CHAPTER 31

(606 B.C.)

RESTORATION OF ISRAEL

¹At the same time, says the LORD, will I be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be My People. (Of all the families of Israel, pertains to the fact that Israel will be no more divided, but in truth will be one nation. The statement, At the same time, refers to the defeat of the Antichrist at Armageddon and the fact that Israel has now accepted Christ as her Saviour and Messiah. At that time, He will be their God, and they shall be My People.)

²Thus says the LORD, The people which were left of the sword found grace in the wilderness; even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest. (The sword concerns the murderous cruelty of Pharaoh. Grace in the wilderness pertains to the many miracles performed by the Lord in this howling wasteland in order to provide for His People.

When I went refers to leading them with the Cloud by day and the Pillar of Fire by night!

The words, To cause him to rest, speak to the establishment of Israel in the Promised Land.)

³The LORD has appeared of old unto me, saying, Ye s, I have loved you with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn you. (The argument is: God chose to love Israel with a love from all eternity; therefore, He kept exhibiting proofs of that love with unwearied affection.)

⁴Again I will build you, and you shall be built, O virgin of Israel: you shall again be adorned with your tabrets, and shall go forth in the dances of them who make merry. (O virgin of Israel, is beautiful indeed! It signals Justification by Faith, which Israel will finally understand and accept at the coming Kingdom Age.

The tabrets and dances refer to Davids victory over Goliath and the rejoicing that followed [I Sam. 18:6]. Goliath was a type of Satan, while David was a Type of Christ. The great rejoicing that will take place on that coming Glad Day when Jesus Christ is enthroned in Jerusalem will be because of the defeat of the future Goliath, the Antichrist.)

⁵You shall yet plant vines upon the mountains of Samaria: the planters shall plant, and shall eat them as common things. (Under the Law, the vine-owner had to wait five years before he could gather for himself the fruit of his vineyard [Lev. 19:23-25; Deut. 20:6]. Consequently, he might never enjoy its produce because of the insecurity of the times; however, in the coming Restoration there will be perfect government, and so his enjoyment of the fruit of his labor will be assured.)

⁶For there shall be a day, that the watchman upon the Mount Ephraim shall cry, Arise you, and let us go up to Zion unto the LORD our God. (In Ephraims sad past, the watchman summoned the people to go up to Beth-el or up to Dan to worship an idol; but, in the happy future, they will be summoned to go up to Zion unto Jehovah the Messiah.)

⁷For thus sa ys the LORD; Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout among the chief of the nations; publish you, praise you, and say, O LORD, save Your People, the remnant of Israel. (The chief of the nations is Israel. Publish you, praise you, refers to the proclamation of this great Truth by Faith, looking forward to its fulfillment.

O LORD, save Your People, the remnant of Israel, means that so certain is Salvation sure to those who call upon the Lord that it can be published and praised in advance.)

⁸Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the coasts of the Earth, and with them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her who travails with child together: a great company shall return thither. (This refers to the beginning of the Kingdom Age, when every Jew on the face of the Earth will be brought to the Land of Israel, and gladly so!)

⁹They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a Father to Israel, and Ephraim is My firstborn. (They shall come with weeping, does not speak of a sorrowful return, but actually a mixture of joy and sorrow. They will sorrow when they think of their spiritual blindness that lasted so long, and yet the tears of joy shall flow because of their Redemption.

The rivers of waters speak of the miracle River which will flow from the Temple in Jerusalem, out from under the threshold at the south side of the Altar. As it flows, it will widen until it is a River that cannot be passed over.

After it leaves the Temple, it will divide, with part going toward the Mediterranean and part toward the Dead Sea, which will be dead no longer [Ezek. 47:1, 5, 9; Zech. 14:8].

The words, My firstborn, have a very special meaning, at least in this instance! In the Israelite ritual, the firstborn of man and beast had a special place. The male firstborn belonged to the Lord [Ex. 13:2; 22:29-30; Num. 3:13]. This was underlined by Israels deliverance in the final plague upon Egypt.

There were accompanying privileges associated with the firstborn, which included a larger inheritance, a special paternal blessing, family leadership, and an honored place at meal times; consequently, Israel, being My Firstborn is guaranteed these privileges among the nations, hence, her being chief of nations [Gen. 25:5-6; 27:35-36; 37:21; 42:37; 43:33; Deut. 21:15-17].)

