Introduction
There are three divisions in this chapter.
1. Jeremiah’s complaint, Jeremiah 12:1-4.
2. God’s answer, Jeremiah 12:5-13.
3. God promises the return of His people from captivity, and the conversion of the Gentiles, both events being conditional, Jeremiah 12:14-17.
JEREMIAH’S COMPLAINT
‘You are always righteous, LORD, when I bring a case before you. Yet I would speak with you about your justice: Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless live at ease? You have planted them, and they have taken root; they grow and bear fruit. You are always on their lips but far from their hearts. Yet you know me, LORD; you see me and test my thoughts about you. Drag them off like sheep to be butchered! Set them apart for the day of slaughter! How long will the land lie parched and the grass in every field be withered? Because those who live in it are wicked, the animals and birds have perished. Moreover, the people are saying, ‘He will not see what happens to us.’ Jeremiah 12:1-4
It seems as if Jeremiah and God mediate on the whole matter of what is happening, Jeremiah 12:1. Why do the wicked prosper? Jeremiah 12:1. Jeremiah knows that God’s way is right and so, he wants to know why haven’t you punished the people already? Why have you waited so long? The lesson is that God is long-suffering. Habakkuk struggled with the same problem, and asked God ‘why’. Job was perplexed by it, Job 21:7, and the book of Psalms devotes at least two chapters to it, Psalm 37, and Psalm 73.
God’s people speak about God but their hypocrisy is seen in that their hearts are far from God, Jeremiah 12:2. Even the plant life is in a bad way because of the people, Jeremiah 12:2. They expected the ground to give them what they wanted but they didn’t want to work for it. So, God has been disciplining them but now He is going to get tough. In Hebrews 12:5-11, we see that God disciplines those that He loves. If we are not disciplined, then we are illegitimate children and not true sons of God.
Jeremiah knows he isn’t a hypocrite and he is honest enough with himself to invite God to test his thoughts, Jeremiah 12:3. He wants God to judge these hypocrites and slaughter them, Jeremiah 12:3. He appeals even for the ground and the animals, Jeremiah 12:4. How long must they wait before something happens? God had tried to discipline them with drought and other kinds of pestilence, Jeremiah 12:4.
Coffman, says the following, concerning the last line of Jeremiah 12:4.
‘This is a disputed text, but we believe it refers to the attitude of wicked men who were flaunting their rebellion against God in the boast that God would have nothing to do with their end, or taunting Jeremiah with the brag that they would last longer than Jeremiah would, or that Jeremiah would die before they did.’
GOD’S ANSWER
‘If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? If you stumble in safe country, how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan? Your relatives, members of your own family— even they have betrayed you; they have raised a loud cry against you. Do not trust them, though they speak well of you. ‘I will forsake my house, abandon my inheritance; I will give the one I love into the hands of her enemies. My inheritance has become to me like a lion in the forest. She roars at me; therefore, I hate her. Has not my inheritance become to me like a speckled bird of prey that other birds of prey surround and attack? Go and gather all the wild beasts; bring them to devour.’ Jeremiah 12:5-9
It looks like God’s answer to Jeremiah shocked him as God rebukes him.
Coffman, in his commentary, says the following.
‘God is saying, in effect, look, Jeremiah, why should you be bothered because the wicked are prospering? If, in your race for me, you have been worn out by men, what are you going to do when you have to run against horses? Jeremiah 12:5. If you have trouble feeling secure when you are on level ground, how are you going to manage ‘in the thickets by the Jordan’? Jeremiah 12:5. You ain’t seen anything yet buckle your seat belt because there is worse to come.’
In other words, God is telling Jeremiah to keep going, keep running, Matthew 10:22 / Hebrews 10:35-36 / Hebrews 12:1-4 / Hebrews 12:12-13. Jeremiah’s own family were against him, Jeremiah 12:6. God seems to be saying, your family will try to win you over but don’t listen to them. He is telling Jeremiah to shun his family, Luke 14:26. The prophet loved his family and his people in general and so, imagine how he feels.
Coffman, in his commentary, says the following.
