Day 741: Jeremiah 12- Surprised By Compassion

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?
2 You plant them, and they take root;
    they grow and produce fruit;
you are near in their mouth
    and far from their heart.
3 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.
4 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.”
The Lord Answers Jeremiah5 “If you have raced with men on foot, and they have wearied you,
    how will you compete with horses?
And if in a safe land you are so trusting,
    what will you do in the thicket of the Jordan?
6 For even your brothers and the house of your father,
    even they have dealt treacherously with you;
    they are in full cry after you;
do not believe them,
    though they speak friendly words to you.”
7 “I have forsaken my house;
    I have abandoned my heritage;
I have given the beloved of my soul
    into the hands of her enemies.
8 My heritage has become to me
    like a lion in the forest;
she has lifted up her voice against me;
    therefore I hate her.
9 Is my heritage to me like a hyena's lair?
    Are the birds of prey against her all around?
Go, assemble all the wild beasts;
    bring them to devour.
10 Many shepherds have destroyed my vineyard;
    they have trampled down my portion;
they have made my pleasant portion
    a desolate wilderness.
11 They have made it a desolation;
    desolate, it mourns to me.
The whole land is made desolate,
    but no man lays it to heart.
12 Upon all the bare heights in the desert
    destroyers have come,
for the sword of the Lord devours
    from one end of the land to the other;
    no flesh has peace.
13 They have sown wheat and have reaped thorns;
    they have tired themselves out but profit nothing.
They shall be ashamed of their harvests
    because of the fierce anger of the Lord.”
14 Thus says the Lord concerning all my evil neighbors who touch the heritage that I have given my people Israel to inherit: “Behold, I will pluck them up from their land, and I will pluck up the house of Judah from among them. 15 And after I have plucked them up, I will again have compassion on them, and I will bring them again each to his heritage and each to his land. 16 And it shall come to pass, if they will diligently 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, then they shall be built up in the midst of my people. 17 But if any nation will not listen, then I will utterly pluck it up and destroy it, declares the Lord.”
 
Meditation
God’s character is unchanging, “the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Yet the more we study the word of God the more we are surprised by the character of God. In today’s reading the compassion of God sneaks up to surprise and inspire.
 
In frustration Jeremiah complains to God (1). The wicked prosper, the treacherous thrive, and the Lord seems to continuously bless them (1-3). “How long?” will this go on (4)!?
 
God faithfully responds. God hears the cries of His people and clarifies His heart. The personal language reveals that God cares more than circumstances communicate. God feels the pain of His people being poisoned, ruined by rejecting Him. “My house…My heritage (x3) … My vineyard … My portion … My pleasant portion” have been devastated, declares the Lord (7-10). The circumstances are darker and more dire than expected because it is personal to God, as if God Himself has been injured. The pain of God’s heart leads to punitive measures that will restore (14).
 
“I will again have compassion…” says the Lord (15). God has compassion by meeting Jeremiah personally in his complaint. God’s character is compassionate (Exodus 34:6). Life can be frustrating but God’s compassion will not fail (Lamentations 3:22). The cross of Christ is the ultimate punitive measure that offers restoration and renewal, proving His character and giving power to His care. We must trust God’s unchanging character in the midst of our ever-changing world.
 
Richly Dwelling
-When you see Jeremiah’s complaint and the Lord’s pain in His personal response, how does God’s character surprise you?
 
-Do you believe God’s character is strong enough to show compassion to you? The cross proves it is.
 
-How does God’s powerful and personal compassion compel you to return to Him and hope again?
 
Key Verse
15 And after I have plucked them up, I will again have compassion on them, and I will bring them again each to his heritage and each to his land.