THE BLESSINGS OF ISRAEL

¹⁰Hear the Word of the LORD, O you nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He who scatters Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd does his flock. (The first phrase emphasizes the fact that the restoration of the Chosen People will be so great an event that it will be of worldwide significance.)

¹¹For the LORD has redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him who was stronger than he. (This refers to the Antichrist, who will be much stronger than Israel; but, above all, it refers to his sponsor, Satan. Jesus will defeat the Antichrist at the Second Coming and will also ransom Israel.)

¹²Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the LORD, for wheat, and for wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock and of the herd: and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all. (The height of Zion refers to the Temple. For nearly 2,000 years, they have had no song; now, they shall come and sing. And shall flow together to the goodness of the LORD, pertains to the fact of divisions in the past, but which now will be healed of that breach, and shall flow together.

And they shall not sorrow any more at all, refers to the terrible sorrow of the past, but the absence of this malady at the present, and as well for the future.)

¹³Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both young men and old together: for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow. (For I will turn their mourning into joy, refers to the great mourning that will take place in Jerusalem and throughout Israel, regarding what they had previously done to the Messiah; they now realize the terrible mistake they made and the horrible sin they committed!)

¹⁴And I will satiate the soul of the Priests with fatness, and My People shall be satisfied with My goodness, says the LORD. (This tells us that in the coming age of Righteousness that the office of the Priest will be restored, as well.)

ADMONITION TO CEASE WEEPING

¹⁵Thus says the LORD; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rahel (Rachel) weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not. (Rachel was one of the two wives of Jacob. She was the mother of Joseph and Benjamin and, therefore, of the two kingdoms and the two peoples. She wept for her children, figuratively speaking, when they were carried captive to Babylon and again when they were slain by Herod. Thus, to this extent was the Prophecy fulfilled, as stated in Mat. 2:17-18; but the weeping and the Promise of Verses 16 and 17 belong to the future, and pertain to the coming Great Tribulation [Zech. 12:10-13:1, 9; Rom. 11:25-29].)

¹⁶Thus says the LORD; Refrain your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears: for your work shall be rewarded, says the LORD; and they shall come again from the land of the enemy. (To come again from the land of the enemy, means to be gathered from all over the world, after some 2,000 years of dispersion.)

¹⁷And there is hope in your end, sa ys the LORD, that your children shall come again to their own border. (And there is hope in your end, is the Lord telling Rachel that her death was not one of darkness and despair, but rather of hope. In effect, the Lord is saying, Rachel, you died and left your children, but you will see them again, and your children shall come again to their own border, i.e., Israel.)

REPENTANCE OF ISRAEL

¹⁸I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus; You have chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke: turn you me, and I shall be turned; for You are the LORD my God. (True Conversion has God as its Agent and is occasioned by Repentance, which Ephraim will do immediately after the Second Coming.)

¹⁹Surely after that I was turned, I repented; and after that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh: I was ashamed, yes, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth. (Surely after that I was turned, proclaims the act performed that was requested in the previous Verse. Ephraim could not totally turn himself, but he needed the help of the Lord, which was given!)

²⁰Is Ephraim My dear son? is he a pleasant child? for since I spoke against him, I do ear nestly remember him still: therefore My bowels are troubled for him; I will surely have mercy upon him, says the LORD. (In this Verse, the Love of the Heart of God throbs for Ephraim. He asks the question, Is Ephraim My dear son? This is the voice of the Divine Speaker, Who asks if Ephraim, who has so flagrantly sinned against Him, can really be His dear son, His pleasant child?

The phrase, I do earnestly remember him still, refers to the Promises made regarding Ephraims restoration.

The words, Therefore My bowels are troubled for him, literally means to moan. It is something akin to human grief in the Heart of God for Ephraim. Such is the humility of the Lord of the ages [Ps. 18:35].)

²¹Set you up waymarks, make you high heaps: set your heart toward the highway, even the way which you went: turn again, O virgin of Israel, turn again to these your cities. (The idea is: Travel the way of Repentance; to be sure, there are waymarks all along the way, so you will not be confused.)

²²How long will you go about, O you backsliding daughter? for the LORD has created a new thing in the Earth, A woman shall compass a man. (The question, How long will you go about, O you backsliding daughter?, refers to the virgin of Israel in the previous Verse. Actually, the two terms do not go together. They are contradictory. However, the virgin of Israel is what the Lord will make of this backsliding daughter upon her Repentance. It is called Justification by Faith [Rom. 5:1].)

