Why does Jeremiah call on the Lord, “who tests the righteous, who sees the heart and the mind” to bring vengeance on his enemies?
Jeremiah continues to express his great confidence in the Lord who is the mighty Lord of hosts.
Jeremiah’s confidence lies in the fact that he has committed (his) cause
to the Lord. The Hebrew word for cause
is the word rib and refers to a legal case. The Lord is the one who tests the righteous, who sees the heart and the mind.
The Hebrew word for mind
is klayot and literally means the kidneys
which is a reference to the seat of the affections and hidden motives. The heart
refers to a person’s will. The Lord will be Jeremiah’s perfect advocate and judge as his enemies lay charges against him, because the Lord sees everything exactly as it is.1 With absolute confidence in the Lord as judge and in the strength of his cause as the Lord’s prophet, Jeremiah calls on the Lord to bring vengeance against his enemies. This is not a call for personal vengeance, but rather that the Lord’s righteous rule and word be vindicated.2
12 O LORD of hosts, who tests the righteous, who sees the heart and the mind, let me see your vengeance upon them, for to you have I committed my cause.