Jeremiah was a peculiar man with a peculiar message. I would put him in the same category as Hosea (who was told to marry a harlot) and John the Baptist in the New Testament. They all have an interesting story to tell us, but we are going to focus on Jeremiah. We will look at his calling and also the content of his message.
In Jeremiah 1:5 God says, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; before you were born, I sanctified you; and I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” This is one of those verses that a lot of people hate because it clearly brings to our attention the sovereignty and control of God. Many people think of themselves as being autonomous, in control of their own lives and destiny; God says that He is in control.
God formed Jeremiah in the womb; that means he also set the time of his birth. But God goes back before his conception and says, “I knew you even before I formed you.” So, when did God first know him? Even before the foundations of the earth were laid, God knew all about him. God knit him together with just the right ingredients so he would be a vessel that could endure persecution, hardship, and abuse.
Many years ago, I worked at a cabinet factory where they used taping machines. We would put wood-grained tape on cabinet doors and drawer fronts for houses and apartments. A few of the new machines were imported from Italy, where they were manufactured. If we had trouble with one of the new machines, they would bring in the technicians from Italy, where the parts were made and the machine was assembled. They made them and understood how they worked; they knew how to correct a problem.
That’s kind of how it is with each one of us, God knows all about us, He put us together (knit us together in the womb). Even when we don’t know or understand what’s going on in our lives, He knows how we work and what we need. John 2:24-25 says, “But Jesus did not commit Himself to them because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for he knew what was in man.”
In Jeremiah 1:6 he says, “Ah, Lord God, behold I cannot speak, for I am but a youth.” This seems to reveal humility on the part of Jeremiah. If you remember the story of Moses, he said something similar. When Isaiah was called, he said, “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people with unclean lips.” Even Isaiah recognized his own sinfulness before God, and in humility repents. God uses humble people to accomplish great eternal things. If we are not humble, He brings us to our knees like He did Peter. After Peter’s humiliation, he went on to become one of the pillars of the early church.
The next thing we want to consider is the message of Jeremiah. He is sometimes referred to as “the weeping prophet,” why was that? His message was a condemning one that foretold of doom, destruction, and judgment. It pointed out the sinful ways of the Jewish people and their leaders. When he spoke the word or message from God, no one wanted to hear it.
Pashhur the son of Immer, who was chief governor in the house of the Lord, heard the warning that Jeremiah had prophesied. In anger, he struck him and put him in stocks in the gate of Benjamin. There was always someone out to get Him. In Jeremiah 18:18 it says, “Come and let us attack him with the tongue, and let us not give any heed to his words.” How would you like to be called to a ministry like that? He was called to speak the truth, then tortured and persecuted for doing what God told him to do.
The false prophets were there with their positive thinking, and good news in the days of the kings of Judah. But Jeremiah, who knew the heart and mind of God, rejected their false teachings. He didn’t change or alter his message to suit those around him! He spoke the oracle (message) of God accurately, as he received it from God. He chose to be true to the One who sent him instead of being a man-pleaser.
Jeremiah knew this earth was not his home; he was laying up treasure in heaven, where moth and rust cannot corrupt. Are we following the example of Jeremiah, by being obedient to God and His Word? Or, are we searching for pleasure and fulfillment here in this life? Comments or questions, contact me at: thoughtsonword@gmail.com
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Lyndon Stimeling, of Richfield, has been writing about faith and family for many years. He has self-published three books, “Common Thoughts on The Word” in 2016 and “Eye of a Needle” in 2017 and “Common Thoughts on The Word II” in 2019. He has also had articles published in The Coming Home Journal and local newspapers and has written a children’s book.
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God formed Jeremiah in the womb; that means he also set the time of his birth. But God goes back before his conception and says, “I knew you even before I formed you.” So, when did God first know him? Even before the foundations of the earth were laid, God knew all about him.
What did God mean when he said before I formed you in the womb I knew you? ›
He knew me in a personal way. The Hebrew word translated as “knew” is the same word used in Genesis 4:1, where Adam “made love” to his wife. I do not mean to suggest that I had existed prior to my conception. But God had an intimate knowledge of me and who I would become long before I was conceived in my mother's womb.
