“The day God ruined Jeremiah’s life”

Texts: Psalm 139; Jeremiah 1.1-5, 16.1-13, 20.7-18 We often have a sentimental attitude about the Psalmist’s words: “…it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” (Ps. 139.13-14) However, when similar language is used to describe Jeremiah’s calling to be a prophet (Jer. 1.4-5), it is anything but an attempt on God’s part to boost Jeremiah’s self-esteem. Au contraire , these divine words, when used in Jeremiah, take on a great deal of ambiguity (for us). We often have the habit of speaking of our vocation, our “calling” in life, as if God was a celestial guidance counselor. Again, to grasp what is going on in the first chapter of the book of Jeremiah, we must disabuse ourselves of such modern, Western affectations. An underlying current in a lot of Western religious thinking is that God is part of our plan,...