エレミヤ書1:4-10　Jeremiah 1:4-10,

This year is 2025 AD. This means that it is the 2025th year since Jesus was born into the world. Then, do you know how to count the years before Jesus was born into the world? It is called “Before Christ.” “Before Christ” means how many years before the year Jesus was born. For example, 1000 years before the year Jesus was born is called “1000 BC.”

Around 1000 BC, Israel, which was ruled by King David, was a very powerful country. However, after the death of King Solomon, the son of King David, the country of Israel was split into two countries, the northern and southern kingdoms. The northern kingdom was destroyed by the Assyrian Empire in 722 BC. The southern kingdom was called the Kingdom of Judah, and it continued to exist even after the northern kingdom was destroyed. However, the Kingdom of Judah was also destroyed by God’s judgment because the kings and the people were doing bad things that went against God’s teachings. God used a strong country called the Babylonian Empire, which had also destroyed the Assyrian Empire, to destroy the Kingdom of Judah. It was in 587 BC that Babylonian Empire destroyed the Kingdom of Judah.

In 627 BC, 40 years before the fall of the Kingdom of Judah, God made a young man called Jeremiah a prophet to deliver God’s words. And as we read verses 9 and 10, in today’s Bible passage, God said to Jeremiah, “See, I put my words into your mouth. This day I give you authority over nations and kingdoms to uproot and to pull down, to destroy and to demolish, to build and to plant” (REB). Jeremiah had to tell the people the words he had received from God. And the words he had received from God were terrible: that his own country, the Kingdom of Judah, would be destroyed by God’s judgment. It is not something that an ordinary person would say. If he/she said such a thing, he/she might be persecuted and killed by the people around him/her. However, Jeremiah had been given authority by God “to uproot and to pull down, to destroy and to demolish,” so he boldly prophesied that the Kingdom of Judah would be destroyed by the Babylonian Empire because it had disobeyed God’s teachings. And as the prophecy foretold, the Kingdom of Judah and the city of Jerusalem were destroyed and the main people in Jerusalem were taken away to the Babylonian Empire.

However, Jeremiah had also been given authority from God “to build and to plant.” Therefore, he also prophesied that God would save the people taken away to the Babylonian Empire, and that they would one day be able to return to Jerusalem. In addition to this, he also prophesied about something wonderful: that one day God would make a new covenant with the people, forgiving their sins and giving them a heart to follow God’s teachings. This is called the “new covenant” prophecy. Jeremiah told this “new covenant” prophecy at a time when the destruction of the city of Jerusalem by the Babylonian army was imminent. This prophecy of the “new covenant” was fulfilled by Jesus. When Jesus was born into the world and died on the cross to atone the sins of humanity, those who believe in him can receive forgiveness of their sins. But that’s not all. After dying on the cross and rising again, Jesus ascended into heaven and sent the Holy Spirit from heaven to enable people to have hearts that follow God’s teachings. Jeremiah spoke of God’s judgement and salvation with authority.