As Jeremiah continues to prepare for the mission to which God had called him to, the Lord gives Jeremiah two visions. It is unclear whether or not these visions are connected to Jeremiah’s call. Personally, I feel that they were. The visions the Lord gave to Jeremiah were sent to confirm his call. The first vision focused on an almond tree. The almond tree blossoms in early spring before many other trees blossom. The vision of the almond tree serves as a reminder that God is watching Judah. He sees what they are doing and He has seen their response to prophets He had sent in the past. The New American Commentary says, “The purpose of the vision was to warn that God’s announcements of judgment through earlier prophets had not been forgotten. Whenever Jeremiah and the people of Judah saw the almond tree, they were to remember that their God was watching them.”^[1] The second vision given to Jeremiah is one of a boiling pot. The clear purpose of this vision was to show that God’s judgement was imminent and the warning should be taken seriously. An enemy from the north was coming to invade. The people of Judah would scoff at Jeremiah’s warning for at that time there was no threat of enemy from the north. Jeremiah himself may have been unsure of exactly who the enemy would be. Later it is understood that the enemy that invaded Judah was Babylon. “Geographically Babylonia was to the east of Judah, but its armies would not risk crossing the forbidding Arabian desert. Instead, they would follow the Euphrates River northward into Syria. From there they would invade Judah by way of Syria from the north.”^[2] The enemy was not necessarily from the north but they did invade Judah from the north. “The impending calamity on Judah would not be due to economic or political factors but was theological and moral. Every generation faces a similar challenge to trust in God for its security rather than in “gods” of its own making.”^[3] How often do we let our guard down and think we are invincible! We think we can live any way we want to live without any consequences. If we want God’s favor and His protection it does us good to walk with Him daily and live in holiness. “It is a recurring temptation for every concentration of power to imagine itself self-sufficient and therefore free to order its life for its own purposes without the requirements of Yahweh.”^[4] It is a dangerous thing to live in rebellion against God. The vision God gave to Jeremiah served to show that you cannot escape the consequences of your sin for God knows and He is watching. It is in the context of Jeremiah’s visions that we learn several principles relating to God’s judgement.

                The reason for judgement. The reason for God’s pronouncement of judgement on Judah through the prophet Jeremiah was the fact that they gave themselves over to idols. They worshipped gods of their own making rather than worshipping the one true God. This is not unlike people of today especially in America. We have created our own gods. We worship the god of pleasure. We worship the god of entertainment. We worship the god of self-ambition. We worship the god of wealth. We worship the god of sports. We worship the god of self-indulgence. The list can go on and on. Though we may not build for ourselves graven images, we do indeed have idols that we worship. Just as the people of Judah deserved the wrath of God, so do we. It is only by God’s grace that His judgement has not fallen upon us and upon our nation. When it comes to our relation with God it is imperative that we understand the underlining principle we see throughout the scriptures. Obedience brings blessing; disobedience brings judgement. God does not mess around. He will discipline His children. Therefore, it behooves us to confess our sins and to repent and to obey so we may enjoy the blessings of God rather than to incur the discipline of His mighty hand.

                The promise of God. The Lord said to Jeremiah that He was ready to perform His Word. God will always do what He says He will do. His Word is sure. If God says judgement will come if you don’t repent; then mark it down, judgement will come if you don’t repent. One thing is for certain, you can always count on God to do what He says He will do. He will always keep is promises. Whether it is for our good or as an act of discipline; God will perform His Word. Mathew Henry writes, “The whole counsel of God must be declared. The fear of God is the best remedy against the fear of man. Better to have all men our enemies than God our enemy; those who are sure they have God with them, need not, ought not to fear, whoever is against them.”^[5] If you are walking with the Lord and living according to His Word, you have nothing to fear. If you live in rebellion and sin and disobedience, you have everything to fear.

                The command of God. As Jeremiah contemplates the visions that he saw, the Lord gives him a command. This command is four-fold. (1) Stand up. The Lord tells Jeremiah to stand up. He wants Jeremiah to be prepared to fulfill His calling. How often do we have the tendency to stand still or to stay seated. We know we are called of God. We know we have a responsibility. We know we have a job to do. But, we stay still. We are paralyzed. On the contrary, we must stand up and be obedient to what the Lord has called us to do. (2) Get ready. The Lord tells Jeremiah to be prepared. It is said that the call to preach is the call to prepare. There must be a season of preparation. Jeremiah needed to be prepared. He needed to be of the right mind in order to do what God was asking of him to do. Anytime we set out to do anything for the Lord, we must be prepared. We cannot go about it half-heartedly. We must prepare our hearts and our minds so that we may serve with the right attitude and in the right spirit. (3) Speak up. Jeremiah is also told to speak to the people all that God commands him. This is a heavy task for the prophet. He is called to be the mouthpiece of God. He has the awesome and terrible responsibility of speaking the Word of God to the people. This is the same heaviness placed on the shoulders of a pastor today. Week in and week out he is to speak a Word from the Lord. He is to proclaim God’s Word to the people. As Paul tells Timothy, he is to do this whether he is liked or hated. The prophet must open his mouth and speak what God gives him to speak. (4) Don’t be intimidated. The Lord tells Jeremiah to not be intimidated. The New King James uses the term ‘dismayed.’ Jeremiah is told to not appear dismayed in front of the people. He has a powerful message to proclaim and though it may weigh heavy on him, he must not allow his stress to show. He is to give the announcement of judgement with a sense of optimism and hope that the people would repent and avoid God’s judgement. This is another challenging thing for the preacher. I cannot tell you the number of times I was burdened with something personal in my life and family and still had to stand before the church and preach. Several times I have been approached by a church member with some complaint just seconds before I must preach. Yet, I had to maintain my composure and preach the Word. Jeremiah was to simply preached the Word God gave him and he was to do this without appearing intimidated, worried, or dismayed.

                The encouragement from God. The heaviness of God’s call on Jeremiah could certainly bring him down in a hurry. But, God gives him a word of encouragement. He tells Jeremiah that the people will turn against him. They will fight against him, but will not prevail. The Lord tells Jeremiah that He is with him and will deliver him from whatever may come against him. The New Bible Commentary says, “As the nation would have enemies, so would he, among the people themselves, including the powerful among them (18). The Lord, however, is more powerful than they, and he will protect him (19).”^[6] What comfort this brings to the man called of God to preach the Word! God’s Word brings conviction and with such conviction it brings the risk of the hearers turning against the preacher. But, God is with him. The preacher will not encounter anything that God cannot handle. He can relax and rest in God’s sovereignty knowing that all things are working together for the good and for God’s glory.

                Jeremiah was called of God and with that call came a great responsibility. He was called to bring a message of judgement. He was to call the people to repentance. It would not be an easy task, but Jeremiah is comforted in knowing that God was on his side.

^[1] Huey, F. B. (1993). Jeremiah, Lamentations (Vol. 16, p. 53). Broadman & Holman Publishers.

^[2] Huey, F. B. (1993). Jeremiah, Lamentations (Vol. 16, p. 54). Broadman & Holman Publishers.

^[3] Huey, F. B. (1993). Jeremiah, Lamentations (Vol. 16, p. 55). Broadman & Holman Publishers.

^[4] Brueggemann, Jeremiah 1–25, 28.

^[5] Henry, M., & Scott, T. (1997). Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary (Je 1:11). Logos Research Systems.

^[6] McConville, J. G. (1994). Jeremiah. In D. A. Carson, R. T. France, J. A. Motyer, & G. J. Wenham (Eds.), New Bible commentary: 21st century edition (4th ed., p. 675). Inter-Varsity Press.