JEREMIAH: CALLING THE UNQUALIFIED, QUALIFYING THE CALLED

INTRODUCTION

The role of the prophets in the history of Israel is vital and indispensable in the nation’s understanding of God’s will and his heart. They served and ministered as God’s spokespersons and lived lives which were somewhat unimaginable for us in the present day- defying kings as in the life of Moses, marrying a harlot as in the case of Hosea, or being thrown into the lion’s den as in Daniel’s circumstance. Still and all, the lives of these prophets were sustained and kept in the hands of Yahweh, the God who called them in his service. Through and through, many of the prophets’ lives were painful to see, yet they remained steadfast despite the odds. Their messages were questioned, yet, their authority lived on and the authenticity and confidence of their ministry has been that of God’s presence in their lives, the One who called and sustained them all in their prophetic tenures.

Jeremiah is no exception among the prophets who were called of God to bring the news of wrath and restoration to God’s people, and in his case, to the kingdom of Judah. He is commonly called as the weeping prophet not just because he wrote the book of Lamentations but more so because he was a witness to the scandalous sins of his people and he could not believe the judgment that is to come to them.

In line with the foregoing truths of Jeremiah’s life, this paper focuses on the divine calling of the prophet and will dig deep into God’s sovereign design and purpose for his prophetic life and ministry. The discourse between Jeremiah and God is a plain yet deep articulation of the popular Christian adage, “God does not call the qualified, he qualifies whom he calls.”

CONTEXT

Jeremiah 1:4-10 is considered as the call proper[1] of Jeremiah to the prophetic ministry. His calling took place “in the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah.”[2] The calling and the commissioning of the prophet is in the first-person narrative account[3] making it clearer for him the One who has called him for such a purpose, and changing the entire course of his life. Yahweh took the initiative in the discourse choosing Jeremiah before his birth, setting him apart and appointing him as a prophet to the nations. [4] This divine calling of the prophet constitutes what he has to fulfill as a prophet of Yahweh and makes certain that he is furnished with everything he needs to fulfill his divine mandate.

JEREMIAH: CALLING THE UNQUALIFIED, QUALIFYING THE CALLED

(Jeremiah 1:4-10)

AN IN-DEPTH STUDY

I. THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE CALL (vv.4-5)

4 "And the word of Yahweh came to me to say,"

`rmo*ale yl;îae hw"ßhy>-rb;d> yhiîy>w: ⁴

The formula  yl;îae hw"ßhy>-rb;d> yhiîy>w: ("the word of Yahweh came to me") was a standard revelatory communication of Yahweh to a prophet, [5] recognizing the commencement of Jeremiah’s prophetic ministry. The entire phrase bears with it the in-breaking of Yahweh’s revelation into the consciousness of the one whom he called, [6] and in this case the prophet Jeremiah. This introduced not a prophetic oracle but an experience[7] so personal, that the divine communication of the Caller and the called cannot be refuted. The revelation then to Jeremiah of his calling transcends beyond impersonal relationships and Yahweh’s cause in doing so suggests a prophetic calling so deep that cannot be argued upon, knowing that it is he who called the prophet to the ministry.

Knowing that it was Yahweh who called him, at the outset qualified Jeremiah as the sent one, the mouthpiece and ambassador of God to the people of Judah. Again, the expresson yl;îae hw"ßhy>-rb;d> yhiîy>w: is significant on its own. rb'D' in Hebrew means “word”, “thing” or “action”. It is good to note however that for the ancient Israelite, this noun rb'D' meaning “word” and “event” were part of the same experience.[8] During Jeremiah’s prophetic tenure, he both preached and performed symbolic acts and these activities were means of pronouncing God’s rb'D'  to his people. [9] It is also worth noting that the prophet himself acknowledged that the rb'D' that he received were not just from any messenger but from Yahweh himself.

5 "Before I formed you in the womb I have known you, and before you were born I have set you apart; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations."

