I (God) Know You More Than You do
Lukas 4 : 14 – 21
Introduction
There was an abundant evidence in the Bible to show how the LORD called His men when they were young. As leaders like Moses, Joshua, David as well as the Prophets, Jeremiah was called by God when he was young. Jeremiah refused and said “Ah, Lord God! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.”
In some ways people are really excited to do something but in so many other ways skillfully made excuses. Batak’s local wisdom said: “molo so di si roha godang ma sidalian.” It means:”whatever I said, depended on my heart.” Everybody has excuses.The excuse: It was pretty sensible
The excuse: It was pretty sensible
According to the Bible, Jeremiah was a preacher’s son, for his father Hilkiah, was one of the priests at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin. It was nothing to do with “like father, like son”. Jeremiah’s divine call was not to be a priest (like father), but God said: “ I appointed/ordained you as a prophet unto the nations. It became quite rational/acceptable to say: “for I am a child.” Jeremiah as a young man was aware of the risk at the time. Sitz im Leben (setting in life”) of the tex, Israel was tossed around by three great superpowers: Assyria to the north, Egypt to the south, and Babylon to the east. Divine call to be a prophet meant to be able to “go the extra mile”. Being a prophet was more demanding than serving as a priest (Jeremiah’s father).
GALAU: God always listens and understands
Lord God, Himself knew that it wasn’t easy for Jeremiah. It was not only that he was young, rather God really knew Israel as a God chosen nation. God said: “I have seen these people, and, behold, it is a stiff-necked people” (Exodus 32 : 9). Now, it was time to introduce Himself as God, the Lord of life. God said : “before I formed thee/you in the belly I knew thee; and before thou cameth forth out the womb.” Jeremiah had biological parents, of course, but God himself fashioned him and knitted him in his mother’s womb. No one can do that, only God indeed. God was All-Good, All-Power, All-Knowing! God was the father of all nations.. God said “be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee”. The Jeremiah’s divine calling was meant for him to do the Lord God’s great commission (to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to draw down, to build, and to plant).
Reflections & Discussion
- Be not afraid of the world faces. Today, as a Christian, we are living in the same commission in the Old Testament during the Prophets’ period and the New Testament Apostles. Jesus said: “behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves..” (KJV, Matthew 10: 16). Today, in our sermon, let us focus not to Jeremiah (us), but to God (Jesus) who called him/us for the great commission.
- Best Insurance. Today, we are living in “unpredictable” world. There are a lot of things changing so fast. It’s good and important to know the world changing around us. Jesus said: “when it is evening, you say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the morning, It will be foul weather today: for the sky is red and lowering. O you hypocrites, you can discern the face of the sky; but can yet not discern the signs of the times? When we know and discern the signs of times, we’ll know how to face it. God may assign us a demanding task, but He gave us the best insurance when said: “I am with you to deliver you…; I put my words in your mouth.” Like Jeremiah, we need to accept that our future is not our own. We are God’s children. He has a distinct plan and purpose for our lives.
- I knew you. Sometimes, it’s hard to figure something out about yourself. Loosing your identity, you are looking for the perfect line to let you know who you are. What a beautiful thing for us when God says “I knew you, I loved you and always cared for you. I made a personal commitment to you even before you were born. When you want, when you need, you always have the best of Me.”