Why are you naked part 2
Recap
It would be a message of both judgment and blessing to nations and kingdoms. God used two metaphors to describe Jeremiah’s mission (cf. 31:28 for a later use of the same two metaphors). Comparing Jeremiah to a farmer, God said he would uproot (announce judgment) and … plant (announce blessing). Comparing Jeremiah to an architect, God said he would tear down … destroy, and overthrow (pronounce judgment) and build (pronounce blessing).
1:11. God’s first confirming vision caused Jeremiah to see the branch of an almond tree. The Hebrew word for “almond tree” is šāqēḏ, from the word “to watch or to wake” (šāqaḏ). The almond tree was named the “awake tree” because in Palestine it is the first tree in the year to bud and bear fruit. Its blooms precede its leaves, as the tree bursts into blossom in late January.
1:12. The branch represented God who was watching to see that His word is fulfilled. God used a play on words to associate the almond branch with His activity. The word for “watching” is šōqēḏ, related to the Hebrew noun for “almond tree.” Jeremiah’s vision of the “awake tree” reminded him that God was awake and watching over His word to make sure it came to pass.
God’s second confirming vision caused Jeremiah to see a boiling pot. The pot was a large kettle that was evidently sitting on a fire because it was “boiling”, (lit., “blown upon,” nāp̱ûaḥ, indicating a wind or draft blowing on the fire to help bring the cauldron’s contents to a boil). The pot was tilting away from the north indicating that its contents were about to be spilled out toward the south.
1:14–16. The tilting pot represented disaster that will be poured out on those who live in Judah. The direction from which the pot was facing represented the peoples of the northern kingdoms whom God was summoning to punish the nation of Judah.
God charged Jeremiah to take up the challenge. Get yourself ready!