The small Welsh town of Llanwrtyd Wells plays host to the annual Man versus Horse Marathon. This event, which is run over a slightly shorter distance than an official marathon, started in 1980 when Gordon Green, the owner of a pub in Wales, overheard two men talking about a race between men and horses. One party to the conversation claimed that, over a significant distance across country, a human runner was equal to any horse. Greene decided that this theory should be tested in full public view, and so arranged the first of what has since become an annual race.

In the 35 years since its inception, the first human runner has ended ahead of the first human horse twice. In 2004, Huw Lobb completed the race in 2:05:19—2:17 ahead of the first rider. Three years later, Florian Holzinger completed the race in 2:20:30, which was 10:56 ahead of the first horse. (It should be noted that, technically, a runner has never completed the course faster than a horse, because horses start fifteen minutes after the athletes.)

While the idea of humans competing against horses might seem novel, careful readers of Scripture are likely familiar with the concept. Jeremiah 11:18–12:4 is the first of a series of intimate conversations between Jeremiah and Yahweh about the prophet’s struggles. These intimate conversations have come to be known as Jeremiah’s Confessions (see also 15:10–21; 17:14–18; 18:18–23; 20:7–18). The first of these Confessions deals with a threat against the prophet’s life from the residents of his hometown. Jeremiah was made aware of the plot, turned to God in prayer, and received both and encouragement of future judgement for his enemies and an exhortation to persevere in the face of even greater hardships to come.

We will study the first of these Confessions under four broad headings.

The Conspiracy

As we enter the text before us, we find ourselves witnesses to a mounting conspiracy.

The LORD made it known to me and I knew; then you showed me their deeds. But I was like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter. I did not know it was against me they devised schemes, saying, “Let us destroy the tree with its fruit, let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name be remembered no more.” But, O LORD of hosts, who judges righteously, who tests the heart and the mind, let me see your vengeance upon them, for to you have I committed my cause.

(Jeremiah 11:18–20)

It becomes clear as you read these verses that Jeremiah knew nothing of the conspiracy here described. He was completely blindsided when the Lord revealed it to him. The language he used (“I did not know it was against me”) suggests that he may have known that there was a conspiracy afoot, but he was completely blindsided when he heard that it was levelled against him.

The reason he was so blindsided was because the source of the conspiracy was his own hometown: Anathoth (11:21; 12:6; cf. 1:1). The plot was thoroughgoing: The intent of the conspirators was to “destroy the tree with its fruit” and to “cut him off from the land of the living, that his name be remembered no more.” They wanted to “wholly obliterate his name” (Calvin) and “were hatching plots, to take his life while it was still in its prime” (Thomapson).

The Lord had earlier instructed Jeremiah not to marry or have children, and it appears that “they wanted to kill Jeremiah before he had any offspring, so his name would vanish from the earth.” Feinberg notes that “destroying a tree with its fruit was proverbial of total destruction.”

The prophet’s response was to turn to the Lord for justice. This sounds strange to us today because we are familiar with New Testament texts that exhort us not to exact justice (see Romans 12:19–20). How could Jeremiah possibly pray, in good conscience, for “vengeance”?

I would suggest that Jeremiah was not in violation of this principle, because he was not seeking personal vengeance. He had, after all, committed his cause to the Lord. We must also remember that, even if they had no respect for his person, the people were required to respect Jeremiah in his position as Yahweh’s prophet. Paul would later defend his own ministry on the basis that he was an apostle. Jeremiah was in the same place—not bothered as much about personal wrongs as about the people’s disregard for Yahweh’s appointed prophet.

There are no prophets today (at least not in the same sense that Jeremiah was a prophet); nevertheless, we must understand that God takes seriously his prophetic word (the Scriptures). Those who reject the truth faithfully discharged by God’s servants will give an answer to God. We cannot dismiss faithful teaching with impunity. When we are exposed to faithful teaching, we cannot hope to escape the vengeance of God unless we submit to it.

The Comfort

The Lord’s response was one of comfort to Jeremiah:

Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the men of Anathoth, who seek your life, and say, “Do not prophesy in the name of the LORD, or you will die by our hand”—therefore thus says the LORD of hosts: “Behold, I will punish them. The young men shall die by the sword, their sons and their daughters shall die by famine, and none of them shall be left. For I will bring disaster upon the men of Anathoth, the year of their punishment.”

(Jeremiah 11:21–23)

The men of Anathoth would not escape judgement. Jeremiah’s prayer (11:20) would be answered. Verse 21 gives us some further insight to the reason for the conspiracy: “The men of Anathoth … seek your life, and say, ‘Do not prophesy in the name of the LORD, or you will die by our hand.’” This threat warrants some consideration.

