Jacqui: 0:12

Greetings listeners. Can you imagine trying to warn someone you love, pleading with them to change, only to have them look you in the eye and ignore everything you said? Or follow God, only to feel lonely, misunderstood or even rejected? That was Jeremiah's life. For over 50 years he spoke God's words to people who didn't want to hear them. He was mocked, threatened, thrown in a pit, and still he stayed faithful. But Jeremiah didn't just carry his own pain. He carried the sovereign God's heartbreak too. Today we'll get to know Jeremiah the man. Next time we'll open the book of Jeremiah and trace the message he carried, one filled with warnings, images and unexpected hope. Well, welcome everyone.

Jacqui: 1:17

I'm your host, Jacqui Adewole, and this is the Bible Basics Podcast, where each week we break down the basics of the Bible into understandable, bite-sized chunks. Today we're stepping into the story of Jeremiah not just the book, but the man, a prophet, often called the weeping prophet, but don't let that title fool you. Yes, he wept, but not out of weakness. He was resilient, fiercely obedient and deeply burdened by the grief of his God over a people who refused to listen. Through Jeremiah, we get a rare glimpse of what it means to carry not just God's message but God's heart, even when it costs you everything. So let's set the scene, starting with the world Jeremiah lived in. He served as a prophet for more than 50 years, from about 627 to 570 BC. That's five decades of delivering a message that almost no one wanted to hear. The northern kingdom of Israel had already fallen to Assyria a hundred years earlier. We see that in 2 Kings 17. Now Judah was cracking under the pressure. Babylon was rising fast and God sent Jeremiah to say Judah, you're next, unless you turn back. Jeremiah lived through the reigns of the final kings of Judah. There was Josiah, the last good king, Jehoahaz, Jehoakim, Jehoachin and finally Zedekiah, who ruled when Jerusalem fell in 586 BC. He wasn't alone. Prophets like Zephaniah and Habakkuk also spoke during this time, but Jeremiah's voice carried a special weight because he didn't just speak for God. His grief mirrored the sovereign God's own. So how did Jeremiah become a prophet? Let's talk about his calling.

Jacqui: 3:43

Jeremiah came from a priestly family in Anathoth, just outside Jerusalem. We see that in the very first verse of the book of Jeremiah, when God called him, it was personal. He said in chapter 1, verse 5,. Said in chapter 1, verse 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.

Jacqui: 4:19

But Jeremiah didn't feel ready. He replied alas, sovereign Lord, I do not know how to speak, I am too young. That's in chapter 1, verse 6. And God responded in verse 8, with both comfort and a challenge Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you. Then God touched Jeremiah's mouth and said I have put my words in your mouth to uproot and to tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant. That's in chapter 1, verses 9 and 10. Now you hear those six verbs, action words, four of judgment, that's the uproot, tear down, destroy and overthrow, and two of hope, to build and to plant.

Jacqui: 5:20

So you see, from the very beginning, jeremiah's mission was to speak hard truths, not to harm but to prepare the way for healing. Harm but to prepare the way for healing. And those words, they didn't sit quietly in him. In chapter 20, verse 9, we hear Jeremiah say his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in. Indeed, I cannot. God didn't just give Jeremiah a message, he gave him a burden. He couldn't keep it in, even when it cost him everything. Jeremiah's life wasn't just hard, it was heartbreaking. He was beaten by a temple official. That's in chapter 20, verse 1 and 2. Plotted against by his own townspeople we see that in chapter 11, verses 18 and 19. He was imprisoned. That's in chapter 37, 13 through 16. And he was thrown into a muddy cistern, left to die. That's in chapter 38, verse 6. And we see in chapter 43, 6 and 7,. He was dragged to Egypt against his will, the very place he warned them not to go.

Jacqui: 6:49

One of the most dramatic moments comes in Jeremiah 36. Jeremiah dictates God's words to his scribe, baruch, who reads the scroll aloud to the people. The scroll reaches King Jehoiakim, and what does he do? He cuts it up and burns it piece by piece in his fireplace. But God tells Jeremiah write it again. So he did. And even more was added. That's in chapter 36, verse 32. You can burn the scroll, but you can't silence God's voice. Also, god commands Jeremiah not to marry nor have children. That's in chapter 16, verse 2. And that was since judgment was coming soon and many parents and children in Judah would die. So there was no comfort for Jeremiah no community, no earthly reward. At one point Jeremiah breaks down and says curse be the day I was born. That's chapter 20, verse 14. He even tries to quit, but that fire in his bones he couldn't walk away.

Jacqui: 8:16

Before we move on, let's pause and recognize something essential to Jeremiah's story. That's the lament. Because for Jeremiah, lament wasn't just something he talked about, it was how he prayed. It was the language of his pain, his loneliness, his confusion and his faith. A lament is a holy complaint, an honest cry brought before God. It's how faithful people grieve with God, not apart from him. And Jeremiah's laments might include these features. A complaint like this isn't right or questions why God. It may include a petition Please do something. And sometimes expressions of trust, but I'll still praise you. These laments aren't polished, they aren't tidy, but they're real and they come from a heart that still believes God is listening. It's how faithful people grieve with God, not apart from him.

Jacqui: 9:34

Jeremiah gives us five major laments in his book. These aren't polished prayers. They're raw cries of a prophet who feels everything God feels. And we see those in Jeremiah chapter 11, chapter 12, chapter 15, chapter 17, and chapter 20. Jeremiah cared so deeply that he longed for the relief of flooding tears. He says in chapter 9, verse 1, oh, that my head were a spring of water and my eyes a fountain of tears. And in chapter 12, he dares to ask God why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless lie at ease? God responds if you've raced with men and they've worn you out, how can you compete with horses? That's chapter 12, verse 5. And the translation? It's going to get harder, the testings are going to get tougher, but I'm still with you. So Jeremiah's laments didn't disqualify him. They deepened his calling.

Jacqui: 10:56

So what can we take away from the life of Jeremiah? The truth is, following Jesus doesn't come with guarantees of comfort or applause. It costs you something. Sometimes it feels lonely, sometimes you speak and no one listens. But like Jeremiah, we're called to see the world as God sees it, to grieve what grieves him and to speak his truth even when it's hard.

Jacqui: 11:29

Jeremiah stayed true to his calling to deliver God's word, willing even when it came with tears, doubts and deep personal costs. And what marked his success? A heart that stayed open to God even when everything else fell apart. So, as we follow Jesus in our own lives, may we be people who speak truth with courage, grieve what is broken and stay rooted in our calling, come what may, because God is still looking for hearts like Jeremiah's. So we've covered the prophets. Next week, we're going to explore the book of Jeremiah itself, because beyond the man is a message from God, one full of judgment, yes, but also of vivid imagery, promises of restoration and a glimpse of a coming king. You'll see why this book, though heavy, is also filled with hope. And hey, if this episode gave you a fresh way to see Jeremiah, would you share it with someone you never know, who might need to hear that their obedience still matters. Until then, keep reading, keep seeking and keep growing in your faith.