Jeremiah 31:7-14 – The abundant life God promises us

These verses in Jeremiah 31:7-14 picture for us the joy of the restored people of God. Described in these verses are four promises of God. Firstly, there would be joyful worship. The first part of three verses ( 7, 12, and 13) gives a sense of the joy of worship. Verse 7a says, “Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob, and shout among the chief of the nations….” Verse 12a says “They will come and shout for joy on the height of Zion….” And verse 13a says, “Then the virgin will rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old together….” These essentially describe the activities involved in joyful worship.

We are created for worship, and it is a meaningful activity that should be a believer’s  top  priority in  life. worship of our great God meaningfully engaged brings great joy. It’s a celebration of His goodness in our lives. We are made to worship God. And every activity that seeks to glorify God is an act of worship. The Westminster Shorter Catechism starts out by saying the says the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.  We are made to worship God and only in worshipping Him can we be fully at rest and satisfied.

The second promise in verse 7b was for God’s people to pray. He said,   “Proclaim, give praise, and say, ‘O Lord, save Your people, the remnant of Israel.” Following the call to pray, God’s response in  verse 8 says, “Behold, I am bringing them from the north country, and I will gather them from the remote parts of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and she who is in labor with child, together; a great company, they will return here.” In answer to their prayer, God would  return people to the land. From the four corners of the earth, wherever they were scattered God would be gathering them. Regardless of their afflictions or condition, they would return to the land. Verse 9 God promised that by supplication He would lead them.  

Like them, homecoming to God for us begins when we pray the sinner’s prayer. And that must not be the only prayer we pray. We must cultivate the discipline of a prayerful life. God wants to collaborate with us in this spiritual journey.  Prayer is a human-divine collaboration.  Without God we cannot but without us praying God will not. Prayer helps us to bring our most challenging needs to God. He promised that if we ask, we will receive, if we seek we will find, and if we knock the door will be opened to us. So let’s keep asking, seeking, and knocking.  

Thirdly, we see the promise of preservation. Verse  8 mentions the blind, the lame, and the pregnant. These people were specially mentioned because without God’s  protection and preservation how could such people survive the journey. God as their father would see them through. His promise made to these afflicted people in verse 9 says, “I will make them walk by streams of waters, on a straight path in which they will not stumble.” It’s a reference to His preservation.

Fourthly, in verses 12-14, God made the promise of provision.  Spiritually and physically God would provide their needs. In much the same way, we who have been ransomed by the Lord will walk with Him and will never fear a lack of provision. He is our shepherd, and we shall never be in want. What a privilege to have such a loving Heavenly Father. Let us not cease to worship and pray as we enjoy His preservation and provision   

   

 

Jeremiah 31:1-6 _ The lovingkindness of God never fails

As we know the United Israel was divided into two kingdoms - Israel and Judah. The split took place under the reign of Rehoboam who chose to listen to the foolish advice of his contemporaries and not his father’s seasoned advisors. From the start of Israel, the northern Kingdom careened downhill till it was destroyed by the Assyrians in 722 B.C. All nineteen of her kings from nine dynasties were evil. Although Judah also followed suit and was sent into exile in 586 B.C., she had periods of  reform under eight good kings. Their history could be traced from these books – 1 & 2 Samuels, 1 & 2 Kings, and 1 & 2 Chronicles.       

However, the message of Jeremiah 31 concerns the whole of Israel, both the northern and the southern kingdoms. God wanted His people to know that He had not forgotten “all the families of Israel.” He reiterated that the whole of Israel shall be His people. Though both had gone through the harsh judgment of the Lord, God's grace would meet them again and restore them. Samaria and Ephraim are references to northern Israel.  

In the first two verses, references were made to two significant events of the Old Testament - the exile and the exodus. Those who “survived the sword” would be a reference to those who survive the exile. Those who “found grace in the wilderness” would be a reference to the exodus. Those people found grace and entered the land of promise of the land of rest. The common denominator was that the grace or the lovingkindness of God was what they all experienced.  

 

Jeremiah was saying that hope awaited them. From the start, God had loved them with an everlasting love.  That love for them had never faded. God’s people both from Israel and Judah would be restored to the land. There rebuilt and renewed Israel would once again rejoice and celebrate in the renewed hope. Watchmen would sound the clarion call to return to Zion.

 

The grace of God is the lovingkindness of God. He first showered it on Israel. And the greatest show of His lovingkindness is at Calvary where Christ died on mankind’s behalf.  It is still God's clearest call. It had been sounded on the cross on that green hill far away. The call is clear, constant, far-reaching, and purposeful. God is still sounding out loud and clear through the Gospel: “I have loved you with an everlasting love.”  We must respond and love Him in return, with a heart that flo with deep gratitude and thanksgiving.  

