JEREMIAH 1:5—Is Jeremiah teaching reincarnation in this verse (New Age)? Is Jeremiah teaching that people preexist as spirit-children before taking on physical bodies (Mormon)? MISINTERPRETATION: God informed Jeremiah... Jeremiah 1:5 (5) I knew you before I formed you in the womb; I set you apart for me before you were born; I appointed you to be a prophet to the nations. New Agers think this verse supports the doctrine of reincarnation since Jeremiah preexisted as a soul before he was incarnated into a body. Mormons think the verse proves their doctrine of preexistence, the idea that we all lived in the spirit world before we were born in the flesh. CORRECTING THE MISINTERPRETATION: This verse does not speak of reincarnation or of the soul preexisting before birth. Jeremiah was chosen and commissioned for prophetic office even before God formed him in his mothers womb. Though there are a number of biblical and extrabiblical examples that betray certain similarities, we suggest that Jeremiahs situation is indeed unique. Biblical prophets such as Moses and Samuel were marked for leadership functions from the time of their birth. In a sense one can say that they were called while in the womb. The closest biblical example to Jeremiahs situation is the apostle Paul, who said God... Galatians 1:15-17 (15) ...set me apart before I was born and who called me by his grace, was pleased (16) to reveal his Son to me so that I might proclaim him among the gentiles, I did not confer with another human being at any time, (17) nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before me. Instead, I went away to Arabia and then came back to Damascus. There are writings from Egypt and Mesopotamia that exhibit similar ideas and concepts. The Egyptian god Amun said of Pianchi, a pharaoh of the 25th Dynasty (8th century b.c.): It was in the belly of your mother that I said concerning you that you were to be ruler of Egypt; it was as seed and while you were in the egg, that I knew you, that I knew you were to be Lord. In addition, in Ashurbanipals self-description as king of Assyria he states that the gods made him king over Assyria when they formed him in his mothers womb. A 6th century text from Babylonia known as The Sippar Cylinder of Nabonidus records the following claim made by King Nabonidus (556–539 b.c.) of the Neo-Babylonian empire: I, Nabonidus, the great king, the strong king, the king of the universe, the king of Babylon, the king of the four corners, the caretaker of Esagil and Ezida, for whom Sîn and Ningal in his mothers womb decreed a royal fate as his destiny, the son of Nabû-balāssu-iqbi, the wise prince, the worshiper of the great gods. These and other similar examples demonstrate that the idea of a deity electing a person before birth was common in the ancient Near East. What is unique in Jeremiahs case is that the choosing by God is said to have taken place even before being conceived in the mothers womb. Observe the four actions of God towards Jeremiah: 1. God knew 2. God formed 3. God consecrated 4. God appointed It was indeed encouraging for Jeremiah to know that God had specifically equipped him to carry out his commission. The knowing was not mere cognition but a sense of relationship (Amos 3:2) and approval (Psalm 1:6). Jeremiahs consecration was his being set apart for a definite spiritual purpose. Here is a biblical coupling of Gods foreknowledge and his sanctifying his servant. The emphasis is on the divine initiative and sovereign choice. In this respect Jeremiah was appointed a prophet for a world-wide ministry.
Posted on: Mon, 22 Dec 2014 11:45:51 +0000
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