Read Jeremiah 30
Restoration of Israel
30 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Write in a book all the words I have spoken to you. 3 The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will bringmy people Israel and Judah back from captivity[a] and restore them to the land I gave their ancestors to possess,’ says the Lord.”
4 These are the words the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah: 5 “This is what the Lord says:
“‘Cries of fear are heard—
terror, not peace.
6 Ask and see:
Can a man bear children?
Then why do I see every strong man
with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor,
every face turned deathly pale?
7 How awful that day will be!
No other will be like it.
It will be a time of trouble for Jacob,
but he will be saved out of it.
8 “‘In that day,’ declares the Lord Almighty,
‘I will break the yoke off their necks
and will tear off their bonds;
no longer will foreigners enslave them.
9 Instead, they will serve the Lord their God
and David their king,
whom I will raise up for them.
10 “‘So do not be afraid, Jacob my servant;
do not be dismayed, Israel,’
declares the Lord.
‘I will surely save you out of a distant place,
your descendants from the land of their exile.
Jacob will again have peace and security,
and no one will make him afraid.
11 I am with you and will save you,’
declares the Lord.
‘Though I completely destroy all the nations
among which I scatter you,
I will not completely destroy you.
I will discipline you but only in due measure;
I will not let you go entirely unpunished.’
12 “This is what the Lord says:
“‘Your wound is incurable,
your injury beyond healing.
13 There is no one to plead your cause,
no remedy for your sore,
no healing for you.
14 All your allies have forgotten you;
they care nothing for you.
I have struck you as an enemy would
and punished you as would the cruel,
because your guilt is so great
and your sins so many.
15 Why do you cry out over your wound,
your pain that has no cure?
Because of your great guilt and many sins
I have done these things to you.
16 “‘But all who devour you will be devoured;
all your enemies will go into exile.
Those who plunder you will be plundered;
all who make spoil of you I will despoil.
17 But I will restore you to health
and heal your wounds,’
declares the Lord,
‘because you are called an outcast,
Zion for whom no one cares.’
18 “This is what the Lord says:
“‘I will restore the fortunes of Jacob’s tents
and have compassion on his dwellings;
the city will be rebuilt on her ruins,
and the palace will stand in its proper place.
19 From them will come songs of thanksgiving
and the sound of rejoicing.
I will add to their numbers,
and they will not be decreased;
I will bring them honor,
and they will not be disdained.
20 Their children will be as in days of old,
and their community will be established before me;
I will punish all who oppress them.
21 Their leader will be one of their own;
their ruler will arise from among them.
I will bring him near and he will come close to me—
for who is he who will devote himself
to be close to me?’
declares the Lord.
22 “‘So you will be my people,
and I will be your God.’”
23 See, the storm of the Lord
will burst out in wrath,
a driving wind swirling down
on the heads of the wicked.
24 The fierce anger of the Lord will not turn back
until he fully accomplishes
the purposes of his heart.
In days to come
you will understand this.
Go Deeper
Jeremiah 30 marks the beginning of the Book of Consolation (spanning from chapters 30 to 33), which focus on the overwhelming hope on the horizon for the Israelites. There is a distinct shift from the previous chapters, which are marked by warnings of repentance, to promises of peace and reconciliation between the people and Yahweh. Jeremiah, the messenger for the Lord, is commanded to physically record the words of God before he begins to speak, ensuring that they will not be fed in one ear and lost through the other, but lasting on paper and in heart.
In the verses to follow (5-24 to be specific), the word concerning Israel and Judah can be broken up into three promises clearly put forth in front of the Israelites. The first being a promise of rescue, with the Lord acknowledging the cries of fear and terror, and meeting those with assurances of future salvation. “‘When the time for them to be rescued comes,’ says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, ‘I will rescue you from foreign subjugation. I will deliver you from captivity,’” He says in verse 8. He not only hears the intense groaning of the Israelites, but takes action to remind them of his promise for delivery.
Verses 10-15 are marked by a promise of reprimand, with the Lord stepping into His role of Teacher by reminding them of His rightful disciplining that is to come. Because of the Israelites’ fear of the Lord–not a fear that leads them to cower and shake, but one that gives them a holistic picture of His power, majesty and holiness–they can find rest in the reality that justice will be served to not only their enemies, but to themselves as well. In this, they will find a deeper-rooted relationship with Him, as one does when God, in His slow-moving anger, lovingly but justly reminds us that His way is immeasurably greater.
The final verses are a promise of restoration, where the Savior will “restore [them] to health and heal [their] wounds.” He leaves no work unfinished, but instead, sees all things through to completion. He promises songs of thanksgiving and multiplication of His people, rejoicing in their reconciliation with Him. The choirs of Heaven are left singing when we move forth into the Lord’s promise of restoration over our lives and wholeheartedly believe in the transformation power He has over each of us!
Questions
- What is a cry of fear that you are handing to the Lord today, knowing that He promises rescue for His people?
- In what way does God’s role as our Teacher give you comfort when He justly calls us higher in our actions?
- Read Philippians 1:6. How does knowing that God, who has begun a good work in you, will see it through to the end, change the way you live your life today?
A Quote
“Where is there an instance of God’s beginning any work and leaving it incomplete? Show me for once a word abandoned and thrown aside half-formed; show me a universe cast off from the Great Potter’s wheel, with the design in outline, the clay half-hardened, and the form unshapely from incompleteness.” -Charles Spurgeon
There is none! Find security and comfort in that today!
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3 thoughts on “Jeremiah 30”
Suffering but hope, does not sound pleasant, that is what and where disobedience leads. Knowing that we have done wrong BUT GOD is merciful and loving, He will correct us then love us with a deep abiding, burning love that is so comforting. They had a hope of a Messiah coming. We also have a hope of a Messiah coming again, the second coming of Christ. Waiting is the hard part. Going through a refining fire. I would not have wanted Jesus to have come back 38 years ago. I felt my sin was at its peak but truly my sin is still rearing its ugly head and it is all ugly. My heart knowledge is greater, thank You God. My world is still on a merry-go-round, that I get slung off of and into the mud. BUT GOD reaches down and picks me up, brushes the mud off and sets me back down. Hang on, my child, I got you.
Psalm 139:13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
God thank You for Your HESED love. Your unfaliling, faithful, steadfast, loyal, covanant, undeserved, compassionate, enduring, reliable, complete, cherished, everlasting, flowing out of eternity, essential part of Your character, abounding, with no limits LOVE!! God thank You for confession and repentance. Thank You for forgivness. Thank You for discipleship. God thank You for this day and these minutes, that I can give You glory and honor in how I see Your people, what I speak, and how I treat others in Jesus name amen.
WOOHOO!!!!
We see the beautiful character of God on full display through the words of Jeremiah as justice and love co-exist in him. Because he is holy, he cannot let sin go unpunished and disciplines his children. Punishment is warranted because our sins are many and our guilt is great. His loving correction brings a cure for the disease of sin and ultimately through the Messiah, is the highest demonstration of his love for mankind. We’ve read of exile and now restoration. Proverbs 3:12 reminds us that “the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.” May we see correction as proof of God’s love for us and let it be the vehicle to restore the broken places that hinder our relationship with the ultimate Lover of our souls.
22 “‘So you will be my people,
and I will be your God.’”
OK! Sounds good to me!