God's response to Jeremiah's objection is direct and authoritative: 'Say not, I am a child.' The Hebrew construction is emphatic—an absolute prohibition against the self-disqualifying excuse. God doesn't validate Jeremiah's felt inadequacy or suggest he gain more experience first; He simply forbids the objection. The command that follows establishes the principle of prophetic ministry: 'for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.' The prophet's responsibility is obedience, not evaluating whether he feels qualified. The verb 'go' (halak, הָלַךְ) indicates movement, initiative, mission—prophets must actively pursue their divinely appointed audiences. 'All that I shall send thee' emphasizes comprehensive obedience without selecting comfortable audiences or convenient messages. The phrase 'whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak' establishes that prophetic proclamation is divine message delivery, not personal opinion. The prophet must speak exactly what God commands—no additions, subtractions, or modifications based on audience response or personal preference. This defines biblical prophecy as revelatory (God reveals what to say) and obligatory (the prophet must say it).
Historical Context
This verse establishes the prophetic office's nature: complete obedience to divine commission regardless of personal feelings, audience hostility, or message difficulty. Throughout his ministry, Jeremiah demonstrated this principle—he prophesied unpopular messages (submit to Babylon), confronted powerful audiences (kings, priests, false prophets), and persevered despite persecution (beaten, imprisoned, thrown in cistern, rejected by family). Later, when tempted to quit because of opposition, Jeremiah testified that God's word became 'a burning fire shut up in my bones' he could not contain (Jeremiah 20:9). The New Testament applies this principle to all Christian witness—we are ambassadors delivering Christ's message, not our own (2 Corinthians 5:20). The authority of Scripture itself depends on this prophetic pattern: biblical authors wrote not their private interpretations but what the Spirit moved them to record (2 Peter 1:20-21).
Questions for Reflection
How does God's command to Jeremiah challenge our tendency to let feelings of inadequacy excuse us from obedience to clear callings?
What does the requirement to speak 'whatsoever I command thee' teach about faithful Christian witness versus tailoring messages for audience acceptance?
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Analysis & Commentary
God's response to Jeremiah's objection is direct and authoritative: 'Say not, I am a child.' The Hebrew construction is emphatic—an absolute prohibition against the self-disqualifying excuse. God doesn't validate Jeremiah's felt inadequacy or suggest he gain more experience first; He simply forbids the objection. The command that follows establishes the principle of prophetic ministry: 'for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.' The prophet's responsibility is obedience, not evaluating whether he feels qualified. The verb 'go' (halak, הָלַךְ) indicates movement, initiative, mission—prophets must actively pursue their divinely appointed audiences. 'All that I shall send thee' emphasizes comprehensive obedience without selecting comfortable audiences or convenient messages. The phrase 'whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak' establishes that prophetic proclamation is divine message delivery, not personal opinion. The prophet must speak exactly what God commands—no additions, subtractions, or modifications based on audience response or personal preference. This defines biblical prophecy as revelatory (God reveals what to say) and obligatory (the prophet must say it).