Sunday Sermon Mission Impossible Jeremiah 12:1-17 March 8, 2020 “That’S Not Fair”

Sunday Sermon Mission Impossible Jeremiah 12:1-17 March 8, 2020 “That’s Not Fair” Introduction: Throughout the Bible we find situations where our faith hits a roadblock and evil seems to prevail. This is especially true when it appears as if God is allowing evil people to get away with their sin. Habakkuk, an early contemporary of Jeremiah, was terribly troubled because Judah seemed to be getting away with sin; how much more upset he becomes where he thinks Babylon, a pagan nation, is getting away with sin as well! Habakkuk becomes confused by the apparent conflict between what he knew to be true about God and what he sees around him in the world. It just doesn’t seem to add up, and he lets God know about it. In the process, he learns a view of God that is true but not always popular; he begins to look at his circumstances from the framework of God’s character rather than at God’s character from the context of his circumstances. As we continue this morning in the book of Jeremiah, we find that he struggled with the same issues as his prophet friend. And I think if we’re all honest, we struggle at times with it as well. Jeremiah 12-14 finds that Judah was facing impending judgement, the land was suffering under a tremendous drought (14:1-6) and Jeremiah was being plotted against from his hometown; even his own brethren (6)! It was certainly a dark time and he did what many of us do…we ask why? I. God’s ways can be confusing to us – 1-4 A. Jeremiah affirms that God is righteous – 1 Righteous are You, O LORD, when I plead with You; yet let me talk with You about Your judgments: Jeremiah wanted to ask God a question, and he did so in an appropriate way – first recognizing and submitting to Gods’ righteousness. B. Jeremiah asks why the wicked prosper – 1,2 Why does the way of the wicked prosper: Jeremiah asked a question that Asaph also asked in Psalm 73:1-3. Hopefully without pride, Jeremiah understood that he was righteous and most of those in Judah and Jerusalem were wicked. Yet they seemed to prosper, while Jeremiah often suffered. C. Jeremiah admits his frustration – 3,4 1. You have planted them: Jeremiah considered that the wicked could not enjoy any prosperity or pleasure unless God allowed it. The fruit they enjoyed ultimately came from God in one way or another. 2. You are near in their mouth but far from their mind: The people Jeremiah had in mind were those who made an outward profession of religion but did not really care about God and the things of God. 3. But You, O LORD, know me; You have seen me, and You have tested my heart toward You: Jeremiah contrasted his life with the life of the wicked – perhaps those who threatened him (Jeremiah 11:18-19). He knew that his life and heart were tested before God in a way that their lives did not seem to be. 4. Pull them out like sheep for the slaughter and prepare them for the day of slaughter: In the previous chapter Jeremiah felt that he was like a sheep for the slaughter (Jeremiah 11:19). He prayed that the wicked would now be put in that same place. 5. How long will the land mourn: Jeremiah felt that because God did not answer the wicked with judgment, it brought mourning even to the land. Their careless attitude (He will not see our final end) had an effect even upon the natural world II. God’s wisdom can be comforting to us (big picture) – 5-17 A. He gently rebuked Jeremiah for his wavering faith – 5-6 1. If you have run with the footmen and they have wearied you, then how can you contend with horses: God’s answer to Jeremiah was both powerful and profound. Without directly answering the question (see Psalm 73), God encouraged Jeremiah to regard his present challenge as a preparation for greater challenges to come. a. Jeremiah was certainly in a challenge – like a hard-fought race with the footmen. There was a sense of spiritual, mental and emotional exertion involved with the persecution from his fellow villagers from Anathoth. b. Yet even with the appreciation of that challenge, there were greater challenges to come. By analogy, Jeremiah could expect to run against horses in the future. He needed to learn how to trust God and to draw on His strength in his present challenge, in order to prepare him for the greater ones right around the corner. c. If he found it difficult in Anathoth, how would he fare in the Jerusalem? Later, Jeremiah would have to spend a night in the stocks (Jeremiah 20:1-3), confinement in a cistern (Jeremiah 38:6), and imprisonment in the court of the guard (Jeremiah 28:13). 2. And if in the land of peace, in which you trust, they wearied you, then how will you do in the floodplain of the Jordan: Here we have the same lesson as above; preparation for greater dependence on God. 3. For even your brothers, the house of your father, even they have dealt treacherously with you: For Jeremiah, the smaller challenge was the adversity and hatred he faced from the men of Anathoth (Jeremiah 11:21), men of his own village and family. The greater challenge was the multitude they had called against him. 4. Do not believe them, even though they speak smooth words to you: The open adversity was another example of the smaller challenge; the bigger challenge would be the smooth words and flattery others would use against Jeremiah. B. He expressed sorrow over the sins of Judah – 7-13 1. Rejection of heritage – 7-9 a. I have forsaken My house, I have left My heritage: Jeremiah spoke to the future when God will give His dearly beloved people into the hand of her enemies. The reference to house is not to the temple but to the people. My house is parallel to my heritage (inheritance), a familiar designation for the people of Israel in the Old Testament. b. My heritage to Me is like a lion in the forest; it cries out against Me; therefore, I have hated it: According to Jacob’s prophecy in Genesis 49:9, Judah was supposed to be God’s lion. They fulfilled the lion-like role, but they roared against God instead of for Him – it was a roar of rebellion. c. My heritage is to Me like a speckled vulture: The idea is of a bird that looks different and is therefore troubled by the other birds. Judah would be set upon by the surrounding nations. Rebellious Judah will now be as conspicuous as a speckled bird, whose unusual plumage provokes the enmity of other predators. 2. Destruction of people – 10-13 a. They have made it desolate; desolate, it mourns to Me: When the judgment comes upon the land of Judah, it will make the land desolate – because there will be no one to care for it (no one takes it to heart). 1). The KJV has Jeremiah 12:10 as, many pastors have destroyed my vineyard. The Hebrew uses the familiar figure of a shepherd (pastor) as a leader of people, not necessarily spiritually. 2). The Hebrew text plays strong on the word waste or [desolate] in verses 10 and 11. It is impossible to catch the strong assonance in English, but the effect in Hebrew is striking. There is a sense of completeness and finality about the words. b. But be ashamed of your harvest because of the fierce anger of the LORD: God spoke to the invading Babylonians, warning them that they should take no pleasure or satisfaction in their harvest upon the cities and land of Judah. They would have to reckon with the fierce anger of the LORD. C. He revealed a greater purpose through suffering – 14-17 1. Retribution – 14 a. I will pluck them out of their land: God warned those who would attack and exile Israel, that He would also take their land. Even though God used them as an instrument of His judgment, He would nevertheless judge them for their evil and brutality against Judah. God called these nations, My evil neighbors – yet He would use them to chastise His people. b. And pluck out the house of Judah from among them: God would deal with the invaders (the Babylonian Empire); but He would also take care of His people, and bring them back (pluck out) a remnant to return to the land and the promise once again. 2. Restoration – 15-17 a. I will return and have compassion on them and bring them back, everyone to his heritage and everyone to his land: The promise of exile and judgment was sure; but so was the promise of compassion and return. Jeremiah need not despair at the seeming prosperity of the wicked and trouble of the righteous; God would move all things according to His perfect plan. b. If they will learn carefully the ways of My people: God made a remarkable offer to the Babylonians and to any who opposed His people. If they would turn to Him and swear by His name, then they could be established in the midst of My people. They could share in the blessing and goodness of God among His people. *This reminds us that God’s regard for Israel was never based on race or ethnicity.

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