“Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the treacherous live at ease? Drag the wicked away like sheep to slaughter, and set them apart for the day of killing.” (Jeremiah 12:1,3)
Jeremiah was God’s prophet to Judah during a time when the Israelites had turned to idolatry. In the first four verses of this chapter, he first acknowledges God’s righteousness, then voices his complaint. To paraphrase his complaint, he says, “God, why are you allowing the wicked to prosper? It’s time to get rid of them and allow the earth to heal from the evil effects of their deeds.” God faithfully answered Jeremiah’s complaint, which is recorded in the remaining verses of this chapter.
How do you think that God answered? Let me give you two options:
Option 1 – “Oh, Jeremiah, I didn’t know that life was so difficult, that the wicked people are so evil, and that the environment is being destroyed. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I will act quickly to destroy the evil people and heal the land.”
Option 2 – “Jeremiah, you need to be in this for the long haul. If you can’t handle the effects of the evil that you see today, just wait, things are going to get much worse. The people of Judah have not simply rejected you; they have rejected me. I will allow unbelieving nations to come, overrun Judah, and take the people out of their land. After that, I will have compassion them and allow them to return to their land and they will follow my ways. I will also bless those in the unbelieving nations who learn my ways. Finally, I will destroy all those who won’t follow my ways, but that is a long time from now.”
I hope I don’t need to give you the right answer. Unfortunately, this is a parallel to our contemporary problem, which seems to be the main content of the evening news. The wicked are prospering and the environment is being destroyed. God’s answer to a complaint today is also the same; hang in there, I am working my plans to bring all that are willing to listen to salvation.
What can we learn from Jeremiah’s prayer?
- It’s okay to complain to God, he knows our heart anyway. He is our friend. Go ahead – vent to God. In fact, it is far better than venting on social media!
- God will answer our complaint, but our venting will not result in a rash response. God has told us that evil will continue to get progressively worse (2 Tim. 3:1-5). God has promised that everyone will be judged according to what they have done (Rom 2:6). Yet, God is patiently waiting for all to come to salvation (2 Peter 3:9).
- We are the benefactors of God’s patience, for we are Gentiles, not God’s chosen people. We are the ones that were evil and far from God. Indeed, because of Judah’s rejection of God, he has provided for the salvation of all nations through the sacrifice of Jesus (Luke 24:47).
God is sovereign. He sees the big picture. He is more concerned with evil than you are. He is more concerned about the environment that you are. We can trust him – for he alone offers the way of life.