God will Protect Those who are Faithful to Him

    In Chapter One of the Book of Jeremiah, we are told that God has Jeremiah's life, soul, actions and ministry under His microscope. Jeremiah 1:4-5 (" ⁴ Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, ⁵ ‘Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.’"). Imagine that – God looking at your life from the moment of conception onward, knowing all of your forthcoming actions, calling you at conception to His ministry, and looking into your very soul with His microscope. Imagine how powerful God’s microscope is! An electron scanning microscope certainly has nothing on God’s microscope!

    What will God do with such information about your life? Well, let’s look at what He did with Jeremiah. In Jeremiah 1:7-10, God told Jeremiah that He will empower and protect Jeremiah so that he could do God’s task:

" ⁷ ... for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. ⁸ Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD. ⁹ Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth. ¹⁰ See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant."

    God will do the same for you, for God is faithful. I Thessalonians 5:24 ("Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it."); II Thessalonians 3:3 ("But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil."); Hebrews 10:23 ("Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for He is faithful that promised;) ...").

    God does this for you and me because He is not a respecter of persons -- He does not value one person over another. II Samuel 14:14 ("neither doth God respect any person"); II Chronicles 19:7 ("for there is no iniquity with the Lord our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of gifts."); Proverbs 28:21 ("To have respect of persons is not good: for for a piece of bread that man will transgress."); Romans 2:11 ("For there is no respect of persons with God."); Ephesians 6:9 ("And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him."). He does not esteem one person higher than another, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23; Romans 5:12 ("Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:").

    All sins, all persons, and all wrongs are judged equally by God. Whether one does right, or wrong, God shall treat each person, judge each man and each woman, equally for whatever good, or evil, that they do. Colossians 3:25 ("But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons."); Ecclesiastes 12:14 ("For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil."); James 2:9 ("But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors."); I Peter 1:17 ("And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:"); Romans 14:10b-12 ("... for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. ¹¹For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. ¹²So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.¹¹ For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. ¹² So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God."); II Corinthians 5:10 ("For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.").

    In this regard, as you prepare to stand before the judgment seat of our Lord Jesus Christ, remember always that our God is faithful to those who confess and repent of their sins. I John 1:9 ("If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."). Only through confession of our sins can we stand before the Lamb of God unblemished, head held high, knowing that our Father God loves us and accepts us into His presence with great rejoicing and gladness. Psalms 45:15 ("With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought: they shall enter into the king’s palace."); Psalms 126:6 ("He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him."); Isaiah 65:18-19 ("¹⁸ But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. ¹⁹ And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying."); Luke 15:5 ("I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance."); I Thessalonians 2:19-20 ("¹⁹ For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? ²⁰ For ye are our glory and joy.").

    Know also that God won’t do for Jeremiah what He won’t do for you, and He will do for you exactly what he did for Jeremiah – if you are as faithful as Jeremiah was. God is faithful and true, from yesterday, I Corinthians 10:13 ("There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."), to today, and even unto the ends of days. Revelations 22:6 ("And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to show unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.").

    In walking faithful and true upon God’s path, know that we too are not to be respecters of persons, esteeming one person higher than another. Deuteronomy 1:17 ("Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; but ye shall hear the small as well as the great; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God’s:"); Deuteronomy 16:19 ("Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous."). All men and women are equal in the eyes of the One True God.

    Know also that God is always looking out for His children, calling out for His faithful sons and daughters! I Corinthians 1:9 ("God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord."). God has always engaged in worldwide rescue activities, II Chronicles 16:9 ("For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him."); Job 28:24 ("For He looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven;"), even against the mightiest of foes. Like Daniel and Solomon, Jeremiah and Moses, Haggai and Paul, we all can have kinship with our Lord. All these men were called, and were faithful to God – in the imperfect way we humans are. That’s all our God wants – for us to answer His duty call, being faithful to Him who is faithful to us. Ecclesiastes 12:13 ("Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear [revere] God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.").

    With these thoughts in mind, let's look at how God acted towards one faithful man – Jeremiah. The Lord speaks powerfully in Jeremiah 1:4-8, saying: "The word of the Lord came unto me, saying, ‘Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.’" God told Jeremiah, "Before I formed thee In the belly, I knew thee ... and I ordained thee a prophet." God obviously had great plans for Jeremiah, even before he was born? Why? Because in His foreknowledge He knew Jeremiah’s faithful heart. That’s how powerful God’s microscope is – it sees even into the future!

    Notice also that Jeremiah’s own knowledge of his call to be a prophet comes from a dialog with God. God literally speaks to believers, sometimes directly through a born-again believer’s holy Spirit – God in Christ in us – I Corinthians 2:7 ("Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God;"); Ephesians 3:4-6 ("⁴ Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ, ⁵Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; ⁶That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel⁵ Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; ⁶ That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:⁶That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel: "); Colossians 1:26 ("To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:"), and always through His Word.

    Now, why is all of this happening between man and God? Gosh, it’s not like God doesn’t have important things to do with His time, like creating oceans and continents and running the planets and solar systems and galaxies and even entire universes. So, why is God faithful to us? Simply because God loves us. John 3:16 ("For God so loved the world ..."). God wants to know us, and for us to know Him. God seeks genuine relationships with His people.

    Notice the four actions of God toward Jeremiah:

1) God "formed" him. God forms all children as they are in the womb. Children are gifts from God, not to be taken lightly and certainly not to be thrown away like trash.

