Jeremiah 1:11-19, Jeremiah’s First Visions

In these first two messages, or more properly, visions, Jeremiah is not told to go tell anyone what he sees. It is as if this is a test to see that Jeremiah is actually getting God’s message, and it is a glimpse at what God’s message is all about. It becomes a challenge to Jeremiah to faithfully represent this message despite the opposition he is going to receive against it.

¹¹ The word of Yahweh came to me: “What do you see, Jeremiah?”

“I see a branch of an almond tree,” I answered.

¹² Yahweh said to me, “You have seen correctly, for I am watching to make sure that my word is fulfilled.”

¹³ The word of Yahweh came to me a second time: “What do you see?”

“I see a pot boiling,” I answered. “It is tipped away from the north.”

¹⁴ Yahweh said to me, “From the north disaster will be let loose on all who live in the land. ¹⁵ I am about to summon all the clans of the northern kingdoms,” declares Yahweh.

“They will come and set up their thrones
at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem;
they will come against all her surrounding walls
and against all the towns of Judah.
¹⁶ I will declare all my judgments against Judah and Jerusalem
because of their evil in forsaking me,
making offerings to other gods
and bowing in worship to the works of their own hands.

¹⁷ “But you, dress yourself for work! Stand up and say to them everything I command you. Do not be terrified by them, or I will terrify you before them. ¹⁸ Today I make you a fortified city, an iron pillar and bronze walls to stand against the whole land—against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and the people of the land. ¹⁹ They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you to deliver you,” declares Yahweh. (Jeremiah 1:11-19)

The first vision is very simple. God shows Jeremiah an almond branch. The Hebrew word for almond is šā•qēḏ. God makes a play on words, telling Jeremiah that this almond branch (šā•qēḏ) represents God watching (Hebrew, šō•qēḏ) to make sure His word if fulfilled. Is this a challenge to Jeremiah? Is God watching to make sure Jeremiah faithfully represents His word?

The second vision is of a boiling pot that is tipping over from the north toward Israel in the south. Yahweh is going to let loose, pour out on Israel, His wrath. Using the northerners, in this case, primarily, Babylon and then Medo-Persia, he is going to subdue Judah and Jerusalem. Their kings will arrogantly set up a portable throne showing they now rule over Israel.

The justification for this judgment from God is the idolatry of His people. Instead of worshiping the one who preserved them in Egypt, then saved them from Egypt and brought them to the promised land, defeated the inhabitants before them and gave them the land, and made them into a great nation, they have turned to other elohim, other gods, gods they learned about from their neighbors, from whom also they learned to make images of these gods.

Jeremiah is going to have to courageously tell them this. If he is terrified of them (the kings of Judah, the officials, the priests, the people), God will make him terrified. But if he trusts God, God will make him an immovable wall that they cannot breach. Their attempts at killing him will be averted by God.

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Discussion Questions

1. God makes a wordplay on the word ‘watching.’ Can you think of a fruit, tree, plant, animal, person, or object that is similar to ‘watching’ or ‘watch’? Of course, the obvious is the wristwatch. Think compound words.
2. How would we know today that a destructive action, like a storm, an invasion, etc., is God’s judgment?
3. Why are we tempted to interpret negative events in our lives as signs of God’s displeasure?
4. What word or truth from God are fearful of communicating? Why?