<< Jer 29 | |
For New King James text and comment, click here.
Jeremiah 30-31 Listen
Restoration for Jacob's people (Jeremiah 30)
1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
2 Thus speaketh the LORD God of Israel, saying, Write thee all the words that I have spoken unto thee in a book.
3 For, lo, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the LORD: and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.
4 And these are the words that the LORD spake concerning Israel and concerning Judah.
5 For thus saith the LORD; We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace.
6 Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness?
7 Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.
8 For it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst thy bonds, and strangers shall no more serve themselves of him:
9 But they shall serve the LORD their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them.
10 Therefore fear thou not, O my servant Jacob, saith the LORD; neither be dismayed, O Israel: for, lo, I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and shall be in rest, and be quiet, and none shall make him afraid.
11 For I am with thee, saith the LORD, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished.
12 For thus saith the LORD, Thy bruise is incurable, and thy wound is grievous.
13 There is none to plead thy cause, that thou mayest be bound up: thou hast no healing medicines.
14 All thy lovers have forgotten thee; they seek thee not; for I have wounded thee with the wound of an enemy, with the chastisement of a cruel one, for the multitude of thine iniquity; because thy sins were increased.
15 Why criest thou for thine affliction? thy sorrow is incurable for the multitude of thine iniquity: because thy sins were increased, I have done these things unto thee.
16 Therefore all they that devour thee shall be devoured; and all thine adversaries, every one of them, shall go into captivity; and they that spoil thee shall be a spoil, and all that prey upon thee will I give for a prey.
17 For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the LORD; because they called thee an Outcast, saying, This is Zion, whom no man seeketh after.
18 Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will bring again the captivity of Jacob’s tents, and have mercy on his dwellingplaces; and the city shall be builded upon her own heap, and the palace shall remain after the manner thereof.
19 And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of them that make merry: and I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small.
20 Their children also shall be as aforetime, and their congregation shall be established before me, and I will punish all that oppress them.
21 And their nobles shall be of themselves, and their governor shall proceed from the midst of them; and I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach unto me: for who is this that engaged his heart to approach unto me? saith the LORD.
22 And ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.
23 Behold, the whirlwind of the LORD goeth forth with fury, a continuing whirlwind: it shall fall with pain upon the head of the wicked.
24 The fierce anger of the LORD shall not return, until he have done it, and until he have performed the intents of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it.
This chapter takes a different turn. Notice that Jeremiah doesn't speak of the "House of David" here, a term usually used when the prophecy concerns just Judah. Instead, he talks in terms of Jacob, the father of all the Israelites including the northern kingdom that fell to the Assyrians in 721 B.C. Also note, he doesn't just prophesy a return to the land in this prophecy, but a world-wide reign from the throne of David and by King David himself. The term "in that day" along with the accompanying "reigning" statements clearly place the fulfillment of this prophecy in the future during the millennium.
So...when things get bad during the tribulation, how bad are they gonna be? I find Jeremiah's colorful description of the hard times of the tribulation amusing in verse 6, "Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness?" All of the men in pain as though they were having babies - now that's bad! As a matter of fact, Jeremiah frequently referenced the wrath of God using that analogy; he did so also in 4:31; 6:24; 13:21; 22:23; 49:24; 50:43.
That leads us to the identification of the period in verse 7 known as "Jacobs trouble." This period of trial for Israel is certainly a reference to the tribulation, the seven-year period leading up to the Battle of Armageddon (Revelation 19:11-21, see notes) followed by the beginning of the millennium as clearly seen by the reference to the rule of David in verse 9. In fact, a resurrected David is undoubtedly referenced here, a fact seen in several other passages of scripture. See the article to the right entitled "King David's role in the millennium, or click here to see the article in full screen. We see a time of peace in verse 10, "Jacob shall return, and shall be in rest, and be quiet, and none shall make him afraid." In verse 16 there is the assurance that all of Israel's enemies will be destroyed. Then, in verses 17-24 we observe the complete restoration of Israel's autonomous rule under the Messiah. It's interesting that the description of the Messiah in verse 21 identifies him as having the duel roles of civil leader and high priest. Indeed, that is exactly what we know the Messiah will be.
