Jeremiah 18: 1 – 23
Evil for good
1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying: 2 “Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause you to hear My words.” 3 Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something at the wheel. 4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so, he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make. 5 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying: 6 “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?” says the LORD. “Look, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel! 7 The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, 8 if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it. 9 And the instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it, 10 if it does evil in My sight so that it does not obey My voice, then I will relent concerning the good with which I said I would benefit it. 11 “Now therefore, speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD: “Behold, I am fashioning a disaster and devising a plan against you. Return now everyone from his evil way and make your ways and your doings good.” 12 And they said, “That is hopeless! So, we will walk according to our own plans, and we will every one obey the dictates of his evil heart.” 13 Therefore thus says the LORD: “Ask now among the Gentiles, who has heard such things? The virgin of Israel has done a very horrible thing. 14 Will a man leave the snow water of Lebanon, which comes from the rock of the field? Will the cold flowing waters be forsaken for strange waters? 15 “Because My people have forgotten Me, they have burned incense to worthless idols. And they have caused themselves to stumble in their ways, from the ancient paths, to walk in pathways and not on a highway, 16 To make their land desolate and a perpetual hissing; Everyone who passes by it will be astonished and shake his head. 17 I will scatter them as with an east wind before the enemy; I will show them the back and not the face in the day of their calamity.” 18 Then they said, “Come and let us devise plans against Jeremiah; for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come and let us attack him with the tongue and let us not give heed to any of his words.” 19 Give heed to me, O LORD, and listen to the voice of those who contend with me! 20 Shall evil be repaid for good? For they have dug a pit for my life. Remember that I stood before You to speak good for them, to turn away Your wrath from them. 21 Therefore deliver up their children to the famine and pour out their blood by the force of the sword; Let their wives become widows and bereaved of their children. Let their men be put to death, their young men be slain by the sword in battle. 22 Let a cry be heard from their houses, when You bring a troop suddenly upon them; For they have dug a pit to take me, and hidden snares for my feet. 23 Yet, LORD, You know all their counsel which is against me, to slay me. Provide no atonement for their iniquity, nor blot out their sin from Your sight; But let them be overthrown before You. Deal thus with them in the time of Your anger.
Have you ever counseled people? Here in Philly people will go on for hours dumping all their issues and then at the end they say to me, ‘How are you do in?’ I normally respond ‘okay’. However, some do not like this answer and they prod me to comment further.
‘Well’, I say, ‘I am in pain. I constantly suffer in persecution, tests, trials, and temptations. I give or extend good and I get evil in return. So, overall I am doing well.’
I am sure none of you ever experience the same.
In today’s scripture we notice our Holy Great God mention how the Israelites predominately live their lives doing evil in return for all the good He has done for them.
Evil can be defined, but it's hard to pin down. Simply put: an evil person is someone who engages in malevolent behaviors. Some argue that they're immoral, sick, depraved, or wicked, but those words are hard to define. Immorality to one is normalcy to another.
But when you meet an evil person, no amount of questioning definitions will change your mind. The truth is, you will know it when you see it.
Evil people come from all sorts of places, often ones you wouldn't expect. We find them at our schools, at our churches and places of worship, in the homes of our friends; everywhere we look.
These are the warning signs of an evil person. Spot these characteristics in someone and you can be sure that whatever good is left in them, they will use it against you.
1. They enjoy the misfortune of others.
The malevolent ways of evil people often leave them so twisted and turned around on the inside that they feel good when they see misfortunate. It might be a disaster on the news or a dramatic situation in front of them. They seem to delight in misfortune, to relish the bad feelings of other people.
All the times that an evil person has been hurt in their life falls away when bad things happen to other people. The real danger here is that they could create bad situations for you and others in their life to be able to enjoy the misfortunate that they create.
It is important to recognize who they are before terrible things happen to you and the people they love. If horrible things happening is all that can help them feel better, you can't salvage or save them.
2. They have control issues.
Evil people have this in common: they're controlling. But it's not all about controlling you. They often feel downright uncomfortable and powerless if they aren't in control of every aspect of their lives.
Malevolent people are often so cruel to the world and to the people around them that they can't entrust any part of their lives to another person. Because of this obsession, they can come off as polite, concise, and punctual. But when you let them get closer, they start controlling your life too, making you just like them.
Defying the wishes of an evil person doesn't always result in outright evil actions back to you. It may feel subtle. Not a slap to the face but a kick to the heart. The goal of the evil person is to control the way you feel on the inside, not how you feel on the outside.
