Prophet Jeremiah, Resume
Faithful service to God does not depend on life’s circumstances.
A picture of faithful service in the Bible is the Old Testament Prophet Jeremiah. He was called into service early in his life by God, and like Moses, Jeremiah pleads that he is not an articulate speaker (Jeremiah 1:6).
Jeremiah served God for approximately forty years. In our terms, he spent his career being a prophet. Granted, he did not always have the best attitude. He was reluctant to be a prophet and had no problem expressing his concerns and attitudes with God. Jeremiah was blunt, direct, and irreverent at times. Raw emotion was on display on many occasions (1:6; 12:1-6; 17:16; 20:7-18).
Jeremiah was asked to lead a life of social isolation by God. He was told to live a life without marriage or children (16:2). Jeremiah stayed away from the life of a party and mockers (15:17). There were no elaborate feasts with food and drink. This was forbidden by God (16:8). By our culture and lifestyle, this would not appear to be much fun.
Jeremiah was persecuted and mocked. His writings were burned (36:23). There were plots to kill him (11:19). He was accused and convicted of treason. He was beaten and jailed (20:1-2; 32:2-3; 37:12-17). He was thrown into a mud pit and left for dead (38:6-7). His countrymen took him to Egypt against his and God’s will. God had instructed Israel through Jeremiah to stay in the land. Israel disobeyed (Chapters 40-43).
Despite all of these trials and lifestyle, he faithfully served God. Although his fellow countrymen rejected and ignored warning during his life, kings and leaders sought his insights and asked him to pray to God on their behalf (21:1-2; 37:3; 38:14; 42:1-2). He ultimately was so respected, Jews believed he would rise from the dead and be the forerunner of the messiah during the life of Christ (Matthew 16:14).
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