Tyndale Open Study NotesJeremiah 12

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).

Jeremiah agreed that the Lord was fair in past dealings with him. However, he was confused about why his life was in danger, despite his obedience. Meanwhile, wicked and evil people seemed to be prosperous and happy.

Jeremiah was upset that the Lord let evil people succeed and find happiness.

Jeremiah's words may seem self-righteous, but he was open to the Lord examining his heart. He was also angry and wanted his enemies to suffer the harm they planned for him. He hoped they would be killed like defenseless sheep. Jeremiah did not appear to want their forgiveness or their return to the Lord.

Jeremiah felt helpless because the Lord's plan to destroy the land seemed too harsh. Jeremiah understood that the people were wrong to mockingly say the Lord could not predict the future (compare Isaiah 46:10).

The Lord corrected his messenger and answered his question by asking his own questions.

Jeremiah's conflict with his family and friends was like racing against men. This was nothing compared to racing against horses, which would happen when the foreign army arrived. The coming war would be as difficult as navigating the dense bushes near the Jordan River.

Jeremiah’s family was like a small version of Judah. They secretly cried aloud (plotted) against him (Jeremiah 11:9) while speaking kindly to him. They wanted to convince him that the Lord would protect Judah and Jerusalem from the Babylonians. They hoped to prevent him from bringing shame to the family (compare Mark 3:21).

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.

Large flocks of speckled vultures would prey on the people of Judah. Soon, wild animals would pick their bodies clean.

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.

A vineyard commonly symbolizes God's people, as seen in passages like Isaiah 5:1–10, Matthew 21:33–45, and John 15:1–8.

The Lord felt deep sorrow as he looked at the barren land. He had commanded the invasion based on the Sinai covenant's terms, but it brought him no joy. Sadly, only God cared.

The invading armies were the sword sent by the Lord to destroy the land.

The Lord felt no joy when invaders ate his people's crops, leaving only thorns. However, the people of Judah turned away from their faith, which deserved the Lord's fierce anger (see Ezekiel 16:36–39), leading to their shame.

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

• No evil nation would escape God's punishment, not even those He used to punish Judah. He would remove them.

• The Lord would also uproot (remove) Judah, but this refers positively to freeing them from exile.

I will...have compassion on them: Even other nations, no matter how wicked, can recover after facing disaster.

To experience God's compassion (Jeremiah 12:15), people from other nations needed to stop worshiping idols and learn God's ways. This change required publicly accepting the Sinai covenant, which included saying, as surely as the Lord lives. They also needed to reject any promises made in Baal's name, which had led Israelites to worship foreign idols.

• If these nations refused to obey the Lord, they would be removed and destroyed (Jeremiah 1:10).

• declares the LORD: This statement gave God's words the power of a divine command.