What is the hardest job in the world? Brain surgeon? Stuntman? Spy? Prison guard? Alaskan crab fisherman? Those are all hard jobs. Being called by God to serve as a prophet was really hard too. Prophets had the best job when Israel was obeying God, because the people loved their words of encouragement and blessing. But when Israel was not obeying God, the prophets had to rebuke and warn—which the people hated.

Of all the prophets, no one had a harder job than Jeremiah. Israel was called to be a holy nation and a royal priesthood. That means they were to think and act differently than the nations around them. But in Jeremiah’s day, instead of living like special people following God’s special commands, they lived just like people who didn’t know the true and living God. They worshiped fake gods that they carved out of wood or stone! They mistreated the poor and needy! They lied, to others and to God. And worst of all, they thought it didn’t matter because they were “God’s people” and had “God’s temple.” Jeremiah’s job was to speak God’s judgments against them “for all their evil in forsaking” him (Jer. 1:16). One day, God showed Jeremiah a vision of his coming judgment. In this vision there was a boiling pot, which represented the Babylonians, their enemies. That pot was about to be pushed over and everything in its path destroyed. God gave this vision so Jeremiah could warn the people that the Babylonians were coming to destroy the Israelites’ homes in Jerusalem. He said that God would judge Jerusalem for two years by punishing them through the Babylonians—they would burn the beautiful temple and knock down the strong city walls.

This message was not well received, nor were others like it. Jeremiah was treated very badly. No one liked him. No one listened. It made Jeremiah sad! He was so sad that he was called the weeping prophet. But he should also be called the faithful prophet. What kept Jeremiah going was God’s calling. Before he was even born, God made him “a prophet to the nations” (1:5). When Jeremiah was a boy, he was afraid and told God, “I do not know how to speak” (1:6), God comforted and reassured him by saying, “Do not be afraid. I will tell you what to say, protect you, and deliver you from those who fight against you” (see 1:8–9, 19). God kept his word—as he always does. And Jeremiah kept preaching the hard message of God’s judgment.