Judgment and Compassion

Transcript

GR 462
4-29-84
Judgment and Compassion
Jeremiah 12:1-17
Gil Rugh

In verse 20 of chapter 11, Jeremiah called upon God to pour out vengeance on his enemies. As we come to chapter 12, Jeremiah was burdened that the wicked were continuing to prosper. They seemed to flourish even in difficult times when the pressure was on everyone else. In spite of deserving judgment, the wicked seemed to be doing better, to be enjoying life more; they were continuing to get ahead and to acquire more. They seemed to be avoiding the difficulties and problems everyone else was encountering.

Jeremiah had committed his cause to the Lord. But he was becoming restless and impatient because it seemed that God was doing nothing to intervene in the lives of the wicked. God had not brought calamity into their lives, nor had He wiped them off the face of the earth.

If you have been a believer very long, you have probably experienced some of these same feelings. Perhaps someone has done something very unkind to you, or maybe an unbeliever has opposed you in a particularly vicious way. Perhaps you have lost your job over the opposition of an unbeliever, or someone has ruined your reputation by slandering you. You may have prayed about it and told the Lord you were committing the matter to Him, leaving it in His hands. But with the passing of time, that unbeliever has been promoted, is making more money or is respected more than you. Underneath you begin to churn a little, and you ask God what is wrong. You remind Him that you committed the matter to Him and that you expect Him to do something about it. When God seems to be doing nothing about it, you have a hard time understanding why He allows that unbeliever to go on, seemingly unconcerned and unaffected. That is Jeremiah’s concern in chapter 12.

Jeremiah begins by noting the righteousness of God, a crucial matter. Jeremiah has no doubt that God is righteous and that He metes out justice fairly, so he begins in verse 1, “Righteous art Thou, O Lord, that I would plead my case with Thee; indeed I would discuss matters of justice with Thee.” That Jeremiah knew God to be righteous only compounded Jeremiah’s problem. Where was the justice God was supposed to be carrying out? Where was the display of righteousness that Jeremiah expected from God as He dealt with the ungodly and the unrighteous? He acknowledged God’s righteousness, but he wanted to discuss matters of righteousness and justice with Him. Jeremiah was not calling into question God’s righteousness, but he was calling into question what God was doing in light of the fact that He is righteous and does carry out justice.

Jeremiah’s first question is in verse 1: “Why has the way of the wicked prospered? Why are all those who deal in treachery at ease?” Does it often seem that those who have been deceitful and scheming have prospered by it? Does it seem that they are basking in their wealth and enjoying their blessings while the godly are pressured and feeling the pinch? If God is a God of righteousness and justice, why does it happen this way?

Jeremiah continues with his concern in verse 2: “Thou hast planted them, they have also taken root.” That is an interesting statement. Jeremiah recognized that they could not have prospered or flourished if it were not for what we call the common grace of God. God causes the rain to fall on the just and the unjust. Jeremiah realized that God’s hand is behind all of this. He has enabled the wicked to prosper and to flourish. God has planted them, and they have taken root. “They grow, they have even produced fruit. Thou art near to their lips but far from their mind” v. 2. They would have been unable to prosper without the hand of God. These were religious people who gave lip service to God. Jeremiah said God was close to their lips, but far from their minds, literally, from their kidneys, a Jewish expression indicating what we refer to as the heart, the seat of the emotions. God may have been near their lips, but He was not really a part of their inner lives. He did not occupy an important place in their minds, but they talked about Him.

Isaiah prophesied to the Northern Kingdom about 150 years before Jeremiah prophesied to the Southern Kingdom. Isaiah faced the same situation. He recorded in Isaiah 29:13, “Then the Lord said, ‘Because this people draw near with their words and honor Me with their lip service, but they remove their hearts far from Me, and their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote.’” This describes the condition of people who are generally religious. People are like that today, some talk about God or Jesus Christ, but they have no personal relationship with Him.

The problem Jeremiah was wrestling with was not a new problem. He knew that God was aware of this, but it was sort of a reminder to Him. Jeremiah was reminding God that these people were prospering and flourishing, yet God knew they were hypocrites. There was no depth to their relationship with Him. Jeremiah knew that God was aware of this.

