Scriptures for Today:
Jeremiah 1:1–10
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. 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.
Introduction to Jeremiah 1: The Call Before Birth
Before Jeremiah ever stood behind a pulpit, the nation of Judah was already falling apart. Israel, the northern kingdom, had been wiped out by Assyria more than a hundred years earlier. Now Babylon was rising fast, and Judah’s sins were catching up to her.
It’s around 627 BC. King Josiah is trying to clean house—breaking down idols, restoring worship—but revival hasn’t yet reached the people’s hearts.
They’re still in church, still singing, still sacrificing… but they’re far from God. And in this dark hour, God speaks—not to a king, not to a general, but to a young man in a tiny town called Anathoth. This young man’s name is Jeremiah.
Before you were born, God already knew your name, your purpose, and your mission. You are not an accident. You are an assignment.
You didn’t just land in 2025 by chance—you were scheduled by God. Imagine that you could have been born and alive in all these other periods throughout time, but God put you right here right now in this current period of time.
The question isn’t whether God has called you. The question is whether you’ve answered. If you haven’t, will you answer?
Exposition of Jeremiah 1:1–10
Verse 1 – God Chooses the Ordinary
Jeremiah 1:1
The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin:
Before we talk about Jeremiah’s message, we need to meet the man. He wasn’t a politician, a warrior, or a scholar. He was a preacher’s son — born into a Levitical priestly family from Anathoth, a small town in the territory of Benjamin (Joshua 21:18).
His father Hilkiah was one of the priests who served near Jerusalem. That means Jeremiah grew up surrounded by Scripture, sacrifice, and the solemn rhythm of temple life.
He probably assumed he would one day serve quietly at the altar—until God called him to preach in the streets.
God took a man trained for religion and called him to preach repentance.
Who Jeremiah Was
The name Jeremiah means “Yahweh exalts” or “the Lord appoints.” Even his name preached before his mouth ever did.
If the Hilkiah in 2 Chronicles 34 is the same man who discovered the lost Book of the Law during Josiah’s reign, then Jeremiah grew up in a home that rediscovered the written Word—and God would soon make him the voice of the living Word.
2 Chronicles 34:14
And when they brought out the money that was brought into the house of the LORD, Hilkiah the priest found a book of the law of the LORD given by Moses.
That may be Jeremiah’s dad right there. The time frame fits. (hold up a Bible) Jeremiah most likely came from a home where this Book was found again—and then God told him to go live these words.
About Anathoth – The Prophet’s Hometown
Name Meaning: “Anathoth” means “answers” or “afflictions.” Both describe Jeremiah’s ministry: he brought answers from God and suffered affliction for delivering them.
Location: Anathoth was a small Levitical town about three miles northeast of Jerusalem in the tribe of Benjamin. Close enough to see the city’s walls, far enough to feel forgotten. That distance shaped Jeremiah’s humility and courage—he wasn’t born in a palace but on the outskirts of power.
Tribal and Priestly Line:
- Allotted to the priests, sons of Aaron (Joshua 21:13-19; 1 Chron 6:60).
- Belonged to the house of Ithamar, from which Abiathar the priest came (1 Kings 2:26).
- When Abiathar sided with Adonijah, Solomon banished him to Anathoth, fulfilling the prophecy that Eli’s priestly line would end (1 Kings 2:26-27).
Why That Matters:
Jeremiah likely descended from that rejected priestly branch. So God called a prophet from a line once cast aside—turning a curse into a calling.
Scriptural Mentions:
- Joshua 21:18 – given to Benjamin as a priestly city.
- 1 Kings 2:26-27 – Abiathar exiled there.
- Nehemiah 11:32 – still inhabited after exile.
- Jeremiah 32:7-9 – Jeremiah later bought a field there as a sign of hope.
God didn’t call Jeremiah from Jerusalem’s temple but from a town tied to rejection and restoration. Anathoth shows how God revives what others have written off. Anathoth was the place nobody celebrated—but God had it on His map.
