Jeremiah - Lesson 12

• Chapters 1-6 The foundation of this book is established by the LORD’s calling of Jeremiah as a prophet to Judah in the final days of that kingdom. The LORD’s people, Israel and Judah, had rejected their God by worshipping false gods without repentance. The LORD is sending a nation from the North as judgment, but not for the complete destruction of His people.

  • Chapter 7 Preaching from a gate at the temple in Jerusalem, Jeremiah calls out the impending destruction of the temple and the city like that which was done at Shiloh. The temple’s existence is not going to save Jerusalem from the judgment to be sent because of the people’s worship of foreign gods and their disregard for the protection of the needy.

  • Chapter 8 When judgment comes on Jerusalem it will be the apostate Jews who will turn to their worship of false gods leading the way to destruction, instructed by the spiritual leaders of the day. The LORD is saddened by the necessity of discipline in Jeremiah’s day in the same way He was when a similar situation unfolds in the time of Christ.

  • Chapter 9 The LORD again declares sadness in disciplining His people who are filled with lying and slander against each other and the LORD. They worship the Baals and forsake the LORD.

  • Chapter 10 The LORD’s people are not to worship or fear signs in the heavens or idols made from the created world. The LORD God, who is the Creator, is the only God to be worshipped.

  • Chapter 11 The LORD’s people have willingly violated their covenant with Him, specifically including the worshipping of other gods continually, and now it is His will to bring the consequences to bear on His people. Some people desire to silence the LORD’s prophet.

Jer. 12:1 Righteous are You, O LORD, that I would plead my case with You;
Indeed I would discuss matters of justice with You:
Why has the way of the wicked prospered?
Why are all those who deal in treachery at ease?
Jer. 12:2 You have planted them, they have also taken root;
They grow, they have even produced fruit.
You are near to their lips
But far from their mind.
Jer. 12:3 But You know me, O LORD;
You see me;
And You examine my heart’s attitude toward You.
Drag them off like sheep for the slaughter
And set them apart for a day of carnage!
Jer. 12:4 How long is the land to mourn
And the vegetation of the countryside to wither?
For the wickedness of those who dwell in it,
Animals and birds have been snatched away,
Because men have said, “He will not see our latter ending.”
Jer. 12:5 “If you have run with footmen and they have tired you out,
Then how can you compete with horses?
If you fall down in a land of peace,
How will you do in the thicket of the Jordan?
Jer. 12:6 “For even your brothers and the household of your father,
Even they have dealt treacherously with you,
Even they have cried aloud after you.
Do not believe them, although they may say nice things to you.”

• Verse 1 Jeremiah speaks out to the LORD declaring Him to be the righteous One.

  • The LORD being righteous is why Jeremiah brings his case before Him.

  • It is the righteousness of the LORD Jeremiah appeals to in seeking justice.

  • Jeremiah brings his questions before the LORD.

    • The first question Jeremiah brings to the LORD is, “Why does it seem the wicked prosper?”

    • The second question is, “Why do these wicked live a life of ease?”

  • These are questions that continue to come to mind for those of all generations.

  • These are similar to the questions Job had for the LORD.

• The counselors of Job had contended that what had happened to him had to be because he was wicked in some way before the LORD, because bad things like what was occurring in Job’s life only happen to the wicked.

  • Job puts forth his response to that theory.

Job 21:7  “Why do the wicked still live,
Continue on, also become very powerful?
Job 21:8  “Their descendants are established with them in their sight,
And their offspring before their eyes,
Job 21:9  Their houses are safe from fear,
And the rod of God is not on them.
Job 21:10  “His ox mates without fail;
His cow calves and does not abort.
Job 21:11  “They send forth their little ones like the flock,
And their children skip about.
Job 21:12  “They sing to the timbrel and harp
And rejoice at the sound of the flute.
Job 21:13  “They spend their days in prosperity,
And suddenly they go down to Sheol.

• Verse 7 Job contends if Zophar, one of the counselors, is correct then why are any wicked left living and in positions of power?

  • Verse 8 These wicked get to live to see their children grow up and established in the communities.

  • Verse 9 These wicked live in their houses with no fear as Zophar had declared was not true in Job’s life, and asserted it was because he was in fact wicked.

  • Verse 10-11 The wicked men’s wealth continues to grow in expanded livestock and their children grow in number as well. Every blessing appears to have been poured out on them.

