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The Promises to Israel and Judah The
Prophecies and Promises They shall not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, Know the LORD, for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, declares the LORD, for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.—Jeremiah 31:34{FOOTNOTE: All quotations of Jeremiah chapter 31 are from the New American Standard Bible.} A verse-by-verse study of Jeremiah 31 by Jeff Mezera Jeremiah’s prophecy begins some time after the separation between the northern and southern kingdoms of Israel. Ephraim’s plunge into idolatry was a key element of this separation, and any hope of reuniting the two tribes and the ten tribes of Israel seemed far off. Reunification was impossible if both kingdoms could not humble themselves under God’s protection, and rededicate themselves to the covenant of law they had with him. Every promise to Israel in the Old Testament was contingent on their not breaking the covenant with God to keep their relationship with him. Many times in their history God blessed them if they were faithful and cursed them when they were not, with the hope they would return to him through adverse experiences. Israel’s dispersion, regathering, subsequent trouble, and the millennial promises in this chapter are evidence that God would never break his side of the covenant, and will prove to the world he can and will fulfill all that he has promised. All of Israel, the two-tribe kingdom as well as the ten tribes, are in Jeremiah 31 promised restoration by God (see also Amos 3:1). God promised to reunite all of Israel (Romans 11:26). While many of the promises of this chapter are related to the second coming of Messiah to his people, it ends not only with the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem, but with the restoration of holiness to that city. God promises that Jerusalem will abide forever; Israel will not only return to the land, Israel will also return to the Lord. Although Jeremiah was a prophet from the priestly tribe, he suffered because of the sins of his people and their persecution of him and his message. Still, he continued faithfully to follow the will of God. Several times he was persecuted, apprehended, put into prison, and his prophecies cut to pieces and burned (Jeremiah 36:32). Through it all, his recording of the words God gave him has survived to this day. When the events of this chapter have been fulfilled, Israel and the world will have learned the lesson of the permission of evil. Babylon, Satan, and the powers of evil will be destroyed. Under the millennial arrangement of the last days, Israel and the world are promised restoration. Other “Last Days” prophecies also include promises of restoration and restitution. Little does Israel or the world know that the prophecies of this chapter are not just for one nation, but for all people and all nations. Restoration from Israel’s captivity in Babylon had not yet begun and their final and complete restoration as a sovereign nation would be centuries in the future. Only divine foreknowledge could arrange world circumstances and events so that not only would all Israel have an opportunity for salvation, all the nations and families of the earth would as well. God will be faithful to what he has promised. The God of Israel—Jeremiah 31:1-3 At that time, declares the LORD, I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be My people. Thus says the LORD, The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness— Israel, when it went to find its rest. The LORD appeared to him from afar, saying, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness. The opening verses of this chapter belong at the end of chapter 30. The time of fulfillment for this chapter is in the latter days when Israel is promised that “in the latter days you will understand” (Jeremiah 30:24). The nation as a whole, both the northern and southern kingdoms, are to be restored and rebuilt as God promised. Here is found a remarkable reminder of God’s loving care over Israel when he delivered them from the sword of the Egyptians, when their exodus took them to the edge of the wilderness, and where he revealed his everlasting love for them. The third verse reminds the Israelites how God appeared to them in the wilderness. At that time he had drawn them through the wilderness with a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Now he was going to draw them by love with hope for the future. Israel Rebuilt—Jeremiah 31:4-7 Again I will build you and you shall be rebuilt, O virgin of Israel! Again you shall take up your tambourines, and go forth to the dances of the merrymakers. Again you shall plant vineyards on the hills of Samaria; the planters shall plant and shall enjoy them. For there shall be a day when watchmen on the hills of Ephraim shall call