~x,r<Þme aceîTe ~r<j,²b.W ^yTiê[.d:y> ‘!j,B,’b; Î^Ür>C'a,Ð ¿^r>ACa,À ~r<j,’B. ⁵

^yTi(t;n> ~yIßAGl; aybiîn" ^yTi_v.D:q.hi

Verse 5 prominently presented Jeremiah’s calling as the commencement of God’s divine plan in his life even before his birth[10] – that even before he was born it had been God’s sovereign design to make him a prophet. [11] After the acknowledgment that it was Yahweh who called him, this verse marks the beginning of God’s discourse with the prophet. He began by pointing Jeremiah to the time when the calling was ordained for him. The prepositionr<j,’B.  (before) sets the tone in bringing Jeremiah to realize of the pre-ordained ministry that he would have, revealed to him at this very moment in a very crucial verse of the passage. This preposition is so significant that if in the latter days of his ministry, Jeremiah might be desperate and lost, he could just go back to the time before his birth, [12] and see the divine plan in all his life. The word rcy which means “to form” can be traced back in the book of Genesis, particularly in 2:7 where the same verb appeared to signify how God created the animals and Adam. However, it is good to emphasize that here, it is not that God “created” Jeremiah which is stressed but that truth that Yahweh has been forming him to be fit for his prophetic ministry. [13] r<j,’B. was used twice in this verse as an emphasis and assertion of Jeremiah’s predestined calling to be a prophet. [14]

The verb [dy (“to know”) in the Old Testament has a very deep meaning for it reached beyond mere intellectual knowledge to personal commitment. [15] Thus, Yahweh’s pledge of his presence in the prophet’s life and ministry could be traced back before his birth. After using the word [dy, Yahweh now made use of the word vdq (“to set apart”) to bring Jeremiah into the truth of who he was even before he was born. The hiphil stem in ^yTi_v.D:q.hi means to be consecrated and set aside for God’s purposes. This carries the covenantal implication in the word just as it was used in [dy.[16]

Yahweh then did not only know Jeremiah, but he also set him apart for a holy purpose. A purpose so great that first, he needs to remind him that it was him who “knew” the prophet and then “consecrate” him for the prophetic ministry. vdq is used in the religious sphere where persons, things and others are set apart or consecrated for the sole use of Yahweh,[17] and so in this case God made it known to Jeremiah that his life is exclusively for the purpose of fulfilling a greater task of becoming a prophet.

The last verb in this verse is  !tn (“to appoint”) signifies the particular task Jeremiah has to fulfill
in his calling. This verb is used in significant passages in the Old Testament to describe a unique appointment [18] and in Jeremiah’s case to be a ~yIßAGl; aybiîn (prophet to the nations). The use of the verbs  [dy, vdq and !tn in the first person stresses the divine involvement in the life of the prophet Jeremiah.[19] His calling was orchestrated by the One who knew him even before his birth and the One who appointed him for a specific divine role in the history of Judah. Jeremiah was appointed to be a aybin" (prophet). This calling is so immense that in verse 9, Yahweh put his words in Jeremiah’s mouth as an assurance and confirmation of the former’s sending, commanding, commissioning, appointing and enabling to the latter. [20]

Being a prophet to the nations does not mean that Jeremiah had to preach to every known nations, [21] it suggests instead the universal weight and legitimacy of God’s message through him. The Hebrew word ~yIßAGl; (“the nations”) indicates the prophet’s oversight of the foreign nations and recognizes his sphere of influence and thus, Jeremiah’s commissioning echoes a time when the nations hold control over Judah and overturns it swiftly by introducing the prophet as the one with real powers over those nations. [22] The call then was in an international setting and though the message was primarily to Judah, its implications involved Assyria, Babylon, Egypt and other states. [23] As Holladay puts it, Jeremiah may be destined to speak largely to Judah, but the effectiveness of the word he speaks has no limits. [24] This is an assurance that the efficacy of the word of the prophet is always aligned not just to the message of Yahweh himself but also to the scope of that message God had given him.

