Jeremiah 1:11-16 - Homilies By S. Conway

Jeremiah's visions.

I. WHAT WERE THEY ? (Cf. verses 12-14.)

II. WHEREFORE WERE THEY ? In all probability, for the sake of vividly impressing the mind of the prophet with the message he was to deliver, and so ensuring that that message should be delivered with greater power. Hence the question, "What seest thou?" (verse 11) was designed to arouse and arrest his attention, and for the same reason, when that attention had been awakened, the Divine commendation, "Thou hast well seen," is given. Cf. for similar questions and similar visions, verse 13; Jeremiah 24:3 ; Amos 7:8 ; Amos 8:2 ; Zechariah 4:2 ; Zechariah 5:2 , and in each case the motive seems to have been the same.

III. THEIR SUGGESTIONS FOR OURSELVES .

1. Concerning God ' s punishment of sin .

2. Concerning the Divine love . We have seen wherefore these visions were given. They reveal to us that Divine love which would warn men from ways which bring upon them such sore judgments. The desire of God to save guilty men, to leave nothing undone by which they may be turned and kept back from evil, is manifest in all this. He would not have his message miss its mark by reason of any lack of deep impression and vivid realization of the truth on the part of the messenger.—C.