We sometimes see the same problem. Yet it can begin to weigh upon us just like it did on Jeremiah. Why does God allow such people to continue to prosper? Why does He place them in situations where they flourish? Why does He allow them to get ahead in life?

Verse 3 of Jeremiah 12 makes it clear that Jeremiah was aware that God understood the situation: “But Thou knowest me, O Lord; Thou seest me; and Thou dost examine my heart’s attitude toward Thee.” When Jeremiah refers to God knowing him, he uses a word that involved a deep and intimate, personal knowledge. Jeremiah recorded in 17:10, “I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind.” Jeremiah knew that God had observed him and had searched his inner being. He knew that God had intimate knowledge of him because of the observation God had made of his life. God saw him and examined his heart’s attitude. God knew everything about Jeremiah’s relationship with Him.

Jeremiah was eager for God to intervene in judgment and vengeance. “Drag them off like sheep for the slaughter and set them apart for a day of carnage! How long is the land to mourn and the vegetation of the countryside to wither? For the wickedness of those who dwell in it, animals and birds have been snatched away, because men have said, ‘He will not see our latter ending’” vv. 3,4.

One dimension of God’s judgment was missing in Jeremiah’s situation, which compounded the problem for all Old Testament saints. They did not have the fullness of revelation concerning life after death and the judgment to follow, for this has been revealed to us in the New Testament. Much of their focus regarding judgment was directed to the blessings and judgment we receive in this life. Their lack of knowledge concerning future judgment simply compounded the difficulty when they saw the wicked prospering in this life. Even with our knowledge of future judgments as revealed in the New Testament, we sometimes have difficulty accepting the fact that many wicked people continue to prosper in this life. The Old Testament saints did not have this added perspective of later judgment, so the pressure on them of observing the prosperity of the wicked was even greater.

Jeremiah’s reference at the end of verse 4 to what men had said, “He will not see our latter ending,” seems to be a reference to the people mocking Jeremiah. Throughout his messages to them, Jeremiah was telling them that judgment was coming, that God was going to put an end to their wickedness. But they seemed to be laughing at him saying that they were going to outlive Jeremiah.

To all outward appearances, it seemed his taunters were right. Jeremiah was struggling; he was feeling the pressure. The godly in Israel were “under the gun,” so to speak, but the wicked were getting richer and enjoying their prosperity. Jeremiah told them that God was going to judge them, but the wicked were saying, “Look, we are going to outlive you. You are prophesying our end, but you are not going to see it.” As a result of their ridicule, Jeremiah experienced inner frustration. He was saying, “God, You are righteous. You deal in justice. These are people who honor You with their lips, but not with their hearts. However, You know me intimately. God, why do You not do something? Why do You not intervene and bring judgment?”

God’s response was not what Jeremiah wanted. God said to Jeremiah, “If you have run with footmen and they have tired you out, then how can you compete with horses? If you fall down in a land of peace, how will you do in the thicket of the Jordan? For even your brothers and the household of your father, even they have dealt treacherously with you, even they have cried aloud after you. Do not believe them, although they may say nice things to you” vv. 5,6.

Summarizing verses 5 and 6, God told Jeremiah that he had not seen anything yet. Times were going to get harder for him! What a letdown that was. There Jeremiah was, calling fire down on his enemies and God told Jeremiah that times were going to get harder for him. “Lord, You misunderstood our conversation. I want You to make things harder for them.”

Jeremiah had been competing with the people of his day. They were the “footmen” who “have tired you out” v. 5. The “footmen” probably also refers to the false prophets described in Jeremiah 23:21: “I did not send these prophets, but they ran. I did not speak to them, but they prophesied.” God was saying that Jeremiah was running with footmen, competing with the false prophets and the ungodly in Israel, and these men were wearing him down. God told him that greater pressure was coming. If he was having a hard time running with the footmen, what would he do when he had to run with horses, referring to the military might of the Babylonians. When the Babylonians came on the scene, the ungodly would not be the only ones they would come down on; they would come down on the godly in Israel too. The whole nation would feel the brunt of the wrath of the Babylonians.