We must not think that these were militant atheists or pagans, acting in outright denial of the Jewish religion. Indeed, Jeremiah later says of them, “You are near in their mouth and far from their heart” (12:2). They talked about Yahweh and professed to be followers of Yahweh. The threat was coming from “nominal Christians,” not from militant atheists or Muslims.

Jeremiah’s experience of opposition from nominal Christianity is one that is increasingly being repeated in our day. There are many who once professed Christ who have now abandoned that profession and have taken to oppose Christianity. There are many more who continue to profess Christianity but who oppose faithful proclaimers of God’s truth.

Exactly what was it about Jeremiah’s ministry that drove them to hate him? If we understand why these “nominal Christians” opposed Jeremiah, it will help us to understand much of the opposition that we might face as faithful proclaimers of God’s truth.

Ryken notes that “the men of Anathoth did not like Jeremiah’s preaching. They were not happy with his homiletics.” But exactly what was it about his preaching that rubbed the priests of Anathoth—the “nominal Christians” of Jeremiah’s day—the wrong way? Several things.

First, his preaching condemned their character. “The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule at their direction,” he said (5:31). Again, “For from the least to the greatest of them, everyone is greedy for unjust gain; and from prophet to priest, everyone deals falsely” (6:13).

Second, his preaching condemned their false worship. Jeremiah ministered in Josiah’s day, his ministry commencing in the thirteenth year of Josiah’s 31-year reign (1:1–2). He supported Josiah’s reforms, which included the removal of local places of worship and an insistence that God’s people worship at Jerusalem. He therefore supported the removal of the local shrines—like those in Anathoth—where the local priests—like those in Anathoth—carried out their priestly duties.

The removal of shrines in Anathoth, which his preaching supported, threatened their job security. His preaching threatened the local economy, which was supported by idol manufacturing. This made them none too happy with him.

Third, his preaching was out of step with the times. He preached judgement, while the false prophets declared peace (6:14; 8:11). His preaching placed him “on the wrong side of history”—or so it seemed in the moment.

Fourth, his preaching was unpatriotic. His preaching advocated surrender to Babylon. His support of the Jerusalem priests (the house of Zadok) was taken as a rejection of the Anathoth priests (the house of Abiathar). His preaching brought disgrace to the family. Such a man was worthy of death in Middle Eastern custom—as is still the case today.

God’s truth today is still characterised by Jeremiah-like preaching. God’s truth still condemns godless character. God’s truth still condemns false worship. God’s truth is still out of step with the times. God’s truth is still often unpatriotic. All of this invites opposition—even from those closest to us. So how do we respond when this opposition arises? How did Jeremiah respond?

The Complaint

Thompson notes, “Like Job and some of the psalmists Jeremiah believed in God and stood under his sovereignty but found his ways hard to comprehend.” He therefore delivered a powerful complaint:

Righteous are you, O LORD, when I complain to you; yet I would plead my case before you. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all who are treacherous thrive? You plant them, and they take root; they grow and produce fruit; you are near in their mouth and far from their heart. But you, O LORD, know me; you see me, and test my heart toward you. Pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, and set them apart for the day of slaughter. How long will the land mourn and the grass of every field wither? For the evil of those who dwell in it the beasts and the birds are swept away, because they said, “He will not see our latter end.”

(Jeremiah 12:1–4)

Jeremiah took his complaint to the Lord. This is not the only place in Scripture where the seeming prosperity of the wicked is questioned, but it is significant that it follows on the heels of 11:21–23. Psalm 73 offers a similar complaint, with Asaph expressing his frustration at the seeming prosperity of the wicked (vv. 1–5). But when Asaph heard from the Lord (vv. 16–18) it was sufficient for him and he rested in the Lord’s providence (vv. 27–28). Jeremiah received a similar reminder in 11:21–23 as Asaph did, but evidently it was not enough. As Ryken notes, “It was enough for Asaph to know that God would judge the wicked in the end. That was not enough for Jeremiah…. He wanted judgment to come sooner rather than later.”

We must not make the error of thinking that Jeremiah was questioning God’s character. Indeed, he praised God’s character: “Righteous are you, O LORD, when I complain to you” (12:1). He knew that God was “righteous,” which means that he did not consider God guilty of some moral failure in allowing the prosperity of the godless. He acknowledged that their prosperity derived from God (v. 2) but wondered why God allows their prosperity to endure for so long (v. 4).

The Hebrew word for “plead my case” is often used in the Old Testament with reference to a legal dispute. “No legal complaint can be brought against Yahweh since he is innocent of all charges. Yet there were some specific ‘cases’ of ‘right’ that Jeremiah wished to discuss, namely, cases where the wicked prosper” (Thompson). Or as Harrison notes, “The statement is based upon the concept of God as being just and irrefutable in argument, though amenable to complaints.”