For more information regarding this period of time, click here to see the notes on Matthew 24.
There's coming a day...the millennium (Jeremiah 31:1-30)
1 At the same time, saith the LORD, will I be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people.
2 Thus saith the LORD, The people which were left of the sword found grace in the wilderness; even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest.
3 The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.
4 Again I will build thee, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel: thou shalt again be adorned with thy tabrets, and shalt go forth in the dances of them that make merry.
5 Thou shalt yet plant vines upon the mountains of Samaria: the planters shall plant, and shall eat them as common things.
6 For there shall be a day, that the watchmen upon the mount Ephraim shall cry, Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion unto the LORD our God.
7 For thus saith the LORD; Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout among the chief of the nations: publish ye, praise ye, and say, O LORD, save thy people, the remnant of Israel.
8 Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the coasts of the earth, and with them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her that travaileth with child together: a great company shall return thither.
9 They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.
10 Hear the word of the LORD, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock.
11 For the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he.
12 Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the LORD, for wheat, and for wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock and of the herd: and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all.
13 Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both young men and old together: for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow.
14 And I will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, saith the LORD.
15 Thus saith the LORD; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rahel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not.
16 Thus saith the LORD; Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the LORD; and they shall come again from the land of the enemy.
17 And there is hope in thine end, saith the LORD, that thy children shall come again to their own border.
18 I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus; Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke: turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the LORD my God.
19 Surely after that I was turned, I repented; and after that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh: I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth.
20 Is Ephraim my dear son? is he a pleasant child? for since I spake against him, I do earnestly remember him still: therefore my bowels are troubled for him; I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the LORD.
21 Set thee up waymarks, make thee high heaps: set thine heart toward the highway, even the way which thou wentest: turn again, O virgin of Israel, turn again to these thy cities.
22 How long wilt thou go about, O thou backsliding daughter? for the LORD hath created a new thing in the earth, A woman shall compass a man.
23 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; As yet they shall use this speech in the land of Judah and in the cities thereof, when I shall bring again their captivity; The LORD bless thee, O habitation of justice, and mountain of holiness.
24 And there shall dwell in Judah itself, and in all the cities thereof together, husbandmen, and they that go forth with flocks.
25 For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul.
26 Upon this I awaked, and beheld; and my sleep was sweet unto me.
27 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man, and with the seed of beast.
28 And it shall come to pass, that like as I have watched over them, to pluck up, and to break down, and to throw down, and to destroy, and to afflict; so will I watch over them, to build, and to plant, saith the LORD.
29 In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.
30 But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge.
In chapter 30 (see the notes on Revelation 20:1-14.
The reference to Ephraim here is worth explanation. You will recall that Ephraim was the younger son of Joseph who got the elder blessing from Jacob against Joseph's wishes back in I Kings 12 (see notes). Therefore, the Northern Kingdom is sometimes referred to as Ephraim. The leadership of the Northern Kingdom (Ephraim) never served God and had no consistent royal family. As a matter of fact, eight different families were represented by a king over the Northern Kingdom, beginning with Jeroboam and ending with Hoshea.
Jeremiah's prophecies in this chapter concern not just Judah, but Ephraim (aka. Israel aka. Northern Kingdom). They had fallen to the Assyrians in 721 B.C., 135 years before. After 20 rough years of abuse from Egypt and Babylon, Jerusalem finally completely fell to the Babylonians in 586 B.C. under Nebuchadnezzar. Jeremiah's talking about everybody coming home and Israel's king ruling the world; that's the millennium, and Jesus Christ is the Messiah. Although they did return to the land of Israel from exile beginning in 535 B.C., they did not have their own king; they were still subject to the Persians (Ezra 1, see notes).
