12:1-6Many people have asked, “Why are the wicked so prosperous?” (See, for example, Job 21:4-21 and Habakkuk 1:1-4.) Jeremiah knew that God’s justice would ultimately come, but he was impatient because he wanted justice to come quickly. God didn't give a doctrinal answer; instead, he gave a challenge: If Jeremiah couldn't handle this, how would he handle the injustices ahead? It is 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 realize that we ourselves would be in big trouble if God gave each of us what we truly deserve.
Life Application Study BibleJeremiahChapter 12
Jeremiah 12
New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original pages: 1224, 1225
A few verse numbers on this page were hard to read in the scan and are marked with a dotted underline — compare with the original page image if in doubt.
12Jeremiah 12
1Why are evil people so happy?
2You have planted them,and they have taken root and prospered.Your name is on their lips,but you are far from their hearts.
3But as for me, LORD, you know my heart.You see me and test my thoughts.Drag these people away like sheep to be butchered!Set them aside to be slaughtered!
4How long must this land mourn?Even the grass in the fields has withered.
The wild animals and birds have disappearedbecause of the evil in the land.For the people have said,“The LORD doesn’t see what's ahead for us!”
The LORD’s Reply to Jeremiah
55 “If racing against mere men makes you tired,how will you race against horses?If you stumble and fall on open ground,what will you do in the thickets near the Jordan?
6Even your brothers, members of your own family,have turned against you.They plot and raise complaints against you.Do not trust them,no matter how pleasantly they speak.
7“T have abandoned my people, my special possession.Ihave surrendered my dearest ones to their enemies.
8My chosen people have roared at me like a lion of the forest,so I have treated them with contempt.
9My chosen people act like speckled vultures,*but they themselves are surrounded by vultures.Bring on the wild animals to pick their corpses clean!
10“Many rulers have ravaged my vineyard,trampling down the vinesand turning all its beauty into a barren wilderness.
11They have made it an empty wasteland;Ihear its mournful cry.The whole land is desolate,and no one even cares.
12Onall the bare hilltops,destroying armies can be seen.The sword of the LORD devours peoplefrom one end of the nation to the other.No one will escape!
13My people have planted wheatbut are harvesting thorns.They have worn themselves out,but it has done them no good.They will harvest a crop of shamebecause of the fierce anger of the LORD.”
A Message for Israel’s Neighbors
1414Now this is what the LORD says: “I will uproot from their land all the evil nations reaching out for the possession I gave my people Israel. And I will uproot Judah from among them. 15But afterward I will return and have compassion on all of them. I will bring them home to their own lands again, each nation to its own possession. 16And if these nations truly learn the ways of my people, and if they learn to swear by my name, saying, ‘As surely as the LORD lives’ Gust as they taught my people to swear by the name of Baal), then they will be given a place among my people. 17But any nation who refuses to obey me will be uprooted and destroyed. I, the LORD, have spoken!”
Textual footnotes
- 12:9 Or speckled hyenas.
Life Application Notes 4 notes
12:3teaches us to have an honest estimate of ourselves.
12:5,6Life was extremely difficult for Jeremiah despite his love for and obedience to God. When he called to God for relief, God’s reply in effect was, “If you think this is bad, how are you going to Cope when it gets really tough?” God’s answers to prayer are not always nice or easy to handle. Any Christian who has experienced war, bereavement, or a serious illness knows this. We are to be committed to God even when the going gets tough and when our prayers for relief are not immediately answered.
12:14-17God chose a people through whom to demonstrate his care for the world. The nation of Israel was given much; thus, much was required of her. But she repeatedly failed. The fate of other nations depended on their willingness to demonstrate faith in God whether or not God’s chosen people accomplished their task of witness. God’s love extends to reach every square inch of the globe.