Jeremiah 1:4 - Meaning and Application

Here we see Jeremiah’s early call to the work and office of a prophet. God let him know this as a reason for his early attention to the work (Jeremiah 1:4, Jeremiah 1:5). The word of the Lord came to him with full assurance that it was truly from God, not a false impression. God told him two important things about his calling.

First, God had appointed him as a prophet to the nations, or against the nations. Judah, the Jewish nation, comes first here, and in a sense they are counted among the nations because they had copied their ways and joined in their idolatry. Jeremiah was not sent to the Jews only, but also to the nearby nations. To those nations he was to send yokes (Jeremiah 27:2, Jeremiah 27:3) and make them drink the cup of the Lord’s anger (Jeremiah 25:17). He is still, in his writings, a prophet to the nations, including our own nation. He warns all peoples about the judgments that can come on a nation because of its sins. It would be good for the nations if they listened to Jeremiah and paid attention to his warnings.

Second, God showed Jeremiah that this calling had been planned before he was born, in God’s eternal purpose. Jeremiah should understand that the One who gave him his commission also gave him his life. God formed him in the womb and brought him into the world, so Jeremiah belonged to him and could be used as God pleased. This calling came from God’s purpose concerning him before birth: “I knew you, and I set you apart.” That is, God had decided that he would be a prophet and had marked him off for that work. Paul speaks in a similar way about himself, saying that God set him apart from his mother’s womb to be a Christian and an apostle (Galatians 1:15).

We should notice three things here. First, the great Creator knows how he will use each person before he makes them. He has made all things for himself, and from the same lump of clay he forms one vessel for honor and another for dishonor, as he chooses (Romans 9:21). Second, what God has planned for people, he will call them to do, because his purposes cannot fail. God knows all his works beforehand, and his knowledge is perfect and his purpose cannot change. Third, God has a special plan and care for his prophets and ministers, that is, those who speak and serve for him. He designs them for their work by special counsel, and he also fits them for it: “I knew you, I set you apart.” God prepares them for the work when he first forms the human spirit within them. As the old saying goes, a prophet is born, not made, meaning God gives the special gift from the start.

Jeremiah responded by modestly turning down this honorable work (Jeremiah 1:6). Even though God had planned it for him, it was still a surprise to hear that he should be a prophet to the nations. We do not know what God intends us for, but he does. One might think Jeremiah would welcome this as promotion, and in one sense it was. Instead, he objects because he feels unfit for the task. “Ah, Lord God,” he says, “I cannot speak to great men or crowds the way prophets must. I cannot speak well or smoothly, and I do not know how to phrase a message from God properly. I have no authority, and people will not listen to me because I am only a child, and my youth will be despised.”

It is right for us, when we have any work to do for God, to fear handling it badly. We should be concerned that our weakness and lack of skill might harm the work. It is also right to think humbly of ourselves and not trust our own ability. Young people should remember that they are young, be cautious like Elihu was, and not go beyond what they can handle.

God then kindly assured Jeremiah that he would support him and carry him through his work. Jeremiah should not say he is only a child, because he would still be a prophet (Jeremiah 1:7). It is true that he was young, but that should not stop him from obeying God’s command. He must go to everyone God sends him to and speak whatever God commands. Even if we feel weak and unable, that should make us humble in our work, not pull us away from it when God calls. God was angry with Moses even when he made modest excuses (Exodus 4:14).

Jeremiah also had God’s presence, so his youth should not make him fearful. Though he was a child, he would be able to go to all whom God sent him to, even if they were many and powerful. Whatever God commanded, Jeremiah would receive the judgment, memory, and words needed to speak it rightly. Samuel brought God’s message to Eli while he was still a little child. God can, when he chooses, make children prophets and show his strength through the mouths of babies and nursing infants.

