The book of Jeremiah is a remarkable collection of prophetic oracles concerning the impending judgment of Jerusalem.

While Jeremiah is often regarded as confusing – it is a collection of Jeremiah’s anthologies and is not assembled in chronological order – we do take note of  the prophet himself.

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The Lord sovereignly calls Jeremiah, choosing him even before he had been formed in the womb:
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”  (1:5)

However, Jeremiah is hesitant and unwilling to respond to the call of the Lord:
Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” (1:6)

The Lord’s response to Jeremiah contains some of the most comforting words in all of Scripture:
But the LORD said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the LORD.” (1:7-8)

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These were powerful words spoken by the Lord  - the message Jeremiah preached to Jerusalem was not a popular one, and Jeremiah surely would have failed had it not been for the strength of the Lord.
Throughout Jeremiah’s life, he was criticized, castigated, and ignored. He never married, was viewed as an outcast by his family, and was largely considered an enemy by the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

Jeremiah, however, was faithful, and could not keep from speaking the Word of the Lord:
If I say, “I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name,” there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot. (20:9)

Even after the deportation of a majority of the Israelite community to Babylon, Jeremiah chose to remain in Jerusalem with the haphazard collection left behind to make sense of the devastation that had come upon the city. Ultimately, Jeremiah was carried off to Egypt, and it was there He died.

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