Should we let go of justice when we forgive? (Jer 11:18-12:17)

One time when I was giving a lecture on Isaiah 53, the Suffering Servant who was crushed and wounded and endured suffering that we may be healed, someone asked me whether an abused person should keep accepting the abuse they receive. Many Christians feel that the Bible’s teaching requires forgiveness and love towards the abuser, which in practice is frequently defined as letting them off the hook (forgive and forget and not hold accountable). Nevertheless, our sense of justice rebels against such a verdict and victims may feel that their hurt has not been adequately acknowledged. Abuse is destructive to the victim, yet certain aspects of biblical teaching seem to encourage turning the other cheek and accepting suffering. At the other end of the spectrum, reading Jeremiah’s prayers asking for God’s vengeance (Jer 11:20) and for the slaughter of the wicked (Jer 12:3) fill us with unease. Are punishment and forgiveness mutually exclusive? Should the wicked be allowed to get away with it or is it right to demand justice? How do justice and mercy fit together?

Suffering that achieves nothing

First, it is worth noting that God warns Jeremiah of the danger to his life (Jer 11:18-19). He does not want the prophet to be destroyed; it would serve no useful purpose.[1] The people who want to silence God’s mouthpiece are like a lion ready to tear God Himself apart (Jer 12:8), so that eliminating the prophet would mean that they would have even less reason to change their sinful ways. This is comparable to the dynamics of abuse. Abusers often subtly manipulate their victims giving the impression that if only the latter continued suffering, they could help the abuser to be healed. In reality, however, this situation helps no one. It allows abusers to carry on in sinful patterns of behaviour and destroys the victims in the process. In Jeremiah’s context, God’s people have become so hardened in rebellion and evil that the only way forward was to let them experience the bitter fruit of their sin in judgement. For some, this would be the end of the line in death (Jer 11:22-23; 12:12), for others, it will mean a rough awakening in exile and the potential for repentance and restoration (Jer 12:14-17).

Handing over justice to God

Secondly, Jeremiah hands over justice to God and asks Him to deal with these people based on His righteous character (Jer 11:20). Although the word ‘vengeance’ conjures up revenge in our minds, in the Hebrew, the same word is used for retribution that is justly administered as well as for personal revenge and only context makes it clear whether it is right or wrong. When done impartially, it is meant to be punishment in proportion to the crime. Personal hurt and anger often cloud our judgement so that we want the other person to endure worse pain than what they inflicted on us. Thus, handing over justice and retribution to those impartial in a conflict is a wise course of action, whether such arbitrator is a human court of law or God. This is what Jeremiah understands when he refers his ‘case’ (riv, a term used for a lawsuit in the courts) to God, emphasising how He is able to assess motivation correctly and judge rightly (v.20).

Judgment as an act of love

God answers Jeremiah with His verdict that mirrors the people’s crime: those who want the prophet to die at their hands, will themselves die by the sword (Jer 11:21-22). Further, He responds to His people’s similar animosity to Himself with like judgement. The people who have become like a bird of prey towards God will be devoured by birds of prey (i.e., the Baylonians, Jer 12:9). Thus, He affirms the need for justice, for upholding the responsibility of the wicked for sin and in this particular case, God’s verdict is that severe judgment is the only way. While this may seem harsh, it is the most loving thing to do for two reasons. On the one hand, it is necessary for the sake of those who suffer the ill-effects of others’ wickedness, which in Jeremiah’s context includes the land as well as people (Jer 5:28-29; 12:4). Allowing evil to fester unchecked means ongoing suffering for many. On the other hand, justice is also essential for the sake of those who sin, if by chastisement they may be renewed.

Turning the other cheek

How does forgiveness fit into this picture? We have already seen that Jeremiah is not vengeful to ask for God’s justice, in fact, he is relinquishing any right for revenge. The larger story of Jeremiah’s life highlights a remarkable approach that reflects God’s compassion after judgment (Jer 12:14-17) and is comparable to Jesus’ attitude demonstrated in the gospels.The Lord repeatedly forbade Jeremiah to pray for the people (Jer 7:16; 11:14; 14:11), which suggests that he did intercede for the very people who persecuted him and wanted him dead. Moreover, his deep pain over Judah’s coming fate that merges into God’s is evident throughout (e.g. Jer 4:19-22; 8:18-22; 9:1-3). Neither does he delight in their downfall when it happens but offers words of comfort and hope to come on the other side of tragic justice (e.g. Jer 29:10-14; 31:31-34). His encounter with Zedekiah later in the book shows no resentment for the way the king almost let him die (Jer 38:1-13); rather, the prophet urges this last king of Judah to do the right thing to save himself and his family (Jer 38:14-28). Finally, while Jerusalem is under siege, a cousin asks Jeremiah to buy his field (Jer 32:6-15). Jeremiah knows full well that Babylon will occupy the area where the cousin’s land is, if it had not done so already, so he is effectively buying worthless land, never to be enjoyed if he can even maintain his rights over it. Yet, he pays a fair price and thus helps a member of the very family that plotted to kill him – hardly a picture of a resentful and bitter man! This, I believe, is the true meaning of turning the other cheek, that repays evil with good but does not support, even if tacitly, sinful behaviours, or allows oneself to be destroyed by abuse.

Forgiveness and justice

To summarise then, forgiveness on the human plain starts with relinquishing the right to revenge and letting God (and in some cases human justice) deal with a perpetrator. On a most mundane level, it means not holding grudges, dredging up past hurts to others or ourselves, and blackening someone’s reputation with bitter comments. This, of course, is a costly process and depending on the offence, can take a long time with emotions lagging behind a determination to let go of grievances. Nevertheless, forgiveness does not exclude confronting wrongdoing and holding people accountable and, in the case of such grave sin as abuse, bringing people to justice. It is, in fact, a loving thing to do because it checks evil from continuing to exert an influence on us and others and correction could become a means of turning someone to repentance and a change for the better. Although the Old Testament people of God did not know how God was going to deal with sin once and for all in Jesus Christ on the cross, they, no less than Christians today, lived by God’s grace as undeserving but forgiven and loved people. As such, they had to trust both God’s justice and mercy to deal with other sinners in His wisdom, just as He dealt with them both in fairness but ultimately in love.

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[1] There are, of course, those who are martyred for their faith and only God knows why He allows one to carry on and another to be killed (e.g. Jer 26:20-24), but my point is that suffering and death are not automatically God’s will in every situation.

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