Its amazing how we can miss some details after reading and re-reading numerous times a story or an article, however, this morning I found it. First it starts of with the introduction:
Jeremiah 1:1-3
[1]The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin:
[2]To whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.
[3]It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month.
Then we see Jeremiah is given a mission and the support structure that is available to him to accomplish the tasks before him:
Jeremiah 1:4-10
[4]Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
[5]Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
[6]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 shalt speak.
[8]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.
[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.
After trying to weasel his way out by claiming to be a child who could not speak, the bombshell drops:
Jeremiah 1:11-17
[11]Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou? And I said, I see a rod of an almond tree.
[12]Then said the LORD unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it.
[13]And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, I see a seething pot; and the face thereof is toward the north.
[14]Then the LORD said unto me, Out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land.
[15]For, lo, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north, saith the LORD; and they shall come, and they shall set every one his throne at the entering of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all the walls thereof round about, and against all the cities of Judah.
[16]And I will utter my judgments against them touching all their wickedness, who have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands.
[17]Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them.
Owing to the bad choices and bad decisions Jerusalem was in trouble and Jeremiah was responsible for giving the warning that would reveal clearly that the corruption, wickedness and false worship must be discarded. Failure to correct this situation would result in judgements and destruction.
Then God announces to Jeremiah how tough He has made Jeremiah and the power/strength Jeremiah has access to:
Jeremiah 1:18-19
[18]For, behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brasen walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land.
[19]And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee.
Today you and I have access to this same power – this same promise. What makes this story so interesting is the striking detail I saw this morning that Jeremiah was made “a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brasen walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land.” So that means his father and family were included – Jeremiah was made “a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brasen walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land.” – so Jeremiah had a family challenge on his hands. According to Jeremiah 1:1 – “The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth” – Jeremiah’s own father Hilkiah was a priest. Jeremiah’s father and Jeremiah’s family were to be addressed, given God’s warning and called to repentence. In addition, God indicated that they were going to fight Jeremiah in verse 19.
However, when you or I face the family challenge we must remember who our God is, our God created us and our God also created our families. If there is any question or challenge where our families try to dictate, fight and belittle God and His standards our responsibility is to stand for God – stand for Truth and stand for Righteusness.
Its amazing how we can miss some details after reading and re-reading numerous times a story or an article, however, this morning I found it. First it starts of with the introduction:
Jeremiah 1:1-3
[1]The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin:
[2]To whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.
[3]It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month.
Then we see Jeremiah is given a mission and the support structure that is available to him to accomplish the tasks before him:
Jeremiah 1:4-10
[4]Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
[5]Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
[6]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 shalt speak.
[8]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.
[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.
After trying to weasel his way out by claiming to be a child who could not speak, the bombshell drops:
Jeremiah 1:11-17
[11]Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou? And I said, I see a rod of an almond tree.
[12]Then said the LORD unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it.
[13]And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, I see a seething pot; and the face thereof is toward the north.
[14]Then the LORD said unto me, Out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land.
[15]For, lo, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north, saith the LORD; and they shall come, and they shall set every one his throne at the entering of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all the walls thereof round about, and against all the cities of Judah.
[16]And I will utter my judgments against them touching all their wickedness, who have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands.
[17]Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them.
Owing to the bad choices and bad decisions Jerusalem was in trouble and Jeremiah was responsible for giving the warning that would reveal clearly that the corruption, wickedness and false worship must be discarded. Failure to correct this situation would result in judgements and destruction.
Then God announces to Jeremiah how tough He has made Jeremiah and the power/strength Jeremiah has access to:
Jeremiah 1:18-19
[18]For, behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brasen walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land.
[19]And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee.
Today you and I have access to this same power – this same promise. What makes this story so interesting is the striking detail I saw this morning that Jeremiah was made “a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brasen walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land.” So that means his father and family were included – Jeremiah was made “a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brasen walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land.” – so Jeremiah had a family challenge on his hands. According to Jeremiah 1:1 – “The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth” – Jeremiah’s own father Hilkiah was a priest. Jeremiah’s father and Jeremiah’s family were to be addressed, given God’s warning and called to repentence. In addition, God indicated that they were going to fight Jeremiah in verse 19.
However, when you or I face the family challenge we must remember who our God is, our God created us and our God also created our families. If there is any question or challenge where our families try to dictate, fight and belittle God and His standards our responsibility is to stand for God – stand for Truth and stand for Righteusness.
*** All Bible texts quoted above are from the King James Version, unless referenced differently.
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Rejoice! 