Call to Commitment

  

Chapter 31:1-20

 

God will restore Israel with everlasting love

      1.      "At the same time," says the LORD, "I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be My people." 

 2.      Thus says the LORD: "The people who survived the sword Found grace in the wilderness Israel, when I went to give him rest." 

 3.      The LORD has appeared of old to me, saying: "Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you. 

 4.      Again I will build you, and you shall be rebuilt, O virgin of Israel! You shall again be adorned with your tambourines, And shall go forth in the dances of those who rejoice. 

 5.      You shall yet plant vines on the mountains of Samaria; The planters shall plant and eat them as ordinary food. 

 God continues to speak from the previous chapter, which ended with a ferocious threat to the wicked, and which He will be faithful to fulfill in fury. Verses 23 and 24 tell of the latter day outpouring of His seven bowls of wrath.  Now He declares that, at the same time, He will restore all the tribes to His gracious favor. In Jeremiah’s day, the northern tribes have been taken captive by Assyria.

 Some, who were left in the land, however, were called to the Passover under King Hezekiah: Ephraim Manasseh, Zebulun, Asher and Issachar are mentioned (2 Chr.30:10, 11).  King Josiah held the greatest Passover since the time of Samuel with priests and Levites, all Judah and Israel present (2 Chr.35:18). Benjamin stood with Judah in the southern kingdom, the tribe of Simeon had possessions in Judah and, of course, the Levites, lived throughout the land. In the New Testament, Paul is a Benjamite, Anna, the prophetess, is of the tribe of Asher, and there are many Levites, along with those of Judah.

 At the same time… in the latter days, God will reclaim all the tribes as His people, both Judah and Israel (1). These are the people that He knew in the wilderness. Through the prophet Hosea, God refers to His wilderness people, as well: “I knew you in the wilderness, in the land of great drought” (Ho.13:5) and gives them the same assurance, as He did through Jeremiah: “You are destroyed, but your help is from Me… I will be your King… I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely, for My anger has turned away from him…  Ephraim shall say, ‘What have I to do anymore with idols’” (Ho.13:9, 10, 14:4, 8).

 

 The Lord led them supernaturally 40 years in the wilderness to bring them into the rest of Canaan (2). He compares the exile in Babylon, where Israel suffered sword, severe hunger, and expatriation, to the wilderness period (2). The 70 years of captivity was not meant for utter destruction, but for loving discipline. Israel acknowledges God’s deliverance in the past, in the wilderness, for example, but fears that he has now sinned so greatly and so excessively, that the Lord has forsaken him.

 The Lord Himself comforts Israel with absolute truth: “I have loved you with an everlasting love.” It is characteristic of the love of God that it is eternal and cannot be less. When Jesus commanded Peter to forgive seventy times seven, He was directing him to forgive in the infinite love of God (Mt.18:22). The parable that follows the commandment tells of that infinite love, which we should follow in our dealings with our fellow man (Mt.18:23-35). Is not the Lord capable of forgiving seventy times seven? His love is unlimited and everlasting. “I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Ro.8:38-39).     

 God never had the intention of abandoning Israel forever, in fact, His love draws him to Himself to be His people forever (3). At the same time, 1) He will rebuild Israel, 2) He will restore its virginity, 3) They will live in the joy of the Lord (4), 4) even the people of Samaria, head of the northern tribes, are restored and blessed (5).                 

 

A day of inexpressible joy

 6.      For there shall be a day When the watchmen will cry on Mount Ephraim, 'Arise, and let us go up to Zion, To the LORD our God.' " 

 7.      For thus says the LORD: "Sing with gladness for Jacob, And shout among the chief of the nations; Proclaim, give praise, and say, 'O LORD, save Your people, The remnant of Israel!' 

 8.      Behold, I will bring them from the north country, And gather them from the ends of the earth, Among them the blind and the lame, The woman with child And the one who labors with child, together; A great throng shall return there. 

 9.      They shall come with weeping, And with supplications I will lead them. I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters, In a straight way in which they shall not stumble; For I am a Father to Israel, And Ephraim is My firstborn. 

 10.  "Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, And declare it in the isles afar off, and say, 'He who scattered Israel will gather him, And keep him as a shepherd does his flock.' 

