Session 4 | Jeremiah 12:1-13
JEREMIAH 12:1-13
MEMORY VERSE: JEREMIAH 17:9-10
Traditional wedding vows often include “will you . . . forsaking all others, be faithful . . . as long as you both shall live?” It is a promise of singular and exclusive devotion. It is no surprise that in both the Old Testament and New Testament the covenant of marriage illustrates God’s relationship to Israel and Christ’s relationship to His church. When a person is saved by grace through faith in Christ, that individual enters into a covenant that calls for singular and exclusive devotion to the Lord.
(In PSG, p. 37)
Jeremiah recalled the covenant God made with Judah’s ancestors when He delivered them from Egypt (11:1-7). Sadly, the people’s disobedience brought God’s judgment (11:8-13). The residents of Jerusalem in Jeremiah’s generation were repeating their ancestors’ sins, and God warned that judgment would come again.
Meanwhile, Jeremiah asked the Lord to protect him from his own people who conspired against him (11:18-20). God assured Jeremiah that He would judge those who opposed him (11:21-23).
Jeremiah struggled as he saw wicked people prosper and called upon the Lord to bring them down (12:1-4). However, God warned His prophet that even more difficult times would come (12:5-13). God was about to hand the Judeans over to their enemies, and they would experience devastation. Nevertheless, the Lord held out the hope of restoration if His people turned to Him (12:14-17).
God instructed Jeremiah to purchase and bury some linen underwear by the Euphrates River (13:1-4). When Jeremiah returned later, he found the underwear had been ruined (13:5-7). Even so, the Lord said He would destroy Judah’s pride (13:8-11). God’s judgment would fall because the people and their leaders had forgotten Him (13:12-27). The Lord brought a drought on Judah, yet the people did not repent (14:1-22). As false prophets continued to assure the people all was well, Jeremiah wondered if God had completely rejected Judah.
The Lord declared that even if Moses and Samuel interceded for the people, He would not listen (15:1-9). God’s judgment would prove thorough, without mercy or compassion. Jeremiah lamented that his commitment to God had led to much personal suffering (15:10-18). In response, the Lord encouraged Jeremiah to repent and assured Jeremiah of His continued presence and protection (15:19-21).
God told Jeremiah not to get married, for bitter times were coming (16:1-4). He should not lament those who died because the dead were better off (16:5-9). Judgment would come on Judah just as it had come to Judah’s ancestors, though God did promise to restore His people one day (16:10-21).
Judah’s sin had left an indelible mark (17:1-8). Meanwhile, Jeremiah continued to plead with God (17:14-18). Finally, he warned the people about properly observing the Sabbath (17:19-27). Faithful observance would lead to restoration, but continued disobedience would bring disaster.
EXPLORE THE TEXT
1 You will be righteous, LORD, even if I bring a case against you. Yet, I wish to contend with you: Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the treacherous live at ease?
Jeremiah had asked God to protect him from his own people (11:18-20), and the Lord had assured Jeremiah that He would intervene (11:21-23). Nevertheless, Jeremiah still struggled with his own situation.
You will be righteous, LORD highlighted that Jeremiah recognized God’s character. The word order in the original Hebrew further emphasizes this. Jeremiah understood that God had the right answer to the questions that troubled his heart. He still does (1 Pet. 5:7).
Jeremiah’s words hint of legal language. I bring a case did not mean Jeremiah was accusing God of sin, even though he did not understand why God allowed evil circumstances to continue. His words contend with you indicate Jeremiah’s desire that God bring him a sense of peace. The prophet could not comprehend the situation in which he found himself.
Jeremiah asked the Lord why the wicked prosper? The question contains some similar language to
Psalm 1, where the psalmist is confident the wicked will perish, while the righteous will prosper. Here, Jeremiah struggled because he saw the paradigm working in reverse. The treacherous were living at ease. As a result, Jeremiah struggled to grasp the situation. He was suffering for following God’s call. Yet, those who opposed God lived comfortably and got away with their sin.
2 You planted them, and they have taken root. They have grown and produced fruit. You are ever on their lips, but far from their conscience.
Regarding the wicked, Jeremiah further asked God why He planted them and why they had taken root. The prophet used agricultural imagery to describe God’s providing the wicked a place in society. They had grown and produced fruit. This fruit was not for God’s kingdom. Rather, the image could denote financial prosperity or position. From Jeremiah’s perspective, God had established them well.
However, Jeremiah affirmed that the wicked kept God on their lips, while keeping Him far from their conscience. The word translated conscience denotes the inner person. In other words, the wicked spoke of God a lot (and always positively), but they lacked a genuine relationship with Him.
3 As for you, LORD, you know me; you see me. You test whether my heart is with you. Drag the wicked away like sheep to slaughter and set them apart for the day of killing.
