In the Bible, and above all in the Old Testament books, there is frequent mention of vengeance on God's enemies and other wicked people. Usually such calls come from the mouths of those whom God Himself calls His own: prophets, psalmists...
In the Bible, and above all in the Old Testament books, there is frequent mention of vengeance on God's enemies and other wicked people. Usually such calls come from the mouths of those whom God Himself calls His own: prophets and psalmists. In the New Testament there is nothing of the kind. Most often this difference is explained by a different spirit of the Old and New Testaments.
True, this explanation sounds somewhat strange: God is one, but the spirit, it turns out, is different? Meanwhile, calls of this kind have another explanation as well. It is connected with the fact that the New Testament books were written after the coming of the Messiah, who is described in them. With the coming of Christ the situation really changed radically, and changed quite objectively. The point is not that with Christ's coming everyone immediately began to understand God and God's love better. People remained what they had been. Something else changed.
Together with the Messiah, the Kingdom entered the world. And in the Kingdom many things are possible that are possible nowhere else. Among other things, the coming of Christ and the entrance of the Kingdom into the world mean the beginning of the time of Judgment. Judgment consists, according to the Savior's word, precisely in this: that light has entered the world, and people flee from it because they do not want to part with their sins. In pre-Christian times this could only be awaited. And many really awaited Judgment with joy and impatience.
The issue is, of course, righteous people, God's people. They did not consider themselves sinless, but they were confident in their choice. And they knew that God would complete the rest, cleansing them of the sin from which they could not free themselves by their own strength. The wicked, however, in every age fled from Judgment.
And God's people always awaited the day when there would be nowhere left for them to flee. Not in order to enjoy vengeful triumph, but in order finally to see God's Kingdom with their own eyes. They knew that God would put everything in its place, but only when the world truly became His Kingdom. And the triumph of the wicked over the righteous they always perceived as the triumph of the powers of darkness over this Kingdom. But they always knew that such triumph is by definition temporary. And they asked God for this time to end sooner, and for the world to become what God had intended it to be.
11 God's covenant, Jer 11:1-7.
Their disobedience, Jer 11:8-10.
Evils to come on them, Jer 11:11-17.
and on the men of Anathoth, for conspiring to kill Jeremiah, Jer 11:18-23.
11:2 Of this covenant - The covenant here spoken of, was the covenant of the law of God, delivered by Moses, to which the people more than once promised obedience.
11:5 So be it - God having ended his speech, the prophet saith, Amen, either asserting the truth of which God had said, or wishing that the people would do according to their covenant.
11:8 Did them not - For this God threatens to bring upon them all his words of threatening, annexed to the covenant of the law.
11:9 A conspiracy - All sorts of people have done alike, as if they had conspired together to break my law.
11:11 I will not hearken - God will not hear them crying to him in their adversity, who refuse to hear him speaking to them in their prosperity.
11:13 That shameful thing - Baal, called a shameful thing, because it was what they had reason to be ashamed of, and what would certainly bring them to shame and confusion. Baal - Signifies Lord, and was a common name given to more idols than one; the Phoenicians used the name Baal, the Chaldeans, Bell. Learned men say, that the Asians called the same idol Baal, whom those of Europe called Jupiter. It is not improbable, that the Heathens acknowledging one supreme being, worshipped him in several creatures; some mistaking the Sun, Moon, and Stars to be he, others, other things; these they called Baalim, Lords, as they called the principal god, Baal.
11:15 My beloved - My people, saith God, though I was formerly their husband, yet have wrought lewdness with many, that is, committed idolatry with many idols, and now what have they to do more in my house?The holy flesh - Flesh of their sacrifices, being set before idols, as well as before God, became polluted, and was abomination to the Lord.Thou rejoicest - They were not only evil but gloried in their wickedness.
11:16 Fair - The Lord fixed thee when he brought thee first into Canaan, in a flourishing condition, like a fair olive - tree, fit to bear goodly fruit. Broken - But thou hast so behaved thyself, that he who planted thee, is about to pluck thee up. God is about to kindle a fire which will burn thee up, and to break thy branches.
11:18 Thou shewedst me - This may be understood with relation to that conspiracy which is mentioned in the following verses.
11:19 Let us destroy - We have no other mention of this conspiracy, but it is plain both from this verse, and what follows, that the men of Anathoth (which was Jeremiah's own town) were offended at his prophesying, and had conspired to kill him.Let us destroy the tree with the fruit thereof - Let us not only put an end to his prophesying, but to his life.