In the book of Jeremiah God is calling Jeremiah to be a prophet. He touches his mouth to empower him for the task ahead. The task would be great. He would be chosen and become an authorized spokesman for God to declare God’s Word to the people. His job would require him to convince the Israelites to see their wrongs and convince them to turn back to God.
Immediately Jeremiah begins to make excuses. In Jeremiah 1:6 he tells God I cannot speak.
Jeremiah 1:6 “Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.”
God takes care of this problem right up front!
Jeremiah 1:9 “Then 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”
Wow, God’s words in my mouth! I can’t imagine how he must have felt.
I could not tell you how many people have said to me. “I can’t witness because I can’t talk to people.” So, I then ask them about their own experience in coming to Christ. After they explain what happened to them, I say, “now go and tell someone else what you have told me.” That is witnessing!
He also used the excuse of his age. His excuse, he was young. Surely, he felt intimidated and inexperienced to do the task that God was calling him to do. Historians believe he was about 21 when he was called by God, as a prophet. In other words, Lord, the timing of this is all wrong. I think this one is the lamest excuse of all. Jeremiah lived in a time when an 8-year-old became King, plus he was telling the one that made him how old he was. The Lord again lets Jeremiah know he has equipped him to do the task he called him to.
Jeremiah 1:7-8 “But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD.”
Now Jeremiah recognizes the danger involved. He once again is doubting God’s ability to take care of him. God reaffirms what he will do if Jerimiah will simply obey.
Jeremiah 1:13-19 “And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, I see a seething pot, and the face thereof is toward the north. Then the LORD said unto me, Out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land. For, lo, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north, saith the LORD; and they shall come, and they shall set every one his throne at the entering of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all the walls thereof round about, and against all the cities of Judah. And I will utter my judgments against them touching all their wickedness, who have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands. Thou, therefore, gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them. For, behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brazen walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land. And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee.”
God uses a boiling pot to let Jeremiah know of his coming wrath. The pot would have been familiar to every Jewish home to use for cooking or boiling water for washing. However, Jerimiah noticed this pot was not level. God allowed him to understand that unless Israel changed and left their idols to return to Him as the one true God, the Babylonians would invade and conquer Israel. It was tilted from the north to the south.
These excuses were worthless when presented to God. God has not changed. There may be situations that God wants us to enter that appear to be dangerous. It may be hard for us to have enough courage to speak. We may not feel adequate to speak. Maybe you don’t think you know enough bible to talk to others about it. You may not feel good, or you feel you have a task at home that keeps you from obeying God. People may cut you some slack. They do this because they don’t want to be held accountable for themselves. However, God does not work that way. Yes, there is grace to cover our sins, and if saved we will gain heaven, but all disobedience has a price. When God wants you to do something and you disobey it is willful sin! The price may be here on this earth, or it may be the shame we feel when we stand before God. It may involve the pain we feel as we know of those who have gone to hell because we were too busy or too shy to tell them the truth about their condition. We may have to suffer like the Israelites did when they became slaves to other nations. Whatever the consequences may be you can rest assured they will come.
Galatians 6:7 “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”
Ben Franklin once wrote, “He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.”
Stop making excuses and get busy! Think about the day you will stand before Him; don’t you want to hear him say “Well done though good and faithful servant?”
