Jeremiah 11:18-20 (NRSV)
Read Jeremiah 11:18-20 on biblegateway.com
Verse 18It was the Lord who made it known to me, and I knew; then you showed me their evil deeds. Verse 19But I was like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter. And I did not know it was against me that they devised schemes, saying, "Let us destroy the tree with its fruit, let us cut him off from the land of the living, so that his name will no longer be remembered!" Verse 20But you, O Lord of hosts, who judge righteously, who try the heart and the mind, let me see your retribution upon them, for to you I have committed my cause.
Devotion
The prophet requests God’s assistance in foiling a plot against his life and getting even with those who would seek him harm. The prophet commits his request to the Lord. It is good because, as the prophet knows, God can read into heart and mind and therefore judge with the truth. God will know who the “bad guys” are and therefore bring appropriate justice to the appropriate villains.
Sometimes God’s judgment is slow in coming. Sometimes God’s judgment is swift. There is no clear answer on how God will perform. There is no understanding of all of God’s ways. There is only God whose ways are a holy and troubling mystery. There is only God who in Christ judges righteously and graciously.
Prayer
Most gracious God, your ways are holy and mysterious, I cannot understand them. Thank you. Amen.