2) God "knew" him. "To know" implies a personal commitment by God towards mankind. The Hebrew word here is "yada." It is used in the sense of a deep personal relationship, like that between a husband and wife. It is used also to explain Yahweh's deep commitment to Israel. God was deeply committed to Jeremiah, like He is to us, even before birth. God has a claim on the lives of believers, like Jeremiah, prior to any other relationships. Remember, He says that we are to have no others before Him.

3) God set Jeremiah apart for a purpose, for spiritual and eternal significance. When objects were set apart for God, they were to be used solely for Yahweh, and it was an act of blasphemy to remove them from God's sovereign right to them. Jeremiah was God's very own special servant.

 4) God "appointed" Jeremiah. God gave him special authority and empowerment. So too does God appoint us to do our duty to Him. Now, after the day of Pentecost, God has poured out the gift of holy Spirit upon all who chose to believe. Acts 2:39 ("For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.") It is up to us, today, to carry out God’s appointment of us to speak the good news, the salvation available only through the Lord Jesus Christ, to all the world. This is our great commission. Acts 1:8 ("But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost [Spirit] is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.").

    What was Jeremiah's response to God's actions? Only too human! Like Moses and many of us today, Jeremiah is struck with terror over the magnitude of the task God has given him. Verse 6 says, "Then said I, ‘Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.’" Jeremiah is saying that he is afraid he cannot successfully do what God called him to do. He is afraid that he’s not "up to the task."

    And what a serious task it was. Jeremiah was called to be a prophet to the nations, to tear bad ones down and build good ones up. This was a very special appointment, wasn’t it? There were – and are – no limits to God's sovereignty over all the nations of the earth. Matthew 6:13b ("For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever."); Romans 13:2 ("Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation."). It’s no wonder that Jeremiah hesitated – he was being called to announce the power and majesty of God, and pronounce God’s judgment upon those who resist God’s sovereignty.

    In that situation, Jeremiah did what any child would do – deny, deny, deny. Jeremiah's fears lead him to deny God’s commission by pleading his inabilities: 1) he was young, too young in his mind to get the job done, and 2) he was not eloquent, and certainly in his mind not eloquent enough. What Jeremiah didn’t realize was that God’s sovereignty was to be magnified in Jeremiah’s weaknesses. II Corinthians 12:9 ("And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."); Hebrews 11:34 ("Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens."). God doesn’t chose us for our age, our youth, our wisdom, or our ability to speak the wonders of man’s knowledge and science! God chooses a prophet because of their faith in Him and their obedience to Him. That’s all that He asks of us – to love Him with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. He’ll do the rest of the work – the "hard lifting."

    God answered Jeremiah’s fears by reassuring him that He would be with him. In Jeremiah 1:7-9, we see God explain to Jeremiah:

" 7 But the LORD said unto me, ‘Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. ⁸ Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee,’ saith the LORD. ⁹ Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, ‘Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.’"

    God then explains that Jeremiah’s ministry was to be so powerful, ("See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant."), that Jeremiah did not need to be someone with a smooth and large vocabulary. God would give him all the words he would need to speak. Words simple, but very powerful.

    Notice that God takes time to address the subject of Jeremiah's fears. Just as we would speak to a child, God answered each of Jeremiah’s fears like He answered all of Moses’ objections – that Moses was a nobody, that he had no "sign" to prove his bona fides, plus he was a stutterer, lacking any eloquence of speech. See Exodus Chs. 3 & 4:10 ("And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue."). But these fears do not matter. God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power! II Timothy 1:7 ("For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.").

    So, what do you fear? What is it that you place great value on? Living to a ripe old age? Staying safe in your home town, well out of danger? Or, do you dream of developing the ability to sway people with your great public speaking skills? Well, have you dreamed of placing great worth in knowing what God wants you to do – and then doing it? Remember, as you consider this dream in your life: do not be afraid. God said, "I am with you." Jeremiah 42:11 ("Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid; be not afraid of him, saith the LORD: for I am with you to save you, and to deliver you from his hand."); Haggai 1:13 ("Then spake Haggai the LORD’S messenger in the LORD’S message unto the people, saying, I am with you, saith the LORD."); Haggai 2:4 ("Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the LORD; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the LORD, and work: for I am with you, saith the LORD of hosts:"). God will never leave us nor forsake us. Hebrews 13:5-6 ("... for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. ⁶ So that we may boldly say, ‘The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.’").

    God is forever our rock and our refuge. Psalms 18:2 ("The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower."); Psalms 27:5 ("For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock."); Psalms 31:3 ("For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name’s sake lead me, and guide me."); Psalms 62:6 ("He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defense; I shall not be moved.").; Matthew 16:18 ("And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."); I Corinthians 10:4 ("And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.").

    Verse 19 of Jeremiah Chapter 1 concludes with God saying, "They shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee." It was a continuing comfort for Jeremiah to know that Yahweh, God, would protect His messenger. Do what they would do to avoid God’s Words, Jeremiah knew that he stood upon that rock of assurance as he declared God’s Word in times of extreme peril, and in times when it may have been to his advantage to modify God's words. Jeremiah was a faithful servant to God, as our Father wants us to be.

    We may or may not be called today to be prophets like Jeremiah, leaders like Moses, or rulers of men like Daniel and Solomon. But we are called to be faithful to God and His Word. And, God is still faithful to us. He will always rescue us against our foes, be they as mighty as a Pharaoh – or as pitiable as an irritating neighbor.