Book of JEREMIAH

Compiled by WD Kemner March 2024

 

 

 

Chapter 1

Call and His Commission of Jeremiah

 

 

Jeremiah 1:1-3

 

The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin: 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. 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.

 

 

 

As all the Prophets of God have done, Jeremiah establishes who he is.  He is the son of Hilkiah.

He is a priest from Anathoth in the land of the tribe of Benjamin.  Anathoth = about 3 miles Northeast of Jerusalem.

 

He also establishes the time of his message from God:

 

Josiah (son of Amon) was in his 13th year of his reign over Judah. And during the reign of:

Jehoiakim (son of Josiah) until the end of 11th year of reign of Zedekiah (son of Josiah).

 

He states “…until the Jews were taken captive in the 5th month…”. (2 Kings 25:3-8)

 

Note to remember:  Jeremiah was now the Prophet needing to speak to the last Kings of Judah prior to the kingdom being taken by the Babylonians and its people into captivity.

 

 

 

Jeremiah 1:4-10

 

Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 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.

 

Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.

 

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. Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD.

 

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. 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.

 

 

 

God had called and ordained Jeremiah BEFORE he was even born. There are others that were as such noted in scripture:  Men “set-apart” from birth:

Samson (Judges 13); Samuel (1 Samuel); John the Baptist (Luke 1); Jesus Christ (Matthew 1), Apostle Paul (Galatians 1:15).

 

 

Jeremiah 1:11-12

 

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.

Then said the LORD unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it.

 

 

 

 

Almond Tree is one of the earliest to show spring is here.  Rod = word means for walking or striking, like a staff.

 

God is going to hurry up His word.

 

 

Jeremiah 1:13-16

 

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.

 

Then the LORD said unto me, Out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land. 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. 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.

 

 

 

Prophecy concerning Judgment upon Jerusalem and Judah from the armies and nations of the north.

 

God is “speeding up” His promised judgment on the nation.  They had been told it was coming.

 

Note that this is being spoken to “Judah”.  Not to the “Nation of Israel / 10 tribes / Samaria”. That group had already been taken captive about 93 years BEFORE this prophecy.

 

 

Jeremiah 1:17-19

 

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. 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. And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee.

 

 

 

The defensive protection that Jeremiah is being given from God to speak boldly and not hesitant.