You don’t need a famous name or a royal background for God to use you. That’s a point here in the Book of Jeremiah. If He could raise a prophet out of Anathoth, He can raise a soul-winner out of Louisville—or anywhere.
Why does God so often start His greatest works in forgotten places? Because that’s where hearts still listen. People here in West Louisville listen. And now, the same God who watched over Jeremiah’s birth and upbringing is about to speak directly to him for the first time.
Verse 2 – God Speaks in Specific Seasons
Jeremiah 1:2
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.
Now that we know who Jeremiah was, the Scripture shows us when God spoke to him.
It was “in the days of Josiah… in the thirteenth year of his reign.” This is not filler detail — it’s a Godly timestamp. Every word of God comes in a specific season, and this one came during the last spiritual flicker before judgment fell.
Josiah was a young reformer king — only eight when he began to reign and sixteen when he started to seek the Lord (2 Chronicles 34:3). By the time Jeremiah heard God’s call, Josiah had already begun tearing down idols and repairing the temple. But revival had only reached the surface. The nation’s heart was still cold, and God needed a prophet to pierce the facade. Reform cleans the temple; revival cleans the heart.
Jeremiah’s calling happened during an outward revival but an inward rebellion. God’s people had truth in their mouths but idols in their hearts. Something can look clean on the outside, but what’s inside matters most. We’re living in the same kind of season — religion looks alive, but the heart is far from God. Don’t settle for church activity without personal awakening.
If Jeremiah’s generation needed a voice to cut through their comfort, what kind of voice does God need today? God’s greatest messages never come during peace and prosperity — they come during pride and pretending.
The Word came to Jeremiah not because he was looking for a message, but because Jesus Christ was looking for a messenger. And what God says next changes everything.
Verse 3 – God Calls Through Crisis
Jeremiah 1:3
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.
Jeremiah’s ministry wasn’t short-term—it lasted through the reigns of three kings: Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah. From the day revival flickered under Josiah to the day Jerusalem went up in flames, Jeremiah kept preaching.
He saw peace turn to panic, prosperity turn to poverty, and worship turn into weeping.
His voice never stopped even when his city fell apart. Jeremiah didn’t retire when times got hard—he refired when truth was needed most.
This verse stretches across roughly 40 years of ministry (around 627–586 B.C.). He preached under Josiah’s reforms, Jehoiakim’s rebellion, and Zedekiah’s ruin—until Babylon carried Judah captive in the fifth month (2 Kings 25:8-10). That’s a lifetime of faithfulness in a generation of failure.
When the nation’s flame of faith went out, Jeremiah still glowed. His light kept glowing. Most people are faithful while things go well; Jeremiah stayed faithful when everything went wrong.
That’s what separates convenience Christians from covenant Christians. Don’t quit.
Would you still preach truth if your nation mocked you, your friends betrayed you, and your church turned cold? Jeremiah didn’t just live through judgment—he watched it fall and kept declaring God’s Word anyway. That’s not insanity—that’s integrity.
You can’t control the times you live in, but you can control the truth you live by. Jeremiah preached when kings fell, kingdoms crumbled, and captives cried—because he knew the message never changes even when the moment does.
Now that we’ve seen when God spoke to Jeremiah, the next verse tells us how God spoke—and what He said that changed this young priest’s life forever.
Verses 4–5 – God’s Call Precedes Your Birth
Jeremiah 1:4–5
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.
The call of Jeremiah begins with one of the most intimate, mind-shaking truths in all of Scripture: God didn’t find Jeremiah when he was grown — God formed him for this before he ever breathed his first breath.
You existed in the mind of God before you existed in the womb of your mother. When the Word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, it didn’t just give him a mission — it revealed a mystery:
that God’s purpose begins long before our plans ever do. You are right here, right now, for a reason. How did you get here? Listen, God brought us here and we have a mission.
There are four divine actions in this verse:
- “I formed thee” — God shaped Jeremiah’s body.
- “I knew thee” — God understood his heart.
- “I sanctified thee” — God set him apart for holy use.