God is God, and therefore we must be careful how we speak to and of him. He is, however, a Father, and is therefore “amenable to complaints” (Harrison). It is not necessarily wrong to take our questions to the Lord, so long as our attitude and disposition in doing so is one in which we acknowledge that God is ultimate “righteous.” Even Jesus asked questions on the cross: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). The text does not condemn Jeremiah—neither here nor the many other places in this book in which he lays his soul bare.

We should observe that Jeremiah’s complaint was not based exclusively on his own hurt feelings. No doubt, his feelings were hurt by the revealed betrayal of his own countrymen, but his complaint extended beyond personal feelings.

First, his complaint was rooted in reverence for God’s truth. He complained in the light of his faithfulness to the prophetic office (v. 3a). Calvin is correct:

He then does not speak here of his own private feelings, but only claims for himself faithfulness and sincerity before God in performing his office as a teacher; as though he had said that he faithfully discharged the office committed to him by God…. Though he disregarded [private wrongs] entirely, he yet could not give up the defence of his office.

As we have already noted, Paul was forced to a similar defence of his ministry when his apostolic authority was challenged (2 Corinthians 11:16–29).

Second, his complaint was rooted in his love for God’s people. He complained in the light of the wider consequences of the wicked’s sins (v. 4a). “God had sent drought to the nation, which was one of the covenant disciplines (Deut. 28:15–24), and the vegetation was withering and the animal life dying. But the evil leaders who were to blame for the drought were not only surviving but also were prospering from the losses of others” (Wiersbe).

Third, his complaint was rooted in his honour for the Lord’s character. He complained because the evildoers were boasting that they were beyond the reach of God’s judgement (v. 4b). “They thought that they were now as it were unknown to God and beyond the reach of his care, so that he would not see their end; in other words, they had no concern with God, because they were on all sides so well fortified, that the hand of God could not reach them” (Calvin). Feinberg states it succinctly: “It is the height of wickedness in claiming that [God] is morally indifferent to the sin of the rich. This is practical atheism.”

Are you concerned that people revere God’s truth? It should bother us when people hear the truth but feel that they can safely ignore it.

Are you concerned for the welfare of God’s people at large? When shepherds are unfaithful, the sheep suffer, and that should grieve us.

Are you concerned that others honour God’s character? Then are you willing to declare God’s truth and wrestle with him in private?

The Contest

Finally, we read Yahweh’s words of contest:

If you have raced with men on foot, and they have wearied you, how will you compete with horses? And if in a safe land you are so trusting, what will you do in the thicket of the Jordan? For even your brothers and the house of your father, even they have dealt treacherously with you; they are in full cry after you; do not believe them, though they speak friendly words to you.

(Jeremiah 12:5–6)

Ryken summarises this section:

There are some good answers to those questions, and no doubt Jeremiah expected to get some of them. When he complained about the slow justice of God, no doubt he expected God to defend his timetable. He expected an answer to the problem of evil, a philosophical explanation of the relationship between divine sovereignty and human depravity. Human beings often demand that kind of explanation from God. Like Jeremiah, we want some answers. We want to know why the innocent suffer while the wicked flourish. We want to know why good things happen to bad people. But God does not always answer our questions. Usually he doesn’t.

Wiersbe adds that “God’s servants don’t live by explanations; they live by promises” and Hugh Black opines, “It was the answer Jeremiah needed. He needed to be braced, not pampered.”

In essence, Yahweh was telling Jeremiah what Bachman-Turner Overdrive would much later sing: “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet!” If Jeremiah was weary from the footrace, how would he manage the equestrian challenge?

Yahweh contrasts a “safe land” (home, a familiar place of safety) with the “thicket of the Jordan” (wild terrain, home of the Asiatic lion and other wild animals). Jeremiah should not expect things to get any easier. If he complained that the inhabitants of Anathoth were against him, he was in for a surprise. Things were even worse than he expected: “Even your brothers and the house of your father” were against him. Indeed, they were “in full cry” after him. Calvin captures the significance of this term:

To cry after one is an evidence of settled hatred; for when an enemy stands his ground and offers resistance, it is no wonder that we assail him; but when he turns his back and allows that he is conquered, and declines fighting, it seems that we are burning with a furious hatred, when we follow him and draw him to fight against his will, even when he of his own accord avoids a contest. It was to set forth this blind fury that God said that they ‘cried after’ Jeremiah.

Even if Jeremiah put up no resistance, they would still hate him.

There are at least three lessons we can draw from the Lord’s answer to Jeremiah.

First, the life of faithful service isn’t easy; it’s like running a race. There is no promise in Scripture that the Christian walk will be plain sailing.

