God Spoke to Jeremiah Through Ordinary Experiences
February 17, 2021
Commentary
In this passage two signs were given the prophet as sort of an outline of his prophetic ministry: (1) The first was a vision which caused Jeremiah to see the branch of an almond tree (v. 11). This branch represented God who was watching to see that His word is fulfilled (v. 12). (2) The second vision caused Jeremiah to see a boiling pot (v. 13). This represented disaster that was to be poured out on those who lived in Judah (vv. 14-16). In summary, he could anchor his life to God’s sovereign appointment, the fulfillment of His sovereign grace and the assurance of his sovereign protection. Several crucial truths about service to God emerge from Jeremiah’s commission:
Jeremiah’s message was only to consist of what God had commanded.Of that which God had commanded, all was to be told.Jeremiah was not to be dismayed by the responses of people, nor was he to be discouraged over the pain of being reduced to confusion before those to whom he was sent (v. 17).Jeremiah’s confidence was based upon God’s promise to make the prophet invincible (v. 18).The prophet was promised opposition, but also victory by the hand of God (v. 19).
Application
God’s promise to Jeremiah and me is that He will help me through the most agonizing problems.
Jeremiah 1:11– 19 (NET)
11 Later the Lord’s message came to me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” I answered, “I see a branch of an almond tree.” 12 Then the Lord said, “You have observed correctly. This means I am watching to make sure my threats are carried out.”
13 The Lord’s message came to me a second time, “What do you see?” I answered, “I see a pot of boiling water; it is tipped away from the north.” 14 Then the Lord said, “From the north destruction will break out on all who live in the land. 15 For I will soon summon all the peoples of the kingdoms of the north,” says the Lord. “They will come and their kings will set up their thrones near the entrances of the gates of Jerusalem. They will attack all the walls surrounding it and all the towns in Judah. 16 In this way I will pass sentence on the people of Jerusalem and Judah because of all their wickedness. For they rejected me and offered sacrifices to other gods, worshiping what they made with their own hands.
17 “But you, Jeremiah, get yourself ready! Go and tell these people everything I instruct you to say. Do not be terrified of them, or I will give you good reason to be terrified of them. 18 I, the Lord, hereby promise to make you as strong as a fortified city, an iron pillar, and a bronze wall. You will be able to stand up against all who live in the land, including the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and all the people of the land. 19 They will attack you but they will not be able to overcome you, for I will be with you to rescue you,” says the Lord.
Illustration: Man in Russia Steals His Grandmother’s Bible
In the 1920s Stalin ordered a purge of all Bibles and believers in Russia. Thousands of Bibles were taken and believers were sent to prison where many died for being enemies of the state. Recently someone mentioned that they knew a warehouse existed outside the town, where these Bibles had been stored since Stalin’s time. A truck was dispatched and several Russians to help load the Bibles. One helper was a young man – a skeptical, hostile, agnostic university student, who came only for the day’s wages. As they loaded the Bibles one man noticed that the student had disappeared. Finally they found him in a corner of the warehouse weeping. He had slipped away, hoping to quietly take a Bible for himself. What he found pierced him deeply. The inside page of the Bible he picked up had the handwritten signature of his own grandmother. It was her personal Bible. Out of the thousands of Bibles still left in that warehouse, he stole the one that belonged to his grandmother – a woman persecuted for her faith all her life. (Scocaster, April 23, 1995, p. 7).