 II. THE CONFIDENCE IN THE CALL (vv.6-8)

6 And I said" Ah, Lord Jehovah, I have not known how to speak for I am a youth."

r[;n:ß-yKi rBE+D: yTi[.d:Þy"-al{ hNEïhi hAIêhy> yn"ådoa] ‘Hh'a] rm;ªaow"⁶

`ykinO*a'

Still and all, Jeremiah, instead of yielding to the calling of the Lord expressed his refusal and inadequacy of the task in verse 6. The phrase hAIêhy> yn"ådoa] ‘Hh'a]  (“Ah, Lord Jehovah”) expresses the prophet’s displeasure towards Yahweh’s statement. [25] After this phrase is found the prophet’s excuses in yielding to God’s call- first, that he did not know how to speak, and second, that he was only a youth. His initial excuse centers on his inability as a public speaker,[26] yet, the crucial word here is r[;n.The word r[;n (child, youth) could either refer to a baby (Exod. 2:19), a warrior or a weapon bearer (1 Sam. 14:1), a young man (Gen. 37:2), or a person whose age is past forty (Exod. 3:11). [27] The first two options given previously can already be dismissed since there is no sound proof of them. Yet, the remaining two needs to be closely examined and carefully considered so as to give light on what Jeremiah means when he said that is only a r[;n (“youth”).

However, it is good to note that if the recent study on Jeremiah’s life is accurate, then the prophet was only eighteen years old when he started his prophetic ministry. He is indeed young to refer to his age in a society where people would not listen to him because of it- certainly not the people of Judah. [28] Louis Stulman is right in affirming that because Jeremiah is a youth, he only admitted his inadequacy in fulfilling Yahweh’s command.[29] It is reasonable to agree then with Craigie that Jeremiah was in his late teens or early twenties[30] when he received the divine mandate from Yahweh.

7 And Yahweh said to me, "Do not say, 'I am a youth.'

For to all I send you shall go to all I command you shall speak."

rv<Üa]-lK'-l[;( yKiû ykinO=a' r[;n:å rm:ßaTo-la; yl;êae ‘hw"hy> rm,aYOÝw: ⁷

`rBE)d:T. ^ßW>c;a] rv<ïa]-lK' tae²w> %leêTe ‘^x]l'v.a,¥

Jeremiah’s excuses were abrogated by Yahweh’s divine confidence. The occurrence of rm:ßaTo-la; (“do not say”) in wisdom literature provides a notion of a homely advice matching the reassurance of the parallel in v.8 “do not be afraid”. [31] Here, it is obvious that the prophet had to do what God had called him to without a choice. He must go to everyone that Yahweh sends him to and he had no option to say anything except that which God would want him to. [32] However, it is in this line that we need to go back to the truth that it was Yahweh who has called him even before his birth (v.4) and he knew what Jeremiah was suppose to do and to be in his life. The promise of his presence then can be an assuring comfort to the prophet.

8 Do not be afraid of them (lit. their faces), for I am with you to deliver you,"

a declaration of Yahweh.

`hw")hy>-~aun> ^l<ßCih;l. ynI±a] ^ïT.ai-yKi( ~h,_ynEP.mi ar"ÞyTi-la; ⁸

In this verse, God advises Jeremiah to let go of his fear for two reasons: first, because his presence will be with him; and second, because in the event that things will go bad, God will rescue and deliver him from it. For in fact, it is the confidence of God’s presence that is the basis of overcoming his fear. [33]

Thus, the divine power of the transcendent God will cast out all fears that Jeremiah might have in the process of executing his God-given mandate. [34] His lack of experience was overruled by the truth that God would give him the words to say at the right time (v.7) and in his youthfulness Yahweh’s protection will be upon him (v.8). [35] And since he was supposed to do just as he was told without any questions, it is only but necessary for him to be assured of the divine presence for it is only this that would be sufficient for Jeremiah to wholeheartedly obey and execute his divine calling. [36]

III. THE CONFIRMATION OF THE CALL (vv.9-10)

9 and Yahweh reached out his hand and touched my mouth and Yahweh said to me,

"Behold, I have put my words in your mouth."