Second, the life of faithful service usually gets harder, not easier. We need to be willing to put in the hard yards now if we will be prepared for the difficulties yet to come. Ryken is correct:

If you complain about the simple things that God has already asked you to do, then you lack the spiritual strength to do what he wants you to do next. If your troubles keep you from doing the Lord’s work now, you will never have the strength to do it later. If you want to do some great thing for God, then you must begin by doing the little things for God.

What are these “little things” of which Ryken speaks? They are little things like faithfulness in Lord’s Day attendance; involvement in small group ministry; doing the hard thing of gathering with believers for fellowship even when we are tired and it seems inconvenient; maintaining a faithful devotional life and regular attendance at prayer meetings. We must be faithful in the run-of-the-mill things if we will be faithful in the extraordinary. The run-of-the mill things in life are not always easy or necessarily exciting, but they are important. The run-of-the-mill is the foot race, and if we are already giving up on the foot race, what will we do when the time comes that you have to compete against horses?

Third, the life of faithful service gets more rewarding as we mature spiritually. Wiersbe writes,

Each new challenge ultimately helped Jeremiah develop his faith and grow his ministry skills. The easy life is ultimately the hard life, because the easy life stifles maturity, but the difficult life challenges us to develop our ‘spiritual muscles’ and accomplish more for the Lord. Phillip Brooks said the purpose of life is the building of character through truth, and you don’t build character by being a spectator. You have to run with endurance the race God sets before you and do it on God’s terms (Heb. 12:1–3).

For Jeremiah, God’s words in v. 5 were also a challenge: Are you going to drop out of the foot race, or will you compete with horses? The challenge remains for us. Peterson puts it succinctly:

Life is difficult, Jeremiah. Are you going to quit at the first wave of opposition? Are you going to retreat when you find that there is more to life than finding three meals a day and a dry place to sleep at night? Are you going to run home the minute you find that the mass of men and women are more interested in keeping their feet warm than in living at risk to the glory of God? Are you going to live cautiously or courageously? … At the first sign of difficulty you are ready to quit. If you are fatigued by this run-of-the-mill crowd of apathetic mediocrities, what will you do when the real race starts, the race with the swift and determined horses of excellence? What is it you really want, Jeremiah, do you want to shuffle along with this crowd, or run with horses?

Again, “It is unlikely, I think, that Jeremiah was spontaneous or quick in his reply to God’s question…. He weighed the options. He counted the cost. He tossed and turned in hesitation. The response when it came was not verbal but biographical. His life became his answer, ‘I’ll run with the horses.’”

Will you allow your life to be your answer to that question? Will you run with the horses?

All of this may not sound particularly encouraging. We all know what it is to be wearied in a foot race. How, then, will we compete against horses? Perhaps the best answer is that which God gave to another prophet.

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

(Isaiah 40:28–31)

Where will you find the strength to compete with horses? By waiting on the Lord! As you faithfully wait on (serve) the Lord, your strength will be renewed, and you will not only be able to compete with horses but soar with eagles.

Conclusion

Of course, we cannot leave this text without noting that Jeremiah’s experience foreshadowed that of a greater Jeremiah. In Matthew 16, Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” (v. 13). The answer came, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets” (v. 14).

Jesus’ ministry reminded his contemporaries of Jeremiah. And we can see some clear parallels in the account before us.

Like Jeremiah, Jesus faced opposition from those in his own village (Mark 6:3–4). Like Jeremiah, Jesus was (at least initially) rejected even by his own family (John 7:5). Like Jeremiah, Jesus was led like a gentle lamb to the slaughter (11:19) (Acts 8:32–35).

Unlike Jeremiah, Jesus was not blindsided by the conspiracy against him. Unlike Jeremiah, Jesus remained silent when he was threatened. Unlike Jeremiah, Jesus asked God to forgive rather than to exact vengeance. And it is because of Jesus that there is hope for the enemies of God to become the friends of God.

Unbeliever, do you realise that you stand in danger of God’s vengeance? You may be prospering right now, but God’s promise regarding the wicked in Jeremiah’s day stands today: “Behold, I will punish them” (11:22). “The day of slaughter” is coming in which all of those who resist God’s truth will be “set apart” (12:3). Judgement day is a grave reality.

But there is hope. Because Jesus was led like a lamb to the slaughter, you don’t have to be. Jesus was entirely innocent of any wrong, but he became the God’s sacrificial Lamb for all those who will put their trust in him. Jesus died so that we might be saved. If you recognise today that you stand in danger of judgement, call upon the name of the Lord and be saved. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.

Believer, how will you respond when you are opposed by the enemies of God’s truth? There is no doubt a time and place to pray like Jeremiah did. But the New Testament calls us to a radically different response:

For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.

(1 Peter 2:21–23)

AMEN