God was telling Jeremiah that much harder times would be ahead. “If you fall down in a land of peace, how will you do in the thicket of the Jordan?” (Jeremiah 12:5). Even though things had seemed rough for Jeremiah, things had been relatively good, and Jeremiah had had it relatively easy in a land of peace. God was asking him how he would do in the thicket of the Jordan, the region around the Jordan River that was flooded annually and became a place of thick growth, a habitat of wild animals. God was telling Jeremiah that he had been living in a relatively peaceful land. He was asking him what he would do when he got to the thicket of the Jordan. From this point on, things went downhill for Jeremiah. By the time we come to the end of the book, Jeremiah will be carted off against his will to Egypt. Things would not get any better for this prophet of God.

Sometimes we feel like Jeremiah. We complain about how hard things are for us when we have it relatively easy and fail to realize it. God wanted Jeremiah to see these godless Israelites from His perspective. He must feel the throb of God’s heart for Israel. These were the people God loved, the ones upon whom He had set His affection and attention. God wanted Jeremiah to see that he did not know what it meant for God to call down judgment on the people He loved. These people were not just anybody—they were the objects of His love! These Jews were special people to Him. Yet judgment was coming. Jeremiah must see how it hurt God to bring judgment on the people He loved.

The next section of Jeremiah 12, which begins in verse 7, is written in a past tense. This is referred to as the prophetic perfect. Even though the events were yet in the future, they are described in the past tense. From God’s standpoint, the things described were as though they were already accomplished. God said in verse 7, “I have forsaken My house, I have abandoned My inheritance; I have given the beloved of My soul into the hand of her enemies.” Notice the intimacy, concern and compassion God has with His people: “My house . . . My inheritance . . . the beloved of My soul.” These expressions are all used in other places in the Old Testament of Israel and its relationship with God.

In the same verse notice what God Himself has personally done: “I have forsaken . . . I have abandoned . . . I have given . . . into the hand of her enemies.” Judgment was coming upon the people who were the objects of God’s special attention and affection, the people upon whom He desired to bestow blessing upon blessing, the ones He wanted to enjoy the intimacy of a relationship with Himself.

Verse 8 is a strong statement showing how Israel turned against God: “My inheritance has become to Me like a lion in the forest; she has roared against Me; therefore I have come to hate her.” Of all the people on the earth, those who were to be His personal, special possession have turned against Him. What an awful situation! In the strong statement at the end of verse 8, “Therefore I have come to hate her,” God was saying He would no longer offer His protection, provision or security for Israel. Rather, she would now be exposed to the wrath of her enemies and the judgment that would come upon her.

God describes in verse 9 what would happen to Israel: “Is My inheritance like a speckled bird of prey to Me? Are the birds of prey against her on every side? Go, gather all the beasts of the field, bring them to devour!” Because its coloring is different, the speckled bird of prey will find the other birds of prey turning against it. This indicates that Israel would be distinguished as different and peculiar. Just as birds turn on one that is different, so Israel would become the object of wrath of the other nations and would be devoured by her enemies.

The shepherds of verse 10 are the leaders of the invading armies: “Many shepherds have ruined My vineyard, they have trampled down My field; they have made My pleasant field a desolate wilderness.” These shepherds are further identified as invaders in Jeremiah 6:3: “Shepherds and their flocks will come to her, they will pitch their tents around her, they will pasture each in his place.” These shepherds and their flocks were the leaders and their armies that were coming to oppose Israel.

The ultimate fulfillment of Jeremiah 12:10, “Many shepherds have ruined My vineyard, they have trampled down My field,” occurred around 600 B.C. and is recorded in 2 Kings 24. In this passage Nebuchadnezzar came to Israel and subjected king Jehoiakim who then rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar. “In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant for three years; then he turned and rebelled against him. And the Lord sent against him bands of Chaldeans, bands of Arameans, bands of Moabites, and bands of Ammonites. So He sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the Lord which He had spoken through His servants the prophets” 2 Kings 24:1-2. These are the peoples coming who are associated with the destruction of Jerusalem.

God referred to Israel in Jeremiah 12:10 as “My vineyard.” The first seven verses of Isaiah 5 give a moving picture of Israel as the vineyard of God. He gave His vineyard much attention, yet the vineyard did not produce what God intended it to produce.