out, Arise, and let us go up to Zion, to the LORD our God. For thus says the LORD, Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob, and shout among the chiefs of the nations; proclaim, give praise, and say, O LORD, save Thy people, the remnant of Israel. Several descriptions of physical imagery are used here. Israel will be rebuilt and they will play music and dance in the streets joyfully (Isaiah 49:13). The vineyards will be planted again and they will enjoy the fruit of their labors. What a stark contrast this is to the barrenness of the land during Israel’s solemn captivity in Babylon when Jeremiah wrote these words. Samaria, the capital of the northern kingdom that defected, is here mentioned, illustrating the hope of the restoration of the lost. It is interesting to note that Ephraim is mentioned (verse 6) after the replanting of the vineyards. This may be a play on words regarding the fruitfulness of the fields, for Ephraim means “doubly fruitful.” The fruitfulness of the land will be restored, and so will the fruitfulness of Israel’s spiritual condition. Jeremiah added that Ephraim will return to Zion, to the Lord, but this will also be true of the other nations of the earth at that time (Isaiah 2:2,3; 52:8; Jeremiah 50:4,5; Micah 4:1-4; Zechariah 14:9,16). Gathering Israel—Jeremiah 31:8-14 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 shall return here. With weeping they shall come, and by supplication I will lead them; I will make them walk by streams of waters, on a straight path in which they shall not stumble; for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is My firstborn. Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, and declare in the coastlands afar off, and say, He who scattered Israel will gather him and keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock. For the LORD has ransomed Jacob and redeemed him from the hand of him who was stronger than he. And they shall come and shout for joy on the height of Zion, and they shall be radiant over the bounty of the LORD—over the grain and the new wine, and the oil, and over the young of the flock and the herd; and their life shall be like a watered garden, and they shall never languish again. Then the virgin shall rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old, together, for I will turn their mourning into joy and will comfort them and give them joy for their sorrow. And I will fill the soul of the priests with abundance, and My people shall be satisfied with My goodness, declares the LORD. Not only will the land of the north be gathered to Jerusalem for battle in the last days (Ezekiel 39:2), but all nations will be gathered against Jerusalem to battle (Zechariah 14:2). In the day when God will “shake all the nations,” the gentiles “will come with the wealth of all nations” (Haggai 2:7); “the wealth of all the surrounding nations will be gathered, gold and silver and garments in great abundance” to Israel (Zechariah 14:14). All that will be needed to establish God’s kingdom will be available. Israel will not only return from just one country, but from the “remote parts of the earth” (verse 8). Israel’s return will not be one of stubborn ignorance, but of humble weeping (verse 9). Their weeping (verse 9) will turn to “shouts for joy” (verses 12 and 13). God will lead them “by streams of waters” (verse 9) and their lives will be like a “watered garden” (verse 12) in contrast to their previous condition in the wilderness. God promises he will lead even the blind, lame, and women ready to give birth (verse 8) “on a straight path in which they will not stumble” (verse 9), for at that time Israel will be “satisfied with my goodness” (verse 14). They all will walk by streams of water (truth) on a straight path (ways of holiness), and they will not stumble since all the stones and things that could possibly get in their way will have been removed. Such are the blessings Jeremiah described not only for Israel and Judah, but also for the entire world under this New Covenant arrangement. Israel is next described with legal terms: they will not only be “ransomed” but “redeemed” (verse 11). The Hebrew word translated “Ransom” in verse 11 describes a man who fell into debt and who sold his property. The law of Moses stated that he could have help from his next of kin to buy it back (Leviticus 25:25). A poor man was able to “redeem” or buy back his freedom after he was sold into slavery. If he was unable to meet the financial requirement, a kinsman redeemer could assist (Leviticus 25:47-55). These words aptly illustrate that God redeemed Israel through the death of his son Jesus Christ, who died even for those who rejected him. This is stated in the past tense as if it had been already accomplished in the mind of God. God describes his relationship to Israel in this context as a father; here, unfaithful Ephraim is called the firstborn