Jeremiah

Jeremiah 12: The righteous LORD knows His own

Begin in prayer

Before we bring our hardest questions to the Lord, let us come to Him together. Ask Him to show us that He sees our hearts, to bless our family, and to show us Christ, the righteous Savior.

Examine me, Yahweh, and prove me. Try my heart and my mind.

Psalms 26:2

Father in heaven, please open our eyes as we read Your Word. Show us that You are righteous and that You know those who are Yours, and help us to turn from our sin and trust Jesus. Make us more like Jesus. And please bless our family as we worship You together. In Jesus' name, Amen.

See where we're going

Jeremiah asks why the wicked prosper and why treacherous people live at ease (verses 1 and 2). He asks God to pull them out like sheep for slaughter, because the LORD knows him (verses 3 and 4). The LORD answers that if footmen have worn him out, horses will be harder to bear (verse 5). Even his own brothers have dealt treacherously with him (verse 6). The LORD says He has forsaken His house and given His beloved into enemies’ hands (verses 7 to 9). Shepherds have trampled His vineyard, so the land is made a desolation (verses 10 to 13). The LORD will pluck up wicked neighbors, yet He promises compassion, and those who learn His ways will be built up (verses 14 to 16).

As you read Jeremiah 12, look for the answers:

• What question does Jeremiah ask the LORD about the wicked? (verse 1)
• Who has destroyed the LORD’s vineyard? (verse 10)
• What does the LORD say will happen to those who learn the ways of His people? (verse 16)

Reflect together

Key truth

The LORD is righteous, He knows His own, and He judges the wicked in His time.

Jeremiah asks a hard question, because the wicked seemed to prosper even though they deal treacherously (verses 1 and 2). The LORD knows His people, and He sees and tests the heart, which is why Jeremiah could bring his cause to Him (verse 3). A vineyard pictured God’s people, whom He planted, and its ruin came from shepherds who trampled it (verses 10 and 11). The LORD had forsaken His house and given His beloved people into enemies’ hands, so the land mourned (verses 7 and 11). Jeremiah’s own brothers and family had dealt treacherously with him, so even close kin could not be trusted (verse 6). The LORD will pluck up wicked neighbors, yet He will have compassion, and those who learn His ways will be built up (verse 16). Learning to swear by the LORD’s name means learning to honor Him as the living God (verse 16). The LORD knows His own, even when the wicked seem to prosper.

How does Jeremiah 12 show us that the LORD is righteous, knows His own, and judges the wicked in His time?

The LORD is righteous in all He does.

Jeremiah says, “You are righteous, Yahweh,” before he asks his hard question (verse 1). The LORD sees and tests the heart, and He is never unjust. Jeremiah still came to Him with his hard question, because he knew the LORD is just (verse 1).

God knows those who are His.

Jeremiah says, “But you, Yahweh, know me,” and trusts that the LORD sees him (verse 3). The wicked may seem safe, yet God is near their mouth and far from their heart (verse 2). Even Jeremiah’s own brothers had turned against him, but the LORD had not (verse 6).

God judges and restores in His time.

The LORD says the wicked neighbors will be plucked up (verse 14). He promises compassion, and those who learn His ways will be built up among His people (verses 15 and 16). Christ is the One who brings sinners back to God.

Memorize

But you, Yahweh, know me; you see me, and try my heart toward you.

Jeremiah 12:3

Looking to Jesus in my life

Ask yourself in your heart, what complaint am I holding against God, and have I brought it to Jesus?

Jeremiah asked, “why does the way of the wicked prosper?” Then he said, “But you, Yahweh, know me.” The LORD told His prophet that harder days were coming, and that the wicked would be plucked up. The wicked may seem at ease, but the LORD is near their mouth and far from their heart. God is righteous, and He knows those who are His.

Jesus is the good shepherd, and He knows His own sheep (John 10 verses 11 and 14). He bore the judgment of the righteous God at the cross, and He died for His people. His death paid for sin fully, and God raised Him from the dead on the third day. No wicked person can undo what He has done.

Turn from the way of the wicked, and come to Jesus, who knows your heart. Repent of the sin you have hidden from Him, and trust Him to make you clean. When you come to Him, He forgives your sin and will not leave you among the wicked.

Parent's note

Tell your children that the LORD is righteous and knows the hearts of His people. Parents, you may want to explain verses 14 to 17 gently, in your own words. Please do not tell them they are saved just because they grew up in a Christian home. Call each child to turn from sin and trust Jesus, and pray that God would give them a new heart.

Pray together

Now please close your time together in prayer. Thank God that He is righteous and knows His own, and bring the heart question to Him. Let each child who wishes say a short prayer to the Lord.

Commit your way to Yahweh. Trust also in him.

Psalms 37:5

Lord, thank You that You are righteous, and that You see and try our hearts. Forgive the complaints we hold against You, and bring each of us to trust Jesus. Help us to rest in Your justice this week, and to walk in Your ways. Amen.