Jeremiah was the son of a priest from Anathoth, a small town in the land of Benjamin. The first thing God says to him is that this calling did not start that day – it started before Jeremiah was born.
Jeremiah’s first answer is not yes. He says he cannot speak, because he is a child. What God does with that objection, and the two strange things he then shows Jeremiah, set the course for one of the longest and hardest prophetic ministries in the Bible.
The Story of Jeremiah’s Call
Jeremiah was the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin. The word of the LORD came to him in the days of Josiah king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign, and it kept coming through the reigns of Jehoiakim and Zedekiah, unto the carrying away of Jerusalem captive.
God’s first words to him reach back before his birth: 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. Jeremiah was not volunteering for a job. He was being told what he had been set apart for all along.
Jeremiah answered, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child. The LORD did not argue with how young he felt. He simply said, 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. Then he gave the reason Jeremiah could do it: Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee.
Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth. The problem Jeremiah raised – I cannot speak – was answered directly. He was given the words, and he was set 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.
Next God asked him, Jeremiah, what seest thou? And he said, I see a rod of an almond tree. The LORD answered, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it. What God had spoken, he would bring about, and soon.
The word came a second time: What seest thou? Jeremiah said, I see a seething pot; and the face thereof is toward the north. The LORD explained it: Out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land. Kingdoms of the north would come and set their thrones at the gates of Jerusalem, because the people had forsaken the LORD and burned incense unto other gods.
The chapter ends with a charge and a promise. Gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee. God told Jeremiah he had made him a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brasen walls against kings, princes, priests and people. And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee.
Key Verses
“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” Jeremiah 1:5
“Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child” Jeremiah 1:6
“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” Jeremiah 1:9
“Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it” Jeremiah 1:12
“They shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee” Jeremiah 1:19
Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (KJV), a public-domain translation.
What the Story of Jeremiah’s Call Teaches Us
God’s call on Jeremiah is rooted in God’s own knowledge and choice, not in anything Jeremiah had done. Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee – the passage places Jeremiah’s purpose before his birth, and it was God who sanctified and ordained him.
Jeremiah’s objection is honest, and God does not shame him for it. He answers each part of it: Jeremiah said he could not speak, so God put his words in his mouth; Jeremiah felt like a child, so God told him not to be afraid, for I am with thee to deliver thee. The strength in this calling is God’s presence, not the prophet’s confidence.
God never promised Jeremiah an easy road. The seething pot pointed to judgment coming out of the north, and God said plainly that they shall fight against thee. The promise was not that no one would oppose him, but that they shall not prevail against thee.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Jeremiah?
Jeremiah was the son of Hilkiah, of the priests in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin. The word of the LORD came to him from the thirteenth year of King Josiah until Jerusalem was carried away captive (Jeremiah 1:1-3).
Where is the story of Jeremiah’s call in the Bible?
It is in Jeremiah 1:4-19, the first chapter of the book of Jeremiah.
What does “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee” mean?
In Jeremiah 1:5 God tells Jeremiah that he knew him, sanctified him, and ordained him a prophet unto the nations before he was born. His calling began with God, not with Jeremiah.
Why did Jeremiah say he was a child?
When God called him, Jeremiah answered, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child (Jeremiah 1:6). God told him not to say that, because he would go wherever God sent him and speak whatever God commanded.
What do the almond rod and the seething pot mean?
God explained both in Jeremiah 1:11-14. The almond rod meant I will hasten my word to perform it, and the seething pot facing north meant that out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land.
How did God touch Jeremiah’s mouth?
Jeremiah 1:9 says the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth, and said, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.