Verse 8: His reassurance
Moving on from last month we note the promise Jeremiah had of God's presence. Realistically, this must have been the most comforting aspect of the encouragement from God for Jeremiah, "I am with thee to deliver thee" (Jer 1.8). He was a man who would stand before the king and the people, condemn them for their sin, talk of the destruction of the temple, and call their prophets liars. He had the daunting task of close interaction with many people, and he might have been prone to feel alone in his service, but he was given the full assurance of the presence and protection of his God. The promise of His presence - is this not the most comforting knowledge that we possess as children of God? "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee" (Heb 13.5); "I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world" (Mt 28.20). Because our God has chosen us for His own, because He has laid hold upon us and promised us life with His Son for evermore, He says we are His children. The One who gave us to His Son, who in turn is not ashamed to call us His brethren (Heb 2.11), this One will not ever, nor could ever, abandon those whom He loves and has set apart for Himself. He has promised His divine protection, and His Son prayed for it for His disciples (Jn 17.15). But what is the outcome of the assurance of this presence and protection? "… we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me" (Heb 13.6). As Jeremiah should not be afraid of their faces, we too ought not to be afraid to stand forth for God and perform all that He has asked us to do. With all this said, we must remember that such a promise of divine presence does not guarantee an easy pathway or bed of roses. Our man Jeremiah lived to see the days of cannibalism by the inhabitants of Jerusalem (Lam 4.10), he was put in the stocks (Jer 20.2) and placed in the mire to rot (Jer 38.6). But, while all these events were unfolding, the Lord never forsook Jeremiah, but brought him through it all, and even gave him favour in the eyes of Nebuchadrezzar so that he had choice about his exile on the day that Judah went into captivity (Jer 39.11-12). Paul the apostle also had a catalogue of perils which he went through with the Lord (2 Cor 11.23-28), but he could say "For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day" (2 Tim 1.12). Having "so great a cloud of witnesses" (Heb 12.1), let us move onward for God knowing that He is able to keep us for He is always with us.
Verse 9: Enablement given
Verse nine contains for us something of the beautiful character of our God and Father. Just as He lifted up the clay to mould man, here He is reaching out a gentle touch to enable His man. Notice the difference between this encounter with God and that experienced by Moses. Moses received enablement by, it must be said, heated words from the Lord: "Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth" (Ex 4.12). But with Jeremiah, the young man, God reaches out to touch him with gentleness and tenderness. Note also we have no coal from off the altar as did Isaiah (Isa 6.6-7), but that is not to say that Jeremiah had no need for purity. With Jeremiah we see a Father reaching out as it were to encourage his child, and the hand of love and great comfort being laid upon him. Surely we could directly compare this encounter with that of the disciples with the Lord in the upper room as they received the 'Great Commission'; "he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost" (Jn 20.22). A loving Lord and Master was letting His own know that the Comforter was truly going to come and be with them, even though He would no longer be there in a physical way.
Verse 10: The ministry to be undertaken
The calling of Jeremiah evidently was for a particular purpose. God chose him with a very special ministry in mind. This ministry was one of reformation, one of knocking down and destroying that in which many prided themselves. It was also one of forming something new, something altogether different, something pleasing to God. It is striking that God tells him that He will build, that He will plant, and that truly there would be something new created from what He does, because Jeremiah himself would never actually see this come to pass. But most assuredly it does, as Jeremiah's writings are the seed that Daniel takes hold of in his prayer to God (Dan 9). Shortly after that prayer the temple was rebuilt, the wall restored, and a dim light established in Jerusalem. This ministry of reformation given to Jeremiah is so relevant to all of us today. Reformation of the Church was started by God many years ago, back in the days of Martin Luther and the rest of the reformers of that time. It has been something that has continued in the Church to this present time, one of the most notable of developments being that of the rediscovery of the simple assembly gathering. However, has the need for continued reformation gone from the heart of the assemblies? Have we found a resting place from which we are reluctant to arise? Have our eyes become straitened that we cannot see the breadth of the Church? Is the ministry of God's Word from the heart or just the head? Is the light of our assembly testimony burning with a glow which is bright, attractive, and becoming of the One who has imparted to us life? It is a sad truth that in my lifetime, which is relatively short, I have noticed active gospel testimony diminish and even die out altogether in many places. And by 'active', I refer to preaching and making known the truth of the gospel outside the four walls which constitute our halls. We must all realise the importance, the privilege, the honour, the great responsibility that we have in going forth with the gospel to an untoward generation. "Oh", you might say, "they don't want to hear; no one is getting saved around here anymore; it's been years since we opened the baptistry". Did Israel's rejection of the truth relieve Isaiah of his duty? What about our man, Jeremiah? He tried stopping preaching for a season because it was too much for him, but found he had to tell it forth; the word of God was a burning fire within him (Jer 20:9). "Awake thou that sleepest" is the command from Paul, "arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light" (Eph 5.14). Paul was under no delusions that the assembly in Ephesus needed reforming, despite the mountain-high doctrine expounded for them in the first half of his letter. Are we prepared to wake up, get up, and seek the necessary grace to supply that which is lacking in our assemblies today? (Concluded.)
