Just a couple more comments on Jeremiah 1 before I begin to head into the next chapter.
The whole issue of Jeremiah’s call resonates closely with me at the moment because the subject of the call of God is a major aspect of my personal studies and my teaching. I know I have to be careful not to read into one passage of Scripture what I am considering elsewhere, but neither should I ignore valid connections.
What strike me here is, first, Jeremiah’s reluctant response to God’s sovereign call. This is, I am sure, very different from Moses’ more strident objections (Exodus 3), and more like Isaiah’s hesitation (Isaiah 6) based on his sense of unworthiness and sinfulness. Jeremiah’s concerns seem to be grounded in his awareness of his youth and inexperience; neither of which are problems to the God who calls, for with the call always comes competency. Or, as Wright puts it, “What mattered was not Jeremiah’s confidence (or lack of it), but God’s command.”
What fascinates me is that the normal response when God calls someone is a sense of hesitation and reluctance. You never read of someone’s response being along the lines of ‘Absolutely! I wondered when you would get round to calling me.”
When I was in mission leadership I was more persuaded of God’s hand on a potential candidate when they said something like, ‘I’ve been resisting this sense of call for several years but can’t resist any longer’, than the person who is brimming with confidence and certainty.