Jeremiah 30:18-24 – Jesus, our wonderful King, and Priest

In Jeremiah 30:18-20,  God made the promise to restore Judah and Jerusalem. He promised to restore the fortune of the nation and to rebuild the city. From the ruin, God would rebuild Jerusalem and restore the nation’s power and prosperity. Once again thanksgiving would be offered to Him, and celebration be heard in the street again. The population would also increase to replace those who were slaughtered in the judgment. Furthermore, honor and significance would be reinstated to them as well.  

Verses 21-22 speak of a leader who would hail from among them and be identified with them. The description here refers to the priest drawing near and approaching God’s presence in the Holy of Holies.  As king and priest, our Lord Jesus Christ has the qualification to approach God on our behalf. He has made us a people belonging to God.

   

However, before all this happened God had to deal with His wayward people. He sent Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians upon them to deal with them. Verses 23-24 describe God’s discipline as a tempest or a whirlwind. Both these terms speak of a violent stormy wind that would leave a trail of destruction behind it. The wrath of God went forth because of His hatred for sin and His dealing which began at the very root of wickedness would not stop until He had accomplished the purpose and intention of His heart. While in the storm His bewildered people would have no clue but eventually, they would understand why God had to do what He had done.

 

We thank God for Christ Jesus our king and priest. By Him and through Him we now have access to God’s presence.  Hear and be inspired and encouraged by the words that John Newton: 

How sweet the name of Jesus sounds
In a believer’s ear!
It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds,
And drives away his fear.

It makes the wounded spirit whole
And calms the troubled breast;
’Tis manna to the hungry soul,
And to the weary, rest.

Dear Name! the Rock on which I build,
My Shield and Hiding Place,
My never-failing Treas’ry filled
With boundless stores of grace!

Jesus! my Shepherd, Husband, Friend,
My Prophet, Priest, and King;
My Lord, my Life, my Way, my End,
Accept the praise I bring.

Weak is the effort of my heart,
And cold my warmest thought;
But when I see Thee as Thou art,
I’ll praise Thee as I ought.

Till then I would Thy love proclaim
With every fleeting breath,
And may the music of Thy name
Refresh my soul in death.

 

 

 

 

Jeremiah 30:12-17 – God disciplines to mature us

Judah, the people of God were severely troubled and afflicted because of their disobedience. They had been influenced by the false prophets. And in the days of Jeremiah, their affliction became worst. God likened the nation Judah with all her afflictions as a severely incurable injured body. Foreign nations, who were once her allies and referred to as her lovers sarcastically in Jeremiah 30:14, had jilted, abandoned, and left her forsaken.  

 

God reminded the people of Judah that because of their great iniquities and numerous sins, He was the One who had used the foreign nations to afflict her. He had used the Assyrians to deal with Israel, and He was using the Babylonians to deal with Judah. However, in verse 16, God assured His people that would punish the nations which He had used to chasten Judah, especially for the way they had treated her. God’s comforting words of hope are seen again in verse 17. He promised to bring Judah back to health, heal her wounds and restore her.    

 

We know that those whom God loves, He disciplines. His dealing with us is always carried out with the objective of restoration and maturing our lives. Like a skilled vinedresser, God would carefully prune or remove hindrances to our growth. Because God cares for us His children that He disciplines us. He chastens us to bring the best out of us. Hebrews 12:11 says “For the moment all disciplines seem painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it,” Don’t resist God’s dealing for our good.

Jeremiah 30:8-11 – In Jesus Christ, true freedom is found

Continuing the message of hope, God in Jeremiah 30:8-11, promised to break the yoke upon them. The oppression of Jacob’s trouble would come to an end. He Himself would ensure that the yoke and oppression over HIs people be broken. There would be deliverance and they would once again find freedom under the rule of a descendant from King David. They would no longer be slaves to foreigners. Under this particular descendant of David, they would once again serve the Lord their God.

This obviously is a prophetic reference to the salvation that Christ Jesus, the ultimate king from the line of David came to offer. Under his reign not only will Judah, but also all who will make Him their Lord and King shall find freedom from oppression. Saved from the power of sin and under the dominion of Christ, His people shall serve God through Christ, the greater son of David. In verses 10-11, God promised to restore His chosen people as a nation and rebuild her as a nation when they repent from their sins.   

 

God is not in the business of destroying His people, but of restoring and building them up. He promises to restore and build her people again.  His concern is the sin that will destroy us. Sins not only bind but will also destroy us. They keep us bound longer than we are willing to be bound and pay more than we can afford. God in His grace and mercy looked beyond and saw our needs.