  • Verse 12 They engage in the celebrations and experience a life in prosperity and then they just die and move to the afterlife, in Sheol, with no appearance of judgment taking place on them.

• Job is declaring this is what these men knew to be true if they looked around them at the evidence. This is what has been true throughout history.

  • This prosperity is granted to men who publicly do not worship God.

Job 21:14  “They say to God, ‘Depart from us!
We do not even desire the knowledge of Your ways.
Job 21:15  ‘Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him,
And what would we gain if we entreat Him?’
Job 21:16  “Behold, their prosperity is not in their hand;
The counsel of the wicked is far from me.
Job 21:17 “How often is the lamp of the wicked put out,
Or does their calamity fall on them?
Does God apportion destruction in His anger?
Job 21:18  “Are they as straw before the wind,
And like chaff which the storm carries away?

• Verse 14-15 These men tell God to leave them alone and they do not even pretend to desire to know His ways. They mock the thought of a God Whom they should serve, and to what benefit it would bring to them.

  • This is what Satan said was true of Job; he only worshipped God for the blessings God poured out on him.

Job 1:10 “Have You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.
Job 1:11 “But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse You to Your face.”

• Job. 21:16 Their prosperity is not from their own hands and is only given by the LORD.

  • Job says he does not listen to their counsel to be like them or have what they have.

• Verse 17 Job asks a rhetorical question, demonstrating there is not often a witness of destruction falling on the wicked in the form of their life being taken or great calamity falling on them.

  • Secondly, when this does happen it is not out of God’s responding in anger.

• Verse 18 Job questions if the wicked appear to be frail and then carried away because of judgment. This is a rhetorical question, and the obvious answer is ‘no’, that is not how they appear.

  • These are all questions Job has for Zophar, as the conclusions he made do not hold up to scrutiny in the world in which they live. Job continues.

Job 21:19 “You say, ‘God stores away a man’s iniquity for his sons.’
Let God repay him so that he may know it.
Job 21:20 “Let his own eyes see his decay,
And let him drink of the wrath of the Almighty.
Job 21:21 “For what does he care for his household after him,
When the number of his months is cut off?
Job 21:22 “Can anyone teach God knowledge,
In that He judges those on high?
Job 21:23 “One dies in his full strength,
Being wholly at ease and satisfied;
Job 21:24 His sides are filled out with fat,
And the marrow of his bones is moist,
Job 21:25 While another dies with a bitter soul,
Never even tasting anything good.
Job 21:26 “Together they lie down in the dust,
And worms cover them.

• Verse 19 You contend God pours out wrath on the sons of the wicked and they are to carry the burden to make things right before God for the wicked men, but God should bring judgement on the wicked man, so he knows what the judgement is for.

  • Verse 20 The wicked man should see the judgement poured out on his body and experience the full might of God’s judgement.

  • Verse 21 The wicked man does not have concern for those who come after him as he approaches his end.

  • Verse 22 Job asks if his counselors are to inform God about who He should judge from the high and mighty men.

  • Verse 23-24 There are many wicked men who live out their lives in complete ease, bodies fat with plenty and no disease.

  • Verse 25-26 Yet there are also plenty of men who do not experience a good life nor ever get to enjoy the delicacies of life and yet they both experience death and decay the same way.

    • The question left to consider is, ‘Where is the justice?’

    • This is what Job has declared from the beginning.

  • Like Job and Jeremiah, Habakuk also had this question for the LORD.

Hab. 1:1 The oracle which Habakkuk the prophet saw.
Hab. 1:2 How long, O LORD, will I call for help,
And You will not hear?
I cry out to You, “Violence!”
Yet You do not save.
Hab. 1:3 Why do You make me see iniquity,
And cause me to look on wickedness?
Yes, destruction and violence are before me;
Strife exists and contention arises.
Hab. 1:4 Therefore the law is ignored
And justice is never upheld.
For the wicked surround the righteous;
Therefore justice comes out perverted.

• Verse 2 Habakkuk asks the LORD how long he will need to cry out for help against the violence he sees, as it appears the LORD is not responding.

  • Verse 3 Habakkuk wonders why he must witness the iniquity, wickedness, destruction and violence, where strife and contention live on and increase.

  • Verse 4 It is clear the law is ignored and therefore there is no justice.

    • The wicked surround the righteous, meaning the wicked encompass the righteous, they control the righteous.

    • Because it is the wicked in control, the outcome is the opposite of justice.

    • The righteous are not treated fairly.

