The call of Isaiah and Jeremiah

Isaiah chapter 6

Jeremiah chapter 1

It seems to me that neither Isaiah, nor Jeremiah expected to be called of the lord to be prophets. 

When Isaiah saw the lord, the thought he was doomed.  He said that he was a man of unclean lips and he lived among a people of unclean lips

It was the holiness of God that made him all the more aware of his sin and that of his people

Note that the live coal that the seraph took came from the alter.  The alter would be for worshiping the lord and sacrifice and he is told, your guilt is taken away.

Our guilt is taken away in Jesus Christ.

First of all God dealt with Isaiah’s sin, then when he hears the question, “Who will go for Us?” Isaiah is able to respond, HERE AM I SEND ME.

In the case of Jeremiah, his call seems to reflect that of John the Baptist.  Just as John was exceptional and filled with the Holy Spirit from birth, so Jeremiah is told in verse 5 that before he was born, God had already decided that he would be set apart to be a prophet.

Jeremiah was already of a priestly line

Isaiah thought he was not fit for the task, because he was a man of unclean lips

Jeremiah thought he was not fit for the task because he was too young.

In both cases God deals with their objections.  To Isaiah he takes away his guilt, for Jeremiah he says. “Do not say I am only a child, you must go to everyone I send you to, and say whatever I command you, do not be afraid of them for I am with you and will rescue you declares the lord.

Jeremiahs name meant “ONE WHO IS RAISED BY THE LORD”.

I AM WITH YOU   God said this twice to Jeremiah. Think on these words.  What do they mean?  I think they mean that God was promising Jeremiah that he would fight for him.  They do not mean what I think we would commonly mean that things would go well.

I see in Jeremiah chapter one, a strong implication that he was afraid, otherwise why would God say to him in Jeremiah 1:17 GET YOURSELF READY, STAND UP AND SAY TO THEM WHATEVER I COMMAND YOU DO NOT BE TERRIFIED BY THEM?

An almond branch would have symbolised the punishment to come. It was used as rod for beating.

God then adds a solemn word of warning to Jeremiah, OR I WILL TERRIFY YOU BEFORE THEM

God then gives him a promise saying TODAY, not tomorrow, not next week or next month, but right now, I have made you a fortified city, an iron pillar and a bronze wall to stand against the kings of Judah its officials and priests and the people of the land

We are here to resource other fields with people.  People we believe God is bringing into the work.

We tell them to look at our web site, read Global and Go4 it and they will see exciting opportunities that they may respond to.

AT THIS POINT READ SOME THINGS OUT OF GO 4 IT

I wonder what responses we would get it we put into Global the sort of things that God said to Isaiah and Jeremiah.  They went out in full knowledge that God had called them.  The also went out knowing that people would not listen to them

In Isaiah 6 v 9 God says, “Go and tell this people, be ever be ever hearing, but never understanding, be ever seeing, but never perceiving.  Make the heart of this people calloused, make their ears dull and close their eyes, otherwise they might see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand in their hearts and turn and be healed

At this point Isaiah wants to know for how long

God says until the cities lie in ruins and the fields are ravaged.

This is not my idea of an inspiring and exciting message.  Isaiah had already agreed to preach it.

You see in what he said to the lord, I dwell among a people of unclean lips, Isaiah acknowledged their sin.  He could not dispute this.

Just as Isaiah’s lips were touched with a hot coal and his guilt was taken away, so the lord in Jeremiah, having been told that the lord would be with him, the lord touches his mouth symbolising that he would use it to speak to the nations.

Note that in Isaiah’s case, he is a man of unclean lips, yet it was his lips that spoke the word of the lord.  God took what Isaiah thought was vile in him and used it to proclaim his word, It was not a popular word, but it was what the lord wanted him to say.

Jeremiah 1:12.  Jeremiah is asked what he can see.

He says, I see the branch of an almond tree”  the lord then says you have seen correctly, for I AM WATCHING TO SEE THAT MY WORD IS FULFILLED 

There seems to be little significance to what Jeremiah saw, but the point is the lord was watching, watching to see Jeremiah do as he was told, and he would be watching as the results of what Jeremiah had to say was carried out.

We now know that what Jeremiah prophesied was that God was angry with their sin, especially their idolatry and would bring Judgement upon them by destroying Judah using the Chaldeans.

Some of us have been in OM for some time, I wonder what we would have said, it like Isaiah and Jeremiah, would we have been so willing if God had told us about the difficulties ahead?

I see two men who did what God commanded out of obedience, I doubt if they would have been excited about doing it.

I do however think that starting out with anticipation and excitement is a good idea.  It gets you going, and when the difficulties come let us be faithful. 

When Isaiah and Jeremiah wrote what they did, they were looking back on how the lord called them.  I sometimes look back on how I started. It started with a letter from a friend who suggested that I go an join him in Amsterdam. It was my first taste of international mission.  It was difficult. I knew it would be, but the difficulties I experienced were not the ones I expected.

When someone joins OM, it is inevitable that they will have things they are afraid of, but they have laid that concern aside, and applied.  They are going to be engaged in activities that will certainly change their lives and potentially the lives of others.

I think that the stories we read in Global are exciting and uplifting, but how many stories are we not told of how hard the work really is and how discouraged people can be as they do not see the results they may have hoped for?  God is still watching, God is still with them even in the difficulties.

Two ways the lord calls people

People are called of God in different ways.  For some they see a need and respond to it as Isaiah did, God draws them out.  For others it may be more as individuals they feel called to a work as Jeremiah was, God had fashioned him for this purpose.

Jeremiah was fashioned by God for a purpose, he was of the priestly line, but he was  destined to be a prophet to the nations.  This would have been Judah and the surrounding nations.

Isaiah, without asking what lay ahead for him saw the need and said, “here am I send me”

How did God call you into the work and how is he though us calling others into the work and sending them out?  We do not put the negative stuff in our publicity, but we do prepare them before they go out.