Yes, Jesus came to set us free so that we can give our lives to serve Him all the days of our lives. Romans 5:17 reminds us of our freedom to serve Him. J.B. Philips translated this verse putting it this way: “For if one man’s offense meant that men should be slaves to death all their lives, it is a far greater thing that through another man, Jesus Christ, men by their acceptance of his more than sufficient grace and righteousness, should live all their lives like kings!” God raises us up to serve Him and not sin. What a privilege!

Jeremiah 30:4-11 – Don’t wait for a tragedy to move us to obedience.

Israel was one nation until after Solomon. When his son Rehoboam succeeded him on the throne, he chose to listen to foolish counsel. His folly caused a division in the once-united Israel and caused it to become two nations. The north comprised ten tribes that became known as Israel and the south would comprise two tribes that became known as Judah. The Northern Kingdom of Israel was eventually destroyed by the Assyrians and now the people of Judah were in the throes of great pain and suffering in their captivity in Babylon.

In Jeremiah 30-33, God sent a series of messages through His servant Jeremiah promising relief. The messages of hope addressed both Israel and Judah. Note that while the prophetic messages found fulfillment in their time, they also point to the ultimate deliverance in the future. In Christ, the ultimate Davidic king the promise of hope will be ultimately fulfilled.

In Jeremiah 30:4-7, the intensity of the suffering of God’s chosen people was described. Their great suffering here was referred to as Jacob’s distress. It was a period of great agony and suffering. Some suggest that this was referring to the great tribulation of seven years. However, we see here the chosen people undergoing divine chastening for their disobedience. In these verses, God knew the intensity of the suffering they were going through. Metaphorically their suffering was described as men who cannot give birth yet were experiencing excruciating pain with their hands on their loins, like women who were travailing in great pain in labor. The faces of the people had also turned pale. But the promise of relief was indicated in verse 7. God promised to save them from all the intensity of it their suffering.

The Bible assures us that those whom God loves He chastens. His purpose of course is not to destroy us but to develop and mature us. The best response to God’s loving overture is to obey and be faithful to Him. Life is less painful when we choose to walk according to God’s prescription. But when we choose not to follow His direction, we signal the need for Him to use tough circumstances to straighten us.

Here we are reminded of the call of God in Psalm 32. We are encouraged to cooperate with the Lord as He guides us. God knows all the directions that we need to attain a fulfilling life. When we collaborate with Him willingly, no pain would be required to move us along those wonderful paths. However, if we stubbornly refuse to move in tandem with Him, we will encounter painful experiences that He would allow along the way, to move us closer to His desired paths for our life. Wisdom demands that we obey God instantly, and don’t wait to be moved by the pains and afflictions of life.

 

 

Jeremiah 30:1-3 – Be well-versed with God’s Written Word

At the onset of Jeremiah’s calling, God already told him what his ministry would entail.  Very specifically God told him in Jeremiah 1:9b-10, saying:

“See, I have appointed you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms,
To pluck up and to break down,
To destroy and to overthrow,
To build and to plant.”

 

So in his ministry, Jeremiah spoke both to uproot and destroy and also to build and plant. He had prophesied much of God’s judgment due to the sins of Judah, its kings, priests, prophets, and people. He told them they would be uprooted and sent into their captivity in Babylon. And they indeed were uprooted from their homeland and sent to captivity.

 

The good news was that in their judgment, they still had hope.  For their judgment was not going to be forever. They would not be in captivity indefinitely but for a specific duration of seventy years. In chapter 29 we already saw how he urged them to live life normally in Babylon and to continue to build their community in exile, for God was going to bring them back to their homeland after their seventy years of exile.

 

Here beginning in Jeremiah 30 and the next few chapters, his message would center around the theme of hope. God assured them in verse 3 that He was going to restore the fortune of His people, both from Israel and Judah.  Israel as we know was destroyed by the Assyrians in 722 B.C. and Judah was now in Babylonian captivity. Yet God’s promise was that the fortune of both would be restored.

 

Here in Jeremiah 30:1, God specifically instructed that what He said to be recorded in a  book. Why did want that to be done? Here are three good reasons. Firstly, what He said could be verified in the future. Truth can stand scrutiny. By recording it in a book, the truth of God will be verifiable. How could the truth be verified if they were not recorded? Secondly, what’s written can be perpetuated. The promises made can be kept safe for future generations to impact them. Thirdly, written words can reach a far wider audience than spoken words. In Daniel 9:2, we saw how Jeremiah had recorded in his book had impacted the Prophet Daniel.     

Thankfully we have the Bible, the Word of God. It had impacted many generations past and will continue to impact many more to come. We all can attest that have been enriched by the Written Word. And it will continue to enrich us. So we must continue to come to it and read, study, analyze, digest, assimilate, meditate, and memorize it. “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).