NOTES for Jer 1:1-19

Jeremiah was called to prophetic ministry from his mother’s womb. Does this mean that the prophet was predestined in advance to be invulnerable to sin, that he was free from the enticements that tempted and still tempt other people? No, of course not: he is a person just like everyone else, equally weak and capable of stumbling. That is true, but not entirely. Jeremiah agreed to rely on the strength given by the Lord, and he proved able to receive it.

When the Lord calls the prophet to ministry, He likens him to a fortified city. This comparison seems a little strange to us, for we remember sayings and familiar phrases such as “one man alone is no army” or “a single voice is fainter than a squeak.” But the person whom the Lord has called becomes a warrior even when alone. And very often, when forced to stand against hostile or simply deceived crowds, such a person proves stronger than whole armies. Even when struck down and apparently defeated, that person remains the victor. For victory belongs in any case to the One who appointed the prophet to ministry.