3. They are habitually dishonest.
Let's be real. Everyone lies. We all do it. Some are little lies, others are big, big lies. But while everyone lies, not everyone is a liar.
A liar is a real special breed. They lie pathologically, constantly, and sometimes without even realizing it. An evil liar will often lie so much that their lies are what form their reality. In living a life of lies, their own minds become prisoners to their own evil behaviors.
Some evil people only lie a little bit, maybe stretching the truth to make themselves seem stronger, smarter, or better. Some evil people lie about you and others. But one thing is for sure: they are liars.
The lies serve as a tool to manipulate a reality that doesn't serve them the way they'd like. When caught in a lie, they will probably try to gaslight you. Make you question reality as it is and make you continue to look to them as a source of strength when they really are liars.
4. You feel strange around them.
It's been well-demonstrated that each of our bodies emit an energy field. Why that is, we're not totally clear on. It could serve as an intuitive defense system. But in the same way that if you eat bad food, it shows on your skin; if you're evil on the inside, it shows up in your energy field.
This might be why evil people give you a creepy feeling without them having done anything evil to you at all. Who they are on the inside can be picked up in their subtle energy field by your energy field.
Often, one of the surest signs a person is evil is that you just don't feel right around them. You get creepy feelings and can't quite put your finger on it.
You might sound crazy to people listening to you talk about it, but don't deny the way the evil people in our world make you feel. Trust your gut and don't worry about it steering you wrong. If you get the wrong sense about someone, get away at the first opportunity, but better safe than sorry.
5. They mislead you.
Controlling reality is what gives an evil person most of their power. In doing so, they're able to make it conform to their petty wants and desires. Therefore, evil people have a tale: they mislead you into thinking one way or another about them, about the people in your life already, and about yourself.
This misleading can come in many different forms, like misquoting, lying, or stretching the truth and twisting the facts. The result is a world of their creation and a world that you have trouble understanding or believing in.
This is one way to spot an evil person, especially a sly one: look for ways they mislead others. If you see it, go the other direction right away.
6. They lack remorse.
Let's cover what we've talked about so far: Evil people are controlling. They're liars. They delight in misfortune. They make you feel weird on the inside. You know the worst part about it all? They aren't ever sorry for the things they do and the way they make you feel. Evil people truly have no remorse
If you press them on the fact that they're unapologetic for their malevolent behavior, they'll deflect, push it off onto you, and gaslight you into thinking the reality you know to be true isn't true. All they want to do is maintain their current quality of life by controlling you, and an apology would indicate fallibility.
The evil ones in our world want you to see perfection to keep you wrapped around their fingers. Admission of fault would shatter that image they've carefully cultivated.
7. They are cruel.
Evil people and their subtle ways express their inner malevolent desires. Not all evil people like to be sly about it. Some choose to be outward with it. And one way they do so is through cruelty.
This can come in the form of getting into fights, hurting their loved ones — their spouses, their children, their friends, or even hurting animals. Evil people are often victims of the prisons they've built for themselves, which is why they take so much joy out of misfortune and pain.
It dulls the pain they each have inside of their hearts. But that doesn't mean you justify it or stick by evil people.
If you're with someone who expresses themselves in such cruel ways, find ways to get away as soon as you can. One day, they may push their cruelty too far and really do some serious damage.
8. They lack responsibility.
An evil person has no sort of a moral compass. They'll do as they please and will never feel responsible for the pain they have caused to others. If they sense any sort of blame coming their way, they'll start redirecting it immediately.
They love to shift the blame to others and have no understanding of what an apology is. They think apologizing is for the weak. They'd much rather make you apologize for their mistakes.
9. Their friends and family warn you.
A lot of the time one of the first signs that a person is truly evil is if their "friends" and family issue you warnings. They might talk about an ex-boyfriend or girlfriend who ran from them. They might casually dismiss the problems with previous relationships and make excuses for the evil person in their lives.
This is a sort of manipulation, but it can also be a warning sign of impending disaster. In a sense, these people are telling you that something is wrong and that it's your responsibility to do something about it. Other times, the people in their lives will outright tell you that the evil person is not healthy and that you should avoid them at all costs.
In either case, don't ignore the signs of a truly evil person, especially when people who supposedly love them are tipping you off about it.
10. They are bad friends.
If an evil person comes to your assistance, know that they are doing it for a purpose.
