God calls every believer to live for Him as an ambassador of His Kingdom to this world. God also calls certain individuals to the specific ministry of proclaiming His Word. We see this calling to a specific ministry in the life of Jeremiah. “With a symbolic gesture of touching Jeremiah’s mouth, God commissioned him as his spokesman.”[1] Jeremiah was called to be the mouthpiece of God to the people. As God’s mouthpiece, Jeremiah is given the words to say. The Lord puts His words on the mouth of Jeremiah. The work that God called Jeremiah to do is six-fold.
Root Out. Like a gardener pulling up the weeds that choke out life, so the prophet must root out those things that hinder the work of the Lord. Jeremiah had the difficult task of rooting out before he could plant and tearing down before he could build. Wiersbe sheds light on this in connection with the pastor leading a church: “In too many ministries there are organizational “structures” that don’t belong there and should be torn down because they’re hindering progress. Some “plants” are taking up space but bearing no fruit, and they ought to be pulled up. Jesus said, Every plant which My Heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted”[2] There are a lot of things in established churches that have been planted by man and not by God. We have made-made traditions. We have man-made organizational structures. We have man-made ideas and philosophies. We build the church on the foundation of our preferences rather than on the foundation of Jesus Christ. These things are not of God and must be uprooted. The process of uprooting is a long, slow, and painful process. It is not a task for the weak of heart. From my personal experience of working to lead a church to be what God has called the church to be, the work of uprooting unbiblical ideas, practices, and attitudes is most painful indeed. It may even include rooting out certain people. Every time the work of rooting out is necessary, the church fails to meet the standard of success in the eyes of the world. Attendance may drop, giving may decrease, and blame is placed on the pastor. A wonderful and trusted friend in the church reminds me often, “there are holy additions and there are holy subtractions.” Sometimes you have to root out before you can plant. Truthfully, some people have to leave in order for the church to move forward. Jeremiah was given the task of rooting out. It is a difficult task, but a necessary task.
Pull Down. The people of Israel gave themselves over to the worship of idols. Jeremiah was given the task of pulling down those idols. The Lord gave him a message of judgement for the people because of their idol worship. The reality of our modern time is that we are an idolatrous people. An idol does not have to be a statue. It does not even have to be something physical. An idol is anything that is exalted above God. It is anything that we put ahead of our relationship with the Lord. One of the best ways to discover what you truly worship is to look at your day planner and your checkbook. How you spend your time and how you spend your money is a good indication of where your heart is. Jesus said to not lay up for ourselves treasures on this earth, but rather to lay up for ourselves treasures in Heaven. The best investment we can ever make is in the Kingdom of God. This investment is really 3-fold. We are to invest our time, talents, and treasures. All three of these investments should be made through the life and ministry of the local church where God has placed us. Anything that elevates itself above our Kingdom investment as the priority of our life is, in fact, and idol. There can also be idols in the church itself. Churches are filled with people who worship personalities, traditions, and personal preferences. Sometimes we will worship our work or our methods rather than just worshipping Jesus. What are some idols that need to be pulled down in your life? What are some idols that need to be pulled down in the church?
Destroy. The Lord instructs Jeremiah to destroy. In addition to the idols that needed to be torn down, Jeremiah was called to destroy the things that would hinder the work of the Lord. There were certain false beliefs and ideas that needed to die. “Erroneous beliefs and practices must be destroyed before reconstruction can take place.”[3] Think of some of the erroneous beliefs that we may have adopted over the years. There are things we have heard others say or things that we have heard preachers preach and we have just accepted it without any regard as to whether or not it is true. We have certain cultural ideas and practices that may not be Biblical. We have negative attitudes and critical spirits. Instead of being a help to the work of the church we become a hindrance. These are the things that must be destroyed. Every bad attitude, every wrong practice, every false belief must be destroyed.
