Thomas Aquinas Commentary Jeremiah 12:1-6

"Righteous art thou, O Jehovah, when I contend with thee; yet would I reason the cause with thee: wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? wherefore are all they at ease that deal very treacherously? Thou hast planted them, yea, they have taken root; they grow, yea, they bring forth fruit: thou art near in their mouth, and far from their heart. But thou, O Jehovah, knowest me; thou seest me, and triest my heart toward thee: pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, and prepare them for the day of slaughter. How long shall the land mourn, and the herbs of the whole country wither? for the wickedness of them that dwell therein, the beasts are consumed, and the birds; because they said, He shall not see our latter end. If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? and though in a land of peace thou art secure, yet how wilt thou do in the pride of the Jordan? For even thy brethren, and the house of thy father, even they have dealt treacherously with thee; even they have cried aloud after thee: believe them not, though they speak fair words unto thee." — Jeremiah 12:1-6 (ASV)

1. Here, the prophet discusses the justice of the one who punishes. First, the prophet's argument is considered. Second, the Lord’s response is considered, which begins with the words, I have left my house (Jeremiah 12:7). Concerning the prophet's argument, there are three points to be made.

First, he strives to gain a favorable hearing from the judge by affirming God's character: indeed, you are just, O Lord. As the psalmist says, You are just, O Lord, and righteous is your judgment (Psalms 118:37). He also argues from the integrity of his case: yet I will speak what is just to you, similar to Job who said, I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire to contend with God (Job 13:3). In this way, both prophets take on the role of an opponent. Habakkuk, however, takes up the role of one who waits for a response: I will stand over my watch, and I will set my foot upon the rampart (Habakkuk 2:1).

Second, he presents the case regarding the adversaries, pointing out their prosperity in worldly abundance. He asks why the way—that is, the course of life—of the wicked prospers. These are the ones who are wicked because of their unfaithfulness, who transgress by acting against the Law, and deal unjustly with their neighbor. This recalls other scriptures: The tents of robbers abound, and they boldly provoke God, although it is he who has given everything into their hand (Job 12:6), and, I was jealous of the wicked, when I saw the peace of sinners (Psalms 72:3).

He continues the argument from prosperity, using the analogy of a tree. God has planted them in worldly goods, and they sent out roots once their prosperity was established. They grow, like a tree, through increasing prosperity, and bear fruit, fulfilling in action what they had proposed in their minds. This is like the question in Job: Why do the wicked live, raised on high, and strengthened with riches? (Job 12:7).

Then he exposes their wickedness, noting that you are close to their mouth, and far from their hearts. These two facts—their prosperity and their wickedness—seem to oppose divine justice. As Isaiah says, This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me (Isaiah 29:13). From this, we may understand that for their imperfect good works, they receive an imperfect reward.

Moreover, Jeremiah appeals to God's justice from the standpoint of his own integrity: and you, O Lord, have known me from eternity; you have seen me and how I walk uprightly before you. He adds that even while saying these things, he does not find in them an inducement to sin, recalling God's word: Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you (Jeremiah 1:5). He also refers to his own testing by God: you have tested me. Through this trial by hardship, he has been found to walk with God, as the psalmist says: You have tried my heart, and visited me in the night; you have tested me with fire, and there was no iniquity found in me (Psalms 16:3).

Third, he calls for punishment through his prayer. First, he prays for punishment to be inflicted: gather them. It is as if he were saying, “Because you are just, it is impossible for you not to punish the wicked.” For this reason, God exalts them with success, just as someone fattens a flock for the slaughter. Therefore, Jeremiah prays, gather them from the things that made them fat and unjust. This signifies that they were besieged at the time of Passover, when they had come into the city. He also prays, Sanctify them, speaking by analogy to animals being killed for sacrifice, as in Isaiah: The sacrifice of the Lord in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Edom (Isaiah 34:6).

He argues against delaying the punishment, because it is time for them to be punished in their own persons, not merely in their possessions or in the produce of the earth: how long shall the earth mourn? The psalmist describes a similar judgment: I have turned rivers into a desert, and springs of water into dry ground; fruitful land into a field of salt, for the wickedness of those who dwell in it (Psalms 106:33–34). The punishment also extends to their animals: the beast is consumed. This happens because the wicked think, The Lord has forsaken the land, and the Lord does not see (Ezekiel 9:9).

Second, as if having overheard a reply, the prophet speaks a taunt against those who are to be punished. This taunt has two parts. First, concerning the enemy's power: if you have labored running with footmen, how shall you be able to contend with horses? It is as if he were saying, “If the neighboring peoples who fight on foot have given you much trouble, how will you be able to resist the Chaldeans and Egyptians who are mighty with horses?” The commentary adds a reference: The snow shall rush upon them that fear the frost (Job 6:16).

Regarding the land of their future captivity, the taunt continues: although you were secure in a land of peace—that is, even though you always had peace in your land—what will you do when you are across the Jordan, with its swollen and proud waters? As Sirach says, Let him who glories in his substance, fear poverty .

Second, regarding those connected by blood, he recalls their past injustice, citing for both your brothers (the Edomites) and the house of your father (the Moabites and Ammonites). This is like the lament, The sons of my mother fought against me (Song of Solomon 1:6). He then gives a word of caution: do not believe them, when they speak good to you, as if they wish to form an alliance with you to resist the Chaldeans. Instead, God's word is: Make bands and chains for yourself and put them on your neck, and send them to the king of Edom, and to the king of Moab (Jeremiah 27:2–3). For this is their nature: Each one guards himself from his neighbor, and has no confidence in any brother; because every brother shall surely supplant, and every friend shall walk deceitfully. And a man shall deride his brother, and they will not speak the truth (Jeremiah 9:4–5).