In other cases, they will only be there when things are going well for you. Once things start to go sour, they're nowhere to be found.
11. They manipulate.
Evil people are just as capable of showing kindness as any malevolent behavior, but what truly sets them apart is the price that comes with their kindness. Often, evil people will be kind to you only to get something they need from you later, be it money, sex, subservience, or worse
Make it clear if they try to manipulate you based on their past kindness that kindness doesn't come with a price tag. You don't need any motivation or incentivization to do the right thing and to be kind to one another. Truly kind people are kind without the expectation of getting anything in return.
13. They belittle you.
One of the worst manipulations of an evil person is the emotional manipulations. Usually, this comes in the form of being belittled.
Belittling comes in a lot of different forms too. It can be playing the victim when you haven't done anything wrong. Ridiculing your appearance, your body, your interests, your hopes, your hobbies, your goals, your friends, your house, your dreams — anything really can be belittled in the eyes of an evil person.
Don't let malevolent people change your opinion of yourself and the decisions you've made. Simply say, "I'm sorry you aren't happy with that part of my life, but it is important to me." And that's that.
14. They confuse and conflict.
In the same way that evil people use the aforementioned tactics to split up good people, they'll utilize chaos, confusion, and conflict to their benefit. The more scattered, scared, and unsure you are, the more power they're going to have over you. You can fight back against this by being level-headed and secure in yourself, even when you don't fully understand what's going on in your life and your world.
Often, evil people are the ones who are putting all that confusion and conflict into your life in the first place. Don't fall into their trap. No matter what's happening, keep a cool demeanor. Use a level-headed approach to handling conflict and confusion in your life.
15. They lead double lives.
Malevolent people will never reveal their true lives to you. Saying they lead double lives is a huge understatement. They lead hundreds of lives.
They are whoever they need to be to get what they want. They are a different person to everyone. They have a well-devised history and image they are trying to portray. The only common thing about all of them is that no one truly knows who they are.
16. They don't have boundaries.
Evil people are persistent, gregarious, intense, clingy, and fake. In a lot of ways, they're like boomerangs. No matter how hard you throw them out of your life, they always wind up circling back around to you.
But only if you let them. You see, an evil person will try and manipulate you into opening the door and letting them back in. But there are dire consequences to doing this, and a malevolent person will gladly take off their jacket, kick off their shoes, and park themselves in front of the TV if you let them back in (so to speak).
One thing is certain: no matter what, when you kick an evil person out of your life, they'll always try to work their way back in. It's inevitable, but it can be prevented.
No matter how persistent, gregarious, intense, clingy, and fake an evil person is, they can always be booted from your life for good.
They'll use every tool at their disposal to force you to let them stay. They'll manipulate, they'll lie, they'll pretend to be nice, they'll attack and belittle, they'll mislead and control.
But one thing is for sure" when you've made the call to give them the boot from your space, your circle, and your life, you can never go back on it. They'll try to get you to change your mind, but the only way to liberate yourself from them is to leave them behind.
An evil person can change, but they can only do it if the Lord Is in their lives. And you can't force them to change. They can only change when their hearts are open, they're ready to atone for what they've done, and they're ready to work hard at reforming their malevolent ways
In one of the most beautiful illustrations in the Old Testament YHWH illustrates His readiness ever to show mercy in the lesson of the patient potter. It is a real-life parable which has a lesson for us all. In it the potter is at work on his wheel manipulating the clay in order to turn it into a fine vessel, and when the clay fails fully to respond ‘and is marred in the hand of the potter’, he does not throw it away but patiently ‘makes it again’ until it becomes what he wants it to be.
The potter represents God as the One Who act in sovereign power, and the clay represents God’s people, a clay which so often resists the work of the Potter. And the final lesson is that if men repent and seek to do good, then any evil He has purposed against them will not come about, while if those on whom He intends to show favor turn back to disobedience and evil ways He will change His mind about any good that He intended to do towards them. It was a warning to ‘the house of Israel’ (Israel/Judah) of the opportunity open to them to repent, and of what would follow if they did not repent.
1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying: 2 “Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause you to hear My words.”
One day YHWH came to him and told him to go down to the potter’s house where He had a lesson to teach him, and a new word to speak to him. Jeremiah must have been somewhat intrigued as to what YHWH could say to him at the Potter’s house which he could not say elsewhere but being obedient he did as he was told.