  • Solomon posed similar questions in Ecclesiastes.

Eccl. 3:16 Furthermore, I have seen under the sun that in the place of justice there is wickedness and in the place of righteousness there is wickedness.
Eccl. 3:17 I said to myself, “God will judge both the righteous man and the wicked man,” for a time for every matter and for every deed is there.

• There is a purpose in God’s plan for what is wicked, both in future judgment of those, as well as in supporting God’s plan for the present circumstances, in every event on earth. God uses the acts of the wicked to continually bring about His ultimate purposes.

  • Eccl. 8:14 There is futility which is done on the earth, that is, there are righteous men to whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked. On the other hand, there are evil men to whom it happens according to the deeds of the righteous. I say that this too is futility.

  • The reality on earth is that those who are righteous will have unfair and wicked things happen to them just like there are evil men who will receive what appears good and seems like it should be given to righteous men. It is futile to try and figure it out from the earthly perspective.

Eccl. 12:13 The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.
Eccl. 12:14 For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.

• The conclusion from Solomon is there will be justice handed out in the end. We wait for the eternal balance to be applied.

  • Jer. 12:2 Jeremiah speaks to the LORD saying he knows the LORD put these people doing wicked things in a place where their wickedness has taken root. It has been established.

    • They have, at some time, even produced fruit.

  • Jeremiah says the LORD is near to their lips, meaning they speak the Word of God; however, He is far away from their minds.

  • They speak words about the LORD, but they do not know Him.

• Verse 3 Jeremiah says the LORD knows him, He sees him, and He has examined his heart towards Him.

  • Jeremiah’s desire is for the LORD to drag these men, who desire to kill him, off like sheep being led to slaughter.

  • An interesting comparison can be seen in Jer. 11:19

Jer. 11:19 But I was like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter;
And I did not know that they had devised plots against me, saying,

• As Jeremiah says he was like a gentle lamb led to slaughter, these men are sheep that should be dragged off to slaughter.

  • There is a difference between a gentle lamb and a full-grown sheep.

  • The lamb has no idea what is happening, whereas the sheep might have some desire to avoid going where others do not return.

• Jer. 12:3 Jeremiah says let them experience a day of carnage.

  • Jeremiah would like these men to be set apart for this destruction.

  • It may be that Jeremiah has no desire for others to suffer because of what these men have done.

    • Jeremiah says to the LORD He knows his heart.

• Verse 4 The LORD does not make it known to Jeremiah how long the destruction will last that He is going to bring; the destruction brought on those who did not think the LORD would bring destruction while they were around to see it.

  • They contend the prophesy Jeremiah was bringing was not going to happen in their day.

  • The LORD had not clarified exactly when the destruction would come or how long it would last.

• Verse 5 The LORD speaks of the difference between the threats being posed now at Anathoth as footmen, compared to what is still to come as horses.

  • The LORD is giving Jeremiah a warning that things are going to get worse than these enemies are bringing on him.

    • The strength of the footmen is less than the power of the horses.

  • The same is true for the picture the LORD uses of falling in the protected land of peace versus the much rougher terrain of the thicket of the Jordan.

  • Jeremiah needs to be ready as things will get worse for him as the judgment begins to fall on the leaders and the people.

    • This is prophetic in nature from the LORD to Jeremiah.

• Verse 6 The treachery brought on Jeremiah has come from his own brothers and the household of his father; they are his kinsmen.

  • The LORD reminds Jeremiah the wicked he is asking the LORD to deal with are his kinsmen and they have cried out for his death.

  • They may try to convince Jeremiah it is not them or they are not involved, but the LORD says do not believe them.

    • Do not be fooled by nice things they may say to Jeremiah’s face.

Jer. 12:7 “I have forsaken My house,
I have abandoned My inheritance;
I have given the beloved of My soul
Into the hand of her enemies.
Jer. 12:8 “My inheritance has become to Me
Like a lion in the forest;
She has roared against Me;
Therefore I have come to hate her.
Jer. 12:9 “Is My inheritance like a speckled bird of prey to Me?
Are the birds of prey against her on every side?
Go, gather all the beasts of the field,
Bring them to devour!
Jer. 12:10 “Many shepherds have ruined My vineyard,
They have trampled down My field;
They have made My pleasant field
A desolate wilderness.
Jer. 12:11 “It has been made a desolation,
Desolate, it mourns before Me;
The whole land has been made desolate,
Because no man lays it to heart.
Jer. 12:12 “On all the bare heights in the wilderness
Destroyers have come,
For a sword of the LORD is devouring
From one end of the land even to the other;
There is no peace for anyone.
Jer. 12:13 “They have sown wheat and have reaped thorns,
They have strained themselves to no profit.
But be ashamed of your harvest
Because of the fierce anger of the LORD.”