God gives the results of the invaders in the land in Jeremiah 12:11-13: “It has been made a desolation, desolate, it mourns before Me; the whole land has been made desolate, because no man lays it to heart. On all the bare heights in the wilderness destroyers have come, for a sword of the Lord is devouring from one end of the land even to the other; there is no peace for anyone. They have sown wheat and have reaped thorns, they have strained themselves to no profit. But be ashamed of your harvest because of the fierce anger of the Lord.” Israel is God’s possession, yet it was necessary for Him to intervene in judgment.

It was important for Jeremiah to feel the heart of God and the compassion He had for His people. It was easy to be hardhearted against the wicked and rebellious, but God wanted Jeremiah to realize that those rebellious people were the people He desired for Himself. Jeremiah himself had experienced some of the disappointment that God experienced when those close to him, his own family members, the object of his affection and love, turned against him. “For even your brothers and the household of your father, even they have dealt treacherously with you, even they have cried aloud after you. Do not believe them, although they may say nice things to you” v. 6.

Judgment on Israel was necessary. This passage reveals to us the warmth, compassion and love of God for these people. At the same time He reveals the judgment which was coming on them. It is important for us to remember this too. It is easy to become short and intolerant with wicked unbelievers. We wonder why God does not intervene and destroy them. If He would just strike them down and bring catastrophe to their lives, it would help them realize that what we are saying is true. But why does God allow them to go on? It is because God is pouring out the same love for them which He demonstrated in giving His Son, Jesus Christ. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son” John 3:16.

That same love of God is demonstrated in 2 Peter 3:9: “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” Why does God delay people’s punishment? It is because He does not desire for man to perish. He wants them to come to life through faith in Jesus Christ. Why does He not intervene in judgment and bring destruction upon them? Because in love He has provided the salvation they desperately need. We need to look beyond the resistance, rebellion and opposition to see men as God sees them. Should we desire that those for whom Christ died be brought under judgment and destroyed? Sometimes we do not demonstrate the compassion of God for the salvation of unbelievers. It is so easy for us to get caught up in our petty differences that we forget that we are talking about people for whom Christ died.

Jeremiah was concerned about why the wicked continued to prosper. The answer he is given is because God is patient and loves them. Why did God allow Israel to go on? Because they were the objects of His affection and He desired them for Himself. But He must bring judgment upon them because His righteousness and justice demands it. This judgment, however, was in the context of a God who was offering overwhelming love that was rejected and spurned.

Ezekiel was another prophet who spoke of God’s concern for the wicked. “But if the wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed and observes all My statutes and practices justice and righteousness, he shall surely live; he shall not die. All his transgressions which he has committed will not be remembered against him; because of his righteousness which he has practiced, he will live” Ezekiel 18:21-22. The next verse shows God’s desire for the wicked to repent: ‘Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked,’ declares the Lord God, ‘rather than that he should turn from his ways and live?’” v. 23. God does not delight in destroying them but in seeing them come to life. We need to remind ourselves of that, especially when the opposition becomes personal. When we have been deeply hurt by someone’s actions, our desire sometimes is that God would intervene and bring vengeance upon them. We may not even desire their salvation because that would spare them from the wrath we want them to experience. We must back up and see those individuals from God’s perspective. We should rejoice that He is patient and long-suffering and that His salvation is still offered to them.

3. Restoration Promised

The last section of Jeremiah 12 ends on a note of compassion and hope. Salvation was available for Israel and Israel’s enemies if they would but turn to God. The first phrase of verse 14 indicates the personal nature of this passage: “Thus says the Lord concerning all my wicked neighbors.” The nation Israel is God’s people; Israel’s land is God’s land. Thus, the nations surrounding Israel are not just Israel’s neighbors, they are God’s neighbors because Israel is God’s people dwelling on God’s land. The nations referred to here are those we saw mentioned earlier in 2 Kings 24—the Chaldeans, the Arameans, the Moabites, the Ammonites and others. These are God’s “wicked neighbors who strike at the inheritance with which I have endowed My people Israel” Jeremiah 12:14. God will “uproot them from their land and will uproot the house of Judah from among them” v. 14, when the Babylonians sweep into the nation. God said Israel would be uprooted from the land and deported, but so would all the enemies from around Israel. Those nations that turned their wrath on Israel would themselves become the objects of the Babylonian wrath. They, too, would be deported from their land as God poured out His judgment on Israel.

