Jeremiah 12:1-13
Jeremiah’s plea and the Lord’s answer
- Jeremiah’s plea Jeremiah: 12:1-4
In verse 1, the prophet asks two questions: ‘Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper?’ and, ‘Wherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously?’
But firstly, in his dialogue with God, he affirms God’s glorious attribute and lays it down as his principal truth: ‘Righteous art thou, O Lord’
We must abide by this same principle, to keep right thoughts of who God is, irrespective of how complex the prevailing circumstances are to our narrow minds.
Observe that the prophet does not find fault with God in his plea. That is the approach of the unconverted today: they try to find fault with God in many happenings, when they cannot find an explanation. This kind of attitude may have been experienced by most of us in our effort to witness for the Lord Jesus Christ.
Also, Jeremiah does not take his plea to the ungodly, but directs it to God. Similarly, when we are faced with difficult situations, we should not seek the opinions or advice of the ungodly. The in Psalm 1: 1-2 it says, ‘Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly … But his delight is in the law of the Lord’.
Other believers in the Old Testament asked similar questions to those of Jeremiah. For example, in Job 21: 7, Job asks, ‘Wherefore do the wicked live, become old; yea, are mighty in power?’ Habakkuk (in Hab. 1:4) says, ‘the wicked doth compass about the righteous’, and the Psalmist in Psalm 73:10-12 says, ‘Therefore his people return hither … And they say, How doth God know? … Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches’.
As in Jeremiah, two themes wind their way through these passages above: (i) the wicked prosper, leaving godly people wondering why they bother to be good; and (ii) the wealth of the wicked looks so inviting that faithful people may wish they could trade places. But the way of the wicked comes to an unexpected end and loses its power when God acts in righteous judgement, while the way of the righteous is sustained with eternal value.
- The Lord’s answer: Jeremiah 12:5-13.
God didn’t give an answer to satisfy Jeremiah’s curiosity. Instead He gave a challenge to Jeremiah.
Verse 5 ‘If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? and if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan?’
God’s reply in effect was: If Jeremiah couldn’t handle this, how would he handle the injustices ahead? Jeremiah, if you think this is bad, how are you going to cope when it gets really tough?
It may feel natural for us to demand fair play and cry for justice against those who take advantage of others. But when we call for justice, we must realise, we ourselves would be in big trouble if God gave each of us what we truly deserve.
In the same way life was extremely difficult for Jeremiah despite his love for and obedience to God. It may be the case with every Christian today.
Sometimes, injustice in this world can be used by God to work out His purposes. In our recent study of the book of the Acts, the early church experienced injustice that began with Stephen’s martyrdom. Nevertheless, this led to opened doors for opportunities to spread the gospel. We read of Philip’s evangelistic tour in Acts 8:4-40; of Saul’s conversion in Acts 9:1-30 (who became Paul the apostle to the Gentiles); of Peter’s missionary tour in Acts 9:32-11:18; and of the church in Antioch in Syria founded in Acts 11:19.
We must be committed to God, even when the going gets tough and when our prayers for relief are not immediately answered. God’s answers to prayer are not always easy to understand.
The quest for absolute righteousness will be fulfilled in the millennial reign of Christ, when He comes to earth to subdue His enemies and take out every injustice. Hebrews 10:37 reminds us, ‘For yet a little while, and he that shall come, and will not tarry’ – and what a comfort this is to our hearts!
Simon