The word of the LORD came to me, saying, 

"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."

"Ah, Sovereign LORD," I said, "I do not know how to speak; I am only a child."

But the LORD said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a child.'

You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you.

Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the LORD

Jeremiah 1:4-8, NIV 

 

Thus was the prophet Jeremiah called. God had chosen him before he was born, because God already knew what Israel would do and God already knew the message that He wanted taken to them. And Jeremiah, like all of God's other prophets, was specifically selected for his task.

 

Furthermore, the message of Jeremiah in his era was essentially the same message that the other prophets of God had during their times: The people had sinned. They needed to repent of that sin. If they did, God would forgive and reward them. If they did not, God would not forgive them and they would be punished.

 

That's all well and good, you may be thinking, but why should we read the Old Testament prophets? After all, isn't their message "old news"? The answer to that question could be best stated as yes and no. It is true that the specific sins that the people needed to repent of were specific to their times - as were the punishments - but the basic premise of the message of the prophets is just as applicable to all people of all eras: If we have sin in our lives, we need to repent. If we don't, we will be punished. However, if we do repent, we will not only have the blessed state of being forgiven of our sins, we will also have the blessing of the reward that God has promised to His faithful.

 

One of the reasons that we read the messages of prophets of old is because the nature of God has never changed. And one of the most beautiful things about God's unchanging nature is that He has an eternal reward for everyone who will repent of their sins and come to Him in His way.

 

This is why we study!

 

This is what the LORD says: Stand at the crossroads and look;

ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it,

and you will find rest for your souls.

But you said, "We will not walk in it."

Isaiah 6:16, NIV

 

Today is the 10th day of the 30 day challenge to read through the books of the prophets of God, with Jeremiah 1-7 being the reading for today. May God richly bless you as you seek His paths and as you determine to walk in His way!