Call to Commitment

  

 

                             Chapter 24

Very Good and Very Bad Figs

      1.   The LORD showed me, and there were two baskets of figs set before the temple of the LORD, after Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and the princes of Judah with the craftsmen and smiths, from Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon. 

       2.    One basket had very good figs, like the figs that are first ripe; and the other basket had very bad figs which could not be eaten, they were so bad. 

 3.      Then the LORD said to me, "What do you see, Jeremiah?" And I said, "Figs, the good figs, very good; and the bad, very bad, which cannot be eaten, they are so bad." 

 4.      Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 

 5.      "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: 'Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge those who are carried away captive from Judah, whom I have sent out of this place for their own good, into the land of the Chaldeans. 

 6.      For I will set My eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land; I will build them and not pull them down, and I will plant them and not pluck them up. 

 7.      Then I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the LORD; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God, for they shall return to Me with their whole heart. 

 8.      'And as the bad figs which cannot be eaten, they are so bad'—surely thus says the LORD—'so will I give up Zedekiah the king of Judah, his princes, the residue of Jerusalem who remain in this land, and those who dwell in the land of Egypt. 

 9.      I will deliver them to trouble into all the kingdoms of the earth, for their harm, to be a reproach and a byword, a taunt and a curse, in all places where I shall drive them. 

 10.  And I will send the sword, the famine, and the pestilence among them, till they are consumed from the land that I gave to them and their fathers.' " 

 The apostle Paul, who used so many valuable principles from the Old Testament in forming New Testament doctrine said, “The hardworking farmer must be first to partake of the crops” (2 T.2:6). This is true in terms of spiritual things, received from the word of God, as well as the natural. The prophet, preacher or teacher of biblical truth must first hear from the Lord, in order to deliver the message to the people.

 

Understanding perfectly Jeremiah’s prophetic calling to the people of Judah, first God brings him to see a parable and addresses him concerning it. We have seen many times that these are the means that He uses, depicting the condition of Israel with easy-to-understand illustrations from daily life. The word must penetrate deeply into the prophet’s heart, so that he can then worthily relay it to his people.

 Jeremiah must see clearly the natural items before him. Surprisingly, men sometimes err, because of lack of understanding of the nature and use of the pictures given for illustration. This is particularly true in modern times in the western world, because sometimes we fail to investigate the culture and timing behind the parable. The inerrancy of Scripture also depends upon these two important details and, taking the word out of its proper surroundings, in which it was originally given, can easily bring error. It is sometimes incorrectly applied to other customs and periods of history. It is just as important to be careful with culture and timing, as it is to be careful in the translation from the original languages. I read an article once about the Lord’s flock, which the “teacher” had encircled by a barbed-wire fence and a nice barn for their shelter. It was clearly a mischaracterization of things in Israel at the time of David and Christ Himself, for example

 The items used in this chapter are figs and they come in two baskets. As simple as is the illustration before Jeremiah’s eyes, still the Lord wants him to identify what is before him, so He asks him, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” The place in which the figs are set is before the temple, that is, they are seen from God´s vantage point. It concerns Israel´s spiritual state and usefulness to their Lord which, of course, is crucial and of supreme importance to their existence. Without controversy, it is this that we must consider, in order to truly estimate the value of a person or a body of people. It is not the earthly or natural appearance or ability that matters. Paul shows the difference between the world and God’s chosen people: “For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called” (1 Co.1:26).

 Then, Jeremiah tells us that the two baskets of figs are in opposite conditions. One basket has excellent figs, freshly picked at the ideal ripeness. The other basket contains overripe, in fact, rotten figs that are no longer edible. The gray areas of doubt, as to their state disappear or, as we see in Laodicea’s lukewarmness, where water is used to illustrate, the Lord preferred either hot or cold water (Rv.3:16). The figs are very bad or they are very good We will see that they represent two groups of people (2).

 Given these details, the Lord asks the prophet exactly what he observes, as we already have seen. Jeremiah responds correctly, answering the question, in accordance to what we already have read (3). Then, God interprets the parable. After He has given these “good figs” time to ripen on their own tree, that is, in their own land, now, because He is their God, He carries them away into Babylon for their own good (4-5). He is at work in them.

  I will set my eyes on them for good. This statement indicates that grace, His divine favor, is upon them. What may appear to them to be an extreme upheaval, is only kind discipline. They certainly will feel rejected and will need this word. He spares them the calamities, which will fall upon those in Judah (6). In Babylon, they have time to show remorse and repent of their sins. This is quite possible even of their king, who later was shown favor by the new Babylonian emperor, Evil-Merodach, removed from prison and set at his table (2 K.25:27-30).

We saw the external circumstances of those, illustrated by good figs, and now we will see the internal work, done in the core of their being. They will be given a new heart, a new nature, compatible with the heart of God. They will come to know Him and be able to understand and trust Him. They will see the wisdom of His lordship and submit their lives to it. They will be assured that He meant them no harm in bringing them to Babylon. A new God/People relationship will develop, beyond anything they knew in their native land. A deep and complete repentance will occur to make it possible, they will return to Me, eliminating their resistance and reconciling them to the God of Israel. It is the personal knowledge of God that brings good fruit (7). The wonderful mercy of the Lord, strengthens the heart, and we, as Christian students, are happy to see His grace towards this people.

 On the other hand, we must consider the fate of the bad, useless, inedible figs, as well. This is the illustration given to those who remain in their land, seemingly content. Zedekiah settles into a 11-year reign in Jerusalem. His princes resume their leadership and the people relax, after the deportation, and return to their houses and lands. These are the ones, who are under a curse. Some had gone down into Egypt and were particularly in trouble with the Lord, because they had doubted His good care and looked to Pharaoh for aid (8).

 These, in the end, will receive the worst fate. Trouble awaits them, from God Himself, The last thing that King Zedekiah saw, was his sons slaughtered, just before his eyes were removed. He died in Babylon. Notice, I will deliver them to trouble… for their harm. He allowed the favored ones to be carried into Babylon for their good, while these remained in their houses and lands for their harm. It is always wise to wait until the end of the story, before determining the true result. In the end comes the White Throne Judgment, all the books will be opened, all the evidence will be revealed, and kings, athletes, wealthy, religious and atheists will receive heaven’s faithful judgment The figs, who are judged at the end of time, will receive the worst fate, infinitely rotten, justly receiving infinite judgment (Rv.20:11-15).

 There is something in the fate of verse 9 that goes beyond Babylon and the kingdoms of Jeremiah’s day. The Lord drove the Jew into the ends of the earth, beginning 70 A.D. and continuing into modern times. He has been despised (a reproach), mocked (a byword, taunt), persecuted and killed (a curse), everywhere. Those left in the Promised Land were driven from the land given to the patriarchs and their descendants. They were subject to sword, famine and pestilence, until finally they were totally expatriated (10).

 
This is as far as Jeremiah takes us in this chapter. He will have more to reveal through prophecy of the fate of Israel, for there is a story yet to be told. We will continue to study this prophet to receive his complete account of their future. We will need to go on to more prophecies still, as individuals, if not corporately, in order to fully cover what God has revealed concerning His earthly nation.