Jeremiah

Jeremiah

September 26, 2007

Tonight is the weekly meeting of the Old Testament study.
It is the second of eight weeks. We are covering last
week’s material tonight. Michael Jackson, the leader of the
study, sent out the material for the meeting on Friday by
email. The group I am going to be in will be discussing
last Thursday’s material, Jeremiah, chapters one and two.

One of the questions in the book on the reading is how
did Jeremiah feel about his call to be a prophet? My first
thought is that Jeremiah would have been taken aback at
first. “I’m just a boy.” Which would be pretty darn young.
Especially to have the Lord talking to you. Telling you
that you have been chosen to be a prophet to the people.

In this day and time, the boy would ask when he would
have time to play video games. At which time the Lord would
tell him what he was going to banish and video games were
first on the list. Life for Jeremiah suddenly turned darkly
serious. His job was going to be telling people who would
not believe him, and hate him for saying or writing it,
that the Lord was going to destroy them if they did not
straighten up and fly right.

Jeremiah was going to be in the unenviable position of
knowing he was right, but only being able to convince the
few not the masses. He would have to warn them of
disasters, watch them ignore him, and then watch the
disasters come. And the Lord was telling him that if he
breaks down in front of the people he will break Jeremiah.
The Lord had pretty much had it with man at this point. He
is tired of having to keep saving man from himself. If they
would only shut up and listen.

Jeremiah the boy was taking the brunt of the Lord’s
consternation. While being told he was the one the Lord
chose to try to fix it by waking people up so to speak. At
the same time he is not one hundred percent sure he knows
exactly what all the Lord is telling him. Jeremiah probably
wondered how his routine was going to be affected. What his
friends were going to think about it. Would they even
believe the Lord spoke to him?

So I think Jeremiah was surprised, bewildered, and a
little confused. The life he thought was going to be hard
was now going to be more difficult. He had just been
worried about being chastised or made fun of - now he had
to worry about being attacked? Jeremiah was truly having
“one of those days.” It probably would take a while for all
of it to sink in.

I am not sure how I would take the news. I would
probably still wonder why me? But I am glad I do not have
to go that route. Being a writer is just fine, thank you.

Peace be with you.