12. high places—Before, He had threatened the plains; now, the hills. wilderness—not an uninhabited desert, but high lands of pasturage, lying between Judea and Chaldea (Jeremiah 4:11). read more
A lament about Yahweh’s ravaged inheritance 12:7-13Many scholars believe this lament dates from the time when Jehoiakim revolted against Babylon after three years of submission (about 602 B.C.; cf. 2 Kings 24:1-2). [Note: Feinberg, p. 459.] "The second part of God’s reply is remarkable, saying in effect, ’Your tragedy is a miniature of mine.’" [Note: Kidner, p. 61.] read more
The Lord would bring "destroyers" against His people from the wilderness, who would act as His "sword" and "devour" them. The whole land would experience war. read more
1-4. The prosperity of the wicked perplexes Jeremiah.1. Wherefore, etc.] The question was one which much exercised men of pre-Christian times who had no clear view of any but temporal rewards and punishments. See Psalms 37, 39, 49, 73, and Job (specially Jeremiah 21:7) The plots of his fellow-townsmen at Anathoth (see Jeremiah 11) were probably the occasion of this outburst of Jeremiah’s. 2. Near in their mouth, etc.] They honour God with their lips but their heart is far from Him. 4. A drought... read more
(12) All high places.—i.e., the bare treeless heights so often chosen as the site of an idolatrous sanctuary.The sword of the Lord.—As in the cry of “the sword of Jehovah and of Gideon” (Judges 7:18) all man’s work in war is thought of as instrumental in working out a Will mightier than his own. The sword of the Chaldean invader was, after all, His sword. The thought was more or less the common inheritance of Israel, but it had recently received a special prominence from Deuteronomy 32:41.No... read more
Trivial Trouble Jeremiah 12:5 The proof that so many of us have little real trouble is found in the fact that we so piercingly bewail trifling losses and pains; were the distresses more acute, we should say less about them. I. The habit of pampering ourselves shows how far we have lost sight of the seriousness of life. The sacramental host of God has ever been prepared to accept great losses and sufferings for the high rewards it contemplates. 'The noble army of martyrs' is the glory of God's... read more
CHAPTER VIITHE BROKEN COVENANTJeremiah 11:1-23 and Jeremiah 12:1-17THERE is no visible break between these two chapters. They seem to summarise the history of a particular episode in the prophet’s career. At the same time, the style is so peculiar that it is not so easy as it might appear at a first glance to determine exactly what it is that the section has to tell us. When we come to take a closer look at it, we find a thoroughly characteristic mixture of direct narrative and soliloquy, of... read more
CHAPTER 12 The Prophet’s Prayer and the House Forsaken, Yet Compassion 1. The prophet’s prayer (Jeremiah 12:1-6 ) 2. The house forsaken, yet compassion (Jeremiah 12:7-17 ) Jeremiah 12:1-6 . 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... read more
PERSECUTED IN HIS HOME TOWN The length of this lesson may alarm, but preparation for it only requires the reading of the chapters two or three times. One who has gone through Isaiah will soon catch the drift of the Spirit’s teaching and be able to break up the chapters into separate discourses and the discourses into their various themes. The main object of the lesson is to dwell on the prophet’s personal experience in his home town which is reached in the closing chapters. It is thought... read more
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E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Jeremiah 12:12
high = eminent. read more