Theological Commentary: Click Here
Jeremiah 12
is a gut-check chapter for Jeremiah. He
has a complaint. In fact, he has a list
of complaints. He wonders how it is that
an evil people can be allowed to prosper in God’s land. He wonders how God can watch it happen. He wonders how evil people can dominate over
the righteous ones. All of these are
thoughts that are common among human beings.
I have had these conversations with many people. I know I am not alone in these thoughts with
Jeremiah.
The reason
that this is a gut-check chapter is because Jeremiah finally has the courage to
take these complaints before God. As
Jeremiah voices his thoughts, though, God seizes the opportunity to
respond. God is more than happy to
listen to our complaints. He is more
than happy to give us the freedom to speak our mind. However, God will also take the opportunity
to teach us. Rather than let us abide in
our attempts at understanding, He will show us truth.
The reality
is that God is not allowing evil to win.
God is allowing evil to show its true form so that it can be properly
judged and punished. Jeremiah’s problem
is that he is only looking at the present and not his future. There will come a day when evil is judged. It simply isn’t the day that Jeremiah would
have picked!
This leads
God to ask Jeremiah a few questions about his character. If Jeremiah is stressed from living among God’s
people, how on earth is he going to handle living in captivity? If Jeremiah can’t handle the pressure from
those like him, how will he handle living among those who are vastly unlike him?
Fortunately,
there is a second side to this coin. We
are often hurt by those closest to us.
We are disappointed most when those who should understand don’t. While living among people who don’t know God
has its own difficulty, living among people who should know God but who are
rebelling against His ways is difficult in its own way.
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