Throw Down. Another term for ‘throw down’ is ‘demolish.’ “A new building cannot be constructed until the old structure it will replace has been demolished.”[4] Sometimes we have to tear down in order to build something greater. Too often we never get over the hump. We never get to place where God wants us because we refuse to be thrown down. We pray for God to bless. We pray for God to do great things amongst us. We pray for the advancement of His Kingdom and for the growth of the church. Way too often its seems that God’s answer is a ‘no.’ “God can speak his yes only after he has spoken a no.”[5] God’s ‘yes’ will never come until we get out of the way. We must move ourselves out of the picture in order that God is glorified. Then and only then will we experience His plan for us. When will we ever get to the point when it’s all about Jesus? When will we stop bickering over what we think is best or what we think the church ought to do or what makes us happy and makes us look good? We should not be concerned with our reputation or our success. We should be concerned with one thing only and that is that Christ is glorified. It is only when we are brought low that He is exalted. “He must increase and I must decrease.” Are we willing to be brought low for the sake of His glory? Are we willing to go unnoticed so that Jesus is made known?
Build. The message the Lord gave Jeremiah to preach was not all gloom and doom, though it seems that way. Jeremiah was given a message of both judgement and hope. He was given a message of both cursing and blessing. As he rooted out and pulled down and thrown down; he is to build. The prophet starts with building a foundation that is strong and secure. It’s the foundation of Christ alone and His Word. The entire system is then built on that foundation. Walls are erected, doors are hung, and windows are placed. Little by little new ministries are started. Little by little new opportunities are created. This is where the real work begins. Sometimes God will bring us down in order to lift us up. Sometimes He must destroy some things in our lives in order to build what He desires for us. Both are painful. The tearing down hurts as things we have been holding on to is taken away. The building is also painful as it requires great sacrifice and hard work. However, you cannot have one without the other.
Plant. Imagine a young couple settling down and buying a farm. They build a house and a barn and they plant a shade tree. The couple raises their children on the farm and with each passing year the tree grows taller. It is not until their children become adults and have children of their own that the shade tree is truly enjoyed. It has grown into a monster of a tree providing shade for the whole yard. The couple dies and the farm is passed on to their children and their children’s children. Through every generation the shade tree stands strong and is enjoyed by many. You never know what the seeds you plant will become. Everything we do today will impact the future, not just for ourselves, but for everyone that comes after us. These seeds must be planted on good soil. This is why Jeremiah had to root out and pull down. He had to prepare the soil. But once the soil is prepared, then the seeds can be planted. With every proclamation of judgement, there is always a message of hope. Jeremiah’s message was to be one of both judgement and blessing. If the people would heed to his warnings and repent of their sins, they will enjoy the blessings of a new building and a new farm with seeds planted that grows into great shade trees enjoyed by generations to come. What seeds are you planting? What type of legacy will you leave behind? Think about it.
The work of the prophet is certainly not an easy work. As the New American Commentary says, “It is often easy to be critical and negative toward the church and other institutions without offering constructive alternatives. Jeremiah was commissioned to do both. His effectiveness would be dependent on God’s word, not on the prophet’s ability or cleverness. God is never limited by a person’s natural ability or experience.”[6] God’s call on Jeremiah was a high call. He was called to do the hard work of rooting out, pulling down, destroying, throwing down, building and planting. It is by the faithful work of the prophet that God brings His people back to Himself so that they may enjoy the blessings He has in store for them.
[1] Huey, F. B. (1993). Jeremiah, Lamentations (Vol. 16, p. 52). Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[2] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Decisive (p. 19). Victor Books.
[3] Huey, F. B. (1993). Jeremiah, Lamentations (Vol. 16, p. 52). Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[4] Huey, F. B. (1993). Jeremiah, Lamentations (Vol. 16, p. 52). Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[5] G. von Rad, Gottes Wirken in Israel: Vortrage zum Alten Testament (Neukirchen-Vluyn: Neukirchener, 1974), 226.[5]
[6] Huey, F. B. (1993). Jeremiah, Lamentations (Vol. 16, p. 52). Broadman & Holman Publishers.
Pastor Chris Noland 