 11.  For the LORD has redeemed Jacob, And ransomed him from the hand of one stronger than he. 

 12.  Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, Streaming to the goodness of the LORD For wheat and new wine and oil, For the young of the flock and the herd; Their souls shall be like a well-watered garden, And they shall sorrow no more at all. 

 13.  "Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, And the young men and the old, together; For I will turn their mourning to joy, Will comfort them, And make them rejoice rather than sorrow. 

       14.  I will satiate the soul of the priests with abundance, And My people shall be satisfied with                          My goodness, says the LORD." 

Do you think that Jeremiah is a fierce prophet, ranting judgment upon the people. You will learn better. What joy is proclaimed to the reader of Jeremiah in this 31^st chapter! The cry of the Christian nations should be, O Lord, save your people, the remnant of Israel! Watchmen in the Old Testament are typical of preachers and at the time of which we are speaking, there will be preachers throughout Israel, who cry out, “let us arise, leave Mount Ephraim and go to Mount Zion.” Mount Ephraim was the northern territory of the ten tribes that was given over to idolatry. Now they go south, where the Lord, the Son of God, is reigning. The Gentile nations rejoice with Israel, who returns to his God, and recognize Jesus of Nazareth as their Messiah, seated on His throne in Jerusalem (6, 7).

 God is at work in the last days, bringing the Jews from the north, from Russia, from Africa, from Australia, from Europe, from North and South America, from the islands of the sea, from the ends of the earth. The oppressed come, those battered by antisemitism, women bearing and bringing forth a new generation, a great throng shall return there (8).

We have read a description of a great move of God and now Jeremiah describes their attitude as they come. They come weeping for their sins and unfaithfulness; weeping over their rejection of their Messiah. They come begging for restoration and guidance into the Lord’s will. He is with them to lead them by the still waters of plentiful refreshment. It is a prepared plain, with every stumbling block removed. He guides them in Fatherly love, having reconciled the chosen son of Joseph to fulfill His initial purposes (9).

  It is worldwide news! Because of their sin, the Lord put Israel in desperate straits and made the Jew to be despised and persecuted in the earth. He scattered them, without a homeland, onto every corner of the earth, but now read the headline, reported over the entire world… He who scattered Israel will gather him. He will once again be their good Shepherd and lead His people like a flock (10).

 Little Jacob has been redeemed. He is bought back from the strong man, who held him over the centuries. He was maligned by Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, especially by Antiochus Epiphanes, the Roman Empire, and finally by the evil Antichrist. An infinite price was paid, to reconcile his sins before his God and Creator, so that he is forgiven (11).

 The height of Zion hosts celebrations that outdo the Passovers of Hezekiah and Josiah. None of their annual feasts down through the years compare to the singing at this time in Jerusalem. It becomes a river of praise, streaming to the goodness of the Lord. Nahar says the Hebrew dictionary means to sparkle, be cheerful, like the sheen of a running stream, they flow together. The joy cannot be expressed, because of the limitations of all human languages. The silos and storehouses of Israel are full of wheat, wine, oil, young stock, and herds. But it is not only a material restoration; the inner being, the spirit of each Israelite, has been revived and is continually refreshed like a well-watered garden! Israel has been pronounced guileless, as was Nathanael. Sorrow has been removed from the heart and there is only joy in the future (12).

 Joel’s prophecy reaches its apex: “Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days” (Joel 2:28-29). The repentant weeping ceases and Jeremiah sees mourning turned to joy, rejoicing rather than sorrow, and dancing as God comforts His people (13).

 Every soul looks for fulfillment and satisfaction in his existence, not working for work’s sake, but enjoying his employment. Well, the priests, the servants of the Lord, in that day shall be satisfied with My goodness, says the Lord (14). Jesus talked about abundant life, and here the people are satiated with abundance.

 

Ephraim the chosen son of Joseph

 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. 

 We have been seeing that the great sorrows of the nation of Israel will one day be turned into joy. In verse 15, the Lord singles out one of those sorrows, and it concerns Rachel, the mother of Benjamin, therefore the matriarch of the tribe (15). She is weeping inconsolably for her offspring, who have been destroyed. Matthew saw that the prophecy of this verse was fulfilled, when Herod the Great, hearing that a king had been born in Bethlehem, sent his soldiers there “to put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts from two years old and under (Mt.2:16). That age was chosen, because the wise men informed Herod that they had seen the star rising that signaled his birth in the east two years before.

