Jeremiah 31

A small man can see when it is growing dark … but he cannot see beyond the darkness. He does not know how to put a sunbeam into his picture. A great man pierces the darkness and sees the glory of a hidden dawn. Charles E. Jefferson

Bible scholars often call these four chapters the “Book of Consolation.” In them, the Lord amplified the wonderful promise He gave to His people in the letter Jeremiah sent the Babylonian exiles: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (29: niv)

Jeremiah 30—33 describes the glory of the dawning of a new day for the people of Israel, not only for the exiles in Babylon but also for the Jewish people in the latter days before the Lord returns. As you study, you’ll discover that Jeremiah had two horizons in view: the nearer horizon of the return of the exiles to Judah and the farther horizon of the regathering of Israel in the end times from the nations of the earth.

A nation is more than its land and cities; it’s people living together, working together, and worshipping together. In this chapter, Jeremiah described the people of God and the new things the Lord would do for them. He first spoke to a united nation (vv. 1, 27–30), then to Israel (vv. 2–20), and finally to Judah (vv. 21–26).

A united people (vv. 1, 27–30). Because of the sins of Solomon and the foolishness of his son Rehoboam, the Jewish nation divided and became Israel and Judah, the northern kingdom and the southern kingdom (1 Kings 11—12). But in the last days, the Lord will gather His people, unite them, and be the God of all the families of Israel (Jer. 31:1). In fact, God compared Israel and Judah to seed that will be sown in the land and produce one harvest, not two (v. 27).

Jeremiah’s ministry included breaking down and plucking up as well as building and planting (1:10); up to this point, it had been primarily the former. In the future, however, God will build and plant so the people and the land could be restored. There would be no more “blaming the fathers” for what happened (Ezek. 18:1–4, 19–23; Deut. 24:16), for each person will take responsibility for his or her own sins. This principle certainly had application to the remnant that returned to the land after the captivity, for it was the failure of individuals to obey God that caused the ruin of the nation. If the kings and priests had been like Josiah and Jeremiah, the nation could have been saved.

A restored Israel (vv. 2–20). The names “Ephraim” and “Samaria” are references to the northern kingdom of Israel, whose capital was at Samaria (Jer. 31:4–6, 9, 18, 20). The people of the northern kingdom were captured in 722 BC by the Assyrians, who brought other peoples into the land so as to produce a mixed race (2 Kings 17). When the people of Judah returned to their land from the captivity, they would have nothing to do with the Samaritans (Ezra 4:1–4; Neh. 2:19–20; 13:28), a practice that persisted into New Testament times (John 4:9). Subsequently, the Samaritans established their own religion, temple, and priesthood, and this alienated the Jews even more.

The promises recorded in Jeremiah 31:2–22 don’t apply to Ephraim/Israel after the captivity, because the Samaritans weren’t a part of the rebuilding of the land. These promises apply to the scattered Ten Tribes in the end times when God will call the Jews together and restore them to their land. Then there will be one nation, and the Samaritans will worship, not on Mount Gerizim, but on Mount Zion (v. 6; John 4:20–24). Jeremiah pictured God summoning His family and gathering His flock, leading them out of the desert into the fruitful garden. Since none of this happened after the captivity, we can assume it will occur in the end times when Ephraim repents and turns to the Lord (Jer. 31:18–20). As you read these promises, notice the emphasis on singing, praise, and joy.

Matthew later referred to verses 15–17 (Matt. 2:16–18). Rachel was the mother of Joseph and Benjamin, and Joseph was the father of Ephraim and Manasseh, the two leading tribes in the northern kingdom (Gen. 30:22–24). Jeremiah heard Rachel weeping at Ramah, where the Jewish prisoners were assembled for their long journey to Babylon (Jer. 40:1). Her descendants through Joseph had been captured by the Assyrians, and now her descendants through Benjamin (the southern kingdom) were going to Babylon. Her labor as a mother had been in vain! (Remember, Rachel died giving birth to Benjamin.) But God assured her that both Ephraim and Judah will be restored (31:16–17), and therefore her sacrifices will not have been in vain.

