INTRODUCTION: Jeremiah served as a prophet for the Lord to Judah for over 40 years during the reigns of the last five kings of Judah. He wrote the 52 chapters of Jeremiah and the five chapters of Lamentations. He was attacked by his own people, even to the extent of being imprisoned and cast into a dungeon, because he prophesied that judgment was coming on Judah. He wrote with great emotion and is known as the weeping prophet .

In this chapter, we see the call of Jeremiah and two initial visions from the Lord. The Lord informed Jeremiah that he had been chosen for this work, not only before he was born, but before he was conceived in the womb. Jeremiah complained that he was just a child and, therefore, too young to do such a great work. The Lord declared that His calling was sufficient for the task at hand. Jeremiah was to go forth with courage and proclaim the word of the Lord. The Lord would be with him.

1. INTRODUCTION TO THE MAN (Jeremiah 1:1-3 [1] The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin: [2] To whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. [3] It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month.
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1. His Circumstances (Jeremiah 1:1The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin:
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1. He was the son of Hilkiah.
2. He was of the priests (compare Ezekiel 1:3The word of the LORD came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was there upon him.
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3. He was from Anathoth in the land of Benjamin.
1. Given to the Levites out of Benjamin (Joshua 21:8And the children of Israel gave by lot unto the Levites these cities with their suburbs, as the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses.
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2. The home of Abiathar the priest (1 Kings 2:26And unto Abiathar the priest said the king, Get thee to Anathoth, unto thine own fields; for thou art worthy of death: but I will not at this time put thee to death, because thou barest the ark of the LORD God before David my father, and because thou hast been afflicted in all wherein my father was afflicted.
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3. The men of Anathoth turned against Jeremiah (Jeremiah 11:21-23 [21] Therefore thus saith the LORD of the men of Anathoth, that seek thy life, saying, Prophesy not in the name of the LORD, that thou die not by our hand: [22] Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, I will punish them: the young men shall die by the sword; their sons and their daughters shall die by famine: [23] And there shall be no remnant of them: for I will bring evil upon the men of Anathoth, even the year of their visitation.
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4. Jeremiah told to buy a field in Anathoth (Jeremiah 32:6-9 [6] And Jeremiah said, The word of the LORD came unto me, saying, [7] Behold, Hanameel the son of Shallum thine uncle shall come unto thee saying, Buy thee my field that is in Anathoth: for the right of redemption is thine to buy it. [8] So Hanameel mine uncle's son came to me in the court of the prison according to the word of the LORD, and said unto me, Buy my field, I pray thee, that is in Anathoth, which is in the country of Benjamin: for the right of inheritance is thine, and the redemption is thine; buy it for thyself. Then I knew that this was the word of the LORD. [9] And I bought the field of Hanameel my uncle's son, that was in Anathoth, and weighed him the money, even seventeen shekels of silver.
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5. Men of Anathoth returned to Judah from Babylon with Zerubbabel (Ezra 2:23The men of Anathoth, an hundred twenty and eight.
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2. His Time (Jeremiah 1:2-3 [2] To whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. [3] It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month.
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1. Beginning in the 13th year of the reign of Josiah (Jeremiah 1:2To whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.
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2. Through the days of Jehoiakim (Jeremiah 1:3It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month.
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3. To the 11th year of Zedekiah – the last year of his reign (Jeremiah 1:3It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month.
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4. To the carrying away into captivity (Jeremiah 1:3It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month.
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1. Into Babylon
2. In the fifth month
2. THE CALL OF THE LORD (Jeremiah 1:4-10 [4] Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, [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. [6] Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child. [7] But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. [8] Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD. [9] Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth. [10] See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.
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1. God’s Foresight (Jeremiah 1:4-5 [4] Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, [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.
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1. The coming of the word of the Lord (Jeremiah 1:4Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
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2. Known by God before he was conceived (Jeremiah 1:5Before 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.
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3. Chosen to be a prophet before he was born (Jeremiah 1:5Before 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.
