ESOCS Devotional 2 April 2024 – No More Excuses
MEMORY VERSE: ““Then said I, Ah, Lord God! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.” Jeremiah 1:6
TEXT: EXODUS 12:1-14
The words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin. The word of the Lord came to him in the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah, 3 and through the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, down to the fifth month of the eleventh year of Zedekiah son of Josiah king of Judah, when the people of Jerusalem went into exile.
4 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 set you apart;
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
6 “Alas, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.”
7 But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. 8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord.
9 Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “I have put my words in your mouth. 10 See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.”
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We are skillful at the art of making excuses, aren’t we? “I don’t know how.” “I didn’t understand.” “I couldn’t find the right tools.” “I have a doctor’s appointment.” etc. In the Christian world, we can find all sorts of excuses not to obey God’s voice: “It’s the preacher’s job.” “It’s not my gift.” “I’ve already served, let someone else do it.” “I’m too busy or too tired or too old or too young.” It has been said, “Excuses are tools of the incompetent, and those who specialize in them seldom go far.” Jeremiah had every excuse ready when God called him to be a prophet. His excuses are often our excuses for not heeding God’s voice when He calls. Countering each excuse was a promise from God.
Jeremiah was called to be “a prophet to the nations” (Jer. 1:5), not a priest like his father and his grandfather. A prophet was a chosen and authorized spokesman for God who declared God’s Word to the people. We often think of prophets as people who can tell the future. But a prophet spoke messages to the present that had future ramifications. They were forth-tellers more than they were foretellers, exposing the people’s sins and calling them back to their covenant responsibilities before God.
Being a prophet was more demanding than serving as a priest. The priests’ duties were predictable. Everything was written down in the law. The prophet never knew from one day to the next what the Lord would call him to say or to do. The priest worked primarily to preserve the past. The prophet labored to change the present, so the nation would have a future. Priests dealt with externals – rituals, sacrifices, offerings, services – whereas the prophet tried to reach and change hearts. Priests ministered primarily to individuals with various needs. Prophets, on the other hand, addressed whole nations, and usually the people they addressed didn’t want to hear the message. Priests belonged to a special tribe, and therefore, had authority and respect; but a prophet could come from any tribe and had to prove his divine call. Priests were supported from the sacrifices and offerings of the people, but prophets had no guaranteed income.
Jesus, too, was called to be a prophet. He travelled from place to place challenging the people to change so that their future in heaven would be guaranteed. Jesus spoke to the hearts of people. Most did not accept His message of repentance, for they did not want to change.
“Thou art inexcusable oh man,” says the word of God (Rom 2;1). Identify your call and start your ministry with God today.
- In what ways are responsive to the call of God in your life?
- Lord, I need your help to identify your call in my life and fulfil it.
Further Reading: 1 Samuel 1:1-20; Matthew 14:1-12; Galatians 1:1-10
ESOCS Devotional 2 April 2024
