Jer 18:20 | KingComments | STEP | The people of Judah call one another to disregard the words of Jeremiah ( ). Now Jeremiah asks the LORD to heed to him by listening to the voice of those who accuse him ( ). He presents his case to the LORD. Surely the LORD cannot repay the good he did with the evil the opponents plan against him, can He ( )? That his opponents seek his evil is evident from the fact that they have dug a pit for him, literally for his soul. That is, they want to destroy him spiritually so that he gives up his service. But surely he is in the service of the LORD, and surely his service is to speak good on their behalf and to seek good for them by turning away His wrath from them, isn’t it? If the matter stands like this and they cast off good in his person, he must plead against the people. They do not deserve to grow as a people ( ). Children must perish from hunger or by the sword. The women must lose their most precious possession. They must also become widows, for their husbands must perish. Even the young men, the hope of the nation, must fall by the sword. The safe dwelling places, the houses, must become places of fear and terror because of the sudden intrusion of a band of robbers ( ). That band of robbers must be sent by the LORD. It must come upon them all because they are out to capture Jeremiah in a pit and snares, to deprive him of his freedom to preach ( ). Jeremiah knows that the LORD knows all the deliberations of his enemies to kill him ( ). He does not have to seek his own justice, but can place it in the hand of the LORD. He also presents Him with the requirement of justice because he knows His justice. It is not about seeking vengeance for what has been done to himself. It is about the dishonor done to the LORD. What he asks for is consistent with the age in which he lives. If there is such stubborn resistance to the Word of God, there can be no reconciliation of iniquity and sin cannot be blotted out from before God. Such people cannot stand before God’s face. Jeremiah asks the LORD to so deal with them “in the time of Your anger”, leaving to Him the time of the exercise of judgment. If Jeremiah seems to us as too harsh in his judgment of evil, perhaps it is because we do not judge the evil that surrounds us today harshly enough. Thanks to the media, we see so much evil and sin today, without doing anything about it, that we tend to see it as a normal part of life. More and more often and in more and more areas, evil is called good. We get so used to it that we no longer have feelings of revulsion or have them only about the very worst forms of it. We may pray earnestly, however, that the Lord will keep us from getting used to evil.

‏ Jeremiah 18:20

The Plea of Jeremiah

The people of Judah call one another to disregard the words of Jeremiah (Jer 18:18). Now Jeremiah asks the LORD to heed to him by listening to the voice of those who accuse him (Jer 18:19). He presents his case to the LORD. Surely the LORD cannot repay the good he did with the evil the opponents plan against him, can He (Jer 18:20)?

That his opponents seek his evil is evident from the fact that they have dug a pit for him, literally for his soul. That is, they want to destroy him spiritually so that he gives up his service. But surely he is in the service of the LORD, and surely his service is to speak good on their behalf and to seek good for them by turning away His wrath from them, isn’t it?

If the matter stands like this and they cast off good in his person, he must plead against the people. They do not deserve to grow as a people (Jer 18:21). Children must perish from hunger or by the sword. The women must lose their most precious possession. They must also become widows, for their husbands must perish. Even the young men, the hope of the nation, must fall by the sword.

The safe dwelling places, the houses, must become places of fear and terror because of the sudden intrusion of a band of robbers (Jer 18:22). That band of robbers must be sent by the LORD. It must come upon them all because they are out to capture Jeremiah in a pit and snares, to deprive him of his freedom to preach (Psa 141:9-10).

Jeremiah knows that the LORD knows all the deliberations of his enemies to kill him (Jer 18:23). He does not have to seek his own justice, but can place it in the hand of the LORD. He also presents Him with the requirement of justice because he knows His justice. It is not about seeking vengeance for what has been done to himself. It is about the dishonor done to the LORD.

What he asks for is consistent with the age in which he lives. If there is such stubborn resistance to the Word of God, there can be no reconciliation of iniquity and sin cannot be blotted out from before God. Such people cannot stand before God’s face. Jeremiah asks the LORD to so deal with them “in the time of Your anger”, leaving to Him the time of the exercise of judgment.

If Jeremiah seems to us as too harsh in his judgment of evil, perhaps it is because we do not judge the evil that surrounds us today harshly enough. Thanks to the media, we see so much evil and sin today, without doing anything about it, that we tend to see it as a normal part of life. More and more often and in more and more areas, evil is called good. We get so used to it that we no longer have feelings of revulsion or have them only about the very worst forms of it. We may pray earnestly, however, that the Lord will keep us from getting used to evil.