illustrating the loving kindness the Father will show his children in the future. The shepherd who scattered the flock is the same shepherd who gathers and keeps his flock (verse 10; see also Isaiah 40:10,11). All of these remarkable parallels and contrasts demonstrate that Israel’s past, present, and future have always been in God’s hands. Rachel Weeping—Jeremiah 31:15-22 Thus says the LORD, A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more. Thus says the LORD, Restrain your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears; for your work shall be rewarded, declares the LORD, and they shall return from the land of the enemy. And there is hope for your future, declares the LORD, and your children shall return to their own territory. I have surely heard Ephraim grieving, Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, like an untrained calf; bring me back that I may be restored, for Thou art the LORD my God. For after I turned back, I repented; and after I was instructed, I smote on my thigh; I was ashamed and also humiliated, because I bore the reproach of my youth. Is Ephraim My dear son? Is he a delightful child? Indeed, as often as I have spoken against him, I certainly still remember him; therefore My heart yearns for him; I will surely have mercy on him, declares the LORD. Set up for yourself roadmarks, place for yourself guideposts; direct your mind to the highway, the way by which you went, return, O virgin of Israel, return to these your cities. How long will you go here and there, O faithless daughter? For the LORD has created a new thing in the earth—a woman will encompass a man. Rachel was the grandmother of Ephraim and Manasseh, the heads of two tribes in the northern kingdom. Here she is regarded as if she were the mother of all ten tribes. Although she died while giving birth to Benjamin (Genesis 35:18,19) and was buried in Ramah near Bethlehem, Rachel is here represented as coming from the grave to weep for her children who had gone away into captivity during their period of unfaithfulness. Though the children were dead and “no more” (verse 15), Jeremiah’s prophecy declares that “there is hope for you in the future … your children will return to their own land” (Jeremiah 31:17, New Century Version). Ultimately Rachel will literally meet these children in the resurrection when they “will return from the land of the enemy” meaning death (verse 16); “the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death” (1 Corinthians 15:26, KJV). Matthew quotes Jeremiah 31:15 as a prophecy of the massacre of the children in Bethlehem at the time of Jesus’ birth (Matthew 2:17, 18) and, by extension, one of the earliest promises of resurrection in the New Testament. Matthew did not mention the resurrection directly, but he did quote a passage from the Hebrew Scriptures that would have been familiar to his readers. By reading the passage quoted from Jeremiah, one can see from the context that the resurrection is implied. Here the resurrection of the “just and the unjust” (John 5:28,29) is tied together, with the repentance and restoration of Israel. This is because those who had not accepted Christ are described as returning from the land of the enemy to praise the Lord with the rest of Israel and the world. These unjust ones will be restored and renewed, while the just ones, the bride of Christ, will rule over them (1 Corinthians 6:1,2; Revelation 20:4; 22:17). Verses 18 and 19 detail both the repentance and restoration of the northern kingdom. God acknowledges this repentance and replies that Ephraim is still his “dear son” (verse 20; see also Hosea 11:1,8) despite all they had done in the past. Israel would have an experience similar to the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) who returned repentant and renewed from a life of sin, to be received by a forgiving father. Suddenly the illustration changes from a repentant “son” (verse 20) to a “faithless daughter” (verse 22). The focus on a future repentance changes to look back on a faithless past; this reminds them where they came from and speaks of a future when God will shower his mercy and forgiveness upon them.
Some understand the phrase about a woman “encompassing”or protecting a man to
mean that since it was strange for such a thing to happen, it would also be a
strange thing for the LORD
to restore Israel, though he promised to do just that. Restoring Fortunes—Jeremiah 31:23-26 Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Once again they will speak this word in the land of Judah and in its cities, when I restore their fortunes, The LORD bless you, O abode of righteousness, O holy hill! And Judah and all its cities will dwell together in it, the farmer and they who go about with flocks. For I satisfy the weary ones and refresh everyone who languishes. At this I awoke and looked, and my sleep was pleasant to me.
