Jeremiah 12 Commentary
Why, Why LORD
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KEY THOUGHT: Why are those happy who deal so treacherously? [Jeremiah 12:1b NKJV]
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Jeremiah 12 NKJV
Jeremiah’s Question
12 Righteous are You, O Lord, when I plead with You;
Yet let me talk with You about Your judgments.
Why does the way of the wicked prosper?
Why are those happy who deal so treacherously?
2 You have planted them, yes, they have taken root;
They grow, yes, they bear fruit.
You are near in their mouth
But far from their [a]mind.
3 But You, O Lord, know me;
You have seen me,
And You have tested my heart toward You.
Pull them out like sheep for the slaughter,
And prepare them for the day of slaughter.
4 How long will the land mourn,
And the herbs of every field wither?
The beasts and birds are consumed,
For the wickedness of those who dwell there,
Because they said, “He will not see our final end.”
The Lord Answers Jeremiah
5 “If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you,
Then how can you contend with horses?
And if in the land of peace,
In which you trusted, they wearied you,
Then how will you do in the [b]floodplain of the Jordan?
6 For even your brothers, the house of your father,
Even they have dealt treacherously with you;
Yes, they have called [c]a multitude after you.
Do not believe them,
Even though they speak [d]smooth words to you.
7 “I have forsaken My house, I have left My heritage;
I have given the dearly beloved of My soul into the hand of her enemies.
8 My heritage is to Me like a lion in the forest;
It cries out against Me;
Therefore I have hated it.
9 My [e]heritage is to Me like a speckled vulture;
The vultures all around are against her.
Come, assemble all the beasts of the field,
Bring them to devour!
10 “Many rulers[f] have destroyed My vineyard,
They have trodden My portion underfoot;
They have made My [g]pleasant portion a desolate wilderness.
11 They have made it desolate;
Desolate, it mourns to Me;
The whole land is made desolate,
Because no one takes it to heart.
12 The plunderers have come
On all the desolate heights in the wilderness,
For the sword of the Lord shall devour
From one end of the land to the other end of the land;
No flesh shall have peace.
13 They have sown wheat but reaped thorns;
They have [h]put themselves to pain but do not profit.
But be ashamed of your harvest
Because of the fierce anger of the Lord.”
14 Thus says the Lord: “Against all My evil neighbors who touch the inheritance which I have caused My people Israel to inherit—behold, I will pluck them out of their land and pluck out the house of Judah from among them. 15 Then it shall be, after I have plucked them out, that I will return and have compassion on them and bring them back, everyone to his heritage and everyone to his land. 16 And it shall be, if they will learn carefully the ways of My people, to swear by My name, ‘As the Lord lives,’ as they taught My people to swear by Baal, then they shall be established in the midst of My people. 17 But if they do not obey, I will utterly pluck up and destroy that nation,” says the Lord.
Footnotes
a. Jeremiah 12:2 Most secret parts, lit. kidneys
b. Jeremiah 12:5 Or thicket
c. Jeremiah 12:6 Or abundantly
d. Jeremiah 12:6 Lit. good
e. Jeremiah 12:9 inheritance
f. Jeremiah 12:10 Lit. shepherds or pastors
g. Jeremiah 12:10 desired portion of land
h. Jeremiah 12:13 Or strained
New King James Version (NKJV)
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Jeremiah 12 Commentary
Chapter 11 records for us a plot to kill Jeremiah at Anathoth. The LORD responded by promising to punish Anathoth. He would bring disaster on the people of Anathoth in the year of their punishment. The prophet had prayed and hoped to see the LORD’s vengeance on the plotters.
Yes, the LORD would punish Anathoth, but at His own pace – in the year of their punishment. Was the prophet unimpressed with the LORD’s answer? Well, who wouldn’t be?
“Vengeance is mine,” says the LORD. But who loves this scripture? Painfully fine, but won’t the LORD be mindful of time?
Facts first: The LORD is righteous; always right. Consequently, the timing of Anathoth’s punishment is also right. Another fact: The wicked prosper and live at ease. Then an important question follows fact Number 2: why? Won’t it contradict the justice system of the LORD? Jeremiah wants an answer.
Won’t it just be right that the wicked suffer instead of the righteous? We all think so; we are on the same page with our brother Jeremiah on this one!
God’s response is very interesting. How will you be called a champion without a competition? The statement repeats what the LORD said to the Apostle Paul: “My grace is sufficient for you.” You are good enough for it. Stop your complaining. Out and get going with the competition!
Or, I haven’t thrown you into the ring to fight against an opponent that you cannot defeat. You are in the victor’s corner, trained and managed by the LORD God Himself. In fact, I have prepared you for bigger opposition, and here you are wetting yourself against a very weak opponent! Out and get it done!
Again, we can remind ourselves of the words of the LORD to Joshua. “Be strong; be courageous. Be very strong.” Very strong!
The LORD God can always be this confident about the saint because the LORD has done a good job. He knows no weapon fashioned against His soldier would prosper!
Then the LORD mentions Jeremiah’s relatives. The prophet shouldn’t trust them.
“That is the situation with my children,” the LORD seems to imply. My own children have risen up against me. The LORD seems to want Jeremiah to have a simplified version of the LORD’s pain. What an honor!
Jeremiah’s experiences expand into a global situation. It becomes the battle of God against wickedness. All of Israel’s wicked neighbors will have their own day before the Creator God. It becomes a picture of the Body of Christ against the wicked world. In the day of their punishment, the LORD will avenge Himself.
But there is still hope for an individual and the nations. Can they learn the ways of the LORD’s people?
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