It is a reminder to us that while we may well not always understand why God tells us to do certain things, it is wise to do as He requests.
The idea of YHWH as the Potter was not a new one. The origin of the idea is found in Genesis 2.7 where YHWH God shaped man from the dust of the ground. This idea was then expanded on in Job 10.8-9 and came to full fruit in Isaiah 29.16, where it stresses God’s right to do what He would with His own..
3 Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something at the wheel.
So, Jeremiah went down to the potter’s house and watched him at work on his ‘wheels’ as he fashioned the clay. The potter’s wheels consisted of one wheel near the ground which could be turned with the potter’s feet, which had an attached shaft going upwards to another wheel, which resulted in the upper wheel also turning in unison with the lower wheel. The clay was then put on the spinning upper wheel and shaped by the potter’s hands as it went around.
4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so, he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make.
And as Jeremiah watched the potter at work he saw how he took the wet clay in his hands and sought to shape it on the spinning wheel. But it was soon clear to him that all was not well, for the clay was not responding to the potter’s expert hands, with the result that the vessel ended up something of a messy mass. What then did the potter do? Did he toss the clay away in disgust? No, he patiently brought the clay together again, and then refashioned it into another vessel, producing from the clay a vessel which was in accordance with his wishes.
5 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying: 6 “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?” says the LORD. “Look, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel!
The lesson was that the Potter was YHWH, and that ‘the house of Israel’ were like the clay in the Potter’s hands. And the point was that He wanted to shape them into something that could be usable in His service. But He then goes on to stress that this will only be possible if they respond to His will.
7 The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, 8 if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it.
The first example is of a kingdom which YHWH has determined in His sovereignty (it is the result of His sovereign word) to ‘pluck up, break down and destroy’ because of its sinfulness. And the promise is that if that kingdom will begin to respond to His hands and will turn from its evil path then He will relent of the evil that He had intended to do to its people. He will ‘make them again’.
9 And the instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it, 10 if it does evil in My sight so that it does not obey My voice, then I will relent concerning the good with which I said I would benefit it.
The second example is of a nation which He has determined to build up and plant. And the warning is that if this nation does not respond to His nurturing, but instead does evil in His sight and is disobedient, then He will change His mind about the good that He had intended to do to them.
Both examples had a lesson for ‘the house of Israel’. Initially they had been the nation that He had intended to build up and to plant. But almost the whole nation had turned to evil ways and had been disobedient. Thus, YHWH had changed His mind about the good that He had intended to do to them, and had now determined to pluck them up, break them down and destroy them, apart of course from the believing few. But He was giving the majority one last chance. If they now turned from their evil ways and once more became obedient then He would ‘make them again’ into what He wanted them to be. It was an offer of full mercy and forgiveness on the condition of repentance.
It will be noted that although God ‘changes His mind’ in both examples, it is not as a result of feeling that He has made the wrong decision, nor an indication that He is not on overall control but is as a gracious response to man’s change of mind. By repenting (or otherwise) man can determine what action God will take towards him, because God is consistent and, in His sovereignty, takes note of it and shapes His plan accordingly. God thus acts consistently and sovereignly in all cases, showing mercy to the repentant and bringing judgment on the unrepentant while at the same time bringing about His will.
We see a later fulfilment of this in the words of Jesus in Matthew 21.43, ‘Truly I tell you, the Kingly Rule of God will be taken away from you and will be given to a nation bringing forth its fruits.’ The Kingly Rule of God would be given to the believing remnant, who would eventually become a great multitude forming God’s new people, while the remainder would be cast off.
The lesson of the Potter’s house was that YHWH had given His people every hope for the future if only they would but repent. But because they refuse to do so He now declares that He will apply His Pottery skills to shaping evil against them. As a consequence He calls on the nations to be a witness to their perfidy, drawing out the fact that the seemingly impossible has happened in that His people, contrary to what is to be seen as true in nature, have rejected YHWH’s spiritual provision and have turned to what is false, thus making themselves a spectacle to the nations and a target for God’s judgments.
11 “Now therefore, speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD: “Behold, I am fashioning a disaster and devising a plan against you. Return now everyone from his evil way and make your ways and your doings good.”
The word that Jeremiah was to speak was the word of YHWH to both the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to both countryside and city.
His warning was that He would use His Pottery skills to ‘shape’ evil against them. The root of the verb is to ‘think a thought’ (devise a scheme) against them, unless each of them now returned from his evil way, resulting in them amending their ways and their doings. Note the individual plea within the general demand. As always there would be a true remnant who would respond.
