Bible Pathway - August 14
Read Jeremiah 1 – 3
Highlights:
God knew Jeremiah "inside" his mother's womb (1:4)! Is the Word of God in your mouth (1:9)? Blessings and deliverance (2:1-7); Forsaking God (2:13); Worshipping false gods (2:10-12, 26-28); Unconcern over Israel's backsliding (3:6-10); Judah warned (3:15-17, National restoration and blessing (3:16-18); God speaks (3:22).
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 (Jer. 1:5).
These were terrible days for the nation of Judah. Jeremiah lived in a time when Judah was ruled by many wicked kings. The nation had experienced much turmoil.
Many mighty nations were trying to take control and overthrow her. There had been much evil within Judah, including the worship of idols, social injustice, and a political system which had become very corrupt and rarely relied on God. This turn away from the Lord to other gods was a mistake that had been made time and again by both the nations of Israel and Judah. Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience (Col. 3:5-6).
During this time, Jeremiah was a prophet called of God to speak to the nation of Judah. This had to feel like an overwhelming task to him.
The Word of God proclaims him to have been a prophet unto the nations. During times such as those, Jeremiah needed all the backing a person could get. There is no greater support he could have received than the Word of God, which clearly tells of his call to be a prophet. God reveals that Jeremiah had been chosen for this office even before he was born. God appointed and guided him, shaping his entire life to prepare him for his ministry of being a prophet to Judah. What greater call is there in life than the call to serve God in the ministry?
A person could be selected to play on a professional sports team, or they could receive an appointment to serve on some important board or committee. They might even be elected to political office. All of these are nothing in comparison to the call of God. And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks (Acts 26:14). This supernatural call changed the life of Paul forever. He was transformed from one who hunted Christians, to one who led many to Christ.
What about the call that God has placed on our lives? How will we answer it? Will we respond as Isaiah and Jeremiah, the great prophets of old, responded? They answered the call even knowing it would not be an easy mission to fulfill. Or will we do like so many others today and resist the call of God?
The Bible is given to us to guide us in our walk for Christ. When God called those in the Word to go, the customary response was, “Where do I go, Lord?"
And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after Me, and I will make you to become fishers of men (Mark 1:17).
Thought for Today:
Before his birth God sanctified Jeremiah as a person.
Christ Revealed:
As the Fountain of Living Waters (Jer. 2:13). Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink (John 7:37-38; also 4:1-26).
Word Studies:
2:3 offend, be held guilty; 2:14 spoiled, laid waste, plundered; 2:18 Sihor, the Nile River; the river, the Euphrates; 2:31 lords, independent; 2:33 trimmest . . . thy way to seek love, do good (as a show to impress) to get love; 3:2 been lien with, acted like a prostitute; 3:9 lightness, shameless behavior; 3:10 feignedly, deceptively.
Prayer Suggestion: Thank God for guiding you to sacrifice freely for what pleases Him (Ps. 54:6).
Optional Reading: 1 Peter 4
Memory Verse for the Week: Psalms 90:1-2
