Jeremiah 1:4-10 "4 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying: 5 'Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.' 6 Then said I: 'Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.' 7 But the LORD said to me: Do not say, "I am a youth," For you shall go to all to whom I send you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. 8 Do not be afraid of their faces, for I am with you to deliver you,' says the LORD. 9 Then the LORD put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the LORD said to me: 'Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. 10 See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out and to pull down, to destroy and to throw down, to build and to plant.'"
The Old Testament reading for Septuagesima is from the Prophet Jeremiah. At first glance this Old Testament lesson doesn't seem to fit in with the Gospel of the day which the parable of the Workers in the Vineyard. However, when one considers that the theme of this day is calling or invitation, we can see that this pericope fits, for it embodies the calling of a prophet, specifically Jeremiah.
We can also see in this calling the reluctance of Jeremiah, just like we saw in Moses, the first prophet. Apparently, the prophets didn't learn from Moses, on this point. However, we could take this to be humility on the part of Jeremiah. After all, true servants of God are humble, properly understanding their relationship to the One Who sends thems. This same reluctance is shown in the Gospel reading for today, where the Landowner, our Lord Jesus, asks the ones who are standing idle, why they are doing so. To which they reply, "Because we haven't been asked." And upon being asked they go.
In this calling of Jeremiah, we see how the Lord consecrates or ordains His servants to preach His holy Word. The first step is that He places His hands on Jeremiah's lips. This is also seen in the ordination of the Prophet Isaiah, only he has his lips touched with a lump of coal from the altar. Ouch! Of course this was done to purify the Prophet Isaiah's impure lips. The Prophet Jeremiah, however, only receives the Lord's fingers on his lips. This is done so that the Prophet Jeremiah, as is told to us, may receive the Word of God into his mouth. Now the Prophet can speak the Word of God, proclaim what the Lord God gives to Him to proclaim, and by it he will "root out and pull down, destroy and throw down, and build and plant."
Only two of these things are positive things, that is, building and planting. The rest are forms of destruction. Rooting out implies weeds, getting rid of all the things that prevent the plants from growing. Pulling down refers to the idols that the Israelites have set up in place of the Lord God, which the Prophet Jeremiah is to pull down, and destroy. Destroying and throwing down, are related to the pulling down, destroying the false idols, and throwing down the kingdom of sin that has been established because of the false worship of these idols. And so we see from the first four tasks of Jeremiah, that his may preaching will be against sin, death, and the devil, that is, preaching the Law. After this has been done, then Jeremiah may build and plant the vineyard of the Lord God through the preaching of the Gospel.
Therefore, we see in the preaching of the Prophet Jeremiah, given to him by the Lord God, the preaching of Law and Gospel. He is to both point out sin, and correct sin, through the preaching of the Law of God, especially to this hard-hearted, rebellious people. In order that, after they have been shown their sin, and confess their sin, then Jeremiah may build and plant faith in the people of Israel through the words of the Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, which proclaims that our sins are forgiven on account of the sacrifice of Christ.
Our Lord had appointed the Prophet Jeremiah for this task before he was even formed in the womb. Before he was born, he was sanctified for this purpose. That was His plan from eternity, but now, here in time, the Lord God, calls the Prophet Jeremiah to the task he was pre-ordained to fulfill. Our Lord still calls men to be His prophets, that is, to proclaim His Law and Gospel, to this rebellious, and hard-hearted people. These men are called to call sinners to repentance, and tear down the false idols that people trust in instead of the Lord God, so that they might repent and hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
It is to these men that we must listen, for what they speak is the Word of God, and not the man's word. Let us open our ears to hear the holy Word spoken from the lips of those whose mouths are full of the promises of our Lord Jesus Christ, so that we might be called by God through them, to work in the vineyard of the Landowner.
May God be with you!
Deacon Dulas
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