I find the interaction between God and Jeremiah in this chapter to be fascinating. Jeremiah begins by saying to God:
LORD, you have always been fair
whenever I have complained to you.
However, I would like to speak with you about the disposition of justice.
Why are wicked people successful?
Why do all dishonest people have such easy lives? You plant them like trees and they put down their roots.
They grow prosperous and are very fruitful.
They always talk about you,
but they really care nothing about you. But you, LORD, know all about me.
You watch me and test my devotion to you.
Drag these wicked men away like sheep to be slaughtered!
Appoint a time when they will be killed! How long must the land be parched
and the grass in every field be withered?
How long must the animals and the birds die
because of the wickedness of the people who live in this land?
For these people boast,
“God will not see what happens to us.”
(Jeremiah 12:1-4)
The basic point of Jeremiah’s complaint is the the wicked seem to prosper. Its a common theme with God’s servants in the Bible. It was difficult for them to go through various trials and persecutions while the people they were prophesying against were living the good life. The added wrinkle here, however, is that apparently they “claim the Name”. This reminded me a lot of today’s politicians. They talk about God a lot, many of them even claim to be Christians and talk about their church attendance and other religious themes. But really they are just using God as a way to get votes. It is easy for us to see this and react like Jeremiah did: “But you, LORD, know all about me. You watch me and test my devotion to you.” It can be difficult to see people prosper while living however they want and claiming to be Christians, especially if you are spending hours in service every week, starting each morning with devotions, and struggling to build a prayer life. It becomes even more difficult if the truly righteous in the land are suffering because of the sins of these people (and of course, none of us ever suffer because of the sins and mistakes of those in public office). Like Jeremiah, we may know that God is just, but we may struggle to see how his justice is being levied.
God’s response, however, is even more interesting than Jeremiah’s original complaint:
The LORD answered,
“If you have raced on foot against men and they have worn you out,
how will you be able to compete with horses?
And if you feel secure only in safe and open country,
how will you manage in the thick undergrowth along the Jordan River? As a matter of fact, even your own brothers
and the members of your own family have betrayed you too.
Even they have plotted to do away with you.
So do not trust them even when they say kind things to you.
(Jeremiah 12:5-6)
Basically, God is telling him, “If you think its tough now, how are you going to survive when it really gets tough.” Jeremiah was already complaining about the righteous suffering for the sins of the wicked, and the judgment hadn’t even started yet. I think this response serves two purposes. Firstly, it reminds Jeremiah that things can always be worse. When we are feeling like life just isn’t fair, its always good to put our circumstances in perspective. Things can always be worse and there are always people worse off than you. Secondly, it reminds Jeremiah that God’s ways are not his ways. God doesn’t try to justify himself to Jeremiah, which I think ultimately was what Jeremiah was looking for with his complaint. We often look at trying circumstances and we want God to justify his actions to us, as if God owes us an explanation. God had a plan, and it was not up to Jeremiah to tell God to change it. This is important for us to remember. Just because we cry out to God, doesn’t mean he is obligated to give us an explanation. Job is a great example of this. He never received a reason for losing his family, wealth, and property. God will be with us through trials as he has promised, but we cannot always expect to be told why we went through those trials.