Ⅰ
Jeremiah was born a priest, but he was called by God to be a prophet not only to the nation of Israel but also to all the nations; hence, he was a priest-prophet—Jer. 1:1, 4-8.
Ⅱ
Jehovah appointed Jeremiah to be over the nations and over the kingdoms to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to tear down, and to build up and to plant—v. 10:
Ａ
The plucking up, the breaking down, and the destroying are Jehovah’s tearing down, whereas the building up and the planting are Jehovah’s exalting.
Ｂ
This corresponds to the two meanings of the name Jeremiah—“Jehovah exalts” and “Jehovah tears down.”
Ⅲ
Jehovah made Jeremiah into a fortified city, into an iron pillar, and into bronze walls against the whole land, the kings of Judah, its princes, its priests, and the people of the land; they would fight against him but would not prevail against him—vv. 18-19:
Ａ
On earth there is always a battle raging between God and those who oppose Him and fight against Him—Eph. 6:12.
Ｂ
God fights not by Himself directly but through His servants who have been sent by Him—1 Tim. 1:18; 6:12; 2 Tim. 4:7.
Ｃ
God sent His army—a young man named Jeremiah—to fight those who opposed Him:
１
Jeremiah was equipped by God to such an extent that he became a fortified city and an iron pillar and bronze walls—Jer. 1:18.
２
Those who fought against Jeremiah—Jehovah’s one-person army—were actually fighting against Jehovah—v. 19a.
３
No one would defeat him because Jehovah was with him—v. 19b.
Morning Nourishment
Jer. 1:18-19 And I am now making you today into a fortified city and into an iron pillar and into bronze walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against its princes, against its priests, and against the people of the land. And they will fight against you, but they will not prevail against you; for I am with you, declares Jehovah, to deliver you.[God] called a young man named Jeremiah and commissioned him to speak for Him. When Jeremiah excused himself by saying that he was a youth and that he did not know how to speak, Jehovah said to him, “Do not say, I am a youth; / For everywhere I send you, you shall go; / And everything I command you, you shall speak. / Do not be afraid of their faces, / For I am with you to deliver you” (Jer. 1:7-8). Jehovah went on to say that He would make Jeremiah into a fortified city, into an iron pillar, and into walls of brass against the whole land. The kings, princes, priests, and people would fight against him, but they would not prevail against him (vv. 18-19). Those who fought against Jeremiah were actually fighting against Jehovah. He was Jehovah’s one-person army. No one would defeat him because Jehovah was with him. Thus, Jeremiah could not escape God’s commission but was constrained to accept it. (Life-study of Jeremiah, p. 64)
Today’s Reading
[In Jeremiah 1:10] we are reminded of the two meanings of Jeremiah’s name: “Jehovah exalts” and “Jehovah tears down.” The plucking up, the breaking down, and the destroying are Jehovah’s tearing down. The building up and the planting are Jehovah’s exalting. Surely every negative thing—everything of Satan, sin, and the world—must be torn down. Along with this we have Jehovah’s building up and His planting, both of which involve His word. God’s word is a building up of Christ and a planting of Christ. This is for the exalting of Christ.Jeremiah, who was born a priest but was called to be a prophet, might have been a timid, fearful person. This timid person was given a charge by Jehovah….If Jeremiah had been dismayed before the people, God would have dismayed him [cf. v. 17]. In the matter of functioning in the church meetings,…we should not be dismayed by anyone, and we should not be afraid of anyone….Rather, we should function to speak for the Lord.
Why was it necessary for God to make Jeremiah into a fortified city, into an iron pillar, and into bronze walls [cf. vv. 18-19]? This was necessary because a battle was raging. The kings, the princes, the priests, and the people of the land were enemies not only to Jeremiah but also to God. These enemies were fighting against God, and Jeremiah was sent to represent God and fight for Him. Those who fought against Jeremiah fought against Jehovah because Jeremiah and Jehovah were one. For this reason, God wanted Jeremiah to know that He was with him and that He had made him into a fortified city, into an iron pillar, and into brass walls.
The Bible tells us that on earth there is always a battle raging between God and those who oppose Him and fight against Him. God does not fight by Himself directly but through His servants who have been sent by Him. This was the situation in Jeremiah’s time. God sent His army—a young man named Jeremiah—to fight against those who opposed Him. Jeremiah was equipped by God to such an extent that he became a fortified city. Because God was with him to deliver him, the opposers would not prevail over him.
In the Lord’s recovery today, we also face opposition, condemnation, and rejection, and we also must fight for God. As we are sent by God to fight for Him, He fights through us. In this fighting our weapons are God Himself and the truth revealed in the Bible. (Life-study of Jeremiah, pp. 35, 37-38)
Further Reading: Life-study of Jeremiah, msgs. 1, 10-11, 15; CWWL, 1975-1976, vol. 3, pp. 21-24; Truth Lessons—Level One, vol. 1, lsn. 12