Jeremiah then called the Lord’s attention to his own situation: you know me; you see me. Jeremiah’s words subtly contrasted the prophet’s own faithful life with the wickedness of the evildoers he described. He knew God saw his faithfulness. He further affirmed that God could test whether my heart is with you. The word test carries the nuance of proving the strength of something. The prophet Malachi used it to describe the validation of God’s character in response to His people’s faithful giving (Mal. 3:10).
Jeremiah acknowledged that God knew his heart, but he also had a suggestion: drag the wicked away like sheep to slaughter and set them apart for the day of killing. The prophet called for God’s judgment and had little patience with those who continually opposed God and his prophetic message. In Jeremiah’s mind, the sooner God judged the wicked, the better.
4 How long will the land mourn and the grass of every field wither? Because of the evil of its residents, animals and birds have been swept away, for the people have said, “He cannot see what our end will be.”
Jeremiah further asked how long the land would have to mourn and the grass would have to wither. The prophet earlier had testified how God’s judgment expressed itself against the land (4:28; 8:13). Later, in Jeremiah 14, he would describe the impact a drought could bring (14:1-6). The prophet further lamented because the people’s sin would also affect wildlife, as animals and birds would be swept away. Drought brought lack of grass and vegetation, forcing animals to leave the area or die. Yet, the residents of Judah were confident that God could not see what our end will be. They were sure that He was not a witness to their evil. Of course, they were grossly mistaken.
Today, we probably know people who ignore God, yet prosper—even as we struggle to live a godly life. Sometimes such circumstances are difficult to understand, but we must remember that God remains in control. He does not always bring justice when we’d like, but He will bring it in His own timing.
(In PSG, p. 41)
5 If you have raced with runners and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? If you stumble in a peaceful land, what will you do in the thickets of the Jordan?
In response to Jeremiah’s questions, the Lord asked the prophet two questions of His own. First, He asked how Jeremiah could compete with horses when racing against human runners wore him out. God understood that Jeremiah was tired and confused, but He told him the job was not going to get easier. Jeremiah’s new task would be as difficult as outrunning horses! God had promised Jeremiah His presence and protection, but He never promised the ministry would be easy.
The Lord’s second question was similar to the first. Metaphorically, Jeremiah had stumbled in a peaceful land, but he was heading toward work as difficult to navigate as the thickets of the Jordan. The Hebrew wording suggests trust and security. God likened Jeremiah’s situation to a peaceful place, though Jeremiah disagreed. Jeremiah already had battled conspiracies (11:21-23) and corrupt leaders (6:13-14). But God’s questions implied that his toughest situations were still ahead.
The expression thickets describes the area along the Jordan River where dense vegetation grows. Lions and other predators would hide there (Jer. 49:19; Zech. 11:3), making them especially dangerous. In the spring when the Jordan overflowed its banks, these animals would venture out of their hiding places and into the valley.
6 Even your brothers—your own father’s family—even they were treacherous to you; even they have cried out loudly after you. Do not have confidence in them, though they speak well of you.
The Lord then reminded Jeremiah of facts he already knew: even his family had been treacherous toward him. Jeremiah was aware of this conspiracy (11:18-19), and the Lord had promised to judge the people of his hometown for their actions (11:21-23). Still, Jeremiah’s emotional pain was especially intense. God affirmed that they had cried out loudly against the prophet. In other words, they had publicly denounced Jeremiah and disassociated themselves from him. Rejected at home and in Jerusalem, Jeremiah had few places of refuge.
God warned Jeremiah to avoid feeling confidence toward them, even though they might speak well to him. The command implies that Jeremiah may have been trusting them—or was thinking about it. But God emphasized that while the people’s words seemed good or encouraging, they ultimately meant him harm.
We also must faithfully trust God, because we are weak and frail. Others, even people close to us, may fail us and even turn against us. Such times can bring a special level of emotional pain, but God is faithful during those times.
~(In PSG, p. 42)
7 I have abandoned my house; I have deserted my inheritance. I have handed the love of my life over to her enemies.
The Lord uttered three statements, each of which described His relationship to His people. First, He abandoned His house. The word translated house might refer to the temple in Jerusalem, though here it likely meant God’s people in general (Ex. 19:3). Second, God affirmed that He had deserted His inheritance. The wording here describes God’s people as His special portion or possession. Finally, God handed the love of my life over to her enemies. Judah’s rejection of the Lord had led Him to reject them and leave them to the consequences of their sin. God had a special relationship with His people, but their disobedience would bring His discipline.
8 My inheritance has behaved toward me like a lion in the forest. She has roared against me. Therefore, I hate her. 9 Is my inheritance like a hyena to me? Are birds of prey circling her? Go, gather all the wild animals; bring them to devour her.