Now attention is shifted to the southern kingdom of Judah when God would again
dwell among his people, when the farmers and shepherds would return to their
flocks, and God would “give strength to those who are weak and tired” (verse 24,
New Century Version; see also Matthew 11:28). They would again live in
peace (Jeremiah 33:12). Spiritually, they will be one flock with the same
doctrine, and abiding by the word of God for “they all shall know me, from the
least to the greatest” (Jeremiah 31:34; Habakkuk 2:14; Hebrews 8:11). The Coming Days—Jeremiah 31:27-34 Behold, days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and with the seed of beast. And it will come about that as I have watched over them to pluck up, to break down, to overthrow, to destroy and to bring disaster, so I will watch over them to build and to plant, declares the LORD. In those days they will not say again, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge. But everyone will die for his own iniquity; each man who eats the sour grapes, his teeth will be set on edge. Behold, days are coming, declares the LORD, 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, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them, declares the LORD. But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD, I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. And they shall not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, Know the LORD, for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, declares the LORD, for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more. The Lord promises to restore the fortunes of both Israel and Judah in that day, not only their numbers, but also their lands, and he will make a new agreement with them, a new covenant which involves the forgiveness of their sins. The promises are contingent upon a renewed heart and God promises that he will also renew their hearts. An interesting proverb used by many in Israel in the days of Jeremiah and Ezekiel is then acknowledged: “In those days they will not say again, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge. But everyone will die for his own iniquity; each man who eats the sour grapes, his teeth will be set on edge” (Jeremiah 31:29,30; see also Psalm 51:5; Lamentations 5:7; Ezekiel 18:2, 3—other examples are in Exodus 20:4,5; 34:7; Jeremiah 15:4). The prophet Jeremiah does not condemn the wicked ones for using this maxim, for the principle is again repeated a chapter later (Jeremiah 32:18). These individuals however, were using this statement as an excuse to continue in sin. In talking about the future, Jeremiah stated that individuals will not die because of being born in sin, but because of their own sins (Ezekiel 33:11). Verse 31 repeats the promise that the Lord would deal again with Israel and Judah even though they broke the covenant relationship with him. God promises that he will make a new covenant with both, and that this covenant will not be written on tablets of stone, but in the hearts of those who desire to know him. This new covenant is to be “after those days.” This is evidently not after the days of the Jewish age, the age of the Law Covenant, for the law of the Lord has not been written in their hearts during the Gospel age. But it is to be after the seven “days” of the Gospel age (Leviticus 8:33-35). It will be in the thousand-year kingdom of Christ that the law of the Lord will be written in their hearts. This will not only be for those in Israel, but all nations will be brought into the bond of this new covenant (Zechariah 8:23; Ezekiel 20:37), for in that day many other nations will come to seek to know and learn of the Lord: “Many nations will come and say, Come and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD and to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us about his ways and that we may walk in his paths. For from Zion will go forth the law, even the word of the LORD from Jerusalem” (Micah 4:2; Isaiah 2:3; Zechariah 8:21-23). God promises that he will not only pour out his spirit on Israel (Zechariah 12:10), but on “all mankind” (Joel 2:28; Acts 2:17,18).
