Jeremiah lived 60 years after the days of Isaiah, and was the son of a priest who only lived two miles from Jerusalem. He was called at an early age to bring a message to a nation who would hate him for it. His ministry would span 47 years during a time that would correspond to and overlap that of Zephaniah, Habakkuk, Daniel, and Ezekiel. His prophetic ministry would be towards a nation that would go through five kings, and only the first of those, “Josiah,” was a spiritual reformer. He, more than all the other prophets, is the most courageous, as he was called to speak the truth to those who didn’t want to hear it. Instead of responding to the truth and turning from the destruction that was coming to God, they chose rather to destroy the messenger because they didn’t like the message.
In his public role, he never waivers and is fearless both in his message and to whom he shares it, regardless of the consequences. But privately, he is alone and feels forsaken, rejected, and hated by all. What He says before God gives us great insight into the battles of his heart dealing with such discouragement. His life is a balancing act where, though called by God to speak the truth, he suffered tremendously because he at times failed to draw from God’s love for him. Simply put, at times Jeremiah forgot who called him and what he was called to. So God would remind him that he was called to speak God’s Word; he was not called to be popular or successful in the nation’s eyes. No, God called him faithful only to Him and to find his comfort in his relationship with the Lord.