Known before You Were Born
Judah is breaking covenant and headed into exile, yet through Jeremiah our Father keeps speaking hope over His children—a future, a love that has no end, and a heart that still yearns for the son who wandered.
1 1The words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests at Anathoth in Benjamin's land. 2The word of our Father came to him in the days of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. 3It also came in the days of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, through the eleventh year of Zedekiah son of Josiah, king of Judah, until Jerusalem's exile in the fifth month. 4The word of our Father came to me, saying:
5"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you a prophet to the nations."
6I said, "Ah, Sovereign Father! I don't know how to speak, for I'm only a boy."
7But our Father said to me, "Don't say, "I'm only a youth," for you'll go wherever I send you and speak whatever I command. 8Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the Father."
9Then our Father reached out his hand, touched my mouth, and our Father told me, "Look, I've put my words in your mouth. 10See, I have set you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms, to uproot and to tear down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant."
11The word of our Father came to me: "What do you see, Jeremiah?" I said, "I see an almond branch."
12Then our Father said to me, "You have seen rightly, for I watch over my word to fulfill it." a a v12 "Almond tree" and "watching" sound almost exactly alike in the prophet's tongue — a play on words showing that our Father is wide awake over his word to bring it about.
13The word of our Father reached me a second time: "What do you see?" I said, "A boiling pot, facing away from north."
14And our Father said to me, "Out of the north, disaster will break loose on all who live in the land. 15I'm about to summon all the northern kingdoms' clans, declares the Father; they'll come, each setting his throne at the entrance to Jerusalem's gates, against all her surrounding walls and all Judah's cities. 16And I will pronounce my judgments against them for all their evil in forsaking me, in burning offerings to other gods and bowing down to idols they made with their own hands."
17"Now get ready, stand and tell them all I command you. Don't break down before them, or I will break you before them." 18Look, today I make you a fortified city, iron pillar, bronze walls against the whole land: Judah's kings, officials, priests, and its people. 19"They will fight you but not overcome you; I am with you to rescue you, declares the Father."
