©Michael Player
Chapter 12:1-4 (ESV) - Righteous are you, O LORD,
when I complain to you;
yet I would plead my case before you.
Why does the way of the wicked prosper?
Why do all who are treacherous thrive?
You plant them, and they take root;
they grow and produce fruit;
you are near in their mouth
and far from their heart.
But you, O LORD, know me;
you see me, and test my heart toward you.
Pull them out like sheep for the slaughter,
and set them apart for the day of slaughter.
How long will the land mourn
and the grass of every field wither?
For the evil of those who dwell in it
the beasts and the birds are swept away,
because they said, “He will not see our latter end.”
Question to consider: Who are the wicked to which Jeremiah referred?
One of my favorite things about Job was that in the midst of his terrible affliction, rather than cursing God or questioning His goodness directly, he appealed to God for a worthy advocate to plead his case before God and redeem him. Even though he may die from his afflictions, Job knew that God could raise him up from the dead and vindicate him with the life he did not experience in this world.
Given some of the language in passages like the one from today, I would guess that Jeremiah was extremely familiar with Job, but in light of Job’s affliction and righteous response, I have to wonder what was going through Jeremiah’s head that he believed he was worthy to question the LORD and plead his own case. Thankfully, the LORD did not deal harshly with Jeremiah for approaching Him in such a brazen manner, nor does He deal harshly with us when we have questions. Our LORD suffers long, is not quick to anger, and abounds in steadfast love. I’ll get into His response tomorrow, but it’s worth spending time digging into Jeremiah’s questions.
It is definitely apparent that in this world, the most treacherous and wicked seem to have an easy life. This has been the excuse many have used to deny the existence of their Creator although Paul correctly argued that, “they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.” (Romans 1:25)
In this case, Jeremiah was speaking of those religious leaders who now plotted against him for speaking God’s word against their false message of peace, and for calling the people of Judah to repent and turn back to the LORD. The name of the LORD was on their lips, but their hearts were far from Him, for they produced a people who called upon the Baals just as easily as they called upon the LORD.
I’ve witnessed it even in today’s church. Pastors who faithfully preach the word of the LORD in humility constantly face opposition inside and outside of the church while the false teachers seem to prosper mightily, filling stadiums with their heresies. But as Jesus once said, “For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” (Mark 8:35-36)
I would argue that Solomon’s wisdom did not truly show up until after he had gained the whole world and found it all a meaningless vanity. True prosperity is found in being at peace with our Creator.
There will one day be a judgment for the wicked, but if we are honest with ourselves, we would see our own wickedness before the LORD. We desire judgment for those who do us wrong and mercy for the wrongs we have done. If we must endure a time of affliction in order to bring others to repentance so that they may be redeemed in Christ, I guarantee that one day we will look back on our suffering and be satisfied.
Dear heavenly Father, thank You for being in control of all things. Help us to see our suffering through the eyes of Christ and create in us a desire that all people come to know Him and be clothed in His righteousness. We look forward to the day when there will be no more sin and death, and we will dwell in Your house forever. Amen.