Psalm 16:2, My Tribute

My Shepherd met me in His green pastures and laid me down in Jeremiah. The Mind of the Spirit engaged the spirit of my mind in chapter one, verse 10:

Jeremiah 1:10 See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.

I have often reflected on Jeremiah’s call and have seen correspondence between his calling and ours.

Along the still waters, I pondered this correlation.

Jeremiah was set over the nations and over the kingdoms. Jesus is “prince of the kings of the earth” (Revelation 1:5), and seated at the right hand of Him Who rules over all the kingdoms of the world, and gives “the kingdom” to whom He chooses (Hebrews 1:3; Daniel 4:17, 25, 31-32, 34-35; see Matthew 21:43), Who has given to the “man Christ Jesus” (1 Tinmothy 2:5) “all power in heaven and in earth” (Matthew 28:18). And you are seated together with Him in the heavenlies (Ephesians 2:6), made “joint-heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:17), and by Him made kings and priests unto God (Revelation 1:6), and under His authority commanded to “teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things [He] has commanded” (Matthew 28:19). We are appointed His “holy nation,” His “peculiar people” called “out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9).

Jeremiah was called to root out (Luke 17:6; Mark 11:20), to pull down (2 Corinthians 10:4), to destroy (not men’s lives (Luke 9:56), but the works of the devil (1 John 3:8) by preaching the gospel that saves them (Mark 15:16; Romans 1:16), to throw down (Matthew 17:20; 21:21; see Jeremiah 51:24-25, see also Daniel 2:35), and to build and to plant (Matthew 16:18; 1 Corinthians 3:6; see the kingdom parable of the sower (Matthew 13:3-23).

Perhaps we should take notice of the fact that four of the six actions Jeremiah was called to engage are related to clearing the way for the last two: we need to root out, pull down, destroy, and throw down, in order to do the work of building and planting.

In the valley, shadowed by the Cross, Jesus made me understand that He accomplished all of Jeremiah’s call on the Cross (Colossians 2:13-15), and we are called to continue His work: “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23).

At the table, He anointed my head with His oil and mixed His sufficient grace into my cup, fortifying me against the day’s evil (2 Corinthians 12:9 and Matthew 6:34).

Goodness and mercy attended me as we walked after Jesus into the harvest.

Praying for revival! 🙏