The narrative then continues with the act of Yahweh reaching out his hand and touching the mouth[37] of the prophet. It is good to note here the similarity of this action of Yahweh in his call of Isaiah (Isa. 6:6-7). This symbolic gesture implies Jeremiah’s confirmation as God’s mouthpiece, his own spokesman.[38] Although in a form of a dialogue, the prophet’s words here may signify a visionary quality as that of the prophet Isaiah. [39]

Now, God explains his action. When he reached and touched Jeremiah’s mouth, he said, ^ypi(B. yr:Þb'd> yTit;în" hNE±hi yl;êae (“Behold! I have put my words in your mouth”). Thus the prophetic mandate in centered on Jeremiah’s mouth. When Yahweh put his words in the prophet’s mouth, he did so, so that his mouth would give forth the divine words from him. [40] The anthropomorphism yPi_-l[; [G:ßY:w: Adêy"-ta, ‘hw"hy ("And Yahweh reached out his hand and touched my mouth...) is a powerful means of reflecting the personal involvement of God in the ministry of Jeremiah. [41]

Thus, in the course of the narrative call of the prophet, Yahweh has been the sole Initiator and Sustainer of the one whom he called for this divine mandate. Consequently, the excuses of Jeremiah were undoubtedly answered by a confidence of presence, power and protection of Yahweh.

10 "See, I have appointed you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms to uproot

and to tear down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant."

~AYæh; Ÿ^yTiäd>q;p.hi haeúr> `[;Aj)n>liw> tAnàb.li sAr+h]l;w¹⁰>

dybiäa]h;l.W #Atßn>liw> vAtïn>litAkêl'm.M;h;-l[;w> ‘~yIAGh;-l[; hZ<©h;

The authority in the ministry of Jeremiah is a consequence of God’s calling, thus, there is the divine origin of the authority itself. [42] It is good to realize as well that in v.5, Yahweh made Jeremiah (into being) a prophet, yet, it was only in v.10, when the prophet accepted his call that God confirmed him in the prophetic office. The actuality of him being a prophet was realized in the latter verse yet, the anticipation for it brings us back to the time when he was still in his mother’s womb. [43] It is for this perfect reason that God has "have known him" even before he was conceived from his mother’s womb. [44]

The verbs in this verse- vAtïn>li (“to uproot”) and #Atßn>li (“ to tear down”), dybiäa]h;l (“to destroy”) and sAr+h]l; (“to overthrow”), and  tAnàb.li (“to build”) and [;Aj)n>li (“to plant”) are pointed statements of how God deals with the nations and the kingdoms,[45] with the first four speaking of the nations with whom the wrath of Yahweh is upon and the last two signifying God’s sole capability to bring new beginnings. These verbs are what the specifics of Jeremiah’s ministry will be. He was to declare prophesies about the overthrow and restoration of kingdoms and nations. [46] He understood that his prophetic ministry to be both constructive and destructive [47] which is a constant feature in the unfolding of the whole ministry of Jeremiah.

The prophet’s divine mandate was coupled with the commencement (vv.4- 6), confidence (vv.7-8), and confirmation (vv.9-10) of his calling all seen in the passage exegeted. In all these, Jeremiah’s prophetic ministry, though difficult as it may be, is a clear picture of God’s sovereign act in choosing his people for his own divine purpose. Unqualified as he is, God called him to be a mouthpiece of his word over the nations and kingdoms. He gave him the confidence and assurance of his presence and of his power, which unraveled in his divine plan through the prophetic gestures and utterances of the prophet Jeremiah.