• Verse 7 The LORD reveals His heart to Jeremiah as He says He will be forsaking His temple and His people.

  • The LORD will be giving His people over to their enemies.

  • The LORD is telling Jeremiah he is not alone in having to deal with judgment of those he cared for.

• Verse 8 The LORD describes His people as a lion who is roaring at Him and threatened by Him.

  • This has caused Him to hate her.

  • This is a difficult statement to understand. The LORD can separate those He will save and those He will set aside. This is called ‘hate’ here. This is described well in Romans 9:6-18.

Rom. 9:6 But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel;
Rom. 9:7 nor are they all children because they are Abraham’s descendants, but: “THROUGH ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS WILL BE NAMED.”
Rom. 9:8 That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants.
Rom. 9:9 For this is the word of promise: “AT THIS TIME I WILL COME, AND SARAH SHALL HAVE A SON.”
Rom. 9:10 And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac;
Rom. 9:11 for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls,
Rom. 9:12 it was said to her, “THE OLDER WILL SERVE THE YOUNGER.”
Rom. 9:13 Just as it is written, “JACOB I LOVED, BUT ESAU I HATED.”
Rom. 9:14 What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be!
Rom. 9:15 For He says to Moses, “I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I HAVE COMPASSION.”
Rom. 9:16 So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.
Rom. 9:17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I RAISED YOU UP, TO DEMONSTRATE MY POWER IN YOU, AND THAT MY NAME MIGHT BE PROCLAIMED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH.”
Rom. 9:18 So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.

• This is a difficult scripture to summarize and would be a good place for further study.

  • Verse 6-8 Those who are of the promise are saved, not only those who are descended from the flesh of Abraham.

  • Verse 9-11 Even from those of the flesh God made a distinction by given twins to Rebekah, so that it would be clear God’s purpose is fulfilled by His choice alone.

  • Verse 13 This is why God can say, “JACOB I LOVED, BUT ESAU I HATED.”

    • In Jeremiah’s day the LORD said as well, “She has roared against Me; Therefore I have come to hate her”, verse 8.

  • Verse 14 It is not unfair for God to make this distinction.

  • Verse 15-16 God will have mercy and compassion on those whom He alone desires to grant mercy and compassion.

  • Verse 17 Pharaoh was birthed and brought to power by God so that God could defeat Pharaoh and all the world would know the power of God.

  • Verse 18 The conclusion is that for God’s purposes alone He will either have mercy or harden every person in creation.

• This is true as Paul demonstrates in Romans and true when the LORD reveals this to Jeremiah in regard to His people Israel who have rejected Him.

  • Their rejection is not a surprise to the LORD; they are fulfilling the scriptures.

  • We must keep this in mind at all times as we read through and study the scriptures. It is a truth that cannot be denied throughout the entire scriptures. It should be a guide for us to interpret the difficult scriptures and the difficult realities of life.

• Jer. 12:9 The LORD says His inheritance is like a special bird of prey to Him, yet she will be surrounded by other birds of prey.

  • Though the LORD’s people have become a bird of prey she is speckled and is different.

  • She will never blend in, and the other birds of prey will surround her for destruction.

  • The LORD says to gather the beasts to devour His people.

    • The beasts are the enemies He is sending from the nation of the North to discipline His people.

• Verse 10  The LORD blames the leaders He gave to protect His people for ruining them and putting burdens on them. It is those leaders who are to blame for the spiritual wilderness of the people.

  • Verse 11 The spiritual desolation causes the LORD to mourn for this condition.

  • Verse 12 The judgment will come to the heights of the land from one border to the other.

  • Verse 13 The work the LORD’s people have done is worthless.

    • The work is still referring to the spiritual view of His people.

    • They worship false gods. The worship they give to the LORD is distorted and empty.

