Jeremiah 1:11-14 - You have seen correctly

1:11,12

The Lord now starts preparing Jeremiah. First He helps to assure Jeremiah that he is seeing correctly. So God shows him an almond tree and asks Jeremiah what he sees. Jeremiah says the branch of an almond tree, and God assures him that he has seen correctly. When we think we have heard from God most of us question whether we have heard correctly or not, and Jeremiah would be given words that went against what every one else was saying. “Everyone else” would include the king, religious leaders, other “prophets” and the people themselves. Jeremiah needed assurance that he was hearing correctly. An almond tree was not a random vision. In Hebrew “watching” sounds like the Hebrew for “almond tree”. God assures Jeremiah that He will make sure that His word is fulfilled, so Jeremiah will not look a complete fool.

1:13,14

Now we start to move into the heart of the matter. So God shows Jeremiah a vision of a boiling pot tilted towards the north. This represented a disaster coming upon the land from the north, and it would afflict all people. Jeremiah should be getting the idea that his message was not going to make him popular!