Jeremiah should also not fear the many enemies and strong resistance he would face. God would be his protector (Jeremiah 1:8). “Do not be afraid of their faces,” God says, meaning their proud looks and threatening expressions. Even if they try to intimidate him and shame him into silence, he must not fear speaking to them, even when the message is most unpleasant. He speaks in the name of the King of kings and by his authority, and that gives him boldness. Even if they look angry, he should not fear their displeasure or worry over what might happen next. Those who carry God’s message must not be afraid of human faces (Ezekiel 3:9). He had every reason to be bold and calm, because God was with him, not only to help him in his work but also to rescue him from those who would persecute him. If God is for us, who can be against us? If God does not free his ministers from trouble, it is the same in effect when he supports them through it. As Mr. Gataker wisely notes, earthly kings do not usually go with their ambassadors, but God goes with those he sends. He is always present with his servants, by his powerful protection, everywhere they go, and that should give them courage (Acts 18:10).

Jeremiah should also not say that he cannot speak in a way that fits the task. God would give him the ability to speak. He would speak clearly and as one who knew God (Jeremiah 1:9). Since Jeremiah now had a vision of God’s glory, the Lord stretched out his hand and, by a visible sign, gave him what he needed for speech. He touched Jeremiah’s mouth and, by that touch, opened his lips so that his mouth could praise God. By that same touch, he also gently put God’s words into Jeremiah’s mouth, ready for him whenever he needed them. Jeremiah would never be without words, because the One who made human speech was the One who equipped him. God did not only put knowledge in his mind, but words in his mouth, for the Holy Spirit teaches words too (1 Corinthians 2:13). It is fitting that God’s message should be spoken in God’s own words, so that it is delivered faithfully. “Speak with my words,” as Ezekiel was told (Ezekiel 3:4).

Those who faithfully speak for God will not be left without the words they need. God will give them both a message and wisdom at the right time (Matthew 10:19). They will also speak with force, as people who have authority from God (Jeremiah 1:10).

The commission given to Jeremiah is unusual: “See, I have set you over the nations and over the kingdoms today.” This sounds very grand, yet Jeremiah remains a poor and humble priest. He is not set over kingdoms like a prince who rules by the sword. He is set over them as a prophet, by the power of God’s word.

Anyone who uses this verse to support the pope’s supremacy over kings, and his right to remove rulers and hand out kingdoms as he pleases, would first need to prove that he has the same special spirit of prophecy Jeremiah had. Without that, how could he claim the authority Jeremiah had through that Spirit? Even so, Jeremiah’s authority, though real, came with a life of low status, contempt, and suffering. That kind of power would not satisfy proud men.

Jeremiah was set over the nations, especially over the Jewish nation, and also over other great nations he was sent to rebuke. He was not placed over them to collect tribute or enrich himself from their spoils. He was sent to root out, tear down, and destroy, and also to build and plant.

First, he was to call the nations to reform. He had to root out, tear down, and destroy idolatry and other sins among them. He was to remove the bad habits and customs that had taken deep root. In that way, he would tear down the kingdom of sin so that religion and virtue could be planted and built up. To establish what is good, what is evil must first be removed.

Second, he was to tell them that their future would be good or bad depending on whether they changed. He had to set before them life and death, good and evil, according to the way God deals with kingdoms and nations (Jeremiah 18:9-10). He was to warn those who kept on in wickedness that they would be rooted out and destroyed, and to assure those who repented that they would be built and planted. He was given authority to announce the judgment of nations, and God would confirm it and carry it out (Isaiah 44:26). God would do it according to Jeremiah’s word, which is why it is said to be done by his word.

This wording is used partly to show how sure prophecy is, it will happen as certainly as if it had already taken place. It is also meant to honor the prophetic office and make it seem truly great, so that people will not despise the prophets or cause them to think too little of themselves. The gospel ministry appears even more honorable, since Christ gave his apostles a declarative authority to forgive and retain sins (John 20:23), and to bind and loose (Matthew 18:18).