Jeremiah 30-31

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Read Jeremiah 30 - 31

Verses chosen for meditation: Jeremiah 30: 3, 11, 17, 18, 19; 31: 3, 11, 12, 18, 33 ESV

For behold, days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will restore the fortunes of my people, Israel and Judah, says the Lord, and I will bring them back to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall take possession of it.”

For I am with you to save you, declares the Lord; I will make a full end of all the nations among whom I scattered you, but of you I will not make a full end. I will discipline you in just measure, and I will by no means leave you unpunished.

For I will restore health to you, and your wounds I will heal, declares the Lord, because they have called you an outcast: ‘It is Zion, for whom no one cares!’

“Thus says the Lord: Behold, I will restore the fortunes of the tents of Jacob and have compassion on his dwellings; the city shall be rebuilt on its mound, and the palace shall stand where it used to be.

Out of them shall come songs of thanksgiving, and the voices of those who celebrate. I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I will make them honored, and they shall not be small.

The Lord appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, I have continued my faithfulness to you.

For the Lord has ransomed Jacob and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him.

They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion, and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the Lord, over the grain, the wine, and the oil, and over the young of the flock and the herd; their life shall be like a watered garden,

I have heard Ephraim grieving, ‘You have disciplined me, and I was disciplined, like an untrained calf; bring me back that I may be restored, for you are the Lord my God.

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 

Reflect

Suggest you take some time off today to read through the two chapters of Jeremiah. They are atypically uplifting coming from Jeremiah. But these are not his words. They are the Lord's.

The verses are chosen to give as comprehensive a picture as possible, a good sweep of the restoration to come.

They speak, in fact, of a time even beyond the Israelite's return from their Babylonian captivity. The Israelites were still likely to be in captivity at the time of this writing. Jeremiah himself could be in prison, accounting for the fact that this prophecy was written rather than spoken.

Even then, the message could be intended for a wider audience, the generations that would come after, as it points to a more distant future. They are, therefore, not solely meant for those in captivity at the time. The whole message on restoration is covered not only in these two chapters, but also in the following two chapters of the book, beginning with chapter 30 and ending with chapter 33.

The message should speak to anyone going through a similar rough patch in life and awaiting a better time. Just when we think that God has bailed out on the covenant, which he made to Abraham, Moses and David (us included), he assures us through these passages that he has not. More than that, he reinforces the covenant to our advantage.

Notice also how he declares his love for the Israelites, and us by extension. Observe too the interplay between discipline and love. Know that at the end, it is all about his love - a love that knows no bounds.

Relate

This is one of three passages from the Old Testament that is a perennial favourite of mine, which promises restoration.

Every time I come across any one of them, an uplifting spiritual moment takes place, bringing comfort when situations are especially distressing or gloomy, and instilling hope when disappointment or discouragement starts to set in.

Its hold over me is quite unique, to the extent that I could lose my composure, or cry to myself, and yet come out feeling good. Its solid assurance is affecting in a personal and powerful way. We could all do with a good morale booster like this every once in awhile along this arduous journey called life.

If there is one thing that I struggled with in the past concerning the passage is the word 'discipline'. The last thing that I wanted to be reminded of in the midst of trials is discipline. I wanted it removed ASAP. The Lord can save the discipline for all I care since I don't want it, even if it is for my good.

But I've come a long way since to realise that without discipline, any restoration will not be complete. It would be cosmetic at best. The heart, mind and will would need to change in tandem for a fuller appreciation of the restorative process. Therefore, we'll need to bear with discipline and have it complete its work in us while we wait for the much longed - for restoration.

Even so, nothing is ever complete without love. It would all be in vain if there is no love. The work of restoration is no exception. For that reason, the Lord took no chances making sure his full - hearted and enduring love for his people was expressed. And he meant everything he said about loving us with an everlasting love.

It's important that we appreciate this love and know that we are loved in the midst of the discipline while waiting for restoration to come.

I used to long only for restoration, almost to the exclusion of everything else, but that has since changed. I now see the harmony of restoration, discipline and love. 

If I may put them in perspective, restoration refers to a relatively distant thing in the future (which is absolutely worth the wait) while discipline is an ongoing thing (which is only for a little while) and love is the all - encompassing thing (which is the new and everlasting covenant in Christ).

So, all that remains now is for you and me to hold on to the assurance as a spiritual underpinning of the glorious future.

And this is amply provided by Jeremiah 30 and 31.

Rest

Lord, we look up to you, from whom our help comes. We look forward to that day, from when restoration begins. There's nothing that can come in between, neither discipline nor disappointment, because of your great and everlasting love.

Naville Chia