1. Jeremiah 10:24 (ESV)
  2. Exposition

Why does Jeremiah call on the Lord to correct him, but not in justice?

Jeremiah 10:24 (ESV)

24 Correct me, O LORD, but in justice; not in your anger, lest you bring me to nothing.

Having acknowledged the sovereignty of the Lord, Jeremiah, speaking again on behalf of the people, cries out to the Lord for mercy as he judges Judah. The Hebrew verb yisser, translated as correct, is used in many places in the Old Testament to speak of the Lord correcting or disciplining his people through judgment (Job 5:17; Psalm 62:1; Psalm 38:1; Proverbs 15:10; Proverbs 29:17).1 Jeremiah understands that if the Lord judges Judah in anger as she deserves because of her sin, it would lead to the total destruction of the people; it would bring them to nothing. So, he pleads for mercy. He asks the Lord to judge Israel, but in justice, meaning only to the extent of removing the unfaithfulness from the nation and not to the extent of destroying her. This prayer is consistent with the Lord’s covenant promise that even when Israel faced his anger because they failed to be faithful, he would ensure a faithful remnant that turned to him.