Jeremiah 1-3

Written by Chris Jarrell | March 4, 2010 | Jeremiah 1 - 3

I am so honored to share my thoughts on the first three chapters of Jeremiah.  God used Jeremiah 1 in commissioning me into ministry.  Yes, this is where Jeremiah heard the voice of God speaking to him about his personal calling. God chose to use this in my life to speak to me about my personal calling to step out and be used by him.  Every time I read chapter 1, I am always taken back to that moment when I was 18 years old. I had just come to faith a few months before and I really didn’t have anything good going for me. I didn’t have a high school diploma, I could hardly speak and had problems with stuttering, I had no faith background, I couldn’t read well and had a lot of baggage from my past. Surely God can’t use me.  All that I had was a love for God, love for His people and a heart to see lives transformed through the power of God’s Word and His love.

God had an amazing call on Jeremiah’s life. A call where Jeremiah would speak God’s unchanging Word and love to his own people, a people who needed repentance for their sins and pagan ways.  What I love about Jeremiah and where I feel that Jeremiah and I are a lot alike is Jeremiah wore his emotions on sleeve. He had such a deep love and brokenness for his own people, for the very people God called him to.  Yes, Jeremiah was commissioned to bring a harsh rebuke, his commission to prophesy the fall and restoration of Israel (Jeremiah 1:10-16).  Jeremiah spoke words of rebuke but with the rebuke he also brought a lot of tears and compassion for those he spoke to.  See Jeremiah had a prophetic voice but with that voice he had a deep shepherd’s heart.

We read about Jeremiah’s first message to Judah in Jeremiah 2:1-3:5.  In this message there is a review of Israel’s past, a reminder of their blessings and deliverances, and a rebuke for their present condition and choices they are making out of self-righteousness and idolatry.  We also see the first plead to turn back to God.  When we read through Jeremiah, let us remember that Jeremiah was not speaking to “Christians” or a “Christian nation,” he was speaking to pagans, people who worshipped false Gods and even people whose relationship with God was compared to being an unfaithful wife.

When Jeremiah spoke a strong rebuke from God Himself, he followed up with personal disappointment for those he genuinely loved and strong emotion, which resulted in many tears, which is why he is known as the “weeping prophet.”

I can’t get through Jeremiah without hearing his heart for the people and I find myself weeping along with him. Just keeping it real.  ☺ I forgot where I originally saw this (see below), but I find validation in my “gift of tears” as Pastor Joel told me that I have.

The Value of Tears
“The old Puritans used to pray for “the gift of tears.” Have we considered ourselves to have reached a higher plateau or echelon of spiritual experience? Oh to realize the value of tears in God’s Kingdom. They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. The Bible places this principle clearly, shall we neglect it? Ask the Prophets, Apostles, or the Lord Jesus Himself, their ministries were bathed in tears.”

The questions that I want to challenge us with are: How can we cultivate the life and ministry of Jeremiah with those that God has called us to?  How can we put aside our excuses and personal insecurities to allow God to speak in us and through us?  How can we both have a prophetic voice and a heart of a shepherd for those we have the opportunity to speak to?

I am grateful for the book of Jeremiah and how it was used in my life and ministry.  My prayer and hope is that this book would be used in your life as well.

“My wayward children,” says the Lord, “come back to me, and I will heal your wayward hearts.” Jeremiah 3:22