‘It is true that God did forsake the temple, Jeremiah 12:7. He gives an account of this in Ezekiel 10:17. More than that, He never returned to any earthly temple. He did, however, come with a rushing sound like a mighty wind, on the day of Pentecost, to dwell in His true temple, the church of Jesus Christ. So, the two teachings in this verse are as follows.
1. God removed His presence, His Spirit, from the temple in Jerusalem.
2. He turned His back on the nation, with the exception of the ‘righteous remnant.’
If Jeremiah feels bad God says, how do you think I feel? I have to let go of my house too, you know’, Jeremiah 12:7. I planted these people here, I made her what she is today. She has been my heritage, my pride, my joy but now ‘I hate her’, Jeremiah 12:8.
Cheyne, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Today, lions Jeremiah 12:8, are almost never seen west of the Euphrates river, they have disappeared from the ‘thickets by the Jordan’ but the bones of lions have been found in the bed of the Jordan.’
God’s inheritance has become like a speckled bird of prey that other birds of prey surround and attack and so all the wild beasts will come to devour them, Jeremiah 12:9.
Clarke, in his commentary, says the following, concerning Jeremiah 12:9.
‘A bird of divers colours. This is a people who have corrupted the worship of the true God with heathenish rites and ceremonies; therefore, the different nations, Jeremiah 12:10, whose gods and forms of worship they have adopted, shall come, and spoil them. As far as you have followed the surrounding nations in their worship, so far shall they prevail over your state. Every one shall take that which is his own; and wherever he finds his own gods, he will consider the land consecrated to them, and take it as his property, because those very gods are the objects of his worship.’
‘Many shepherds will ruin my vineyard and trample down my field; they will turn my pleasant field into a desolate wasteland. It will be made a wasteland, parched and desolate before me; the whole land will be laid waste because there is no one who cares. Over all the barren heights in the desert destroyers will swarm, for the sword of the LORD will devour from one end of the land to the other; no one will be safe. They will sow wheat but reap thorns; they will wear themselves out but gain nothing. They will bear the shame of their harvest because of the LORD’s fierce anger.’ Jeremiah 12:10-13
He goes on to explain why, he says the shepherds hadn’t been leading the people. The people themselves had gone astray. All were responsible, personally, to know the truth, Jeremiah 12:10. Desolate, desolate, desolate Jeremiah 12:11. This is the picture painted by Jeremiah as a result of God’s punishment upon His people.
The destruction is so thorough that we have a picture of the very land mourning over it, Jeremiah 12:11. God promises He will come in justice with fierce anger, Jeremiah 12:11-13 / Jeremiah 12:7-8.
‘This is what the LORD says: ‘As for all my wicked neighbours who seize the inheritance I gave my people Israel, I will uproot them from their lands and I will uproot the people of Judah from among them. But after I uproot them, I will again have compassion and will bring each of them back to their own inheritance and their own country. And if they learn well the ways of my people and swear by my name, saying, ‘As surely as the LORD lives’—even as they once taught my people to swear by Baal—then they will be established among my people. But if any nation does not listen, I will completely uproot and destroy it,’ declares the LORD.’ Jeremiah 12:14-17
This seems to be another message of hope in that God will punish their wicked neighbour, Jeremiah 12:14.
Clarke, in his commentary, says the following.
‘All the neighbouring nations who have united in desolating Judea shall be desolated in their turn: they also are wicked, and they shall be punished. If I make them executors of my justice, it is to them no proof of my approbation. God often uses one wicked nation to scourge another; and afterwards, scourges the scourger by some other scourge.’
We will see God’s punishment to various nations later when Jeremiah prophesies against them but God is going to have compassion on Judah, Jeremiah 12:15. If they will diligently seek Him, He will even look kindly on all of the other nations, Jeremiah 12:16 / Romans 8:28.
Clarke, in his commentary, says the following.
‘The sixteenth verse is supposed to be a promise of the conversion of the Gentiles, Ephesians 2:13-22.’
Coffman, in his commentary says the following.
‘There is an important message here. All of the promised blessings of God, whether to the ‘righteous remnant’ who are destined to return to Jerusalem from Babylon, or whether to the Gentiles who in the future, will be ‘the people of God’ is conditional.’
God says in Jeremiah 12:17, ‘If any nation does not listen, I will completely uproot and destroy it. In other words, God won’t bless anyone who doesn’t obey Him.