Referring again to Judah as His inheritance, God said they treated Him like a lion in the forest. The Bible often mentions lions—probably a kind of mountain lion—as a threat to the general population (Prov. 22:13; Amos 3:4) because they typically would not back down from an enemy. Likewise, Judah would never back down against God. Instead of submitting to Him, they roared against me. They consistently went on the defensive and challenged His authority.
I hate her should not be understood as God’s literal hatred toward His people. Rather, the expression suggests His rejection of them for violating the covenant. Their rebellion made them His enemy. He continued to love them, but He would judge them.
The Hebrew wording about Judah being a hyena represents an obscure Hebrew expression. Some translations related it to a speckled bird. The second question about birds of prey circling her is rhetorical, expecting an affirmative answer. Just as scavengers would descend on a wounded animal or carcass, God was indicating Judah’s life as a nation was about finished.
The Lord furthered this image by issuing a command to gather . . . wild animals . . . to devour her. Most interpreters believe the language about animals is figurative, denoting that it would be enemy invaders who would take what little Judah’s vanquished population had left. Still, the image recalls the more literal application of the words during the days of the Assyrian conquest of the Northern Kingdom, when God sent lions as judgment (2 Kings 17:25).
10 Many shepherds have destroyed my vineyard; they have trampled my plot of land. They have turned my desirable plot into a desolate wasteland. 11 They have made it a desolation. It mourns, desolate, before me. All the land is desolate, but no one takes it to heart.
God lamented how Judah’s shepherds had destroyed my vineyard. Earlier, Isaiah had used a vineyard to illustrate God’s people (Isa. 5:7), and that is probably the proper understanding here as well. The term shepherds implicated the nation’s leaders (Jer. 3:15; 23:4; Ezek. 34:2). These people cared little for those under their authority and essentially turned the vineyard upside down. Indeed, they trampled God’s plot of land.
Rather than tenderly caring for God’s vineyard, these wicked leaders simply ran roughshod over it. They transformed His inheritance into a desolate wasteland spiritually. The land and people that had shown so much promise were ruined because Judah couldn’t remain loyal to God and His covenant.
To be sure, God’s judgment had brought the devastation, but God’s people bore the responsibility for making the land a desolation. God said the land mourns to Him and no one takes it to heart. Judah’s ruin would be total and complete.
12 Over all the barren heights in the wilderness the destroyers have come, for the LORD has a sword that devours from one end of the earth to the other. No one has peace.
Jeremiah warned that God’s judgment was close at hand, noting that destroyers have come. The expression barren heights likely denotes the rugged hills and mountains that line the Jordan Valley to the east of Judah. Enemies such as Assyria and Babylon would attack from the north because the terrain was easier to manage. Others, such as Ammon, Edom, and Moab, came from the east. Here, the destroyers came from the east, swooping down on Judah. Jeremiah affirmed that God’s sword was the force behind these attack. Ultimately, He sent the destroyers (Isa. 34:5-6).
God’s judgment would be devastating. The declaration no one has peace countered the land’s depraved leaders who affirmed peace was coming (6:13-14). But in times of trouble, people wanted to hear words of encouragement, not Jeremiah’s words of judgment.
13 They have sown wheat but harvested thorns. They have exhausted themselves but have no profit. Be put to shame by your harvests because of the LORD’s burning anger.
Jeremiah described the sad results using agricultural imagery. The people had sown wheat but they harvested thorns. Their crops did not yield what they expected, perhaps because they could not care for them after the Babylonian attack or because the invaders took what crops remained. The law of Moses warned of such sad consequences should the people disobey God (Lev. 26:16; Deut. 28:38).
Second, Jeremiah affirmed that they had exhausted themselves with no profit to show for it. All their hard labor came to little or nothing. They did not experience a sufficient return on their labor for all their hard work.
The people would be put to shame by your harvests because of God’s burning anger. The poor crop yields were not a result of the people’s lack of effort. Rather, they came as God’s judgment because His people refused to serve Him exclusively.
God expects His people to be faithful to Him alone. We must view all of our priorities in life in light of our relationship with God. Our loyalty to Him must take precedence above anything else. Our relationship with the Lord is the one relationship that informs all others.
(In PSG, p. 44)
God’s Purpose of Grace
Believers may fall into sin through neglect and temptation, whereby they grieve the Spirit, impair their graces and comforts, and bring reproach on the cause of Christ and temporal judgments on themselves; yet they shall be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation. (See John 5:24; Heb. 12:5-8.)
Read, reflect on, and react emotionally to a Bible verse.
Read aloud Jeremiah 12:1-5, slowly and reflectively. When Jeremiah took his complaint to God, God in effect replied, “Don’t get tired yet; your prophetic service is about to get even more challenging!” How would that make you feel if you were Jeremiah? Reflect on a time when you were facing a trial and God allowed you to go through an even greater trial. How did you feel, and what was the outcome?