Lesson 9 - Jer. 31:1-9 - ISRAEL'S MOURNING TURNED TO JOY
INTRODUCTION: Last week, in Jer. 28:1-9, 15-17, we covered Jeremiah's confrontation with the false prophet Hananiah in the Temple courtyard, where the Temple priests and many people were listening. Jeremiah showed up wearing a wooden yoke on his neck to symbolize Judah's subjection to Babylon. Hananiah, pretending to speak on behalf of the Lord, proclaimed that the yoke of Babylon had been broken and that the temple vessels taken by Nebuchadnezzar, the former king's son, Jeconiah, and all the exiles in Babylon would all be returned within two years. Jeremiah then spoke of all the prophets who preceded him and how their words had been confirmed. Jeremiah replied that even if he wished what Hananiah said could be true, he told him that God had not sent him and that he had caused the people to believe a lie; and for doing this, he would die, and two months later, Hananiah dropped dead. From this, we learned that the death of Hananiah was an object lesson about the critical importance of obeying God's word. God's word can never be taken out of context and applied to situations carelessly or erroneously.
Chapters 1-29 introduced stage one of God's redemptive plan for Judah and Israel, in which Jeremiah prophesied the punishment that Judah and Israel would endure for their sins (i.e., destruction and exile). Chapters 30-33 constitute stage two of God's redemptive plan. This week, in Jer. 31:1-9, we will cover a part of what is often called Jeremiah's Book of Consolation, which predicts the ultimate restoration of both Israel (the northern kingdom), and Judah (the southern kingdom) and the return to their ancestral lands. Of great significance, in Jer. 31:31-32a, the Lord declared, "Behold, days are coming... when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt." The New Covenant to which Jeremiah refers was not instituted by God until the First Coming of Jesus Christ. When we add this truth to the fact that the promised restoration of both the northern and southern kingdoms to their lands has yet to be fulfilled and that the vast majority of Jews are still dispersed all over the world (i.e., the Great Diaspora), we must interpret this section of Jeremiah from an eschatological (end-times) point of view. God will accomplish what His People had historically hindered by their sins. In fact, the Lord is going on record here as announcing the Millennial Kingdom, when Jesus Christ returns to re-gather the Jews and rule from Jerusalem (Matt. 24:1-51; Rev. 14:1-4).
Read Jer. 31:1 - I WILL BE THE GOD OF ALL THE FAMILIES OF ISRAEL
1 "At that time," declares the LORD, "I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be My people."
v. 1a: "At that time," declares the LORD," - This phrase relates back to Jer. 30:24, when the Lord said, "in the latter days you will understand this." It promises a "time" in the future when God when will do wondrous things, and "the latter days" refer to the eschatological end-times.
v. 1b: "I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be My people." - This phrase foresees the reunification of both Israel and Judah, which have been separated since the time of Rehoboam II (ca. 786-746 B.C., 1 Kings 12:26-33). By Jeremiah's time, 250 years later, the northern kingdom had been conquered by Assyria and its people scattered to other lands. The lord promised to reunite "all the families of Israel" into one people once again. This hasn't happened yet, and the secular state of Israel established in 1948 doesn't meet the requirements of God's criteria.
Read Jer. 31:2-3 - GRACE IN THE WILDERNESS
2 Thus says the LORD, "The people who survived the sword Found grace in the wilderness-Israel, when it went to find its rest." 3a The LORD appeared to him from afar, saying, "I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness.
v. 2a: "Thus says the LORD, "The people who survived the sword' - This pictures the time during the Exodus when the Israelites were fleeing from the Egyptian army and "survived the sword" when God parted the Red Sea and led them across to safety, then to guarantee their safety, He bought the waters back together to destroy Pharaoh's army. The 15 Million surviving Jews in the world today are heirs to this birthright.
v. 2b: "Found grace in the wilderness-Israel, when it went to find its rest." - The Lord miraculously provided for the children of Israel during their wilderness wanderings. And the "grace" they received was much more than physical nourishment; they also received the Law and became God's covenant people. And by analogy, God will protect and preserve a Jewish remnant during the Great Tribulation and give them "rest" when Jesus returns to establish His Millennial reign from Jerusalem.
v. 3: "The LORD appeared to him from afar, saying, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness." - God loved Israel "from afar" in the wilderness wanderings and promises He will continue loving them with "an everlasting love" during their times of exile-the Northern Kingdom to Assyria in 722 B.C., the Southern Kingdom to Babylon in 597 B.C., and the present day Jews of the Great Diaspora all over the world. All of them have their roots in the wilderness. The "lovingkindness" (Heb. he·sed) with which the Lord has "drawn" them is the Hebrew term that emphasizes God's loyal love for His chosen people. Among humankind, they are unique.
Read Jer. 31:4-5 - YOU WILL BE REBUILT
4 "Again I will build you and you will be rebuilt, O virgin of Israel! Again you will take up your tambourines, And go forth to the dances of the merrymakers. 5 "Again you will plant vineyards On the hills of Samaria; The planters will plant And will enjoy them.
v. 4a: ""Again I will build you and you will be rebuilt, O virgin of Israel!" - Earlier, in Jer. 4:30, the Lord had condemned Israel as "desolate" in her attempt to attract "vain lovers" (i.e., make foreign alliances), but now he calls her "O virgin of Israel," which describes the results of the purification she will endure in exile. The Lord will rebuild her into something uniquely His own-pure and virginal.
v. 4b: "Again you will take up your tambourines, And go forth to the dances of the merrymakers." - Now that Israel has been purged of her sinfulness and forgiven of her sins by her Messiah King, it will be a time to rejoice and celebrate, going forth to make music and dance with merriment.
