Study notes

Jeremiah 12

Introducing JeremiahWho wrote it, when, why, and what to look for as you read

2:1–12:17 Section

Jeremiah’s judgement messages explained how and why God’s people would be judged. These messages were like the judgement messages that Isaiah shared.

The work of being a prophet was very hard for Jeremiah. He wept and suffered with deep sadness and pain. Inside his own body he felt God’s anger like a burning fire. The people and leaders of the southern kingdom hadn’t been faithful to the Mount Sinai covenant. They didn’t obey the Ten Commandments. They didn’t treat others the way God taught them to in the Law of Moses. They treated needy people badly. They worshipped false gods instead of worshipping only God. They felt no shame about this. They expected God to continue blessing them. This showed that they not only spoke lies but also lived out lies. It showed that they had no sense or wisdom.

They hadn’t learnt from the example of the northern kingdom. They hadn’t learnt from times in the past when God brought judgement against them. Storks and other birds had more wisdom than God’s people did. God’s people didn’t serve him with all their heart. God described this as not being circumcised in their hearts. Their bodies were circumcised. So on the outside of their bodies they had the sign of God’s covenant. But the choices they made showed that they didn’t respect and honour God. This was true for both the people and the leaders of the southern kingdom. The kings, priests and prophets didn’t follow God’s example for rulers. They didn’t know God’s laws and didn’t lead the people in obeying God. They lied by saying that everything was going well and that the nation had peace. As a result of this, God would no longer stop the covenant curses from coming.

God longed to forgive his people. He wanted them to turn away from their sin, repent and follow him. But they refused. So God told Jeremiah to stop praying that God would have mercy on them. God would use the Babylonian army as his tool to judge the southern kingdom. The temple would be destroyed. The people would be thrown out of the land God had given them. God had warned Solomon about this judgement (1 Kings 9:6–9). Yet God promised that he wouldn’t destroy his people completely. He would always allow a few to remain alive. In this way God would remain faithful to his covenant with David.

God also gave Jeremiah messages of hope to share about a time in the future. God would live with his people and rule the world from Jerusalem as King. The northern and southern kingdoms would live together in their land as one kingdom again. God would return all nations to their own lands. Jews would teach other nations that God is the Lord who rules over all. Every nation would be invited to follow the practices God taught his people. Every people group that honoured God would become part of God’s people.

12:1

Jeremiah agreed that the Lord was fair in past dealings with him. However, he was confused about why his life was in danger, despite his obedience. Meanwhile, wicked and evil people seemed to be prosperous and happy.

12:1–4

Jeremiah questioned why a fair God did not quickly punish the wicked. He could not tolerate ongoing evil, but he also felt sorrow for the severe human suffering he foresaw (Jeremiah 10:19–25).

12:2

Jeremiah was upset that the Lord let evil people succeed and find happiness.

12:3

Jeremiah's words may seem self-righteous, but he was open to the Lord examining his heart. He was also angry and wanted his enemies to suffer the harm they planned for him. He hoped they would be killed like defenseless sheep. Jeremiah did not appear to want their forgiveness or their return to the Lord.

12:4

Jeremiah felt helpless because the Lord's plan to destroy the land seemed too harsh. Jeremiah understood that the people were wrong to mockingly say the Lord could not predict the future (compare Isaiah 46:10).

12:5

Jeremiah's conflict with his family and friends was like racing against men. This was nothing compared to racing against horses, which would happen when the foreign army arrived. The coming war would be as difficult as navigating the dense bushes near the Jordan River.

12:5–13

The Lord corrected his messenger and answered his question by asking his own questions.

12:6

Jeremiah’s family was like a small version of Judah. They secretly cried aloud (plotted) against him (Jeremiah 11:9) while speaking kindly to him. They wanted to convince him that the Lord would protect Judah and Jerusalem from the Babylonians. They hoped to prevent him from bringing shame to the family (compare Mark 3:21).

12:7–13

God referred to the people of Judah as his special possession, his dearest ones, his chosen people, and his vineyard. However, they became hostile to him, so they had to be given over to their enemies. The most severe justice they could face was for the Lord to withdraw and let them suffer the consequences of their evil actions.

12:9

Large flocks of speckled vultures would prey on the people of Judah. Soon, wild animals would pick their bodies clean.

12:11

The Lord felt deep sorrow as he looked at the barren land. He had commanded the invasion based on the Sinai covenant's terms, but it brought him no joy. Sadly, only God cared.

12:12

The invading armies were the sword sent by the Lord to destroy the land.

12:13

The Lord felt no joy when invaders ate his people's crops, leaving only thorns. However, the people of Judah turned away from their faith, which deserved the Lord's fierce anger (see Ezekiel 16:36–39), leading to their shame.

12:14

  • No evil nation would escape God's punishment, not even those He used to punish Judah. He would remove them.

  • The Lord would also uproot (remove) Judah, but this refers positively to freeing them from exile.

12:15

I will...have compassion on them: Even other nations, no matter how wicked, can recover after facing disaster.

12:16

To experience God's compassion (Jeremiah 12:15), people from other nations needed to stop worshiping idols and learn God's ways. This change required publicly accepting the Sinai covenant, which included saying, as surely as the Lord lives. They also needed to reject any promises made in Baal's name, which had led Israelites to worship foreign idols.

12:17

  • If these nations refused to obey the Lord, they would be removed and destroyed (Jeremiah 1:10).

  • declares the LORD: This statement gave God's words the power of a divine command.

Verse notes: Adapted by Mission Mutual (Aquifer Open Study Notes) from Tyndale Open Study Notes © 2023 Tyndale House Publishers. CC BY-SA 4.0. Section notes: Biblica Study Notes © 2023 Biblica, Inc. CC BY-SA 4.0, via BibleAquifer. About the sources