Jeremiah’s Call

Rev. Dr. Timothy Saleska, professor of exegetical theology and dean of ministerial formation at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Jeremiah 1:4-19. The LORD called Jeremiah to be a prophet during the reign of King Josiah; even during the faithful king’s religious reforms, the LORD’s Word was needed to bring repentance from the rampant idolatry in Judah and Jerusalem. Therefore, the LORD set Jeremiah apart as a prophet in the line of Moses. Even before Jeremiah was born, the LORD appointed him as a prophet to the nations. The LORD answers Jeremiah’s protests with His promises. He places His Word into Jeremiah’s mouth, His Word of Law and Gospel, of judgment and salvation. The examples of an almond branch and a boiling pot show Jeremiah that the LORD says what He does and does what He says, particularly, the judgment that is coming at the hands of Babylon. Yet the LORD makes Jeremiah to stand firm in the midst of that coming judgment and the rejection of the people of Judah by His faithful Word of promise. “A Time to Destroy and a Time to Build” is a mini-series on Sharper Iron that goes through the book of Jeremiah. The prophet calls the people of Judah and Jerusalem to repent of their faithless idolatry and warns them of the destruction that is coming in the Babylonian exile. Yet Jeremiah does not leave us without hope in the midst of such dark days. Jeremiah and all who believe the Word of God he preached survive because of hope that is found in the righteous Branch from the line of David, Jesus Christ.