Jeremiah 12:1-17 Why Do the Ways of the Wicked Prosper?

Why Do the Ways of the Wicked Prosper?

Jeremiah 12:1-17         The Book of Jeremiah [in Smaller Chunks]

O Lord, You [are] Righteous, when I plead with You. [Still,] let me talk with You [about] Your judgments. [Why does] the way of the wicked prosper? [For what reason] are all [those] happy [who behave] very treacherously? You [have] planted them, & [yes,] they have taken root, & they grow.

[Yes,] they [produce] fruit. You [are] near their mouth, & far from their [heart strings.] [Mark 7:6-7 [Jesus] answered & said to them, [Elijah has] prophesied [correctly about] you, hypocrites, [like] it is written [in the Scriptures,] This people [honor] Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. [However,] they worship Me in vain, teaching the commandments of men, for doctrines.]

But, O Lord, You [know] me. You [have] seen me, & [tested [\my] heart toward You. Pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, & prepare them for the day of slaughter. [James 5:4-5 [See,] the [wages] of the  [laborers] who have [harvested] your fields, cry [out, about what] you kept back by fraud. And the [outcries] of [those who] have [harvested, have] entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabbath. You have lived in pleasure on the earth, & [have] been [thoughtless,] & you have [fattened] your hearts, [like] [fattened animals] [on] the day of slaughter.]

How long shall the land mourn, & the [vegetation from] every field wither, for the wickedness of [those who] dwell [there?] The [animals,] & birds are [destroyed,] because they said, He shall not see our [final] end.

[Hosea 4:3 Therefore, the land shall mourn, & everyone, [who dwells in it] shall [waste away,] with: the [animals] of the field, & the [birds] of heaven. [Yes,] the fish of the sea, shall also be taken away.]

If you [had] run with the footmen, & they have [tired] you, then how [can] you [keep up] with horses? And if they [tired] you, in the land of peace, [in which] you [trusted,] then how [will] you do in the swelling [flood waters] of Jordan?

[Joshua 3:16-17 The waters that came down from [higher,] stood, & rose up [in a] heap, very far from the city: Adam, that is beside Zaretan. And those, [who] came down toward the sea of the plain, even the Salt Sea, failed [to flow,] & were cut off.

And the people [crossed] over, right [next to] Jericho. And the priests, [who carried] the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, stood on firm, dry ground in the [middle] of [the] Jordan [River,] & all the Israelites [crossed] over on dry ground, until all the people [had totally crossed] over Jordan.]

For even your brethren, & your [father's] house, have even dealt treacherously with you. [Yes,] they have called a multitude after you. [Don't] believe them, [even though] they speak [kind] words to you. [Psalm 12:2 [Those who] everyone with his [neighbor,] speak [what is] vanity, & they speak with flattering lips. & a [2 faced] heart.]

I have [abandoned My] house, & I have left [My] heritage. I have [delivered] the dearly beloved of My soul, [over] into the [hands] of her enemies. [My] heritage is to Me [like] a lion in the forest. It [cries] out against Me. Therefore, I have hated it. [Hosea 8:4-6 They have [established] kings, but not by Me. They have made princes, & I [didn't know] it. They have made [themselves] idols, [from] their: silver & gold, [so] that they might be cut off.

Your calf, O Samaria, [has] cast you [away.] [My] anger [grows] against them. How long will it be [until] they [achieve innocence?] For it was also [from] Israel: [that] the workman made it. Therefore, it isn't God, but the calf of Samaria shall be broken in pieces.]

[My] heritage is to Me, [like] a speckled bird. The birds [all around] are against her. You, come, & assemble all the [animals] of the field [that] come to devour. [Leviticus 26:22-24 I will also send wild [animals] among you, [that] shall rob you of your children, destroy your cattle, & make you few in number.

And your highways shall be desolate. And if you won't be reformed by these things [through] Me, but [continue] to walk, contrary to Me, then, I will also walk,  contrary to you, & will punish you, [still] 7 times for your sins.]

Many pastors have destroyed My vineyard, & they have [trampled] down My portion under foot. They have made My pleasant portion [of the land,] a desolate wilderness. [Jeremiah 23:1-2 The Lord [says], Woe to the pastors, [a.k.a. shepherds, who] destroy, & scatter the sheep of My pasture!

Therefore, the Lord God of Israel [says this,] against the pastors, [who] feed My people; You have scattered My flock, & have driven them away, & haven't visited them. [Watch,] I will visit, [a.k.a. punish,] you [for] the evil of your [actions, says] the Lord.]

They have made it desolate. And being desolate, it [grieves] Me. The whole land is made desolate, because no man [takes] it to heart. The [plunderers have] come upon all [the] high places, [throughout] the wilderness. For the sword of the Lord shall devour from one end of the land, even to the other. No flesh, [a.k.a. humans,] shall have peace.

[Deuteronomy 12:2-3 You shall [totally] destroy all the places, [in which] the nations [that] you shall possess, served their gods, upon: the high mountains, & the hills, & under every green tree. And you shall overthrow their altars, & break their pillars, & burn their groves with fire. And you shall [cut] down their [carved] images of their gods, & destroy the names of them out of that place.]

They have sown wheat, but shall reap, [a.k.a. harvest,] thorns. They have [caused] themselves pain, but shall not [benefit.] And they shall be ashamed of your [income.] because of the fierce anger of the Lord. [Micah 6:15-16 You [shall] sow, but shall not [harvest.] You shall [walk] the [olive] [groves,] but you shall not anoint [yourself] with [its] oil.

And [you shall make] sweet wine, but shall not drink [the] wine. For the [mandates] of Omri are kept, & all the works, [a.k.a. deeds,] of the house of Ahab, & you [follow] their [advice; so] that I [would] make you a desolation, & [its] inhabitants [are considered repulsive, worthy of] hissing. Therefore, you shall [put up with] the [disgrace] of My people.]

The Lord [says this] against all [My] evil [neighbors, who] have touched, [a.k.a. meddled with] the inheritance [that] I have caused My people, Israel, to inherit. [Look,] I will [snatch] them out of their land, & pluck out from among them, the house of Judah.

[Isaiah 11:11-12 And it shall [happen on] that day, that the Lord shall [put] His hand, [in] again the 2nd time, to recover the [rest] of His people, [who] shall be left, from: Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, & from the islands of the sea. And He shall [put] up a [sign] for the nations, & shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, & gather the [scattered] of Judah, from the 4 corners of the earth.]

And it shall [happen,] after I have [snatched] them out, I will return, & [will] have compassion on them, & will bring them [back] again, every man to his heritage, & every man to his land. And it shall [happen,] if they will [sincerely] learn the ways of My people, to swear [oaths] by My Name, The Lord [Lives; like] they taught My people to swear by Baal; then they shall be [rebuilt] in the midst of My people.

[Romans 9:25-26 [Like] He also [said] in [Hosea,] I will call them My people, [who] weren't My people, & [call] her beloved, [who] wasn't beloved. And it shall [happen,] that in the place where it was said to them, You aren't My people, they shall be called there, the children of the Living God.]

But if they won't obey, I will [totally snatch] up, & destroy that nation, [says] the Lord. [Isaiah 60:12 For the nation & kingdom, [who] won't serve you shall perish. [Yes,] those nations shall be [totally] wasted.]