The Remnant of Israel Saved
“The people who survived the sword
Found grace in the wilderness—
Israel, when aI went to give him rest.”
“Yes, aI have loved you with ban everlasting love;
Therefore with lovingkindness I have cdrawn you.
O virgin of Israel!
You shall again be adorned with your btambourines,
And shall go forth in the dances of those who rejoice.
The planters shall plant and1 eat them as ordinary food.
When the watchmen will cry on Mount Ephraim,
a‘Arise, and let us go up to Zion,
To the Lord our God.’ ”
a“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!’
And bgather 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.
And with supplications I will lead them.
I will cause them to walk bby 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 cfirstborn.
And declare it in the1 isles afar off, and say,
‘He who scattered Israel awill gather him,
And keep him as a shepherd does his flock.’
Streaming to bthe 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 cwell-watered garden,
dAnd they shall sorrow no more at all.
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.
And My people shall be satisfied with My goodness, says the Lord.”
Mercy on Ephraim
a“A voice was heard in bRamah,
Lamentation and bitter cweeping,
Rachel weeping for her children,
Refusing to be comforted for her children,
Because dthey are no more.”
“Refrain your voice from aweeping,
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.
| << Jeremiah 31:2 | Jeremiah 31:4 >> |
What Does Jeremiah 31:3 Mean?
Jeremiah 31:1-5
After God performs the intents of His heart, as it says at the end of the previous chapter, and His wrath has consumed those He will consume, then peace in the relationship between Israel and God becomes possible because all of those who declared war on God through their conduct are dead. God does not believe in "peace at any price." He works toward repentance, but if there is no repentance, the only solution is to destroy those in rebellion against Him. Yet, after the destruction, He promises once again to be the God of all of Israel, and Israel will again be His people.
Verse 2 provides the qualifier that the remnant will be those who have survived the sword. Ezekiel 5:1-4 illustrates this time:
And you, son of man, take a sharp sword, take it as a barber's razor, and pass it over your head and your beard; then take scales to weigh and divide the hair. You shall burn with fire one-third in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are finished; then you shall take one-third and strike around it with the sword, and one-third you shall scatter in the wind: I will draw out a sword after them. You shall also take a small number of them and bind them in the edge of your garment. Then take some of them again and throw them into the midst of the fire, and burn them in the fire. From there a fire will go out into all the house of Israel.
From these verses and the remainder of Ezekiel 5, it is evident that a great deal of violence will be done to the peoples of Israel, but when it is over, God will give them rest (Jeremiah 31:2). The people who survive the sword will find grace. God begins to demonstrate His lovingkindness and to rebuild and restore Israel. Jeremiah 31:4 contains the imagery of a festive occasion with dancing, something that the Israelites probably will not have felt like doing for quite some time. There will be food in abundance, and the time of famine will be over (verse 5). On all counts, Israel's outlook is brightening.
David C. Grabbe
The Second Exodus (Part Two)
| << Jeremiah 31:2 | Jeremiah 31:4 >> |
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