Jeremiah 12:6

For even thy brethren, and the house of thy father, even they have dealt treacherously with thee; yea, they have called a multitude after thee: believe them not, though they speak fair words unto thee. EVEN THY BRETHREN ... HAVE DEALT TREACHEROUSLY WITH THEE - as in Christ's case (; ; : cf. ; ; ; ). Godly faithfulness is sure to provoke the ungodly even of one's own family. CALLED A MULTITUDE AFTER THEE - ...

Here God addresses his Prophet, in order to confirm the whole of what we have observed. Jeremiah’s object was, as we have said, to set forth the judgment of God: he therefore undertook the part of art accuser, and shewed how intolerable was the impiety of the whole people. He afterwards shewed that he was a conqueror in the cause. And now God himself speaks: he first indeed reproves the people and condemns their insane presumption; and then he addresses the Prophet himself, as though he had said, “Thou hast faithfully pleaded my cause, and as thine own people are all perfidious, there is no reason for thee to doubt but that I will be thy defender.” The Prophet no doubt was commanded to preach and to write in God’s name; and yet he had regard to the people, who would have hardened themselves against his preaching, had he not more fully set forth the dreadful judgment of God. Hence he says...

1-6 When we are most in the dark concerning God's dispensations, we must keep up right thoughts of God, believing that he never did the least wrong to any of his creatures. When we find it hard to understand any of his dealings with us, or others, we must look to general truths as our first principles, and abide by them: the Lord is righteous. The God with whom we have to do, knows how our hearts are toward him. He knows both the guile of the hypocrite and the sincerity of the upright. Divine judgments would pull the wicked out of their pasture as sheep for the slaughter. This fruitful land was turned into barrenness for the wickedness of those that dwelt therein. The Lord reproved the prophet. The opposition of the men of Anathoth was not so formidable as what he must expect from the rulers of Judah. Our grief that there should be so much evil is often mixed with peevishness on account...

Verse Jeremiah 12:6. _FOR EVEN THY BRETHREN, AND THE HOUSE OF THY FATHER_] Thou hast none to depend on but God: even thy brethren will betray thee when they have it in their power. _BELIEVE THEM NOT_] Do not trust to them; do not commit thyself to them; they are in heart thy enemies, and will betray thee....

Yahweh rebukes Jeremiah’s impatience, showing him by two proverbial sayings, that there were still greater trials of faith in store for him. Prosperous wickedness is after all a mere ordinary trial, a mere “running with the footmen;” he will have to exert far greater powers of endurance. AND IF IN THE LAND ... - Rather, “and in a land of peace thou art secure; but how wilt thou do amid the pride of Jordan?” if thou canst feel safe only where things are tranquil, what wilt thou do in the hour of danger? The “pride of Jordan” is taken to, mean the luxuriant thickets along its banks, famous as the haunt of lions (compare Jeremiah 49:19; Jeremiah 50:44;...

EXPOSITION JEREMIAH 12:1 Painfully exercised by the mysteries of the Divine government, the prophet opens his grief to Jehovah. Righteous art thou, etc.; rather, _Righteous wouldest thou be_,_ O Jehovah_,_ if I should plead with thee_;_ i.e._ if I were to bring a charge against thee, I should be unable to convict thee of injustice (comp. Psalms 51:4; Job 9:2). The prophet, however, cannot refrain from laying before Jehovah a point which seems to him irreconcilable with the Divine righteousness. The rendering, indeed, must be modified. LET ME TALK WITH THEE OF THY JUDGMENTS should rather be, _yet will I debate questions of right with thee_....

FOR EVEN THY BRETHREN, AND THE HOUSE OF THY FATHER,.... The men of Anathoth; EVEN THEY HAVE DEALT TREACHEROUSLY WITH THEE; by laying schemes, and consulting methods, to take away his life privately; his enemies were those of his own house; which is oftentimes the case of good men, and especially of such that are in public office: YEA, THEY HAVE CALLED A MULTITUDE AFTER THEE; a multitude of men, which they gathered together, and instigated to call after him in a clamorous and reproachful way: or, THEY CALLED AFTER THEE WITH A FULL VOICE, as the Vulgate Latin z version renders it; and which De Dieu approves of; they not only gathered a mob about him, and drew men after him, but they hooted him as he went along, and called aloud after him, giving him the most reproachful names they could think of: BELIEVE THEM NOT, THOUGH THEY SPEAK FAIR WORDS TO THEE; this must be understood of some of...

CHAPTER 12 The Prophet's Prayer and the House Forsaken, Yet Compassion _ 1. The prophet's prayer (Jeremiah 12:1) 2. The house forsaken, yet compassion (Jeremiah 12:7) _ Jeremiah 12:1. In his outburst of grief and in great mental perplexity Jeremiah states the old question, why does the righteous man suffer, why does the wicked prosper? And then the prayer for His intervention. Such will be again the case with the godly remnant in the end of this present age. They will suffer and be persecuted as godly Jeremiah was and pray as Jeremiah prayed: “Pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, and prepare them for the day of slaughter.” The imprecatory psalms are of the same prophetic meaning. Jeh

THE PROBLEM OF UNRIGHTEOUS PROSPERITY. Jeremiah raises (for the first time in Hebrew literature) the problem of the prosperity of the unrighteous, apparently in connexion with his experiences at Anathoth. He ventures to complain (rather than plead) unto Yahweh, since He should award adversity to the evildoers who dishonour Him in their inner man (reins, see on Jeremiah 11:20), and he appeals for their punishment. God answers Jeremiah (Jeremiah 12:5) with the warning that he has worse trials to face than the troubles at Anathoth Jeremiah 12:4 has little point in this context except for its close, He shall not see our latter end, which apparently means that Jeremiah will not live to see the vengeance desir

CALLED. called loudly....