- “I ordained thee” — God gave him a specific assignment: a prophet unto the nations.
Before Jeremiah could speak a word, God had already written his purpose. Where is baby Elia? Imagine baby Elias right there. “Before that heartbeat ever started, God already had a blueprint for a life.” God formed him. God knew him. God sanctifies him. And God ordains him. God already has a plan for Elias. Same thing for you. But we all get a choice to follow that plan or not.
You’re not a product of your parents’ decision — you’re a product of God’s design. You might feel forgotten, overlooked, or ordinary — but this verse says otherwise. You’re known, formed, set apart, and assigned. No one else can fulfill the work God formed you for. What if you’ve been waiting for your calling, but your calling has been waiting for you? It’s time to do it.
The world says life begins at birth — God says it begins in His mind. Think about that. You wouldn’t be here if God didn’t already know you. When you realize you were known before you were born, you stop chasing purpose and start walking in that purpose.
The word “sanctified” here doesn’t mean Jeremiah was sinless — it means he was set apart for God’s use. God didn’t choose him because he was special; he became special because God chose him. God didn’t call Jeremiah out of the factory; He called him off the potter’s wheel. God is the potter. We are the clay. God formed Jeremiah for this exact purpose. Every believer in Christ shares this truth.
Ephesians 2:10
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
God didn’t make you, then find something for you to do. He made you for something — then brought you into existence at the perfect time to do it. You were created on purpose, for a purpose, by a Person.
If God has known, formed, and called you — what’s stopping you from surrendering to what He’s already designed? Jeremiah hears this divine destiny — but instead of rejoicing, he hesitates. He doesn’t see what God sees. He sees weakness, not worth. And the next verse shows how fear often answers when God calls.
Verse 6 – God’s Call Confronts Your Fear
Jeremiah 1:6
Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.
Jeremiah’s first reaction to God’s divine calling isn’t excitement — it’s insecurity. God says, “I’ve known you since before you were born.” Jeremiah says, “I can’t.” The first voice to answer God’s calling is almost always fear.
Jeremiah believed in God’s power, but not in God’s plan for him in that moment. He looked at his weakness instead of God’s wisdom. And that’s what most people still do.
The phrase “Ah, Lord GOD!” shows both reverence and resistance. Jeremiah wasn’t rebelling — he was overwhelmed. He called himself a child — meaning inexperienced, unqualified, too young for such a burden. Scholars believe he was likely in his late teens or early twenties when God called him.
God’s call often comes before you feel ready — because if you felt ready, you’d rely on yourself.
God writes His calling on an empty page. He’s not looking for your ability — He’s looking for your availability. Are you available to serve God? He already knows what you can do. You are the one lacking the confidence. God has the confidence in you. He made you. He knows what you can do.
Jeremiah’s excuse sounds familiar, doesn’t it? We say: “I’m too young. I’m too old. I’m not smart enough. I’ve made too many mistakes.” But every excuse starts with “I,” and that’s the problem — calling starts with “He.”
What if the very thing you think disqualifies you from serving God is what God wants to use to prove His power? We tell God why we can’t, and He tells us why He already knew we would. He doesn’t pick the strong — He strengthens the picked. We’re all weak but with God we’re strong. When He chooses you, HE MAKES YOU STRONG. When you surrender your excuses, you make room for God’s miracles. Excuses are fear.
Moses said, “I can’t speak.” Gideon said, “I’m the least.” Jeremiah said, “I’m a child.” But every one of them changed history once they stopped arguing with God.
Imagine standing in front of a full length mirror. Take a look at yourself. “The only thing standing between you and obedience is the reflection that keeps doubting what God already declared.” God already said you can do this. GOD SAID IT.
You may not feel ready, but readiness isn’t a requirement — obedience is. God doesn’t wait until you’re capable; He calls you so He can make you capable. As you do what He says, He strengthens you more and more. The God who calls you also crafts you.
And when Jeremiah said, “I can’t speak,” God didn’t say, “You can.” He said, “Don’t say that.”
