Jeremiah 1-3

Jeremiah was a young man from Anathoth serving as a priest when the Lord called him and set him aside to be God’s chosen instrument in prophesying against the nation of Judah. Judah had seen the fall of Israel after their centuries of wickedness and idolatry against the Lord as they both figuratively prostituted themselves with idols and literally prostituted themselves with cult prostitutes. They worshipped false gods on hilltops and under trees, as was the custom in the surrounding nations, rejecting the God who loved them, provided for them, and protected them. These idols were a “broken cistern,” promising life and refreshment, which in reality only came up empty.