What does Jeremiah 1-5 really mean? ›
Scholars widely interpret this passage to mean that God predestined the course of Jeremiah's life.
What does it say even before I was formed in my mother's womb? ›
Jeremiah 1:5 New Century Version (NCV)
“Before I made you in your mother's womb, I chose you. Before you were born, I set you apart for a special work. I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
What does the womb symbolize in the Bible? ›
In the Old Testament, the word used for womb is 'rekhem', derived from the root word 'rakham', translating to mercy or compassion. It signifies the beginning of life, a place where life is created and nurtured. The Hebrew Bible identifies the womb as an essential part of God's creative power.
What does I knew you in the womb mean? ›
God says to Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.” Meaning, I've known you before there was a you to be known by anyone else. Before you were in the womb, before I even began to form you there, I knew you. Knew you, who you are, what you would do. Before you were born, I consecrated you.
Did God know me before I was in the womb? ›
Jeremiah 1 1
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." "Ah, Sovereign LORD," I said, "I do not know how to speak; I am only a child." But the LORD said to me, "Do not say, `I am only a child.
Does God know us by name? ›
God knows each one of us by name! He has created us, formed us, and even fashioned our hearts individually. The psalmist exclaimed, “He fashions their hearts individually; He considers all their works” (Psalm 33:15, NKJV).
How to pray in Jeremiah 1-5? ›
Prayer: Lord, I yield myself to You. As You touched the mouth of Jeremiah and put Your words in his mouth, touch my mouth and put Your words in my mouth, in Jesus' name. Amen. Prayer: Not only will Your word be in my mouth, Lord, help me to keep Your words in my heart, in Jesus' name.
What is the main message of Jeremiah 5? ›
Jeremiah lamented that God's previous judgments on Judah had gone unheeded and had only made them more resistant. He felt that the poor people had rejected God because of their ignorance, but thought surely the upper-class, more educated people who knew the way of the Lord would be willing to submit to God's truth.
Psalm 139:13: “You knit me together in my mother's womb.” Anti-choicers think this verse conclusively describes God giving personhood to fetuses. But look at the rest. “My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.”
Did God create us in our mother's womb? ›
Psalms 139:13-16 The Message (MSG)
Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother's womb. I thank you, High God—you're breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration—what a creation!
What Psalm formed you in the womb? ›
Psalms 139:13-14 English Standard Version 2016 (ESV)
For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.
What does Jeremiah 1-5 mean? ›
However, sound biblical exegesis reveals that the clearest reading of Jeremiah 1:5 testifies not to an inviolable predestination as to what the prophet's life and ministry would be but to God's sovereignty mingled with humanity's free will.
What does the womb mean spiritually? ›
The womb is the primordial feminine symbolism, mirroring all that divine feminine energy represents. The medicine and wisdom of the womb is the medicine we need as a collective. Reclaiming honor for the womb is reclaiming honor for woman and the feminine in its entirety.
What does womb mean in Hebrew? ›
The Hebrew word is "rakhum," and it comes in a verb form, a noun form, an adjective form. But the really fascinating thing about all of them is that they're related to the word "rekhem" which is the Hebrew word for "womb." So that's so cool.
What does the Bible say about being formed in the womb? ›
In Jeremiah 1:5 God says, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; before you were born, I sanctified you; and I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” This is one of those verses that a lot of people hate because it clearly brings to our attention the sovereignty and control of God.
What does the womb of God mean? ›
Like a womb, God is the one who gives birth to us — the mother who gives birth to us. As a mother loves the children from her womb and feels for the children of her womb, so God loves us and feels for us,”.
When I formed you in the womb kjv? ›
[5] 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.
What did God mean in Exodus 3 14 when he said I am? ›
As one of the more mysterious utterances in the Old Testament, God's self-revelation to Moses in Exodus 3:14 has received countless examinations by biblical interpreters. Perhaps the best-known interpretation views God's statement—“I AM WHO I AM”—as an expression of his aseity, or his self-existence.
