Week 3: Jeremiah

Jeremiah, often called the "Weeping Prophet," earned this nickname because his mission was filled with warnings of judgment and sorrow over his people’s choices.

From a young age, he was called to be a prophet to warn Judah about the coming invasion by Babylon. His writings are not arranged in order; instead, his book is a collection of sermons, poems, and life moments compiled by his scribe, Baruch, following a command from God to record Jeremiah’s messages (see Chapter 36).

At this time, Israel was deeply divided. The Northern and Southern Kingdoms were split, and Jeremiah’s work focused on the Southern Kingdom, Judah, where the Temple and Jerusalem lay. While people still worshipped God in the Temple, they also worshipped idols outside the city, some of which required horrible practices like child sacrifice. Leaders had turned away from God’s ways, and the people followed suit. In response, Jeremiah’s prophecies were filled with messages about God’s disappointment in His people for abandoning their relationship with Him. He even compared Israel to an unfaithful wife who had left her first love. Yet, despite these hard words, Jeremiah’s message always included hope: even in judgment, God would eventually restore His people.

Young Faith

Today’s Readings:

Jeremiah 1:4-19 Jeremiah 32:1-44

Jeremiah’s call story is famous, especially for youth ministries, because it speaks to young people’s potential in a powerful way. In Jeremiah 1:5, God says that he saw Jeremiah’s purpose long before he was even born. Then God says,

“I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

“Appointed” is a word that also means to “pay attention” or “notice.” Jeremiah was given the insight to see the world’s problems and the permission to speak truth into them. This whole calling narrative is about sight! Like Moses and Isaiah, Jeremiah felt unqualified for his calling. He told God, “I am only a child.” It’s unclear how old Jeremiah was here, but he could have been a young boy or a teenager. In ancient Hebrew culture, children weren’t considered full members of society until their teens, so Jeremiah’s reluctance might have stemmed from the fact that he didn’t feel he’d be taken seriously. Yet God often uses the unexpected: Jeremiah, the “child,” would be God’s messenger to shake the entire nation out of its spiritual slumber.

Jeremiah was called during the reign of King Josiah, who was also young—he became king at eight years old! Unlike his predecessors, Josiah began to reform Israel’s worship, returning the nation’s focus back to God. This combination of young leaders—a child prophet and a boy king—God used to shake up their sight of a nation falling in spiritual decay! God is continually working to shift our perspective.

Young Faith

Jeremiah’s words often got him in trouble. He wasn't the prosperity guru the people were looking for. He wasn’t there to comfort people with what they wanted to hear; he brought hard truths, even if it meant imprisonment. In Chapter 32, while he’s in prison for declaring that Babylon would soon conquer Judah, God tells him to do something surprising: buy a piece of land. This might seem strange since the Babylonians were about to take everything over! But God wanted to teach Jeremiah (and all of us) a lesson about hope and faith. Jeremiah 32:10 says," I signed and sealed the deed, had it witnessed and weighed out the silver on the scales." 

SIGNED

Jeremiah’s first step was obedience. He confessed his faith by taking action, even when it seemed pointless.

SEALED

Imagine a seed planted in the earth. Trust goes into leaving a precious seed in the vulnerable dirt. This was a seed of trust, Jeremiah put hope into the future of a land he would never see restored.

WITNESSED

People saw it. Jeremiah wasn't consumed with bad news, just for the sake of it. He was deeply troubled by how Israel had forgotten God. Buying the land was his way of showing the hope that God had spoken for the other side.

WEIGHED

It wasn't going to be easy. The Babylonian army approached and surrounded the city. From every night in prison to every night on the run, Jeremiah would hold this deed as a reminder of God's promised hope. Jeremiah would never receive the land on that deed in his lifetime. Jeremiah would never see the hope God pledged to firsthand. But it was never about that! It was about Jeremiah's faith and trust in what God would always do with or without him.  

What is causing you to doubt your purpose?

What is a reminder of the hope God promises that I can take with me daily?

Jeremiah’s story challenges us to have faith that even when we can’t see immediate results, God is working in ways we might never fully understand. Sometimes, our most powerful acts of faith are the quiet ones that point beyond ourselves to a future that only God can bring.

Mackie, Tim, and Jon Collins. “Jeremiah.” BibleProject.Com, https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/jeremiah/. Accessed 2 March. 2024. 

Carroll, R. P. “Jeremiah.” Jeremiah: A Commentary, DK Publishing, 1998, pp. 206–207. The Complete Bible Handbook.