Jeremiah 31:15-30
15 Thus says the LORD:
"A voice was heard in Ramah,
Lamentation and bitter weeping,
Rachel weeping for her children,
Refusing to be comforted for her children,
Because they are no more."
16 Thus says the LORD:
"Refrain your voice from weeping,
And your eyes from tears;
For your work shall be rewarded, says the LORD,
And they shall come back from the land of the enemy.
17 There is hope in your future, says the LORD,
That your children shall come back to their own border.
18 "I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself:
'You have chastised me, and I was chastised,
Like an untrained bull;
Restore me, and I will return,
For You are the LORD my God.
19 Surely, after my turning, I repented;
And after I was instructed, I struck myself on the thigh;
I was ashamed, yes, even humiliated,
Because I bore the reproach of my youth.'
20 Is Ephraim My dear son?
Is he a pleasant child?
For though I spoke against him,
I earnestly remember him still;
Therefore My heart yearns for him;
I will surely have mercy on him, says the LORD.
21 "Set up signposts,
Make landmarks;
Set your heart toward the highway,
The way in which you went.
Turn back, O virgin of Israel,
Turn back to these your cities.
22 How long will you gad about,
O you backsliding daughter?
For the LORD has created a new thing in the earth—
A woman shall encompass a man."
23 Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: "They shall again use this speech in the land of Judah and in its cities, when I bring back their captivity: The LORD bless you, O home of justice, and mountain of holiness!' 24 And there shall dwell in Judah itself, and in all its cities together, farmers and those going out with flocks. 25 For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul."
26 After this I awoke and looked around, and my sleep was sweet to me.
27 "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, that I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and the seed of beast. 28 And it shall come to pass, that as I have watched over them to pluck up, to break down, to throw down, to destroy, and to afflict, so I will watch over them to build and to plant, says the LORD. 29 In those days they shall say no more:
'The fathers have eaten sour grapes,
And the children's teeth are set on edge.'
30 But every one shall die for his own iniquity; every man who eats the sour grapes, his teeth shall be set on edge.
God’s people had backslidden horribly as they pursued idolatry and immortality. Yet the LORD their Father (Jeremiah 31:9) sought them out and drew them back to Himself in mercy as they came with repentance so there could be restoration from their fallen state. This is still the pattern of salvation in Christ by which we see that the gospel path has been established from the beginning according to His word and working of grace. The prophetic message in verse 15 told of the loss of children without comfort by Rachel in Ramah, which we read in Matthew 2:16-18 as Herod murdered all male children under two years of age in a vain attempt to destroy God’s deliverance through the Messiah who is Christ Jesus. Herod did according to this prophecy, killing the young children in an attempt to kill Jesus the Christ. But Jesus survived, and now in Him we can wipe away the tears as we and others return from Satan's land of sin and death and eternal punishment. We are free in Jesus and can find joy as we bear witness of that freedom from death as others come to eternal life by faith in Him (Acts 26:18). God’s deliverance cannot be thwarted! His word is absolute and can be relied upon to come to pass in His time and according to His word as it is written. This is our certain hope which never fades away or can be taken from all whom He calls to Himself; not one will be lost (Matthew 18:11, 14, John 6:39-40). Therefore we, like Israel before us, should not weep or lose hope for eternal deliverance and a kingdom which cannot fade away or be taken from us. Our work in trusting and following Him according to His word has great reward to crown us for His glory (2 John 1:8, 1 Corinthians 3:8, Luke 6:35, Colossians 3:23-25). When God restores us, we return in repentance through faith given by His divine work of restoration which is our regeneration and rebirth as symbolized by Israel’s return to their land and temple of worship in Jerusalem after their captivity in this passage. God remembered and yearned for them in order to show mercy and grace. He does so for all His people whom He has chosen and calls to Himself. The call by Jeremiah was to repentance as coming back to the highway which they formerly had traveled towards Him and to stop hesitating in their backsliding. He would bring them out of captivity and again hear Him say, “the LORD bless you,” as they had before. He promised to satisfy and replenish the weary and sorrowful soul by that restorative grace. This message gave Jeremiah peace and allowed him to sleep well again in knowing that the LORD would show mercy and restore His backsliding people to know Him through repentance as they turned back to Him from sin. He would build them up after they had suffered for their sin but He would still hold them accountable for their iniquity if they did not turn away from it to Him. Such is the bad and good news of the gospel message, that forgiveness and grace are results of repentance through faith in Christ and that rejection of that call to all is to remain in the judgment (John 3:18) in which we all stand from birth. May we who trust in Him (Ephesians 1:12-14) glorify God in His calling and restoration of reconciliation by the work of Christ as we reflect on the message of Jeremiah in this passage. Do you want peace and rest in your soul? Would you like to awaken with a good night's sleep? Then hear God's word anxiously, searching it out diligently, but be certain it is so you find ways to live pleasing to God by trusting His word and not just to gather facts to prove you understand intellectually. To obey out of love means finding faith coming from God's word; faith that works out love (Ezekiel 33:30-31).
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