1 These are the words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests from the town of Anathoth in the land of Benjamin. 2-3 The Lord first gave messages to Jeremiah during the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah. The Lord’s messages continued throughout the reign of King Jehoiakim, Josiah’s son, until the eleventh year of the reign of King Zedekiah, another of Josiah’s sons. In August of that eleventh year the people of Jerusalem were taken away as captives.

4 The Lord gave me this message: 5 “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.”

6 “O Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!” 7 The Lord replied, “Don’t say, ‘I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. 8 And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken!” 9 Then the Lord reached out and touched my mouth and said, “Look, I have put my words in your mouth! 10 Today I appoint you to stand up against nations and kingdoms. Some you must uproot and tear down, destroy and overthrow. Others you must build up and plant.” Jeremiah 1:1-10 New Living Translation

We start today with another of the Old Testament prophets. Jeremiah lived over 600 years before Jesus was born and (as vs 2-3 show) he was still alive when Jerusalem fell to the Babylonian army. He lived through very difficult days and extremely sad events and has been called 'the weeping prophet'. (Over 600 years later Jesus also wept over Jerusalem because of the people's hard hearts and the fate that was to come upon them.)

What was the wonderful encouragement God gave Jeremiah when He told him that He wanted Jeremiah to be His messenger? (vs 5)

God doesn't decide at the last minute who He loves and who He will use for His plans. That wasn't only true of Jeremiah, it’s true of all God does and it’s true of all Christians. Romans 8:29 says: “God knew his people in advance, and He chose them to become like His Son, so that His Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, He called them to come to Him.” What a comfort God's words would have been to Jeremiah when he later met up with fierce opposition from the people.

Vs 6 is another example of people giving God a reason why they were not the right ones for the job. Jeremiah said he was too young, Moses had said he had a bad stutter, and the man named Gideon had told God that he was ‘the least important member of the weakest clan in Israel!’ But in each case God went on to use those men despite their flaws to do His work. What was the promise God gave Jeremiah in vs 8 that would have helped him tremendously?

That promise isn’t only true for those who God calls to do a special work for Him, it's also true for every believer as we journey through life. Hebrews 13:5-6 says: “Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, 'I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.' So we can say with confidence, 'The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?'” If following Jesus should get costly because of opposition, God will enable us to make ends meet.

What can vs 9-10 tell us about God, and especially about the Bible?

I'd say it shows us that nations are in God's hands, and that He makes known through His spokesmen (the Prophets) what their fates will be. It also shows why we believe the Bible is 'inspired' by God. He gave the Prophets and Apostles the words they were to teach. That's why we mustn't be afraid to tell people what God has said in the Bible. Whether we're 'too young' or 'too old', whether we stutter or have some other reason for being nervous or shy – God is able to use us as we pass their message on.