The word of the Lord came to me saying,
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born I consecrated you;
I appointed you a prophet to the nations."
Then I said, "Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy." But the Lord said to me,
"Do not say, 'I am only a boy';
for you shall go to all to whom I send you,
and you shall speak whatever I command you,
Do not be afraid of them,
for I am with you to deliver you,
says the Lord."
Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth; and the Lord said to me,
"Now I have put my words in your mouth.
See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms,
to pluck up and to pull down,
to destroy and to overthrow,
to build and to plant."
I am surprised by the ease of recognition the characters of the Bible have when God speaks to them. I usually imagine God’s word to be audible, though maybe internal; a whisper barely perceivable but when it speaks it dominates all thought. The Lord’s words to Jeremiah here seem especially intimate, and also threatening. This voice breaking through the silence tells Jeremiah that he was known even before his existence, that he is merely the personification of the thought of the maker. He is not an independent being, but a tool to be used. Which makes Jeremiah’s protest comical; age and ability matter not to God. God can simply imagine whatever he wants and thus you shall be. So God imagines the words and gives them to Jeremiah, warning him that the words come with immense power - responsibility over nations, the ability to destroy and create.
I would not want this responsibility. I once thought that receiving direct communication from God would be a good thing, a confirmation that he is present with me, participates in my life. The words he would speak to me would also, obviously, guarantee that I had also been on God’s mind since eternity. Even better, that I am an extension of God’s own imagination. There is no way I would ever be separated from him, find myself confined to hell. There is no destination for those who hear except to return to their source. This is a conceited, individualistic understanding of how God’s voice works. There is nothing approaching personal comfort for Jeremiah when he hears God’s voice or when God gives him the Word. I am sure Jeremiah felt instead panic, dread, an immense weight of responsibility that threatened to crush him beneath its weight. Naturally, he tries to avoid association with God; but he is the creature, created to serve the purpose designated for him. So he will carry the Word.
I have not heard God’s voice in some time. I consider myself fortunate. I wonder if I would be able to recognize God’s voice? I wonder if I would understand that receiving God’s word can be an immense burden and not some conceited conformation of self-righteousness? Supposedly I am made in the image of God, that is enough for me. I would not also want to speak God’s words.