While Israel and Judah had both strayed from God, those who would
repent and return to God would be greatly blessed. This was God’s promise to
them. In Jeremiah 3:15-18, God was pointing to what would happen to His people
in the future. In these verses, we are given a glimpse into the Kingdom of the
Messiah and its promises. These promises were made to His repented people in
Israel and Judah, who chose to walk faithfully with Him. While this was seen
when the Jews returned from their exile, the realization really happened when Jesus the Messiah came to install His Kingdom. The people of His kingdom
are those who would repent from their sins and commit themselves to Him.
Firstly,
God would provide shepherds, men who would have the people’s interests at
heart. They would be committed and godly leaders, who would teach and guide
perceptively. It would not be a case of the blind leading the blind. Under
their leadership, the people would grow in knowledge and understanding. These
were seen in the post-exilic leaders such as Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah. Still,
these leaders would just be the initial deposit. Ultimate fulfillment would
happen in the Kingdom of God with Jesus Christ the Chief Shepherd, His
appointed apostles, and all the under-shepherds that would be raised through
their teachings.
Secondly, there would be a growth in the population. The
post-exilic community grew when more people returned from captivity. We saw in
the post-exilic books that the community of God’s people incrementally grew
in numbers. This again was pointing to something greater. This was
pointing to the time when Messiah would come to establish and rule in His
Kingdom. There would be a growth in the number of believers during Messiah’s
reign.
Thirdly, the focus when Messiah comes would no longer be on the
ark of the covenant but on the Messiah whose presence would be among
them. He would come to give God’s people a better system and
experience in worship.
Fourthly, verse 17 says that Jerusalem would be the Throne of God.
From there God would make His name known. In Hebrews 12:22-23, the
author refers to the church as the New Jerusalem. Believers of Jesus Christ are
told that “…you have come to Mount
Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem,
and to myriads of angels, to the general
assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and
to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous
made perfect, and to Jesus,
the mediator of a new covenant….” These words “all the nations” in verse
17 inferred that Gentiles would be drawn to this New Jerusalem.
Fifthly, faithfulness to the Lord would be
restored. God’s people in the New Jerusalem would walk with humility and not
stubbornness of heart. There would be unity among God’s people. Here
the unity is symbolized by the coming together of Israel and
Judah. The people of the Kingdom of God would become one in Him.
Members of the Kingdom of God are recipients of God’s
loving-kindness. They are repented sinners who have been cleansed by the work
of Christ at Calvary. And we have become one among them when we made Jesus
Christ our Lord, Saviour, and Master. Now these promises of God made to His
people then are also available to us who have embraced Christ and truly repent
of all our sins.
No comments:
Post a Comment