Jeremiah 12:10-11 tells us that many shepherds will ruin the vineyard and trample down the field, turning the pleasant field into a desolate wasteland. The whole land will be a waste because no one cares. Known as the “weeping prophet” for his writing, Jeremiah is believed to have died in 570 B.C.
He was born into a priestly family in Anathoth, located near Jerusalem. According to Bible Study Tools, Jeremiah was called as a prophet in the thirteenth year of King Josiah’s reign. He was prophesied for about 40 years. When Judah was captured, Jeremiah wrote the Book of Lamentations, a beautiful series of laments about the fall of God’s people.
Rev. Edward B. Robinson told Fox News Digital that this verse is a reminder that laziness and complacency aren’t modern concepts. Robinson is the pastor of Oak Grove Baptist Church in Repton, Alabama. He said, “Complacency and laziness are rampant in our society. They can be traced back to the fall of humanity when Adam and Eve chose to have a complacent attitude toward the commands which God had given them.”
Robinson said the concept of “not caring” appears throughout the Bible. He continued, “And it’s not always the obviously ‘bad’ people who don’t care. Those who are in the household of faith struggle with that same sin of complacency and indifference. Quite ironically, it is God’s people who have received his provision of grace who oftentimes choose to adopt the attitude of indifference. They step back and watch while the world wastes away.”
Robinson noted that Jeremiah wasn’t one of those people, saying, “He doesn’t understand why the wicked of the land seem to prosper while God’s people suffer. God graciously provided for them and forgave them time after time, yet they have rebelled against Him.” One of the main points of this rebellion was the “spiritual indifference” the people displayed toward God. “They simply did not care,” said Robinson.
He added, “For the moment, the wicked seem to prosper. And Jeremiah doesn’t prosper. He is God’s appointed prophet.” Despite being God’s prophet, Jeremiah “is hurting because he is suffering as the wicked prosper. And he is hurting because God tells him that there will be more pain to come because the people whom he has chosen to love so deeply have chosen not to care.”
Robinson said this verse serves as a lesson for humanity as a whole and “for those who God blesses to be in his sacred household of faith,” said Robinson. “Choosing to care is far more than having an emotional affection for a cause,” he said. Said Robinson further, “In its purest form, choosing to care is about asking God to enable us to see the world through his eyes.”
“Choosing to care is about understanding that if we are Christians, we are the hands and feet of Jesus Christ — and if caring cost him his very life, then we should be willing to pay any price as we march forward to convey to the world that we care about our Lord and his gospel of grace.”