1. Jeremiah 5:29 (ESV)
  2. Exposition

Why does the Lord ask, “Shall I not judge them for these things, and avenge myself?”

Jeremiah 5:29 (ESV)

29 Shall I not punish them for these things?declares the LORD, and shall I not avenge myself on a nation such as this?”

The Lord repeats the question he asked in Jeremiah 5:9 and as was the case there, there can be only one answer. The Lord must and will punish them for such things. The things referred to is everything that has been said about Judah since Jeremiah 5:20. The Lord must avenge himself on a nation such as this. Judah’s behaviour has been a personal assault on the Lord’s very character because it is a denial of the covenant he had made with them. They were supposed to be his redeemed people, but now they were just a nation such as this. The lack of reverence for the Lord, the treachery of worshipping the gods for the good that the Lord has done for them and the injustice, greed, and oppression in the land has truly alienated Judah from the Lord.