 The events of the gospel and the second coming of Christ hold priority over every other period of history in prophecy. Rachel, who died giving birth to Benjamin, was buried near Bethlehem. The prophecy pictures her, rising from her grave, lamenting and weeping over the massacre of infants in all the districts around Bethlehem, her cry reaching to the heights of Ramah in the territory of the tribe of Benjamin, its infants included among those massacred.

 This sorrow also will be turned into joy. The Lord commands even human emotions, and immediately gives the ability to obey. How many times did Jesus or angels say, “Fear not” (Mt.14:27; 28:10, Mk.5:36… just a few examples), “weep not”, or “let not your heart be troubled”?  In verse 16, the Lord says, Refrain your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears.

 Then He gives hope, for Rachel’s offspring will return to their own territory, when all the Israelites go back to their land. It will happen at the same time that we are studying, after God’s bowls of wrath are poured out upon Israel’s enemies and the world in general. Israel’s reward will come in the future, when they take their place as a Christian nation, surrounding their King on Mount Zion (17). Isaiah makes special reference to Jewish children, brought back to their parents, after being protected by friendly Gentiles: “I will lift My hand in an oath to the nations, and set up My standard for the peoples; they shall bring your sons in their arms, and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders” (Is.49:22). It happened during the second World War and will happen again in the latter days.

 Do you remember the story of Joseph, bringing his two sons before Jacob for his blessing? Jacob took the inheritance of the firstborn, Reuben, and gave it to Joseph, who would then receive the double inheritance. So Joseph came before Jacob, bringing his firstborn, Mannaseh, towards Jacob’s right hand in order to receive the greater blessing, and Ephraim towards his left. In Holy Spirit-wisdom, Jacob crosses his arms, and lays the greater blessing on Ephraim, rather than on Mannaseh.

 In this prophecy, the sovereign favor upon Ephraim comes to its highest level. Ephraim grieves with godly sorrow, justifying God’s chastisement in his life. He bemoans himself, not the work that God has done in him. He needed His discipline, like an untrained bull, in order to be useful in the yoke. This fact is of supreme importance in the life of a believer. God is the Creator of the spirit of man and gives it priority over the rest of his being. Our understanding of the inner man is limited, so it is difficult for us to see, why we need to go through painful discipline. It can be very severe, but the rewards are great. It is wonderful that Ephraim can finally see the wisdom of God in chastising him.

 He is also given faith, trusting the Lord for restoration, in this beautiful confession: Restore me, and I will return, for You are the Lord my God (18). God is the only one, who can bring a complete renewal and Ephraim is confident that He will do it. He knows Him now to be his God and he submits to His lordship.  It is so different from the Ephraim we have commonly seen, throughout Israel’s history.

 See how God led him to a profound repentance (Ro.2:4), and he turns to God, because God turned him. The chastisement has been God’s instruction, the faithful work of a heavenly Father, whose discipline is always effective. By striking himself on the thigh, Ephraim demonstrates his remorse, shame and grief for his sin. That is also his confession and the necessary humiliation was needed, so that he would come back to the Father. It’s still true in New Testament times: “Whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted” (Mt.18:4) How we need it in this time of human arrogance! (19)

My heart melts, as I read the Lord’s reaction to Ephraim’s heartfelt repentance. I look to Jamieson-Fausset-Brown for better comments than I can make: “The question implies that a negative answer was to be expected. Who would have thought that one so undutiful to His heavenly Father as Ephraim had been, should still be regarded by God as a ‘pleasant child’? Certainly he was not so, in respect to his sin… BUT BY VIRTUE OF GOD’S EVERLASTING LOVE (from v.3. Because of the magnitude of the statement, I emphasize with capital letters.). On Ephraim’s being turned to God, he was immediately welcomed as God’s dear son.

 We must understand that Ephraim represents the ten northern tribes, because he was the chief. The idolatrous northern tribes all come to repentance, humbling themselves before their God. Israelites will come back; the Lord will breathe His Spirit into them “that they may live… and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army” (Ez.37:9,10). However, in our text in Jeremiah, they are a beloved family, dear sons and daughters, pleasant children. Oh, listen to the voice of the Lord! My heart yearns for him; I will surely have mercy on him” (20).