Jeremiah 1 · The Lantern

The Call of Jeremiah

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

to whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah 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.

And it came in the days of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the exile of Jerusalem in the fifth month.

And the word of the LORD came to me, saying:

Before I formed you in the belly I knew you, and before you came out of the womb I consecrated you; a prophet to the nations I made you.

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…

And I said: Ah, Lord GOD! See, I do not know how to speak, for I am a boy.

"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…

But perhaps you may say, How does Jeremiah call the yoke heavy, when the Lord in the Gospel has said, "For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light"?

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).

And the LORD said to me: Do not say, I am a boy; for to everyone I send you, you will go, and everything I command you, you will 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…

You should not consider the matter of age, he said, for you have learned through another prophet's words that "a man's gray hair is his wisdom." May you only be willing to continue, for you will have me as a companion by whose assistance you will accomplish everything: "Open your mouth, and I will fill it." Neither should you consider the number of those against whom you are ab…

Do not be afraid before them, for I am with you to deliver you — the utterance of the LORD.

And the LORD put out his hand and touched my mouth, and the LORD said to me: See, I have put my words in your 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 appointed you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms, to uproot and to tear down, to destroy and to demolish, 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…

And the word of the LORD came to me, saying: What do you see, Jeremiah? And I said: A rod of almond I see.

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."

And the LORD said to me: You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to do it.

And the word of the LORD came to me a second time, saying: What do you see? And I said: A pot blown upon I see, and its face is from the north.

But let it set this candlestick of lamps in the south, that it may look toward the north. For, the light being kindled, that is, with a watchful heart, it ought always to look toward the north and to observe "him who is from the north"; just as the prophet also says that he sees "a kindled cauldron, or pot, and its face from the face of the north"; for "from the north are kindl…

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.

And the LORD said to me: From the north the evil will be opened upon all the inhabitants of the land.

For see, I am calling to all the families of the kingdoms of the north — the utterance of the LORD — and they will come and set each his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all her walls around, and against all the cities of Judah.

And I will speak my judgments against them for all their evil, in that they forsook me and burned incense to other gods and bowed down to the works of their hands.

And you — gird up your loins and arise and speak to them all that I myself command you. Do not be shattered before them, lest I shatter you before them.

And I — see, I have made you this day a fortified city and an iron pillar and bronze walls against all the land, against the kings of Judah, against her princes, against her priests and against the people of the land.

And they will fight against you but will not prevail against you, for I am with you — the utterance of the LORD — to deliver you.

Jeremiah1

The Call of Jeremiah