Jeremiah 1 · The Lantern

The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin:

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.

God is ready at hand to do good, but slow to punish those who deserve punishment. Indeed, though He is able to bring punishment upon those condemned by Him in silence, without giving warning beforehand, He by no means does this; but even when He condemns, He speaks, since His purpose in speaking is that the one about to be condemned may turn back from the condemnation.

Jeremiah, like Isaiah, is one of the major prophets, not of the minor, like the others from whose writings I have just given extracts. He prophesied when Josiah reigned in Jerusalem and Ancus Martius at Rome, when the captivity of the Jews was already at hand; and he continued to prophesy down to the fifth month of the captivity, as we find from his writings.

King Josiah's father was Amon, an impious man. His grandfather was Manasseh, who had instructed Josiah's father in his impiety. Josiah, on the contrary, went the exact opposite of them, siding with the party of the godly. His children, however, showed no interest in their father's virtue and imitated their forefathers' godlessness.

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.

Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

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.

Now, that the Word of God forms us in the womb, He says to Jeremiah, "Before I formed thee in the womb, I knew thee; and before thou wentest forth from the belly, I sanctified thee, and appointed thee a prophet among the nations." And Paul, too, says in like manner, "But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, that I might declare Him among the nations." As…

He is not ashamed to assume flesh, who is the creator of those very parts. Who tells us this? The Lord said to Jeremiah: "Before I formed you in the belly, I knew you. Before you came forth out of the womb, I made you holy." If, then, in making humanity he was not ashamed of the contact, was he ashamed in making for his own sake the holy flesh, the veil of his Godhead?

This, too, seems unworthy to pass over in silence in praise of John. Although he was not yet born, yet already he prophesies and, while still in the enclosure of his mother's womb, confesses the coming of Christ with movements of joy since he could not do so with his voice.… In this regard I think that the prophetic phrase is appropriate that says, "Before I formed you in the w…

Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.

"And I said: O You who are, Master, Lord, behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am young. And the Lord said to me: Do not say that I am young, for to all to whom I shall send you, you shall go." We have often said that it is possible to be a child according to the inner man, even though one be in the aged stage of the body; and it is possible sometimes to be a child accordi…

Both Moses and Jeremiah, chosen by the Lord to declare the words of God to the people, avoided through modesty that which through grace they could do.

But what is sanctified in the womb, we should understand according to the words of the Apostle: But when it pleased him, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace, to reveal his Son in me; that I might preach him among the Gentiles (Galatians 1:15).

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.

But our present question may, perhaps, be solved in this way, that as every man is a man of God, simply because God created him, but not every man is called a man of God, but only he who has devoted himself to God, such as Elijah and those who are called men of God in the Scriptures, thus every man might be said in ordinary language to be sent from God, but in the absolute sens…

(Vers. 7, 8.) And the Lord said to me: Do not say, I am a boy, for you shall go to all whom I shall send you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of their faces: for I am with you to deliver you, saith the Lord. Do not consider your age, says he; for by another prophet speaking, you have learned: The wisdom of a man is in his gray hairs (Wis.

Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD.

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.

The Scripture narrative goes on to explain in a popular manner that "they did not understand that he spoke to them about the Father," although they ought certainly to have known that the Father's words were uttered in the Son because they read in Jeremiah, "And the Lord said to me, 'Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.' "

Surely these things were said for their sakes, that they might have no pretense of excuse. Since if this were not the case, what shall He have more than Isaiah? for he too saith the very same thing, "The Lord God giveth me the tongue of the learned, that I should know when I ought to speak a word." What more than Jeremiah? for he too when he was sent was inspired.

(Verse 9) And 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.

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.

Who is so blessed as to root up, by the words given by God, the kingdoms which are many, which "the devil displays," being kingdoms of adverse powers, kingdoms corresponding to the sins? For it is written: "Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.

It is important to observe here that two joys succeed four sorrows. The good cannot be built up unless the evil is destroyed, nor can the best be planted unless the worst is eradicated.

But you should know that we must work twice as hard to drive out vice as we do to acquire virtue. And this is not simply our own opinion, but we were instructed by the opinion of the One who alone knows the strength and the method of his work: "See," he says, "I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to…

Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou? And I said, I see a rod of an almond tree.

Now our rod is the Word of God, Jesus Christ, as Jeremiah saw him as an almond rod. So everyone that spares his son a word of rebuke hates his son. Therefore teach your sons the word of the Lord. Punish them with lashes. Subdue them by your word of religion from their youth.

(Verse 11, 12.) And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: What do you see, Jeremiah? And I said, I see a watching rod. And the Lord said to me: You have seen well, for I will watch over my word to perform it. For the watching rod, the Septuagint translated it as a nut-stick. Therefore, we must work so that the Latin reader understands the Hebrew etymology briefly.

In the mystery of prophetical revelation, Christ is symbolized especially by means of sight. The prophet saw "a branch of the watching-tree." Christ is symbolized through prophetical visions, and this in different ways: for one saw Christ as "a branch of the watching-tree," another saw Him "seated on a high and lofty throne," while yet another saw Him "dressed."

Then said the LORD unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform

And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, I see a seething pot; and the face thereof is toward the north.

Place that candlestick in the south that it may look to the north. For when the light has been lit, that is, when the heart is watchful, it ought always to look to the north and watch for "him who is from the north," as also the prophet says he saw "a kettle or pot kindled and its face was from the face of the north," for "evils are kindled from the north for the whole earth."…

The blessed Jeremiah also saw a boiling pot tilted away from the north. So he means that Manasseh will recover its own land, Ephraim regain its former power and Judah be renamed king of all, whereas the Moabites will be subject to them, observing their invincible strength—and not only they but also Edomites and foreigners.

In the mystery of prophetical revelation, Christ is symbolized especially by means of sight: the prophet saw "a boiling cauldron" and other things also.

Then the LORD said unto me, Out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land.

For, lo, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north, saith the LORD; and they shall come, and they shall set every one his throne at the entering of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all the walls thereof round about, and against all the cities of Judah.

And I will utter my judgments against them touching all their wickedness, who have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands.

Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before

For, behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brasen walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land.

And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver

Jeremiah1