Jeremiah 12

Jeremiah 12:1

JEREMIAH’S QUESTIONAs we come to chapter 12 we have entered a very evil period in the life of the nation, and the only light remaining is this man Jeremiah. Josiah has been slain, Jeremiah has been forced to leave his hometown, and evil men have come to the throne. Conditions seem only to get worse. At this point Jeremiahand I believe every honest Christianhas doubts come into his heart. Dark thoughts come into his mind, and he wonders why God permits certain things. Every pastor who has ever stood for the things of God at times wonders why God does not move.

He looks around and sees that it is his very best people who are suffering; the most spiritual folk seem to be having more trouble than anyone else. We all wonder why God permits this. Even David questioned God when he saw “…the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree” (Psa_37:35). Listen now to Jeremiah as he talks to the Lord: “Oh, they talk about You, Lord, but they’re far from You, and they prosper. Why do You permit that?” That was Jeremiah’s question. That’s my question too. I’d like to ask God that today: “Lord, why do You permit it?” I don’t have the answer, and I don’t think Jeremiah or David ever had the answer either. God allows the wicked to prosper, and we see them spreading themselves like a green bay tree. Why doesn’t God prosper those who are really interested in supporting fine Christian missionaries? I’ve asked Him that, and I don’t have the answer.

Jeremiah 12:3

Jeremiah says, “Why don’t You judge them? They are the ones who should be judged.”

Jeremiah 12:4

“How long shall the land mourn"in other words, “Lord, why don’t You move?” God’s answer to Jeremiah and to you and me today is one that we must acceptit’s the best we have. God says, “I know what I’m doing. You trust Me, rest in Me.” Remember Jeremiah began this passage, “Righteous art thou, O LORD.” My friend, what God is doing todayhowever peculiar it may seem to usis right, and we will be able to see and understand that someday. That is where faith must enter in. We walk by faith and not by sight. Jeremiah alone stands for God. Jehoiakim, a corrupt ruler, is on the throne. Things are getting worse, and he wonders what is going to happen. God has already assured Jeremiah that He will take care of the situation. In chapter 11 verse Jer_11:16 “The LORD called thy name, A green olive tree, fair, and of goodly fruit: with the noise of a great tumult he hath kindled fire upon it, and the branches of it are broken.” Paul refers to this in Romans 11 saying that the good olive tree has been cut off and set aside. That is exactly what God did to these people.

And today, out of that same root, He’s bringing forth a wild olive tree. That is you and me: the church has been grafted into that root which is Christ. He is the “…root out of a dry ground …” (Isa_53:2), and He brings life. God says to Jeremiah, “I’ll take care of this. I’ll be the One who will deal with this.” God has a plan which extends far beyond the circumstances that Jeremiah could see.

Jeremiah 12:5

You’ll forgive me, I’m not trying to be irreverent, but this is actually what God is saying to Jeremiah: “If you are troubled now by what things are going to happen, well, you ain’t seen nothing yet! Things are to get lots worse, Jeremiah. And if you’re troubled now, what are you going to do when it really gets bad?” Friend, things may look bad to us today, but they are going to get worse. I hope the knowledge of that will help draw you closer to God. He does not explain all the details to us as we might wish He would, but He does tell us that we can trust Him to always do the right thing.

Jeremiah 12:9

Don’t tell me God doesn’t have a sense of humor. He says here, “Jeremiah, you’re a speckled bird!” You see, every crow thinks his little offspring is blacker than any other crow, but when an egg hatches and it’s speckled, that tells you something. And Jeremiah was a speckled bird. The people said to him, “We thought you were for us, that you were one of us. But you’re not, you’re speckled.” Well, my friend, I’m a speckled bird too, and I have a notion you might be one. If you’re standing for God, you are a speckled bird! God says, “Jeremiah, you might as well accept it: you’re a speckled bird, if you stand with Me.”

Jeremiah 12:15

Why is it that the rich are prospering? God says, “Jeremiah, I’ll take care of that. And I’ll tell you what is going to happen: They are going into captivity. But I have remembered the land, and I’m going to bring them back into the land.”