Verse 1 clearly establishes the millennium proposition when it states, "At the same time, saith the LORD, will I be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people." Since we know that this prophecy has never been fulfilled since the time of Jeremiah's record, this, of necessity, speaks of the reign of the Messiah during the millennium.
Verse 8 mentions a regathering of Jacob's descendants "from the coasts of the earth." Verse 11 goes on to say, "For the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he." Make no mistake about it: God oversaw the destruction of rebellious Israel/Judah, and he will likewise oversee the restoration of the same - the point of verse 28, "And it shall come to pass, that like as I have watched over them, to pluck up, and to break down, and to throw down, and to destroy, and to afflict; so will I watch over them, to build, and to plant, saith the LORD."
At the end of all of this restoration talk, Jeremiah uses verses 29-30 to deal with the common excuse in Jeremiah's day for the predicament Judah was in. Their woes, they thought, were as a result of sinning forefathers when they could be heard saying in verse 29, "The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children’s teeth are set on edge." They insisted that they were being punished solely because of the sins of their forefathers and not their own. This was an old saying (a proverb, but not one of Solomon's). It was a saying of conventional wisdom among these sinning Jews, even though it was not true in this situation - at least not to the extent to which they were applying it. Let's be clear about the incorrect nature of their assertion. They had absolved themselves of personal responsibility for God's wrath in the imminent fall of Jerusalem; they claimed it happened because of the sins of their forefathers - not their own. Israel/Judah/Jerusalem had incorrectly applied the message of Deuteronomy 5:9 (see notes).
Let's take a look at the words of Exodus 20:4-5 that were being incorrectly adopted by these exiles:
Exodus 20:4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
Exodus 20:5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
Under the provisions of the New Covenant, no one will be able to assert that they are being punished for the sins of their ancestors. Incidentally, Ezekiel deals with this legitimacy of using this very same proverb in Ezekiel 18:1-3 (see notes), but with the exiles over in Babylon. They also blamed their forefathers.
Incidentally, Matthew quotes verse 15 here and declares the the slaying of the babies after the birth of Jesus was a fulfillment in Matthew 2:17 (see notes).
The new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-40)
31 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:
33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
35 Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts is his name:
36 If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the LORD, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever.
37 Thus saith the LORD; If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith the LORD.
38 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that the city shall be built to the LORD from the tower of Hananeel unto the gate of the corner.
39 And the measuring line shall yet go forth over against it upon the hill Gareb, and shall compass about to Goath.
40 And the whole valley of the dead bodies, and of the ashes, and all the fields unto the brook of Kidron, unto the corner of the horse gate toward the east, shall be holy unto the LORD; it shall not be plucked up, nor thrown down any more for ever.
These are very important verses to understanding the Old Testament relationship to the New Testament. Paul quotes these verses (31-34) in Hebrews 8:8-12 (see notes). The new covenant consists of an inward law written onto one's heart rather than an external law. It's a description of New Testament salvation in Christ. The complete fulfillment of the covenant does not take place until every Jew is saved under its conditions - the conditions that will exist the first day of the millennium. So, while we are today saved by its conditions, the whole nation of Israel (per the covenant) will not be saved by those conditions until day one of the millennium.
Let's take a closer look at the verses (31-34) which establish the New Covenant:
31 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:
33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
Now, let's take a close look at the components of this New Covenant:
You will notice that the provisions of verse 33 are those that we, as Believers, enjoy today, the emphasis that Paul makes in (see notes). Our relationship with God is through Jesus Christ, the Messiah, and comes from within by the power of the Holy Spirit. Our salvation, however, does not constitute a fulfillment of the New Covenant. When everyone in Israel has this personal relationship by faith, then the covenant will be fulfilled; that's the case entering the millennium.
The rebuilding of the nation of Israel and specifically Jerusalem is seen in verses 35-39.