Jer. 12:14 Thus says the LORD concerning all My wicked neighbors who strike at the inheritance with which I have endowed My people Israel, “Behold I am about to uproot them from their land and will uproot the house of Judah from among them.
Jer. 12:15 “And it will come about that after I have uprooted them, I will again have compassion on them; and I will bring them back, each one to his inheritance and each one to his land.
Jer. 12:16 “Then if they will really learn the ways of My people, to swear by My name, ‘As the LORD lives,’ even as they taught My people to swear by Baal, they will be built up in the midst of My people.
Jer. 12:17 “But if they will not listen, then I will uproot that nation, uproot and destroy it,” declares the LORD.

• Verse 14 The LORD speaks of two groups of people: “My wicked neighbors” and “My people Israel.”

  • The wicked neighbors struck His people Israel. This included the Ammonites, Arameans, Assyrians, Edomites, Egyptians and Moabites, to list a few of the surrounding peoples.

  • Because of this the LORD is going to remove the wicked neighbors as well as uproot Judah from among them.

    • Both groups will experience judgment.

• Verse 15 The grace of the LORD is demonstrated as He says that after a time, He will have compassion for them and bring them back, each to his inheritance.

  • The first ones who can have an inheritance and a defined land are the LORD’s people.

• Verse 16 If they will learn the ways of the LORD’s people, and swear by the LORD’s name, then the LORD swears that as He lives, they will be built up in the midst of His people.

  • The second group is now mentioned as being built up in the midst of His people.

  • These people who taught the LORD’s people to swear by Baal will be built up in the midst of His people.

  • There can eventually be hope for those who brought the LORD’s discipline on His people.

• Verse 17 The LORD continues with the contrary outcome that if this people will not listen to His ways, then the LORD will uproot that nation.

  • The LORD will destroy that people.

    • Jeremiah was a prophet to all nations.

Jer. 1:9  Then the LORD stretched out His hand and touched my mouth, and the LORD said to me,
“Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.
Jer. 1:10  “See, I have appointed you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms,
To pluck up and to break down,
To destroy and to overthrow,
To build and to plant.”

• The LORD is the hope for all nations.

  • These last verses may be seen as true when Israel came out of Babylon and yet their final fulfillment can be seen in the prophecies throughout the OT of a future time we have come to call the Millennial Kingdom time.

    • The LORD is not done with His people, or with the people of the world.

• The revelation at the beginning of this chapter was about Jeremiah and his question to the LORD concerning the appearance of the wicked prospering and the sense of injustice it brings to the hearts of men. David struggled with this as well.

Psa. 73:1 Surely God is good to Israel,
To those who are pure in heart!
Psa. 73:2 But as for me, my feet came close to stumbling,
My steps had almost slipped.
Psa. 73:3 For I was envious of the arrogant
As I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
Psa. 73:4 For there are no pains in their death,
And their body is fat.
Psa. 73:5 They are not in trouble as other men,
Nor are they plagued like mankind.
Psa. 73:6 Therefore pride is their necklace;
The garment of violence covers them.
Psa. 73:7 Their eye bulges from fatness;
The imaginations of their heart run riot.
Psa. 73:8 They mock and wickedly speak of oppression;
They speak from on high.
Psa. 73:9 They have set their mouth against the heavens,
And their tongue parades through the earth.

• Verse 3 David saw the prosperity of the wicked.

  • Verse 4 The wicked did not seem to experience pain in their death.

    • Their bodies are fat, meaning healthy; not malnourished, a sign of having plenty.

  • Verse 5 They don’t have trouble like it seems most of humanity has.

  • Verse 6 They are prideful and violent.

  • Verse 9 They speak out against God.

    • Also in Psalms 94:1-7 the lament goes up to God.

Psa. 94:1 O LORD, God of vengeance,
God of vengeance, shine forth!
Psa. 94:2 Rise up, O Judge of the earth,
Render recompense to the proud.
Psa. 94:3 How long shall the wicked, O LORD,
How long shall the wicked exult?
Psa. 94:4 They pour forth words, they speak arrogantly;
All who do wickedness vaunt themselves.
Psa. 94:5 They crush Your people, O LORD,
And afflict Your heritage.
Psa. 94:6 They slay the widow and the stranger
And murder the orphans.
Psa. 94:7 They have said, “The LORD does not see,
Nor does the God of Jacob pay heed.”

• How long will the wicked exult?

  • The evil seem to have no limits and they believe the LORD does not see them.

  • We know this is not true in the end as justice will be brought to all at some point in the future.

  • It is a test of the believers to continue to trust that God is in control and every event has a purpose and will be brought to glorify God.

    • Read Psalm 37 this week.