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1. Sanctified by the Lord; that is, set apart by God for this special work
2. Ordained to be a prophet to the nations
4. Lessons from this verse:
1. God knows who we will be before we are formed in the womb. He knows all things, even into the future.
2. An unborn baby is already a real person in the eyes of the Lord.
3. God has plans for our lives before we are born.
2. Jeremiah’s Excuse (Jeremiah 1:6-7 [6] Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child. [7] But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.
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1. Jeremiah speaks (Jeremiah 1:6Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.
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1. I cannot speak.
2. I am but a child.
3. Note: this does not mean that he was only a few years old. He could have said this of himself when he was a young man. Solomon spoke of himself in the same way when he became king (1 Kings 3:6-7 [6] And Solomon said, Thou hast shewed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. [7] And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in.
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2. The Lord speaks (Jeremiah 1:7But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.
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1. Do not excuse yourself as being a child.
2. Note: there are many things that a child can do for the Lord. How many can you name? See 2 Kings 5:1-3 [1] Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the LORD had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper. [2] And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman's wife. [3] And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy.
   See All... for one example.
3. Your authority is based on the call and sending of the Lord.
1. To do all that you are sent to do
2. To speak the words God commands you to speak
3. God’s Purpose (Jeremiah 1:8-10 [8] Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD. [9] Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth. [10] See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.
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1. Be not afraid of their faces (Jeremiah 1:8Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD.
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2. I am with you to deliver you (Jeremiah 1:8Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD.
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3. I have put my words in your mouth (Jeremiah 1:9Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.
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1. God put forth His hand.
2. God touched his mouth.
4. I have set you over nations and kingdoms (Jeremiah 1:10See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.
   See All...); notice the four destructive acts followed by two constructive acts.
1. To root out
2. To pull down
3. To destroy
4. To throw down
5. To build
6. To plant
3. THE VISION OF THE ALMOND TREE (Jeremiah 1:11-12 [11] Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou? And I said, I see a rod of an almond tree. [12] Then said the LORD unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it.
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1. The Rod of the Almond Tree (Jeremiah 1:11Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou? And I said, I see a rod of an almond tree.
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1. The almond is the first tree to bloom in the spring. It has beautiful blossoms similar to that of a peach tree.
2. The fruit of the almond is of two types, sweet nuts and bitter nuts. It yields its fruit about ten weeks after the blossoms.
3. In its first biblical usage, Genesis 43:11And their father Israel said unto them, If it must be so now, do this; take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds:
   See All..., almonds are among the best of the fruits.
4. Note: The Lord did not ask Jeremiah what he saw because the Lord didn’t know, but because He needed Jeremiah to acknowledge what he saw.
2. The Meaning of the Vision (Jeremiah 1:12Then said the LORD unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it.
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1. A confirmation of Jeremiah’s call
1. As the first of the fruits, it demonstrated that God could and would use the young for His service.
2. The vision of the rod of the almond points back to the story of Numbers 17:1-10 [1] And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, [2] Speak unto the children of Israel, and take of every one of them a rod according to the house of their fathers, of all their princes according to the house of their fathers twelve rods: write thou every man's name upon his rod. [3] And thou shalt write Aaron's name upon the rod of Levi: for one rod shall be for the head of the house of their fathers. [4] And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation before the testimony, where I will meet with you. [5] And it shall come to pass, that the man's rod, whom I shall choose, shall blossom: and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel, whereby they murmur against you. [6] And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, and every one of their princes gave him a rod apiece, for each prince one, according to their fathers' houses, even twelve rods: and the rod of Aaron was among their rods. [7] And Moses laid up the rods before the LORD in the tabernacle of witness. [8] And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds. [9] And Moses brought out all the rods from before the LORD unto all the children of Israel: and they looked, and took every man his rod. [10] And the LORD said unto Moses, Bring Aaron's rod again before the testimony, to be kept for a token against the rebels; and thou shalt quite take away their murmurings from me, that they die not.
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1. The rod of the almond that belonged to Aaron (Numbers 17:8And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds.
   See All...) budded, blossomed, and yielded fruit overnight. This was a proof of his choice by God to be the high priest.
