←Jeremiah 12→BSB

In This Chapter 3 people 1 place 16 terms 1 theme

People

Israel Jacob (Patriarch) Jeshurun (Israel)

Places

    Key Terms

    Possession 12 Peace 5 Be Holy 4 Swear 4 Holy Holy (Pure) Holy Thing Most Holy Place Holiness Holy (Devout) Hallow Sanctuary Trust Believe In To Cause to Possess Possession

    Themes

    Social Chaos in Judges

    The Prosperity of the Wicked

    ⓘ Jeremiah questioned why a fair God did not...

    Jeremiah questioned why a fair God did not quickly punish the wicked. He could not tolerate ongoing evil, but he also felt sorrow for the severe human suffering he foresaw (Jeremiah 10:19–25).
    1Righteous are You, O LORD,when I plead before You.Yet about Your judgmentsI wish to contend with You:
    Why does the way of the wicked prosper?Why do all the faithless live at ease?2You planted them, and they have taken root.They have grown and produced fruit.You are ever on their lips,but far from their hearts.†3But You know me, O LORD;You see me and test my heart toward You.Drag away the wicked like sheep to the slaughterand set them apart for the day of carnage.4How long will the land mournand the grass of every field be withered?Because of the evil of its residents,the animals and birds have been swept away,for the people have said,“He cannot see what our end will be.”

    God’s Answer to Jeremiah

    ⓘ The Lord corrected his messenger and answered his...

    The Lord corrected his messenger and answered his question by asking his own questions.
    5“If you have raced with men on footand they have worn you out,how can you compete with horses?If you stumble in a peaceful land,how will you do in the thickets of the Jordan?6Even your brothers—your own father’s household—even they have betrayed you;even they have cried aloud against you.Do not trust them,though they speak well of you.
    ⓘ God referred to the people of Judah as...

    God referred to the people of Judah as his special possession, his dearest ones, his chosen people, and his vineyard. However, they became hostile to him, so they had to be given over to their enemies. The most severe justice they could face was for the Lord to withdraw and let them suffer the consequences of their evil actions.
    7I have forsaken My house;I have abandoned My inheritance.I have given the beloved of My soulinto the hands of her enemies.8My inheritance has become to Melike a lion in the forest.She has roared against Me;therefore I hate her.9Is not My inheritance to Melike a speckled bird of preywith other birds of prey† circling against her?Go, gather all the beasts of the field;bring them to devour her.
    ⓘ The corrupt rulers of Judah had already ruined...

    The corrupt rulers of Judah had already ruined the land by leading the people into sin (for example, 2 Kings 16:8–19; 21:16; 23:33–35). The invading army would just finish the job.
    10Many shepherds have destroyed My vineyard;they have trampled My plot of ground.They have turned My pleasant fieldinto a desolate wasteland.11They have made it a desolation;desolate before Me, it mourns.All the land is laid waste,but no man takes it to heart.12Over all the barren heights in the wildernessthe destroyers have come,for the sword of the LORD devoursfrom one end of the earth to the other.No flesh has peace.
    13They have sown wheat but harvested thorns.They have exhausted themselves to no avail.Bear the shame of your harvestbecause of the fierce anger of the LORD.”

    A Message for Israel’s Neighbors

    (Amos 1:1–15)

    ⓘ The Lord explained an important part of Jeremiah's...

    The Lord explained an important part of Jeremiah's mission (see Jeremiah 1:10).

    14This is what the LORD says: “As for all My evil neighbors who attack the inheritance that I bequeathed to My people Israel, I am about to uproot them from their land, and I will uproot the house of Judah from among them. 15But after I have uprooted them, I will once again have compassion on them and return each one to his inheritance and to his land.

    16And if they will diligently learn the ways of My people and swear by My name, saying, ‘As surely as the LORD lives’—just as they once taught My people to swear by Baal—then they will be established among My people. 17But if they will not obey, then I will uproot that nation; I will uproot it and destroy it, declares the LORD.”