Jeremiah · chapter 12 of 52
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Jeremiah 12 begins with the prophet's complaint: the Lord is righteous, but why does the way of the wicked prosper? God does not answer with an explanation but with a challenge: if Jeremiah is worn out running with footmen, how will he compete with horses? Then the Lord laments having forsaken his heritage and promises that after judgment he will again have compassion on Judah and on the nations.
Jeremiah 12 continues the series of the prophet's confessions that began in chapter 11. Here Jeremiah asks one of the oldest questions in the Bible, the same as Job and several psalms: why do the wicked do well? The answer he receives is surprising because it offers no immediate comfort but warns him that the worst has not yet come.
Jeremiah begins by admitting that the Lord is righteous when he contends with him. But he wants to speak about justice: why does the way of the wicked prosper, and why do all who are treacherous thrive? You planted them, and they have taken root; they grow and bear fruit. You are near in their mouth and far from their heart. But you, Lord, know me, you see me and test my heart. Pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, set them apart for the day of slaughter. How long will the land mourn and the grass of every field wither?
The Lord answers with two questions: if you have raced with the footmen and they have wearied you, how will you compete with horses? And if in a safe land you stumble, what will you do in the thicket of the Jordan? Even his brothers and his father's house have dealt treacherously with him and cried out after him. He must not trust them though they speak well.
In verses 7-13 the Lord himself speaks in sorrow: I have forsaken my house, I have abandoned my heritage, I have given the beloved of my soul into the hands of her enemies. My heritage has become to me like a lion in the forest; she has lifted her voice against me, therefore I hate her. Many shepherds have destroyed my vineyard and trampled down my portion, making it a desolate wilderness. They have sown wheat and reaped thorns; they have worn themselves out and gained nothing.
Verses 14-17 change tone. The Lord says he will pluck up the evil neighbors who touched the heritage of Israel, and he will pluck up Judah from among them. But afterward he will again have compassion and bring each one back to his heritage and his land. If they learn the ways of his people and swear by his name, they will be built up among his people. But if any nation will not obey, he will pluck it up and destroy it.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
Jeremiah admits that the Lord is righteous but asks why the way of the wicked prospers and why the treacherous are at ease. God accepts a believer's honest question without rebuking him for asking.
The Lord answers with a question: if you are worn out running with footmen, how will you compete with horses? He gives no explanation but a call to prepare for greater trials.
The Lord himself speaks in sorrow: he has forsaken his house, abandoned his heritage and given the one he loved into the hands of her enemies. Judgment does not come from an indifferent God but from one who suffers.
After plucking them up, the Lord will again have compassion on them and bring each one back to his heritage. Even in a somber chapter, judgment does not have the last word.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: Why the way of the wicked prospers and why the treacherous are at ease. — Jeremiah 12:1
Answer: That the Lord is near in their mouth but far from their heart. — Jeremiah 12:2
Answer: If Jeremiah is worn out running with footmen, how will he compete with horses? — Jeremiah 12:5
Answer: His brothers and his father's house. — Jeremiah 12:6
Answer: They sowed wheat and reaped thorns. — Jeremiah 12:13
Answer: He will again have compassion on them and bring them back to their heritage. — Jeremiah 12:15
Jeremiah's question is honest and very current. Many believers ask it silently: why do people who do not care about God do so well? The Bible does not hide the question, and God does not answer with a rebuke. A group can talk honestly about what it does not understand, knowing that God welcomes honest complaint.
God's answer teaches as well. Instead of explaining, he calls Jeremiah to keep going and prepare for something greater. Sometimes mature faith comes not when we receive all the answers but when we learn to persevere trusting the one who has them.
Jeremiah 12 ends with an open door of hope for the nations that learn the Lord's ways. In chapter 13 the prophet receives one of his best-known symbolic acts: a linen belt hidden by the Euphrates that is ruined.
The Bible includes many prayers of lament and protest, such as the psalms and Job. Jeremiah speaks with respect, acknowledges God's justice and brings his doubt to him. What the text does not approve is rebellion without faith; but a sincere question put to God himself is part of a real relationship with him.
It was the zone of dense vegetation along the banks of the Jordan River, where lions and other dangerous animals hid. The image suggests that if Jeremiah already feels weak in a time of calm, he would not be ready for the harder trials.
The Lord says his own heritage, his people, turned against him like a roaring lion. It is a picture of Israel's rebellion. That is why God hates her, meaning he withdraws his favor, though she is a heritage he loves.