Because God’s about to teach Jeremiah — and us — that His calling cancels every excuse. Watch what happens next.
Verses 7–8 – God Corrects and Calms Your Excuses
Jeremiah 1:7–8
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.
God doesn’t argue with Jeremiah’s fear—He overrules it. “Say not, I am a child.” In other words, stop calling yourself what I never called you. You can’t claim God’s calling and keep speaking unbelief. HAVE FAITH IN GOD’S WORDS. Jeremiah said, “I can’t.” God said, “You will.” Because when God commissions, He also equips us for the mission.
The command “Say not” is an identity correction. God refuses to let Jeremiah define himself by limitation. He says, “You’ll go where I send you, and you’ll speak what I command.” That’s not a suggestion—it’s direction from the Almighty God.
Imagine God gave you a sealed envelope to deliver. When God gives you a message, your only job is to deliver it. It’s His message. You deliver it. When God sends you, you don’t need to know where you’re going—just who’s going with you. Stop measuring your mission by your ability and start measuring it by His authority.
What would happen if you stopped saying, “I’m not ready,” and started saying, “God said go”? If God calls you, He’ll carry you. And He has called you to preach the Gospel.
Verse 8 shifts from correction to comfort. “Be not afraid of their faces.” God knows Jeremiah’s fear isn’t of failure—it’s of people. He’s picturing the scowls, the threats, the rejection. But God gives him the cure: “For I am with thee to deliver thee.”
The word “deliver” here doesn’t mean “keep you from trouble,” but “bring you through it.” Jeremiah will face prisons, pits, and persecution—but never alone. Jeremiah doesn’t even know this yet but God does. The prisons, the pits, and the persecution is coming soon. Their faces, the people’s faces, can’t stop you when His presence surrounds you.
Stop letting other people’s expressions silence your obedience. If you focus on their faces, you’ll forget His presence. Many people are afraid of what others will think of them. Hey, let that go.
Fear looks at people; faith looks at the presence of God who created all.
God never promised Jeremiah safety—He promised deliverance. And there’s a difference. Safety is what you want. Deliverance is what you need. God will deliver Jeremiah. When God sends you, He doesn’t erase your fear—He replaces it with His presence. He says, “I am with you.”
Who have you been afraid to face that God already promised to fight for you? “Jeremiah’s enemies had faces—but God had faithfulness.”
And now that Jeremiah knows God is with him, God takes it one step further. He doesn’t just tell him what to do—He touches him. Because divine calling isn’t complete until there’s divine contact.
Verse 9 – God Puts His Word in Your Mouth
Jeremiah 1:9
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.
This is where calling turns into commission. God doesn’t just tell Jeremiah what to say—He touches him so he can say it. Before God uses a man’s mouth, He purifies it.
The same God who touched Isaiah’s lips with a live coal (Isaiah 6:7) now touches Jeremiah’s mouth with His own hand. Isaiah’s cleansing came from the altar; Jeremiah’s power comes from the Almighty. That word “touched” means “to make contact.” This isn’t symbolic—it’s spiritual. It represents impartation. God was transferring authority, not information.
God touched his lips. This is what God was doing — putting His Word directly into Jeremiah’s mouth. When you spend time with God, His Word starts to sound like your voice. That’s not arrogance — that’s anointing.
What would happen if God’s Word became the first thing on your lips instead of your opinions? The hand of God makes the difference between a speech and a sermon. Jeremiah didn’t need charisma, he needed contact. He didn’t need eloquence, he needed evidence.
Notice God says, “Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.” That’s past tense — it’s already done. Jeremiah didn’t have to earn it or prepare it; he just had to speak it. The world trains speakers, but only God makes preachers. You can study rhetoric, but you can’t study anointing. That comes from a touch.
When God touches your mouth, gossip turns to gospel, and fear turns to fire. “One touch from God can turn a cold mouth into a burning message.” Every believer needs this same touch. God wants to sanctify your speech—so your words build, not break; heal, not harm; convict, not condemn.
