Jeremiah 30:1-11
1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, 2 "Thus speaks the LORD God of Israel, saying: 'Write in a book for yourself all the words that I have spoken to you. 3 For behold, the days are coming,' says the LORD, 'that I will bring back from captivity My people Israel and Judah,' says the LORD. And I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.'"
4 Now these are the words that the LORD spoke concerning Israel and Judah.
5 "For thus says the LORD:
'We have heard a voice of trembling,
Of fear, and not of peace.
6 Ask now, and see,
Whether a man is ever in labor with child?
So why do I see every man with his hands on his loins
Like a woman in labor,
And all faces turned pale?
7 Alas! For that day is great,
So that none is like it;
And it is the time of Jacob's trouble,
But he shall be saved out of it.
8 'For it shall come to pass in that day,'
Says the LORD of hosts,
'That I will break his yoke from your neck,
And will burst your bonds;
Foreigners shall no more enslave them.
9 But they shall serve the LORD their God,
And David their king,
Whom I will raise up for them.
10 'Therefore do not fear, O My servant Jacob,' says the LORD,
'Nor be dismayed, O Israel;
For behold, I will save you from afar,
And your seed from the land of their captivity.
Jacob shall return, have rest and be quiet,
And no one shall make him afraid.
11 For I am with you,' says the LORD, 'to save you;
Though I make a full end of all nations where I have scattered you,
Yet I will not make a complete end of you.
But I will correct you in justice,
And will not let you go altogether unpunished.'
The promises to God’s people as Jacob (Israel) were for their troubles to be relived by God’s grace of deliverance out of sin’s bondage and restoration. They would return in the humility of repentance and have lasting rest and quiet afterwards in the reconciling peace of the LORD (Isaiah 32:17). Jeremiah was to write God’s words in a book that they could later read when all these things of God’s predetermined plan came to fruition, a book which we all now read as part of the scriptures given from His mouth to our ears that our hearts and minds may exalt in the hope we find here. Thank the Lord that He wrote down everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3-4, 2 Timothy 3:16) as a record and reference for living! The promise to Jacob was deliverance from sin’s bondage in the form of temporal captivity in Babylon, and in the end of days for them and all in Christ from sin’s eternal bondage through repentance by faith to have peace and rest in the Lord according to His matchless grace! The prophet was called to ask the people of God why they had such fear as women in labor when they could just trust His promises of deliverance as told them according to His word. The trouble Jacob faced was more than just the immediate captivity for seventy years; it was also facing the final judgment which we all do. “But he shall be saved out of it” rang the bell calling to the future and hope for them and us by His mighty hand of grace and deliverance. The yoke of bondage from sin and its consequences would be broken (Galatians 5:1, Hebrews 2:14-15) so that they could serve the LORD. Likewise, we are set free in our salvation from God’s just and due wrath on our sin and sin’s bondage that we may serve our Lord raised up in the lineage of David, who is Christ the Lord (Luke 2:11) whom God raised up for this purpose. “Why then should you fear?” was the question to God’s people then and which equally applies to is now, but with a more full understanding of God’s work and eternal purpose in our deliverance. Who then could make them afraid and who indeed can make us fear (1 John 4:18, John 3:18, Romans 8:15, 2 Timothy 1:7)? There is a remnant of Israel just as many are called but few chosen according to His word and will. We who have been called to peace with God in Christ have this assurance even though we answer with accountability for how we now live (1 Corinthians 3:13-14).
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