# Jeremiah 01 š: The Call of Jeremiah
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> [!info] Table of Contents
> [[#š Scripture Text (NET)]]
> [[#š Verse-by-Verse Commentary]]
> [[#š¤ Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights]]
> [[#š§ Chapter Summary]]
> [[#āļø Christ in This Chapter]]
> [[#š Key Principles / š Life Application]]
> [[#š¬ Discussion Questions]]
> [[#āļø Key Verses to Remember]]
> [[#š Related Passages/Cross Reference]]
> [[#š Devotional Reflection]]
> [[#š Internal Notes]]
## š Scripture Text (NET)
(The NET Bible: New English Translation. Biblical Studies Press, 2005)
### The Superscription
[[#Verse 01.]]Ā The following is a record of what Jeremiah son of Hilkiah prophesied.Ā He was one of the priests who lived at Anathoth in the territory of the tribe of Benjamin.Ā
[[#Verse 02.]]Ā TheĀ LordāsĀ message came to himĀ in the thirteenth year that Josiah son of Amon ruled over Judah.Ā
[[#Verse 03.]]Ā It also came in the days of Jehoiakim, son of Josiah, king of Judah, and continued until the eleventh year of Zedekiah, son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the people of Jerusalem were taken into exile in the fifth month of that year.
### Jeremiahās Call and Commission
[[#Verse 04.]]Ā TheĀ Lordās message came to me,
[[#Verse 05.]]Ā āBefore I formed you in your motherās wombĀ I chose you.
Before you were born I set you apart.
I appointed you to be a prophet to the nations.ā
[[#Verse 06.]]Ā I answered, āOh, SovereignĀ Lord,Ā ReallyĀ I do not know how to speak well enough for that,Ā for I am too young.āĀ
[[#Verse 07.]]Ā TheĀ LordĀ said to me, āDo not say, āI am too young.ā But goĀ to whomever I send you and say whatever I tell you.Ā
[[#Verse 08.]]Ā Do not be afraid of those to whom I send you,Ā for I will be with you to protectĀ you,ā says theĀ Lord.Ā
[[#Verse 09.]]Ā Then theĀ LordĀ reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, āI will most assuredly give you the words you are to speak for me.Ā
[[#Verse 10.]]Ā Know for certain thatĀ I hereby give you the authority to announce to nations and kingdoms that they will beĀ uprooted and torn down, destroyed and demolished, rebuilt and firmly planted.ā
### Visions Confirming Jeremiahās Call and Commission
[[#Verse 11.]]Ā Later theĀ Lordās message came to me, āWhat do you see, Jeremiah?ā I answered, āI see a branch of an almond tree.āĀ
[[#Verse 12.]]Ā Then theĀ LordĀ said, āYou have observed correctly. This meansĀ I am watching to make sure my threats are carried out.ā
[[#Verse 13.]]Ā TheĀ Lordās message came to me a second time, āWhat do you see?ā I answered, āI see a pot of boiling water; it is tipped away from the north.āĀ
[[#Verse 14.]] Then the Lord said, āFrom the north destruction will break out on all who live in the land.
[[# ver 14]]Ā Then theĀ LordĀ said, āFrom the northĀ destruction will break out on all who live in the land.Ā
[[#Verse 15.]]Ā For I will soon summon all the peoples of the kingdoms of the north,ā says theĀ Lord. āThey will come and their kings will set up their thronesĀ near the entrances of the gates of Jerusalem. They will attack all the walls surrounding it and all the towns in Judah.Ā
[[#Verse 16.]]Ā In this wayĀ I will pass sentenceĀ on the people of Jerusalem and JudahĀ because of all their wickedness. For they rejected me and offered sacrifices to other gods, worshiping what they made with their own hands.
[[#Verse 17.]]Ā āBut you, Jeremiah,Ā get yourself ready!Ā 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.Ā
[[#Verse 18.]]Ā I, theĀ Lord,Ā hereby promise to make youĀ as strong as a fortified city, an iron pillar, and a bronze wall. You will be able to stand up against all who live inĀ the land, including the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and all the people of the land.Ā
[[#Verse 19.]]Ā They will attack you but they will not be able to overcome you, for I will be with you to rescue you,ā says theĀ Lord.