In the midst of judgment, we must not overlook God’s desire to show compassion on these people. “And it will come about that after I have uprooted them, I will again have compassion on them; and I will bring them back, each one to his inheritance and each one to his land” v. 15. God spoke of His love and compassion in the midst of describing their uprooting and deportation, which had not yet occurred. But He was already speaking of the offer of redemption, deliverance and restoration.

The nations surrounding Israel had so corrupted Israel that the oaths taken by the Israelites were now based on the false god, Baal, the god worshipped by Israel’s neighbors. “Then it will come about that if they will really learn the ways of My people, to swear by My name, ‘As the Lord lives,’ even as they taught My people to swear by Baal” v. 16. But now, if they will turn and worship the God of Israel, “then they will be built up in the midst of My people” v. 16. What a promise! God desired their salvation. He wanted to show compassion on them.

The same is true today. As sinful men continue to rebel and turn against God, He keeps speaking of His compassion. What does He want? He wants to offer forgiveness, cleansing, blessing and peace. When fallen, sinful human beings continue to act against Him, in the midst of judgment, the compassion of God is seen.

The consequences if they fail to repent are seen in verse 17: “‘But if they will not listen, then I will uproot that nation, uproot and destroy it,’ declares the Lord.” The warning tells us that God is compassionate, but He is not soft. There will be justice and judgment because God is righteous. Those who refuse His love and reject His salvation can be sure of destruction.

The ultimate fulfillment of this section from verses 14 through 17 is in the coming Millennium when Jesus Christ will rule. During that time Israel will be reestablished in the land. Israel’s neighbors will be established and will come up to Jerusalem to offer their worship to the God of Israel.

Later in his prophecy, Jeremiah speaks of some of these nations. After speaking of judgment coming on Moab, God promises restoration for Moab in Jeremiah 48:47: “‘Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab in the latter days,’ declares the Lord. Thus far the judgment on Moab.” So, in the midst of God’s message about judgment, He promises restoration to Moab. In the next chapter God speaks about judgment for Ammon. Then in verse 6 He speaks of the restoration for Ammon: “‘But afterward I will restore the fortunes of the sons of Ammon,’ declares the Lord” (Jeremiah 49:6). The restoration of these nations is associated with the restoration of Israel. “‘If you will return, O Israel,’ declares the Lord, ‘then you should return to Me. And if you will put away your detested things from My presence, and will not waver, and you will swear, “As the Lord lives,” in truth, in justice, and in righteousness; then the nations will bless themselves in Him, and in Him they will glory’” Jeremiah 4:1-2. The people of God will be established in the land when they place their faith in the God who loved them and secured their redemption. This will occur in the coming kingdom over which Christ will rule. The nations surrounding Israel will also be brought to salvation in Jehovah and will acknowledge the Messiah of Israel as their Savior.

Why do the wicked prosper? Why does God not intervene in their wickedness with judgment? Judgment will come upon the wicked, we can be sure of that. But God is demonstrating His compassion as He offers the wicked the opportunity to repent.

We must see the wicked from the perspective of God’s heart. They are those for whom He has compassion, those with whom He desires to establish a personal relationship with Himself. They are the objects of His compassion, love and mercy. We need to look beyond their actions and see them as God sees them.

Judgment will eventually come on them, but God forbid that we should ever delight in judgment. We must understand the awfulness of judgment and see the love of God which has secured redemption for people who are so needy and so hopeless. Who else but God could have compassion on people who reject Him again and again? We should evidence God’s compassion by showing compassion ourselves.

How amazing that redemption has been provided even for those who are rebellious against God. If they are willing to submit themselves to Him, they can experience His salvation. The vilest person, the most adamant rejecter of the gospel has the potential to experience the fullness of salvation by faith in Jesus Christ. We must see these individuals in that light and desire that they would come to salvation while there is still hope before the judgment of God is necessary.