God had given Jeremiah a seemingly impossible task, one man against the nation. Yet, God promised that the nation would fail, and Jeremiah would remain strong. Twice God declares his protection for Jeremiah 1:8 and 1:19.
8 And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken!” [1]Jeremiah 1:8
19 They will fight you, but they will fail. For I am with you, and I will take care of you. I, the Lord, have spoken!” [2]Jeremiah 1:19
This assignment was far too big for a human individual to carry out. Jeremiah knew this and objected that he was too young. God countered with Jeremiah’s real reason for objecting. Fear. Don’t be afraid. This task could only be carried out with God’s help. Jeremiah would not be able to say, “look what I did,” but would have to say, “look what God did.” It would be a difficult assignment, but God would be with him.
I think God gives us similar assignments today. They are too big for us to do alone. When God gives us the assignment, we have excuses just like Jeremiah did. We know that in our humanness, we can’t possibly do what God is asking. God knows that if our task was something humanly possible, then we would think that we did it ourselves. Because of sin, our default mode is to build our own kingdoms.
Thankfully, God is in the restoration business. Jeremiah was to uproot and tear down so that he could plant and rebuild. God still does that today. Israel was never the light to the world that God intended it to be. But God was faithful and sent His Son, Jesus, to be the light to the world. He was a faithful remnant of one who kept the law and willingly paid the blood price for everyone’s sin.
It is only through believing in Jesus and what He accomplished in His death and resurrection that restoration can begin. If we have willing hearts, the Holy Spirit can come in and uproot and overthrow our sinful nature. Paul tells the Ephesians, “Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, 22 throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. 23 Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. 24 Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.” [3]Ephesians 4:21-24
To hear the story of Jeremiah’s call from God, listen here: https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/series/journey-with-jeremiah/called-of-god
To learn more listen to these teachings:
[1, 2, 3]Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation(Je 1:8, Je 1:19, Eph 4:21-24). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.