Before Kings, Before the Cross

1 The words of Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, one of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, 2 to whom the word of the Lord came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. 3 It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, and until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the captivity of Jerusalem in the fifth month.
Jeremiah 1:1-3
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Before Kings, Before the Cross
Jeremiah’s call is rooted in real history, real kings, real years, real political chaos. This anchors God’s Word firmly in time and place. The Lord does not speak in abstractions. He speaks into broken kingdoms, compromised worship, and anxious hearts. Jeremiah’s ministry begins before reform and ends in exile, reminding us that faithfulness does not guarantee visible success. Yet this is precisely where the cross comes into focus. Jeremiah’s words were often rejected, just as Christ Himself was rejected. God’s saving work is hidden under suffering, opposition, and apparent failure. The prophet’s tears anticipate the Man of Sorrows, who also preached repentance and bore rejection for the sake of God’s people. For us, Jeremiah is comfort. The same Lord who ruled over kings and empires rules our days. He still speaks, still calls, and still works salvation, most clearly not in earthly power, but in Christ crucified, where judgment and mercy meet for us.