Call to Commitment

 

 

Chapter 32

A prophet must represent truth

      1.      The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD—in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar. 

      2.      For then the king of Babylon's army besieged Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the prison, which was in the king of Judah's house. 

 3.      For Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up, saying, "Why do you prophesy and say, 'Thus says the LORD: "Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it; 

 4.      and Zedekiah king of Judah shall not escape from the hand of the Chaldeans, but shall surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him face to face, and see him eye to eye; 

 5.      then he shall lead Zedekiah to Babylon, and there he shall be until I visit him," says the LORD; "though you fight with the Chaldeans, you shall not succeed" '?" 

 Jeremiah, God´s prophet, must stand on the side of truth against political expediency. It is always the way of God, in contrast to the compromising ways of men, who think that it is prudent that their ethics should adjust to the whims of the times. They take pride in their ability to be adjustable. Truth is unchangeable, as is the character of God, therefore His representative cannot sway to the right or the left, as he speaks to the people of his day.

 Kings demand loyalty and might accuse a prophet of treason. Jeremiah´s passion for truth has landed him in prison, King Zedekiah challenging his message that the Judean nation would fall to the enemy (3). The prophecy addressed the king personally and predicted that he would not escape capture, but that Nebuchadnezzar would foil his attempt to escape and would personally look him in the face (4). Zedekiah could have profited from this prediction, had he believed it and not tried to flee (2 K.25:5-7). His sons were killed before his eyes and that was the last scene that he observed, because his eyes were then removed and he was deported to Babylon (5).

 Jerusalem is already under a siege, which began a year earlier, the ninth year of Zedekiah, and a year later, the 11^th year of the king, the city was penetrated (Jer.29:1-2). Right in the middle of it, in the 10^th year, the Lord gives the message of this chapter to Jeremiah (1-2).      

 

Chapter 31:21-40

 

The highway of return

      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. 

From the old ways of rebellion and enmity with their God, Israel looks forward to new times and a new relationship with Him. It begins with a return from 70 years in Babylon, but that is an immediate and partial restoration. By a study of Ezra and Nehemiah, as well as some of the latter prophets, we can see that there was no full-heart repentance and newness of life at that time. The prophecies sometimes have dual fulfillment and the final and perfect completion will take place in the end of time.

 This chapter is about new beginnings in the Promised Land. The preparation for this time will begin in the heart of Israel… set your heart… where a longing to return from within will motivate them. God challenges them to remember the way by which they came to Babylon. It is not simply a geographical consideration, but a call to deeply examine the sins that brought them so far from their homeland and their God. They were to remember the signposts and the landmarks, as they were driven along this way; and they were to observe them, as they returned. Let two graces rise from within at every juncture: 1) Profound remorse for the rebellion that caused the loss and 2) extreme gratitude to the Lord, Who planned and supervised their return.

 God’s remedy gives total restoration and, as stated in the last article concerning verse 4, He gives back Israel’s virginity. That requires miraculous transformation. The sinner is returned to a state of perfect righteousness, his sins are tossed behind the Lord’s back (Is.38:17), and fall into the deepest sea (Mic.7:19). Israel can once again live in his former cities (1).

 With all these possibilities before her, He chides her for lingering in her present state… He Who saw her restored position as the virgin of Israel, sees her actual position as a backsliding daughter. Commentators have problems with the following statement: a woman shall encompass a men (22), about which the Lord said that He “has created a new thing on the earth”. Some simply saw a defenseless Israel, withstanding its stronger enemies. One tells me that the Jews see in it a promise of the coming Messiah. The church fathers, such as Augustine, almost unanimously understood that this statement referred to the Virgin Mary and the unprecedented miraculous conception, speaking of a new creation.