Jeremiah 1
Thank you for continuing this journey of The Gospel Project®
for Kids as we look at the exile of the Southern Kingdom of Judah.
Jeremiah was the son of Hilkiah the priest. He lived just north of
Jerusalem. Jeremiah’s ministry began when God called him: “I chose you
before I formed you in the womb; I set you apart before you were born. I
appointed you a prophet to the nations” (Jeremiah 1:5).
Who
else did God call in the Old Testament? God called Noah to build an ark
(Genesis 6); He called Abram to leave his home (Gen. 12:1-4); He called
Moses to lead His people out of Egypt (Exodus 3). Each time God calls
someone, He equips them to do His work. Like Moses, Jeremiah was
hesitant: “Oh no, Lord, God! Look, I don’t know how to speak since I am
only a youth” (Jeremiah 1:6). God assured Jeremiah: “I will be with you”
(Jeremiah 1:8).
God
called Jeremiah to be a prophet to Judah. Judah was deep in idol
worship and other sins and God’s judgment was coming. Jeremiah’s job was
to warn them. God gave Jeremiah two visions. The first—a branch of an
almond tree—was a sign that God would keep His promise to send judgment,
and He would do it soon. The second vision—a boiling pot—meant that
God’s judgment was coming from the north. God would bring the
Babylonians from the north as judgment on His people. Then God sent
Jeremiah out to announce God’s declaration.
Jeremiah
challenged the way people lived in Judah and led them to turn away from
their idol worship and other sins. Christ did more than challenge how
people lived; He called people to turn from their sins, and He provided
the way for people to have a relationship with God.
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