The question posed by the Prophet Jeremiah in verse 1 may well reflect our own unease. He says, “Why do the wicked prosper, and why are all who act wickedly at ease?” This is a natural sense of unease, given the moral, spiritual and national decline that was eating away at Judah at that time. Reflecting on the state of the Indonesian nation, we can truly empathise with Jeremiah’s anxiety. Corruption is becoming increasingly widespread, nepotism seems to be condoned, collusion has become an everyday practice, and a handful of people in this republic control such vast wealth that they can dictate everything. In the midst of this anxiety, we ought to ask ourselves and reflect on what kind of faith we wish to formulate and live out together?
In the passage we have read, Jeremiah never actually doubted God’s justice, which will punish those who are wicked and act wickedly. He merely demanded that the judgement take place immediately. ‘Drag them out like sheep to the slaughter,’ cried Jeremiah, so that through this judgement their land might return to peace. Yet God responds to Jeremiah’s demand with a rebuke, stating that He has allowed all this to happen as a test of Jeremiah’s faith; indeed, in time, those wicked people will also betray Jeremiah.
On the other hand, the Lord also assured that His judgement would certainly come to pass and would not be delayed. He will send foreign nations to trample upon and lay waste the land until it lies desolate. In His own time, God will also punish the foreign nations that destroyed Jerusalem, for they too had sinned by introducing Israel to idols.
From this, we can see two dimensions of God’s actions towards humanity: on the one hand, He is a God full of mercy; on the other, He is a God of justice towards those who are wicked and have turned away from Him. As human beings, we are called to have complete faith in God’s timing and wisdom, which remain constant for all eternity. His actions may not align with the timing and circumstances we expect, but God’s timing is never wrong. Our part is to live our lives with self-awareness and in full obedience to His word. The wicked and the wayward will certainly receive their punishment from Him.