When he writes his law upon their hearts, their
characters will change and they will act as children of God again. The Lord
never left them, and has always been their Father. The Lord will also pour out
his spirit on all mankind (Joel 2:28). They will all “have plenty to eat and be
satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD”
for then all will know that the LORD was “in the midst of Israel … and my people will never be
put to shame” (Joel 2:27,
NASB). LORD of Hosts—Jeremiah 31:35-40 Thus says the LORD, who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar; the LORD of hosts is His name: If this fixed order departs from before Me, declares the LORD, then the offspring of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before Me forever. Thus says the LORD, If the heavens above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out below, then I will also cast off all the offspring of Israel for all that they have done, declares the LORD. Behold, days are coming, declares the LORD, when the city shall be rebuilt for the LORD from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate. And the measuring line shall go out farther straight ahead to the hill Gareb; then it will turn to Goah. And the whole valley of the dead bodies and of the ashes, and all the fields as far as the brook Kidron, to the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east, shall be holy to the LORD; it shall not be plucked up or overthrown anymore forever. Verses 35 to 37 are an idiomatic description that promises the entire order of the fixed universe will have to be destroyed before God will fail to keep his promises to Israel. After all, who can measure the heavens and the foundations of the earth? Verses 38 to 40 end the prophecy with a repetition of the promise of the days that are coming when the city of Jerusalem will be rebuilt, when all this will be done by the Lord, for the hearts of the people will return to him. He promises that he will put a new spirit in his people (Jeremiah 31:33; Ezekiel 11:19). These verses describe how borders of the city of Jerusalem will extend from the Tower of Hananel to the corner gate. This might be literally fulfilled for even Zechariah (in 14:10) mentions this to indicate the stability of the new Jerusalem. Zechariah prophetically and symbolically referenced the exaltation of the city in the sight of the other nations. Verses 38 to 40 seem somewhat out of place with the previous verses which spoke about the restoration of both tribes of Israel. Since the city’s borders described in this context extend much farther than ever before in the history of the nation, and since Zechariah 2:4 intimates that “Jerusalem will be inhabited without walls,” this might indicate that the descriptions that follow are also to be spiritually understood. The word “Hananel” means “God gives favor” or “God gives grace.” This aptly foreshadows the blessings of the Lord toward Israel and the nations in the future. In Hebrew Gareb means “scabby” and probably describes lepers who lived outside the city. This word is translated as “leprosy” in both Syriac and Arabic. That the boundaries of the city would include even the most diseased areas of the ancient city reminds us that all manner of disease and sickness will be healed in that day. Leprosy is a symbol of sin and hence “Gareb” shows how the sins of Israel and mankind will be removed and healed so all can join in the holy city and worship the Lord. Goah is thought to be the heap of Gotha, or Golgotha where Jesus was crucified. How wonderful Gareb and Golgotha are brought together to show that it is through the crucifixion of Christ, and his shed blood, that sin and death will be destroyed (1 John 1:7). The valley of the dead bodies is Tophet, or the valley of Hinnom (Isaiah 30:33), which was south of the city. This place was considered by the Jews as an unclean place. What was once unclean, God will make clean and make a part of his holy city. Israel as a nation was non-existent for centuries, and only through God’s power has it been restored as a nation in the midst of her enemies. Although the Israelites are unbelieving now, God promises that he will restore Israel spiritually in a future kingdom. Israel, as a theocracy and as it was in the days of Jeremiah, no longer exists. Here the promise is that he will make something new in Israel and even in the world, for the new theocracy will expand beyond the borders of Israel and blanket the world like dew on the morning grass (see Micah 5:7). Although not mentioned in the context of Jeremiah, a few scholars believe it was the Kidron valley where Sennacherib’s army was miraculously destroyed (Isaiah 37:33-37; 2 Chronicles 32:21,22) and Israel saved. Yet the future work of the Lord will be more miraculous than anything he has done for his people in the past. All of restored Israel will have an opportunity to serve him and be an example to the unfaithful nations for “then it will come about that any who are left of all the nations that went against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Booths” (Zechariah 14:16). In that day “the LORD will be king over all the earth; in that day the LORD will be the only one, and his name the only one” (Zechariah 14:9). The outcome of Jeremiah 31 will be the miraculous salvation of the world. The horse gate was the gate where the king’s horses went in and out to be watered and exercised. Similarly, in that day “the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let the one who hears say, Come. And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost” (Revelation 22:17). The future work of Christ and his bride will be to beckon all who will, to come to drink the water of life. This gate was just south of the area that led to the temple. How apt it is that the description of the holy city ends here, for all within this city or kingdom arrangement, will desire to both be instructed of the Lord and worship him (Zechariah 8:22,23). Throughout Jeremiah 31 the promise of salvation is seen to be greatly expanded in that day to include not only Israel and Judah, but also all the nations of the earth (Psalm 22:28-31). This rebuilding will indeed be greater than any other, for it will be worldwide and “it shall not be plucked up or overthrown anymore forever” (verse 40). “His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey him” (Daniel 7:27). |