v. 5a: "Again you will plant vineyards On the hills of Samaria;" - Earlier, in Jer. 12:10, the LORD had made the accusation that, "Many shepherds had destroyed my vineyard...made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness." But now, a reunited Israel will be permitted to restore her vineyards and make the land fruitful once more. These vineyards are a metaphor for national vitality and prosperity. And the mention of "the hills of Samaria" ties this to the end-time return of the previously scattered peoples of the Northern Kingdom.
v. 5b: "The planters will plant And will enjoy them." - When Israel entered the Promised Land after the wilderness wanderings, they found it to be an abundant land where they could plant vineyards and grow crops a plenty. Although they will find the land barren when they return, the "planters" will have the opportunity to make the land fruitful once again when they "plant" their vineyards and crops. And they can replant with God's assurance that they will still be there for a fruitful harvest because they will never be scattered again, they will have plenty of the time to "enjoy" this new provision.
Read Jer. 31:6 - LET US GO UP TO ZION
6 "For there will be a day when watchmen On the hills of Ephraim call out, 'Arise, and let us go up to Zion, To the LORD our God.'"
v. 6: -"Ephraim" was one of Joseph's younger sons and also the name of one of the 12 tribes of Israel, which was allotted land in what later became part of the Northern Kingdom. The "watchmen" mentioned will not be calling out to warn of an oncoming enemy but will be heralding the reunited people of Israel in the end-times to go and worship their "LORD our God" in "Zion" (i.e., in Jerusalem).
Read Jer. 31:7-9 - I WILL GATHER THEM FROM THE REMOTE PARTS OF THE EARTH
7 For thus says the LORD, "Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob, And shout among the chief of the nations; Proclaim, give praise and say, 'O LORD, save Your people, The remnant of Israel.' 8 "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. 9 "With weeping they will come, And by supplication I will lead them; I will make them walk by streams of waters, On a straight path in which they will not stumble; For I am a father to Israel, And Ephraim is My firstborn."
v. 7a: "For thus says the LORD, "Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob," -God is demonstrating His sense of humor when He uses the name "Jacob" for the restored Israel in the Millennium. Even though Jacob is the father of the 12 tribes, he's better known as a deceiver and schemer.
v. 7b: "And shout among the chief of the nations;" -We might think God would call Israel the 'least of nations,' since they are scattered and apparently insignificant as a national entity; however, there is more to Israel than meets the eye. Long ago God covenanted with Abram to make him into a great nation and a blessing to all the families of the earth (Gen. 12:1-3). As modern Christians, we need to welcome and look forward to this development.
v. 7c: "Proclaim, give praise and say, 'O LORD, save Your people, The remnant of Israel.'" - Once the Israelite people begin returning to the Promised Land under the leadership of their Messiah King, Jesus Christ, they will give Him "praise" and call upon Him to save the remaining "remnant" of His people who at that time will still be scattered all over the world. God also assured a united kingdom of Israel when He promised David that "your throne shall be established forever" (2 Sam. 7:16). So, as modern (Gentile) Christians who obey the will of God, we, too, should be praying for these Jewish people-that they will come-will be part of our future under the Lordship of Christ.
v. 8a: "Behold, I am bringing them from the north country," -Earlier, in Jer. 4:6, the had Lord told the prophet that He would "bring evil from the north"-a picture of the oncoming Babylonian armies, which ultimately resulted in the complete destruction of Judah and Jerusalem and the exile of its inhabitants; but now God is promising to reverse the circumstances.
v. 8b: "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;" - God will not only re-gather His people "from the remote parts of the earth," but he promises to leave no one behind-the blind, the crippled, helpless pregnant women, the type of people who usually get lost or abandoned in the shuffle. God will make sure they return, too.
v. 8c: "A great company, they will return here." -They will be a "great company" because their Messiah King, Jesus Christ, will be leading them. He will ensure their provision and redemption.
v. 9a: "With weeping they will come," -The "weeping" will be tears of both repentance and joy for saving them. This is the most natural reaction to salvation by faith. Amen?
v. 9b: "And by supplication I will lead them; I will make them walk by streams of waters, On a straight path in which they will not stumble;" - As the Lord leads them like a good Shepherd (Ps, 23) and brings them back, it will be unlike their earlier wilderness wanderings. This time, they will walk by "streams of waters" and be refreshed; and He will guide them in their journey along a "straight path so they "will not stumble." Because they have been redeemed-granted a new beginning.
v. 9c: "For I am a father to Israel, And Ephraim is My firstborn." -This is the reason for the Lord's special treatment of Israel: He is their "father" and they, "Ephraim" (i.e., Jacob), are His "firstborn." By claiming the firstborn, the Lord reminds us that He is the source of all blessings and can claim ownership of everything because He is sovereign over everything.
APPLICATION-The Children of God Past and Present
1. The Lord's promise of restoration to Israel related back to the original promises of His Covenant relationship with them. God promised that He would be their God and that all the families of Israel would be blessed through Him (Jer. 31:1; Lev. 26:12). This promise is still available to the widely dispersed Jews of the world today.
2. God also promised that He would make a New Covenant with them that would be unlike the Covenant He made with their fathers (Jer. 31:31-32). This New Covenant was instituted when Jesus Christ came into the world and died on a cross for the sins of all people. Under this Covenant, in the eschatological end-times, Jesus will return to re-gather all the families of Israel as their king and Lord in His Millennial Kingdom.
3. God now invites all people to be included in this New Covenant relationship with Him. By doing this, by accepting Jesus Christ as your redeemer, you become a member of the family of God and will reign with Christ forever. As the apostle John summarized it, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:16).
