touched and filled his mouth. This is the essence of prophetic ministry: not self-expression, but surrender.
Jeremiah 1:10
“See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.”
God now reveals the scope and substance of Jeremiah’s prophetic mission: it is global, authoritative, and deeply transformational. Jeremiah is not just a local preacher but one “appointed over nations and kingdoms.” His words, though spoken from a small corner of Judah, will have international consequence because they are God’s words. This six-fold commission is striking—four verbs that dismantle, and only two that build. The prophetic task begins with tearing down entrenched evil: idolatry, injustice, false religion, and pride. Only after these are removed can the new be planted. Eugene Peterson explains, “The prophet’s job is not to smooth things over, but to clear the rubble so that truth can take root.”
Likewise, W.E. Sangster observed, “The preacher’s task is to wound and then to heal, to disturb and then to comfort.” True ministry involves both the scalpel and the salve (healing ointment).It must confront sin and falsehood with precision and courage—cutting away what is diseased or dead—yet it must also soothe wounds with compassion, grace, and healing truth. Without the scalpel, there is no transformation; without the salve, there is no restoration.
But this is not a message of destruction for destruction’s sake. It is a refining fire, not a consuming one. Jeremiah is not simply called to curse the darkness but to make room for the light. His mission ends not with judgment but with renewal—“to build and to plant.” The gospel always moves in this rhythm: repentance leads to restoration. As 2 Corinthians 10:4–5 reminds us, we are called to “demolish strongholds… and take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ.” God’s Word demolishes what is false so that what is true can flourish. In Jeremiah’s commission, we see our own calling mirrored: we are to speak truth, even when it shakes foundations, always with the aim of leading people back to the heart of God. As such, this verse affirms that every hard word spoken in obedience must also be rooted in hope. The goal is not just clearing ground—it is planting life.
Closing Reflection
Jeremiah’s calling is not merely a historical footnote—it is a mirror reflecting the heartbeat of God’s mission across every generation. Though few of us are called to be prophets to nations, every follower of Christ is summoned to carry His truth into the world. Like Jeremiah, we may feel inadequate, too young, too weak, or too broken. Yet God’s pattern remains unchanged: He calls the unlikely, speaks through the humble, and empowers those who trust in His presence more than their own abilities.
In a world still plagued by injustice, deception, and despair, the words spoken to Jeremiah echo with fresh urgency. God still appoints His people to “uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.” This is not a ministry of condemnation, but of clarity. It is the gospel-shaped task of dismantling lies with truth and rebuilding lives with grace. The same God who touched Jeremiah’s mouth and placed His word within him now indwells His church by the Holy Spirit. We are not left to speak for God from a distance—we speak as those whom Christ has filled, forgiven, and sent.
As N.T. Wright reminds us, “To speak for God is not to offer commentary, but to let heaven interrupt earth.” That is our calling, too: to be voices of hope, truth, and love in a world that desperately needs all three. May we, like Jeremiah, answer the divine call with reverence, courage, and trust—not because we are ready, but because He who calls is faithful. And may His words, placed in our hearts, bear fruit in every place He sends us.
Closing Prayer
Holy and Faithful God,
Thank You for revealing Yourself through Your Word and for the example of Jeremiah, who responded to Your call in trembling obedience. Help us to remember that Your call on our lives is not dependent on our strength, age, or eloquence—but on Your presence, Your power, and Your promises.
Fill us with boldness to speak Your truth and plant seeds of hope in a world in need of healing. Teach us to tear down what hinders and to build what honors You. Let Your Word take root in our hearts and bear fruit in our lives.
We go now in the assurance that the One who calls also equips.
In Christ’s name,
Amen.
Reflection Questions & Answers — Jeremiah 1:4–10
1. What does Jeremiah 1:5 teach us about God’s knowledge and calling?
It reveals that God’s knowledge of us is eternal and intimate—“Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.” The Hebrew word הִקְדַּשְׁתִּיךָ (hikdashtikha) means “I set you apart,” indicating that God’s purpose for our lives begins long before we are aware of it. Jeremiah was appointed not because of merit but by God’s sovereign grace (see Psalm 139:13–16 and Ephesians 2:10).
2. Why does Jeremiah feel inadequate in verse 6, and how does God respond in verse 7?
Jeremiah says, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.” Like Moses and Gideon, he feels unqualified. But God doesn’t affirm his insecurities—He overrides them with divine command: “You must go… and say whatever I command you.” God’s calling is not based on our strength but on His power and presence (see Acts 4:13 and 2 Corinthians 3:5–6).
3. What fear does God address in Jeremiah 1:8, and what is the remedy?
God tells Jeremiah, “Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you.” The remedy to fear is not self-confidence but God’s presence. As Donald Coggan said, “A man is never alone when God stands behind his voice.” The same assurance is given in Isaiah 41:10 and Matthew 28:20.
4. How does verse 9 reflect God’s equipping of those He calls?
In a symbolic act, God touches Jeremiah’s mouth and says, “I have put my words in your mouth.” This mirrors Isaiah 6 and emphasizes that Jeremiah is not speaking his own opinions, but God’s Word. As Michael Card wrote, “God’s Word, placed on human lips, is both fire and seed.” (See also 2 Timothy 3:16–17.)
5. What does verse 10 reveal about the dual nature of Jeremiah’s prophetic mission?
Jeremiah is appointed “to uproot and tear down… to build and to plant.” True prophetic ministry involves both confronting sin and planting hope. As Eugene Peterson wrote, “The prophet’s job is not to smooth things over, but to clear the rubble so that truth can take root.” See 2 Corinthians 10:4–5 for Paul’s similar calling.
6. How can we discern our own calling in light of Jeremiah’s experience?
Jeremiah’s story reminds us that God’s calling is rooted in His knowledge of us, not our qualifications. He equips those He calls and promises to be with us. Discernment begins with listening to God’s Word, being sensitive to His Spirit, and being faithful in small acts of obedience (see Romans 12:1–2 and Philippians 1:6).
7. What personal fears or excuses might be holding you back from saying “yes” to God’s call?
Many believers feel too young, too broken, too unworthy, or too afraid. But as E. Stanley Jones said, “Our reluctance is often God’s opportunity.” God doesn’t need our perfection—He desires our availability.
Footnote – Why Jeremiah Was Not Taken Captive to Babylon:
Jeremiah was spared captivity for several key reasons. First, he enjoyed divine protection: Nebuchadnezzar himself instructed Nebuzaradan, the Babylonian commander, to care for Jeremiah and “do for him whatever he asks” (Jeremiah 39:11–12). Second, Jeremiah had consistently urged Judah to submit to Babylon’s rule as God’s will, making him respected by the Babylonians rather than viewed as a rebel (cf. Jeremiah 38:17–18). Third, Jeremiah was given the choice to go to Babylon under protection or remain in Judah—he chose to stay with the poor remnant in Mizpah (Jeremiah 40:4–6). Finally, although he was later taken to Egypt against his will (Jeremiah 43:1–7), Jeremiah continued to proclaim God’s word faithfully even there. His life illustrates both divine preservation and prophetic perseverance in the midst of national collapse.
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