seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Jeremiah 30:1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Write in a book all the words I have spoken to you. 3 The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will bring my people Israel and Judah back from captivity[a] and restore them to the land I gave their ancestors to possess,’ says the Lord.”
4 These are the words the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah: 5 “This is what the Lord says:
“‘Cries of fear are heard—
terror, not peace.
6 Ask and see:
Can a man bear children?
Then why do I see every strong man
with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor,
every face turned deathly pale?
7 How awful that day will be!
No other will be like it.
It will be a time of trouble for Jacob,
but he will be saved out of it.
terror, not peace.
6 Ask and see:
Can a man bear children?
Then why do I see every strong man
with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor,
every face turned deathly pale?
7 How awful that day will be!
No other will be like it.
It will be a time of trouble for Jacob,
but he will be saved out of it.
8 “‘In that day,’ declares the Lord Almighty,
‘I will break the yoke off their necks
and will tear off their bonds;
no longer will foreigners enslave them.
9 Instead, they will serve the Lord their God
and David their king,
whom I will raise up for them.
‘I will break the yoke off their necks
and will tear off their bonds;
no longer will foreigners enslave them.
9 Instead, they will serve the Lord their God
and David their king,
whom I will raise up for them.
10 “‘So do not be afraid, Jacob my servant;
do not be dismayed, Israel,’
declares the Lord.
‘I will surely save you out of a distant place,
your descendants from the land of their exile.
Jacob will again have peace and security,
and no one will make him afraid.
11 I am with you and will save you,’
declares the Lord.
‘Though I completely destroy all the nations
among which I scatter you,
I will not completely destroy you.
I will discipline you but only in due measure;
I will not let you go entirely unpunished.’
do not be dismayed, Israel,’
declares the Lord.
‘I will surely save you out of a distant place,
your descendants from the land of their exile.
Jacob will again have peace and security,
and no one will make him afraid.
11 I am with you and will save you,’
declares the Lord.
‘Though I completely destroy all the nations
among which I scatter you,
I will not completely destroy you.
I will discipline you but only in due measure;
I will not let you go entirely unpunished.’
12 “This is what the Lord says:
“‘Your wound is incurable,
your injury beyond healing.
13 There is no one to plead your cause,
no remedy for your sore,
no healing for you.
14 All your allies have forgotten you;
they care nothing for you.
I have struck you as an enemy would
and punished you as would the cruel,
because your guilt is so great
and your sins so many.
15 Why do you cry out over your wound,
your pain that has no cure?
Because of your great guilt and many sins
I have done these things to you.
your injury beyond healing.
13 There is no one to plead your cause,
no remedy for your sore,
no healing for you.
14 All your allies have forgotten you;
they care nothing for you.
I have struck you as an enemy would
and punished you as would the cruel,
because your guilt is so great
and your sins so many.
15 Why do you cry out over your wound,
your pain that has no cure?
Because of your great guilt and many sins
I have done these things to you.
16 “‘But all who devour you will be devoured;
all your enemies will go into exile.
Those who plunder you will be plundered;
all who make spoil of you I will despoil.
17 But I will restore you to health
and heal your wounds,’
declares the Lord,
‘because you are called an outcast,
Zion for whom no one cares.’
all your enemies will go into exile.
Those who plunder you will be plundered;
all who make spoil of you I will despoil.
17 But I will restore you to health
and heal your wounds,’
declares the Lord,
‘because you are called an outcast,
Zion for whom no one cares.’
18 “This is what the Lord says:
“‘I will restore the fortunes of Jacob’s tents
and have compassion on his dwellings;
the city will be rebuilt on her ruins,
and the palace will stand in its proper place.
19 From them will come songs of thanksgiving
and the sound of rejoicing.
I will add to their numbers,
and they will not be decreased;
I will bring them honor,
and they will not be disdained.
20 Their children will be as in days of old,
and their community will be established before me;
I will punish all who oppress them.
21 Their leader will be one of their own;
their ruler will arise from among them.
I will bring him near and he will come close to me—
for who is he who will devote himself
to be close to me?’
declares the Lord.
22 “‘So you will be my people,
and I will be your God.’”
and have compassion on his dwellings;
the city will be rebuilt on her ruins,
and the palace will stand in its proper place.
19 From them will come songs of thanksgiving
and the sound of rejoicing.
I will add to their numbers,
and they will not be decreased;
I will bring them honor,
and they will not be disdained.
20 Their children will be as in days of old,
and their community will be established before me;
I will punish all who oppress them.
21 Their leader will be one of their own;
their ruler will arise from among them.
I will bring him near and he will come close to me—
for who is he who will devote himself
to be close to me?’
declares the Lord.
22 “‘So you will be my people,
and I will be your God.’”