CONCLUSION

The narrative calling of the prophet Jeremiah gives us a peek of Yahweh’s sovereignty in calling people of his choice to serve him in the capacity that he would want them to. It is important to comprehend that in the event that the prophet was compelled to forego his fears and hesitations to give in to Yahweh’s call, he knew in himself that God would be with him, for he was chosen even before he was born for the particular ministry that he would have. This truth necessitates trust and faith on the part of Jeremiah to God’s higher purpose for his inadequate life.

The prophet, although very much aware of his incompetency, accepted his call because God’s reassuring promise of his divine presence and protection will be upon him in his entire prophetic tenure, for he had his divine plan for him even before he was born. The inadequacy of Jeremiah was not an issue with God. Frail and human as the prophet was, God made his strength perfect in his weakness. His youthfulness and inability to speak was God’s sovereign requirements so that his power will be manifested as Jeremiah delivers his message over nations and kingdoms (v.10). It was Yahweh indeed who qualified Jeremiah to the prophetic calling and it was him who made him a vessel significant to the disclosure of his plan and his words to the people of Judah.

The case of Jeremiah’s calling intimates to our own circumstances for his feebleness mirrors ours and his excuses reflect our unpreparedness for the Lord’s work. Yet, our calling to the ministry, though not as prophetic like that of Jeremiah requires not our strength but God’s sovereign choice and presence to carry it out, for it is from him, through him, and to him that we do what we do for his glory.

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Allen, Leslie C. Jeremiah, OTL. Louiseville: WJK, 2008.

Brueggemann, Walter. A Commentary on Jeremiah: Exile and Homecoming. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998.

Carroll, Robert P. Jeremiah, OTL. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1986.

Clements, R.E. Jeremiah, Interpretation. Atlanta: John Knox, 1988.

Craigie, Peter C. Page H. Kelley, Joel F. Drinkard Jr. Jeremiah 1-25, WBC. Dallas: Word, 1982.

Holladay, William L. Jeremiah, Hermeneia. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1986..

Holladay, William L. The Architecture of Jeremiah 1-20. Cranbury, NJ: Associated University, 1976.

Huey, F.B. Jr. Jeremiah and Lamentations, NAC. Nashville; Broadman, 1993.

Stulman, Louis. Jeremiah, AOTC. Nashville: Abingdon, 2005.

Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament Thompson, J.A. Jeremiah, NICOT. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980.

Vischer, Wilhelm. "Vocation of the prophet to the nations : an exegesis of Jeremiah 1:4-10." Interpretation 9, no. 3 (July 1, 1955): 310-317. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed May 28, 2010).


endnotes
-----------------------
[1] W.M. Holladay, The Architecture of Jeremiah 1-20 (Cranbury: New Jersey: Associated University 1996), 26.

[2] Jeremiah 1:2. Scripture text is taken from the New International Version (NIV). Translation of the verses here is of the writer of this paper.

[3] R. E. Clements, Jeremiah Interpretation (Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1988), 13.

[4] Louis Stulman, Jeremiah (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2005), 41.

[5] William L. Holladay Jeremiah, Hermeneia (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1986), 32.

[6] Holladay, 32.

[7] Peter C. Craigie, Page H. Kelley, Joel F. Drinkard Jr., Jeremiah 1- 25, WBC (Dallas: Word, 1982), 9.

[8] J.A. Thompson, Jeremiah NICOT (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, 1990), 145.

[9] Thompson, 145.

[10] Leslie C. Allen, Jeremiah OTL (Louiseville: WJK, 2008), 25.

[11] Craigie, 10.

[12] Thompson, 145.