12 And they said, “That is hopeless! So, we will walk according to our own plans, and we will every one obey the dictates of his evil heart.”
The words put in the mouths of the people is expressing the truth of their situation in God’s eyes rather than what they say. They almost certainly did not see themselves as ‘stubborn in consequence of the evil of their hearts’. They probably thought rather that Jeremiah was being unreasonable.
But YHWH declares that their actual response indicates what they are really thinking, and that is that God and Jeremiah are wasting their time in trying to get them to repent. The wording is expressive, ‘it is noash’ (‘it’s no use, it is hopeless’). And it was hopeless because of the stubbornness of their evil hearts, which meant that they were not prepared to listen to God but would choose rather to walk according to their own devices. Their heels were dug in against obeying God because they were sinful and obstinate, something equally reflected in our own day.
13 Therefore thus says the LORD: “Ask now among the Gentiles, who has heard such things? The virgin of Israel has done a very horrible thing.
YHWH then calls on all observers to ask among the nations whether they have ever heard of such things as the behavior of Israel/Judah. Let them recognize that ‘the virgin of Israel’ has done a very dreadful thing. The contrast between ‘virgin’ and ‘dreadful thing’ is deliberate to bring out the greatness of her sin. For a virgin to lose her virginity outside of marriage in those days was a terrible thing. The description ‘virgin of Israel’ looks back to the period when Israel/Judah were pure in the wilderness immediately after leaving Egypt. At that stage their ways had been pure, and they had not been involved in idolatry. It may well also be that in their better times, when they had at times refrained from idolatry they had gained a jeering reputation among their neighbors as ‘the virgin of Israel’ because of their seeming painstaking ways.
But now the virgin of Israel has done a dreadful thing, she has turned away from the true source of her spiritual life and has consorted with idols and their sexually depraved worship. She has lost her spiritual virginity.
14 Will a man leave the snow water of Lebanon, which comes from the rock of the field? Will the cold flowing waters be forsaken for strange waters?
Her falling away from the source of her spiritual life, her well-spring of living water, and the seeming impossibility of it occurring is put in vivid terms. It is to be being rationally impossible, in the same way as it would be rationally impossible for the snows of the mountains of Lebanon not to provide refreshing streams down their rolling slopes. It is as unlikely as the cold waters from Mount Hermon (from afar, outside the land) failing to feed the Jordan (within the land) because (impossibly) they have dried up.
15 “Because My people have forgotten Me, they have burned incense to worthless idols. And they have caused themselves to stumble in their ways, from the ancient paths, to walk in pathways and not on a highway,
But the shocking and dreadful thing is that that is precisely what the virgin of Israel has done. They have forgotten YHWH, the source of their spiritual life, and have gone after other supposed sources of life. They have burned incense to what is false, they have been made to stumble in their ways by the attractions of idolatry, they have left the security of the built-up high road and have chosen the ancient paths, the rough by-paths which have not been upraised and are not safe. (The King’s Highway, the main trade route east of Jordan, and other similar roads, were built up to be a raised causeway above their surrounds).
16 To make their land desolate and a perpetual hissing;
Everyone who passes by it will be astonished and shake his head.
And as a result Judah have made their land something to be astonished at because of their folly, something to be permanently hissed at (like the villain in a fairy tale), so that everyone who passes by will shake their heads in astonishment, and ask, how could they have done such a thing?
17 I will scatter them as with an east wind before the enemy; I will show them the back and not the face in the day of their calamity.”
And as a consequence, YHWH will bring their enemy against them like an east wind, a wind that sears and burns like the parching east wind from the desert. And when He does this, and they cry to Him for help as the calamity comes on them, He will turn His back on them, showing His back and not His face, in the same way as they had previously done to Him. (To have His face turned towards them would have indicated that He was there to assist them).
The people were not at all pleased with Jeremiah’s prophecies and asked themselves whether in fact they really needed him when they were surrounded with those who could give them the good advice that they needed.
18 Then they said, “Come and let us devise plans against Jeremiah; for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come and let us attack him with the tongue and let us not give heed to any of his words.”
They are indulging in giving something for something received. So according to Jeremiah YHWH would ‘devise devices’ against them would He? Very well then. They will devise devices (plan strategies) against Jeremiah. For why did they need him? Did they not have the priests to expound to them the Law, the wise men to give them counsel and advice, and the prophets to bring them the word of YHWH? And was it likely that their talents and knowledge would all suddenly disappear?