A restored Judah (vv. 21–26). As the Jews started for Babylon, God instructed them to remember the roads and set up markers along the route, for the people would use those same roads when they return to their land. Jeremiah pictured Judah as a silly girl, flitting from lover to lover, and now summoned to come home. (He used this image before. See 2:1–2, 20; 3:1–11.) According to the law, a daughter who prostituted herself should have been killed (Lev. 21:9; Deut. 22:21), but God would do a new thing: He would welcome her home and forgive her!

The phrase “a woman shall compass a man” (Jer. 31:22; “surround” in niv) has been given so many interpretations that to examine them all is to invite confusion. The word translated “compass” also means “to surround with care, to shield”; it’s used of God’s care for Israel in the wilderness (Deut. 32:10). The word for “man” means “a strong man, a champion,” so the “new thing” God does is make the women so strong that they protect the men! (Keep in mind that this was a strongly masculine society.) In other words, the return of the exiles won’t be a parade of weak stragglers; it will be the march of warriors, including the women, who were considered too weak to fight in that day.

This is a picture of that future regathering of the people of Israel in the end times. They will enjoy a renewed land, where the citizens will bless their neighbors in the name of the Lord. Farmers and city dwellers will live together in harmony because of the blessing of the Lord.

Any plan for the betterment of human society that ignores the sin problem is destined to failure. It isn’t enough to change the environment, for the heart of every problem is the problem of the heart. God must change the hearts of people so that they want to love Him and do His will. That’s why He announced a new covenant to replace the Old covenant under which the Jews had lived since the days of Moses, a covenant that could direct their conduct but not change their character.

Jewish history is punctuated with a number of “covenant renewals” that brought temporary blessing but didn’t change the hearts of the people. The book of Deuteronomy records a renewal of the covenant under Moses, before the people entered the Promised Land. In addition, before he died, Joshua led the people in reaffirming the covenant (Josh. 23—24). Samuel called the nation to renew their vows to God (1 Sam. 12), and both Hezekiah (2 Chron. 29—31) and Josiah (2 Chron. 34—35) inspired great days of “revival” as they led the people back to God’s law.

The fact that the blessings didn’t last is no argument against times of revival and refreshing. When somebody told Billy Sunday that revivals weren’t necessary because they didn’t last, the evangelist replied, “A bath doesn’t last, but it’s good to have one occasionally.” A nation that is built on spiritual and moral principles must have frequent times of renewal or the foundations will crumble.

But the new covenant isn’t just another renewal of the Old covenant that God gave at Sinai; it’s a covenant that’s new in every way. The new covenant is inward so that God’s law is written on the heart and not on stone tablets (2 Cor. 3; Ezek. 11:19–20; 18:31; 36:26–27). The emphasis is personal rather than national, with each person putting faith in the Lord and receiving a “new heart” and with it a new disposition toward godliness.

The Old covenant tried to control conduct, but the new covenant changes character so that people can love the Lord and one another and want to obey God’s will. “By the law is the knowledge of sin” (Rom. 3:20), but under the new covenant God promised “I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more” (Jer. 31:34). It is this covenant that the Jews will experience in the last days when they see their Messiah and repent (Zech. 12:10—13:1).

The basis for the new covenant is the work of Jesus Christ on the cross (Matt. 26:27–28; Mark 14:22–24; Luke 22:19–20). Because the church today partakes in Israel’s spiritual riches (Rom. 11:12–32; Eph. 3:1–6), anyone who puts faith in Jesus Christ shares in this new covenant (Heb. 8:6–13; 10:14–18). It’s an experience of regeneration, being born again into the family of God (John 3:1–21).

The Lord also affirmed the permanence of the nation and the faithfulness of His relationship to His people (Jer. 31:35–37). It would be easier for the sun to stop shining and the moon and stars to go out than for God to break His promises to His people Israel. Just as Jerusalem was rebuilt after the Babylonian captivity, so it will be restored after the time of Jacob’s trouble and be holy to the Lord. Because of its ancient associations with Israel, Islam, Jesus, and the church, Jerusalem is called “the Holy City,” but it will not truly be holy until the Lord restores it and reigns in glory at the end of the age.