Good day Beloved in Christ and welcome to another new day. Glory to God for the gift of life.
This is Part 479 of our series of studying and understanding the Bible and today we will be looking into the book of Jeremiah Chapter 1.
Let’s remember we did a little bit of introduction and background to the book yesterday and you can read that from here:
So, let’s dive in…
Jeremiah 1:1-5 GNT
This book is the account of what was said by Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests of the town of Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin.
[2] The LORD spoke to Jeremiah in the thirteenth year that Josiah son of Amon was king of Judah,
[3] and he spoke to him again when Josiah’s son Jehoiakim was king. After that, the LORD spoke to him many times, until the eleventh year of the reign of Zedekiah son of Josiah. In the fifth month of that year the people of Jerusalem were taken into exile.
[4] The LORD said to me,
[5] “I chose you before I gave you life, and before you were born I selected you to be a prophet to the nations.”
I have discovered from the Bible that there are different ways of becoming a Prophet of God. Let’s quickly look into them one after the other.
- Some people were chosen by God to be a Prophet even before they were born. This is exactly the category of Prophet that Jeremiah falls into. Those in this category usually carry big assignments. Their ministry usually cut across nations of the world. They behave in some extraordinary and weird ways. They don’t just eat any food and you won’t see them just anywhere. They only go where God directs them to go and do what God directs them to do.
One major challenge about these people is that they are the most hated and misunderstood. They face a lot of challenges and the reason is because, they are always loyal to God and when you are loyal to God, be ready to be hated by many people, especially those who do not know God and even the devil himself, who is the arch enemy of every believer.
Another very close example in this category of Prophets is John The Baptist. Like I said earlier, Prophets in this category handle big assignments.
This is why John was given the privilege to bear witness of the Messiah and also handled His Baptism.
Often times, when you trace the genealogy of this category of Prophets, they usually come from a priestly lineage.
Jeremiah’s father was a priest (Jeremiah 1:1) and same with John’s father (Luke 1:1-5).
God has given this type of Prophets special abilities to see things in the past, present and future. Again, they are always loyal to God and very bold. They prefer to offend men than to offend God.
Another characteristic feature you will find in them is that they are not anointed by anyone. God Himself chose and anointed them even before they were born.
Jeremiah 1:5
[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.
However, people in this category need proper understanding of the Word of God, because if they are not well taught, they usually end up becoming mammon mongers and manipulators.
In my next post by God’s grace, I will share with you two more categories of Prophets.
And from there, I will share with you some of the signs you need to pay attention to in order to know whether you are a prophet or not.
Don’t be surprised we will be spending more time on Chapter 1 especially verses 4 and 5 more than any other Chapters because for me, this is the best opportunity to help people in this category examine themselves in order to be sure if they have been long chosen or called to be a Prophet or not.
Are you ready for this?
Stay tuned and stay blessed in Christ Jesus.
Let’s declare this together:
I believe all things are done according to God’s plan and decision; and I also believe God has chosen me and my family to be His own people in Christ, to be in union with Him and to fulfil His purpose on earth, based on what He had decided from the very beginning. I receive clarity and God’s power to fulfil this purpose, in Jesus name. Amen.
Bible readings for today: Hosea Chapters 1, 2, 3 & 4 with Song of Solomon Chapter 6.
I call you blessed now and always.
Monday July 20, 2020 (DDMI).