[13]Wilhelm Vischer, "Vocation of the prophet to the nations : an exegesis of Jeremiah 1:4-10." Interpretation 9, no. 3 (July 1, 1955): 310-317. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed May 28, 2010).310-311. Vischer added that Yahweh "formed" Jeremiah so that in his delights and sufferings, he would be the living as a faithful witness of the heart of God, for the people of Judah. Vischer, 317.

[14] This repetition is striking which occurred again in 13:16. This preposition usually is used in the context of birth or creation and death (compare Isa. 42:9, 48:5; Pss. 39:14, 90:2). Holladay, Hermeneia, 33.

[15] Thompson, 145. [dy is used in the Old Testament to denote the intimate relations between a man and his wife (Gen. 4:1) and of Yahweh’s commitment to Israel (Amos 3:2); In using this word, we are reminded at least that “knowledge” is personal and relational. Holladay, Hermeneia, 33.

[16] Holladay, Hermeneia, 33. Older translations interpret this word as sanctified (KJV), and consecrated (RSV). The word occurs in several dialects of Akkadian with the basic meanings “to be clean, pure, consecrated.” In the Canaanite texts from Ugarit, the basic meaning of the word group is “holy” and it is always used in a cultic sense. Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, Volume 2,787.

[17] Thompson, 146.

[18] Thompson, 146. The use of !tn to imply significant appointment can be seen in the following passages: Gen. 1:17;17:5; Exos. 7:1; Isa. 49:6.

[19] F.B. Huey Jr., Jeremiah and Lamentations, NAC. (Nashville; Broadman, 1993), 48.

[20] Robert P. Carrol, Jeremiah, OTL (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1986), 95.

[21] Huey, 48.

[22] Carrol, 95.

[23] Craigie, 11.

[24] Holladay, 34.

[25] Holladay, 34. The expression “Ah Lord Yahweh” appears 10 times in Old Testament- in Jer.4:10; 14:13, 32:17; Josh. 7:7; Judg. 6:22; Ezek. 4:14; 9:8; 11:13 and 21:5. From these passages, the most parallel to Jeremiah’s dismay is in Judg. 22 where we can find Gideon’s objections to the call of Yahweh.

[26] Huey, 51.

[27] Huey, 51.

[28] Holladay, 34-35. Jeremiah’s response to the Lord’s call is reflective of Moses’ objection when he was called by God in Exod. 2:7 and 4:10; and also of Solomon who confessed that he is a young man who “does not know how to go out or come in,” (1 Kings 3:7).

[29] Louis Stulman, Jeremiah, AOTC (Nashville: Abingdon, 2005), 41.

[30] Craigie, 10.

[31] Holladay, 35.

[32] Thompson, 148.

[33] Huey, 52.

[34] Allen, 26.

[35] Craigie, 11.

[36] Thompson, 149.

[37] This act of God is evocative of his promise in Deut. 18:18, “I will put my words in your mouth.” Thus, Jeremiah can identify with Moses and this will increase his reassurance of God’s presence. Thompson, 149.

[38] Huey, 52.

[39] Craigie, 11..

[40] Holladay, 36.

[41] Thompson, 149-150. This occurs similarly in the life of the prophet Isaiah (6:6-7) and Ezekiel (2:9-3:3).

[42] Craigie, 11.

[43] Holladay, 36.

[44] Vischer, 312.

[45] Walter Brueggemann, A Commentary on Jeremiah: Exile and Homecoming (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998), 25. Vischer argues that the “prophet Jeremiah does not exert two ministries, one to the elect people and one to the nations. The word that the Lord speaks to Jerusalem and Judah determines by itself the destiny of the nations. Israel is God's witness in the world. God uses Israel to reveal himself to the nations. The history of Israel is at all times closely related to the history of other peoples and all great empires. This is particularly marked in the years that Jeremiah lived with the remnant of the chosen people. The vast movement begun in the 8th century by the Assyrians heads toward a final crisis with the Babylonians.” Vischer, 314.

[46] Thompson, 150.

[47] Holladay, 36.


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