Jeremiah 11:18-23 – Vengeance is the Lord’s

In Jeremiah 11:18-23, God was said to have revealed to the prophet a plot that was devised against His life. While the prophet suspected that would happen, he did not know the extent of the plot. The Lord revealed to him that he would be like a lamb being led to the slaughter. And like a tree and its fruit that would be destroyed, so would Jeremiah and the people who listened and accepted his message. Furthermore, verse 19 made known the ruthlessness of the plot. They wanted to kill Jeremiah, “to cut his name off the land of the living” and to make sure that his name would no longer be remembered.  

Encountered by the intense danger, Jeremiah turned to the Lord. He was fully  assured that God who knew the heart and feelings of men was the only one who could judge righteously. The prophet knew that vengeance belongs to the Lord, so he committed to Him the threat he was  facing.

Verse 21  revealed that the people who were plotting against Jeremiah were from Anathoth, the hometown where he hailed from. Those conspirators warned Jeremiah not to prophesy in the name of the Lord and that they would spare his life. How dare they threaten God’s brave messenger? Since they had the gall to do it, God pronounced what He would do to those who were plotting against Jeremiah. The description of God’s judgment on Anathoth was given in verses 22-23. God said, “Behold, I am about to punish them! The young men will die by the sword, their sons and daughters will die by famine; and a remnant will not be left to them, for I will bring disaster on the men of Anathoth—the year of their punishment.”

In servicing the Lord, don’t be surprised that we will face opposition from those who will embrace His message of truth. However, serving God requires that we trust Him absolutely. Nothing can happen to us outside of His knowledge. The wonderful truth is that He can see what’s happening to His servants and will be their protector. Let us boldly serve the Lord and trust He would come to our rescue at the right moment. Hear what the Psalmist has to say in Psalm 56:4 and be assured:

“In God, whose word I praise,
In God I have put my trust;
I shall not be afraid. 
What can mere man do to me?”