2. Jeremiah, as a priest (Jeremiah 1:1The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin:
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2. An indication of Jeremiah’s message of swiftly coming judgment
1. The early coming of the almond blossoms points to the soon coming of something.
2. The almond tree pictures God’s speedy execution of His will after a time of quiet and seeming inactivity (Habakkuk 2:3For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.
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3. This is further supported by the Lord’s statement about the vision of the almond rod: “for I will hasten my word to perform it” (Jeremiah 1:12Then said the LORD unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it.
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4. The next vision declares the word of the Lord as a word of coming judgment.
4. THE VISION OF THE SEETHING POT (Jeremiah 1:13-19 [13] And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, I see a seething pot; and the face thereof is toward the north. [14] Then the LORD said unto me, Out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land. [15] For, lo, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north, saith the LORD; and they shall come, and they shall set every one his throne at the entering of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all the walls thereof round about, and against all the cities of Judah. [16] And I will utter my judgments against them touching all their wickedness, who have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands. [17] Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them. [18] For, behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brasen walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land. [19] And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee.
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1. The North-Pointed Seething Pot (Jeremiah 1:13And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, I see a seething pot; and the face thereof is toward the north.
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1. The seething pot
1. To seethe means to boil; often to cook by boiling (Exodus 34:26The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring unto the house of the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk.
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2. Generally speaking, seething is a stronger word than boiling and it means to boil until the pot is boiling violently (Ezekiel 24:5Take the choice of the flock, and burn also the bones under it, and make it boil well, and let them seethe the bones of it therein.
   See All...; Job 41:20Out of his nostrils goeth smoke, as out of a seething pot or caldron.
   See All...). For this reason, people who are highly angry and agitated are sometimes said to be seething.
3. The seething pot would be the pot used for boiling (2 Kings 4:38And Elisha came again to Gilgal: and there was a dearth in the land; and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him: and he said unto his servant, Set on the great pot, and seethe pottage for the sons of the prophets.
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2. The face toward the north – Bible students disagree here. Perhaps the best and easiest explanation is that the pot is set on grates so that it leans a bit toward the north. That way, when it boils over, it will spew out on the north side of the pot. By interpretation, the attacks on Judah will come from the north.
2. The Evil from the North (Jeremiah 1:14-15 [14] Then the LORD said unto me, Out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land. [15] For, lo, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north, saith the LORD; and they shall come, and they shall set every one his throne at the entering of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all the walls thereof round about, and against all the cities of Judah.
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1. The evil will break forth (Jeremiah 1:14Then the LORD said unto me, Out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land.
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1. Out of the north
2. On all the inhabitants of the land
2. The kingdoms of the north (Jeremiah 1:15For, lo, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north, saith the LORD; and they shall come, and they shall set every one his throne at the entering of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all the walls thereof round about, and against all the cities of Judah.
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1. Called by the Lord
2. Will come into the land
3. Will make war against the land
1. At the gates of Jerusalem
2. Against the walls of Jerusalem [this will happen in Jeremiah’s lifetime]
3. Against all the cities of Judah
3. God’s Judgment Against the Wicked (Jeremiah 1:16And I will utter my judgments against them touching all their wickedness, who have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands.
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1. They have forsaken the Lord.
2. They have burned incense to other gods.
3. They have worshipped the works of their own hands.
4. God’s Hand on Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:17-19 [17] Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them. [18] For, behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brasen walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land. [19] And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee.
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1. God’s charge to Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:17Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them.
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1. Gird up your loins, and arise.
2. Speak all that I command you.
3. Be not dismayed at their faces.
1. Lest I confound you
2. Before them
2. God’s empowerment of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:18For, behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brasen walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land.
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1. A defended city
2. An iron pillar
3. As brazen walls
3. God’s promise to Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:19And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee.
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1. The people shall fight against Jeremiah.
2. To be with Jeremiah; to deliver Jeremiah

CONCLUSION: Just as God used Jeremiah while he was a young man, so the Lord will use young people and children today. He knows them before they are born and has a plan for their lives if they will surrender to Him. Would you be willing to follow Him?