When God puts His Word in your mouth, silence becomes sin. Has God touched your mouth, or are you still speaking from your mind? Now that Jeremiah’s been touched, God doesn’t just give him words—He gives him authority.
The next verse shows the full weight of the calling: To root out, pull down, destroy, build, and plant. In other words, to reshape nations with nothing but the Word of God.
Verse 10 – God Gives You Authority to Uproot and Build
Jeremiah 1:10
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.
This verse is God’s commissioning statement to Jeremiah. It’s the moment where Heaven hands him spiritual authority. Notice the verbs — root out, pull down, destroy, throw down, build, and plant. That’s demolition and construction — judgment and renewal — all in one calling.
When God gives you His Word, He gives you authority to change what people thought could never change.
The phrase “I have this day set thee over the nations” means “I’ve appointed you.” Jeremiah wasn’t elected by people — he was established by God. And that’s what gives real preachers courage. He wasn’t over the nations politically; he was over them spiritually. The Word of God carried more weight than any throne.
God’s Word both tears down and builds up. You can’t plant truth where lies are still rooted. So you have to root out, pull down, destroy, and throw down first. Then you can build and plant.
Before God can build something beautiful in your life, He has to tear down what’s false. We all want the “build and plant,” but we resist the “root out and destroy.” But you can’t have revival without removal. You have to get rid of all the hidden secrets and sin. Get them out of your life.
What if the reason God hasn’t built what you’ve been praying for is because you haven’t let Him uproot what’s still standing? UPROOT, DESTROY. Our generation wants a soft gospel that decorates sin instead of demolishing it. But God told Jeremiah — and every preacher — “Pull it down.”
Truth can’t be built on a lie, and holiness can’t grow in hypocrisy. When the Word of God enters a heart, it digs up pride, shatters idols, and plants obedience. That’s how nations change. That’s how homes change. That’s how you change.
There are six verbs here in that verse — four of judgment, two of restoration. That ratio matters. God must remove more than He rebuilds because sin runs deep. But when He finishes, what’s left will stand forever. God gave Jeremiah demolition plans for sin and blueprints for holiness.
Jeremiah’s calling wasn’t to make people comfortable; it was to make them clean. And that’s still the preacher’s job today. If you only build and never tear down, you’re not a prophet — you’re a decorator.
What does God need to uproot in you before He can plant what’s next?
From here, Jeremiah’s mission begins — not with applause, but with assignment. The next verses will show visions that reveal just how serious this calling is. But before we close today, remember this: God didn’t give Jeremiah a platform — He gave him power. And the same Word that shook nations back then still changes hearts today.
Closing – When the Prophet Weeps
Jeremiah’s story doesn’t end with his calling — it begins with it. But answering that call would cost him everything. He would speak to kings and be rejected, warn a nation and be ignored, preach righteousness and be thrown into a pit. Yet through it all, the same God who said, “I am with thee to deliver thee,” never left his side.
When you walk with God, the pain of obedience is always better than the peace of compromise. Jeremiah was chosen not just to speak truth — but to feel God’s heart. And that’s why the next book opens with tears. You’ll see the prophet’s tears — and they’re not just his. They’re God’s tears too.
There’s a loneliness that comes with standing for truth — but there’s also a nearness that only those who stand there ever know. What happens when the same city Jeremiah tried to save finally falls? When the prophet looks at Jerusalem — empty, burned, silent — and asks, “How could it come to this?”
That’s where we go next. The preacher who once stood in fire will soon sit in ashes — but even in the ashes, God is still speaking.
Next Sermon Preview
Lamentations 1:1
How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people! how is she become as a widow! she that was great among the nations, and princess among the provinces, how is she become tributary!
Next Title: “How Lonely Sits the City: Lamentations 1’s Portrait of Abandonment”
Don’t miss next time — because we’re going to walk through the ruins of a nation that ignored the Word of God… and discover that even in judgment, there’s still mercy waiting in the dust.
Let’s pray.
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