Jeremiah 1 - 3

Jeremiah, the son of a priest, was a prophet of God during the reigns of Josiah to Zedekiah (when Judah was carried into captivity by the Babylonians).  God had plans for Jeremiah well before Jeremiah was even born.  He made His prophet to be what He intended, so that the message would be delivered exactly as God designed it to be.  God spoke to Jeremiah through object lessons to communicate His messages in simple terms - a budding branch and a boiling pot.  These (as interpreted by God) were a message against the nation that they had abandoned Him and questioned His goodness.  Even though God had done great things for His people, they charged Him with cruelty.  God, to demonstrate His great love for His people, allowed them to suffer the consequences of their wrong decisions.  His desire was that they come to the point of agreement with Him - that His way and rule IS best.  The nation had been adulterous in their treatment of God, yet He called them to repent.  If they would return, He would again shower them with evidences of His love and blessing.