## š Verse-by-Verse Commentary
###### Overall.
###### Verse 01.
###### Verse 02.
###### Verse 03.
###### Verse 04.
###### Verse 05.
###### Verse 06.
###### Verse 07.
###### Verse 08.
###### Verse 09.
###### Verse 10.
###### Verse 11.
###### Verse 12.
###### Verse 13.
###### Verse 14.
###### Verse 15.
###### Verse 16.
###### Verse 17.
###### Verse 18.
###### Verse 19.
## š¤ Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights
1. Jeremiah was the son of Hilkiah, one of the priests from Anathoth in the land of Benjamin (1:1).
2. Anathoth was a small priestly town only a few miles northeast of Jerusalem.
3. Jeremiah's call came in the thirteenth year of King Josiah (1:2), around 627 BC.
4. His ministry continued through the reigns of Jehoiakim and Zedekiah until Jerusalem fell in the fifth month of Zedekiah's eleventh year (1:3), in 586 BC.
5. Jeremiah calls himself a "youth" (1:6). The Hebrew word (*na'ar*) can describe anyone from a child to a young man not yet established.
6. The vision of the almond branch (1:11-12) is a wordplay. "Almond" (*shaqed*) sounds like "watching" (*shoqed*). The almond is one of the first trees to bloom in spring, as if it is awake and watching.
7. The boiling pot tilted from the north (1:13-14) pictures invasion. Armies from Mesopotamia usually entered Israel from the north, following the Fertile Crescent around the desert.
8. God touching Jeremiah's mouth (1:9) recalls Isaiah's call, when a burning coal touched his lips (Isaiah 6:7).
9. Jeremiah's commission uses six verbs (1:10): four of judgment (uproot, tear down, destroy, overthrow) and two of hope (build, plant). These words echo through the book (18:7-9; 31:28).
10. Paul describes his own calling in similar words, saying God set him apart from his mother's womb (Galatians 1:15).
## š§ Chapter Summary
> [!note] š± Still growing. This section is on its way.
## āļø Christ in This Chapter
Christ is the faithful Prophet sent by the Father who spoke only the words God gave Him (John 12:49). Like Jeremiah, He was rejected by His own people, yet God was with Him and raised Him up (Acts 2:24).
## š Key Principles / š Life Application
> [!note] š± Still growing. This section is on its way.
## š¬ Discussion Questions
1. God knew and set Jeremiah apart before he was born (1:5). How does knowing God has a purpose for you change the way you see your life?
2. Jeremiah said he was too young, but God said, "Do not say..." (1:6-7). What excuses do we give when God calls us?
3. God promised to make Jeremiah like a fortified city and to rescue him (1:18-19). What does God promise and what does He not promise to those He sends?
## āļø Key Verses to Remember
- š verse 5: Before Jeremiah was formed in the womb, God knew him and appointed him a prophet to the nations.
- š verses 9-10: The Lord puts His words in Jeremiah's mouth to uproot and tear down, and to build and plant.
- š verse 19: They will fight against you, but they will not overcome you, for God is with you to rescue you.
## š Related Passages/Cross Reference
- š [[Galatians 01#Verse 15.|Galatians 1:15-16]] - God set Paul apart before birth to proclaim His Son.
- š [[Isaiah 06#Verse 06.|Isaiah 6:6-8]] - Isaiah's lips are touched and he is sent.
- š [[Exodus 04#Verse 10.|Exodus 4:10-12]] - Moses' excuse and God's promise to be with his mouth.
- š [[Psalm 139#Verse 13.|Psalm 139:13-16]] - God formed us in the womb.
- š [[John 12#Verse 49.|John 12:49]] - Jesus spoke only what the Father commanded.
## š Devotional Reflection
š SOAP: [[Jeremiah 01 - SOAP|God Takes Care of Us]]
## š Internal Notes