Their plan was to destroy Jeremiah with their words (‘with the tongue’), while at the same time refusing to listen to him (although easier said than done). They would accuse him of being a false prophet whose prophecies never came about they would spread slanders about him, they would seek to demean him as a fanatic, and if he was not careful they would shut his mouth for good. Furthermore they would cover up their ears when he spoke. Once they had finished with him he would not know where to put himself.
Jeremiah had, after all, good reason for his distress and anger. He had fought for his people with YHWH, seeking to turn His wrath away from them, and he had loved them and had prayed for them even in the face of opposition and derision, yet all that they had done in return was to recompense him evil for good and dig a pit for him to fall into. In other words, they had ‘fought’ with him and then they had sought by every means to bring him down, to entrap him, and then to bury him.
Furthermore, we must recognize that what he was asking for was what he knew that YHWH had actually already declared that He would do to them. He was not trying to persuade YHWH to go against His otherwise merciful inclinations but was simply showing that he had become so exasperated and upset that he had finally been persuaded to agree with Him. In other words he was demonstrating that he had finally been brought to the position of admitting that YHWH had been right after all. Can we criticize a man who takes up such a position when all that he is doing is agree that YHWH should carry out what He had already declared was His will in respect of them? He is simply agreeing that he now realises just how sinful and reprobate this people are, and that there is no hope for them (as they had themselves said) and confirming that he is resigned to YHWH doing what He had already purposed because he has nothing further to say in their defence. Every sentence of his cry to YHWH is in fact paralleled by previous declarations of YHWH indicating what He intended to do. We might even say, how could Jeremiah then have asked otherwise?
19 Give heed to me, O LORD, and listen to the voice of those who contend with me! 20 Shall evil be repaid for good? For they have dug a pit for my life. Remember that I stood before You to speak good for them, to turn away Your wrath from them.
He asks YHWH to take note of the way that the people were arguing with him and disputing his words (the word of YHWH), contending with him about every little thing; how they were recompensing him evil for good; how they had constantly sought to entrap and smother him; and how they had ignored the fact that he had stood before YHWH on their behalf and had tried to turn away His wrath from them. He had good cause to be aggrieved.
21 Therefore deliver up their children to the famine and pour out their blood by the force of the sword; Let their wives become widows and bereaved of their children. Let their men be put to death, their young men be slain by the sword in battle.
He therefore now basically admits that he has been wrong and calls on YHWH to carry out His stated purpose on the people. Let Him do His will. This was what YHWH had already commanded him to proclaim, while warning him not to pray for them because it was too late and the people had gone beyond the mark of what was acceptable. In view of the constant antagonism that he faced he can hardly therefore be castigated for echoing what YHWH had drummed into him as being His will, an antagonism which did after all reveal that YHWH was right.
22 Let a cry be heard from their houses, when You bring a troop suddenly upon them; For they have dug a pit to take me, and hidden snares for my feet.
Then he prays that the people might be taken by surprise in their houses as YHWH brought a military unit upon them, in the same way as by their traps they had sought to take him by surprise.
Here his prayer is more related to his own direct experience. These people had constantly sought to trap and ensnare him in all manner of ways, and to take him by surprise, and so he prays that they might, as YHWH has said, also find themselves similarly trapped as the enemy came upon them, so that they had to cry out in anguish and despair, and experience for themselves something of what they had made Jeremiah experience. He was asking that they reap what they had sown.
23 Yet, LORD, You know all their counsel which is against me, to slay me. Provide no atonement for their iniquity, nor blot out their sin from Your sight; But let them be overthrown before You. Deal thus with them in the time of Your anger.
Finally he draws YHWH’s attention to the way in which they had constantly plotted against him to kill him..
So Jeremiah prays (as YHWH has already made clear will be the situation) that He will not pardon their sins nor forgive their iniquity, but will rather allow them to be overthrown as they are dealt with by YHWH in His anger, an anger of which he himself has constantly been made aware and which earlier he had tried to avert on their behalf (verse 20). This was not, however, a prayer for their eternal condemnation, which was not an idea in Jeremiah’s mind at the time but was a prayer that they might not be spared what was their due at that time (their overthrowing) by a sudden act of mercy. He had had enough of their behavior towards him and towards YHWH. Let them reap what they had sown. He was thinking in the short term not the long term.