23 See, the storm of the Lord
will burst out in wrath,
a driving wind swirling down
on the heads of the wicked.
24 The fierce anger of the Lord will not turn back
until he fully accomplishes
the purposes of his heart.
In days to come
you will understand this.
will burst out in wrath,
a driving wind swirling down
on the heads of the wicked.
24 The fierce anger of the Lord will not turn back
until he fully accomplishes
the purposes of his heart.
In days to come
you will understand this.
a. Jeremiah 30:3 Or will restore the fortunes of my people Israel and Judah
This is from the easy English site.
These verses describe the great trouble and pain that people would experience. The LORD’s people would have troubles in exile. They would suffer pain like a woman who was having a baby. People's faces grew pale because they were so afraid. They could do nothing against their powerful enemy. ‘I will save them out of this' could be a question. 'Can I save them out of this?' The situation seemed without hope. It was difficult to believe that the LORD could rescue his people. But that is a message about hope. Even out of a terrible situation like that, the LORD can rescue his people. 'Jacob' means 'Israel'. And it refers to both the kingdoms of Israel and Judah.
The people who had been in exile would obey the LORD. This prophecy looks forward to that time. The LORD would send an ideal king to them. That does not refer to king David himself. It means one of David's royal descendants. That king would be the LORD's servant, who would come to look after his people. Ezekiel spoke about the servant as the shepherd of the nation (Ezekiel 37:24-25).
The people had described their troubles as an injury that nothing could heal. Jeremiah had used the same language when he had troubles (Jeremiah 15:18). It describes terrible damage that an enemy had caused. It may refer to the situation after 587 BC, when the king of Babylon had destroyed Judah and Jerusalem. Judah had trusted other nations to help them against Assyria and Babylon. But Egypt was not a loyal friend (2 Kings 18:21). Edom failed to help when Nebuchadnezzar attacked Jerusalem. Edom even prevented the people so that they could not escape to safety (Obadiah 1:9-14). Moab, Ammon, Tyre and Sidon were other political friends whose help was of no use.
The people complained but it was no use. They should not feel sorry for themselves. They had only themselves to blame. The LORD had punished them because of their very many sins.
There is a sudden change from the situation without hope in verses 12-15. The LORD would destroy Judah's enemies. He would heal the country’s injury. People were calling Zion an ’exile’. Zion was like someone whom people threw away. It was like someone for whom nobody cared. But the LORD would act. He would show that this insult was an insult to himself (Ezekiel 36:22-23).
Instead of the word 'king', the writer uses the word 'leader' and 'ruler'. Perhaps he was keeping the word 'king' for the future ideal ruler. The ruler would not come from the powerful countries of Assyria, Egypt or Babylon. Instead, he would come from among the LORD’s own people. The LORD would bring that ruler. Therefore he would be able to approach the LORD. In the Old Testament, a person could not approach the LORD unless the LORD asked him. Otherwise, the person would risk death. So the ruler would be someone who was loyal to the LORD. He would be someone of whom the LORD approved. The ruler would act as a priest as well as a political leader.
The LORD’s anger is like a sudden storm. In the storm, strong winds rush round and round. They destroy everything that is in their way. In a similar way, wicked people will feel the effects of the LORD’s powerful anger. It will be like the power of a great wind.
Verses 23-24 are also in Jeremiah 23:19-20. There, they warned the false prophets that there would be punishment in the future. There would not be peace. The verses here emphasise that the LORD promised to judge Israel's enemies. The LORD has decided his plans already. He will carry them out until they are complete. People will understand them only when they happen in the future.
My thoughts this morning have wandered back to the kids in daycare. I can just see a little girl [not me... I was always the one glad to be with new people.... but another little girl] sitting by the door.... tears rolling down her cheeks.... waiting for mommy to come back.
But the idea of a daycare won't work here. These people were exiled because they refused to listen, not because God had something adult to do. Now.... there were a few innocent people.... [the Prophet Daniel comes to mind] who were swept up in the raid..... and taken to Babylon.... who really did trust God. I think those are the ones that God had in mind when He told Jeremiah to give the exiled people this message.
I'm really critical of most churches. Out of all the churches in the area.... only a couple are really good churches. Only a couple feed the hungry and work to heal the sick. Only a couple teach the truth.... untainted by paychecks and free housing. It's those churches tho.... those people who love the Lord with all their heart, soul, and mind..... those are the people who are to be encouraged by this book Jeremiah has been tasked with writing over the next few chapters.
While the original intent of this book might have been to encourage the few people in exile [like Daniel] who were more innocent..... it's interesting to me that those same words could be used to encourage those who feel like they are exiled even now. There are people who do not feel welcome in the modern day church....... and without fellow Believers..... the exile is real today. Jeremiah says God is going to make that right.... and He says I'll understand when the time is right.