JUDAH TO BE RESTORED

²³Thus says the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel; As yet they shall use this speech in the land of Judah and in the cities thereof, when I shall bring again their captivity; The LORD bless you, O habitation of Justice, and mountain of Holiness. (It seems that Israel never quite knew or understood the purpose of the Sacrifices, which pointed to a coming Redeemer, or the purpose of the Temple, which was the habitation of God, and which pointed to another habitation, i.e., our bodies, hearts, and lives [I Cor. 3:16]. Because of her proper Repentance, she now fully understands what the Lord is doing, and she eagerly desires to follow Him. She will then clearly understand that the Lord is a habitation of Justice and mountain of Holiness. Justice is His Word and Holiness is His Person.)

²⁴And there shall dwell in Judah itself, and in all the cities thereof together, husbandmen, and they who go forth with flocks. (The idea of this Verse is to proclaim the utter serenity and peace which will envelope Judah and all the cities thereof.)

²⁵For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul. (For I have satiated, literally means I have watered, speaking of the weary soul.)

²⁶Upon this I awaked, and beheld; and my sleep was sweet unto me. (Upon this I awaked, and beheld, means that these words of encouragement concerning Israels future day of great victory have given Jeremiah great hope. Now he has something to hold to, even though it may be well into the future. As a result, my sleep was sweet unto me.)

²⁷Behold, the days come, sa ys the LORD, that I will sow the House of Israel and the House of Judah with the seed of man, and with the seed of beast. (The idea is: Israel will once again become a great nation with a large population.)

²⁸And it shall come to pass, that like as I have watched over them, to pluck up, and to break down, and to throw down, and to destroy, and to afflict; so will I watch over them, to build, and to plant, sa ys the LORD. (As I have watched over them, refers to continued surveillance, even in their dispersion, and even some protection so that they are not totally destroyed.

Now, as the Lord once had to destroy them because of sin, His energy will be spent on rebuilding. This will take place in the coming Kingdom Age!)

²⁹In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the childrens teeth are set on edge. (By the use of this Proverb, the people were saying that the cause of their present difficulty was not because of their own sins, but because of the sins of their fathers. They absolved themselves of blame! But during the coming Millennium, this Proverb will be no more!)

³⁰But everyone shall die for his own iniquity: every man who eats the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge. (The sense of this Verse is that in the coming day of the Millennium, with Christ Personally ruling, the failure to take responsibility for ones own sins will no longer be possible. There will be perfect judgment and justice in the Earth.)

THE NEW COVENANT

³¹Behold, the days come, says the LORD, that I will make a New Covenant with the House of Israel, and with the House of Judah: (the New Covenant mentioned here is the New Testament, that for which Jesus died; Israel would not accept it at that time, but they will accept it in the coming Kingdom Age):

³²Not according to the Covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which My Covenant they broke, although I was an husband unto them, says the LORD (Paul quotes these Passages in Heb. 8:7-13. The Lord is referring to the Old Law of Moses, which Israel did not keep):

³³But this shall be the Covenant that I will make with the House of Israel; After those days, says the LORD, I will put My Law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be My People. (The Covenant spoken of here, as stated, is the New Covenant, which we have in our present Bibles. After those days, says the LORD, refers to the intervening time from the days of Jeremiah even unto the Second Coming, at which time Israel will then accept the New Covenant, i.e., Christ.)

³⁴And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know Me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, says the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. (This Verse speaks of the coming Millennial Reign; at its beginning, Israel will accept Christ and what He did for them at Calvary. This will occasion their forgiveness and cleansing [Zech. 13:1].)

³⁵Thus says the LORD, Who gives the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, Who divides the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of Hosts is His Name (this Verse is given in this manner to proclaim the fact that the Lord, Who is the Creator of all things, has the Power to do what He says He will do):

³⁶If those ordinances depart from before Me, says the LORD, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before Me forever. (The Promise of Verses 31 through 34 is that of a new moral nature; and the argument of Verses 35 through 37 is the impossibility of God ceasing to love His ancient people or casting them away because of their past misconduct.)

³⁷Thus s ays the LORD; If Heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the Earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, says the LORD. (In this Scripture, the Holy Spirit uses an anomaly, which means something that deviates in excess of normal variation [Ps. 99:1].)

JERUSALEM TO BE HOLY UNTO THE LORD FOREVER

³⁸Behold, the days come, says the LORD, that the city shall be built to the LORD from the tower of Hananeel unto the gate of the corner. (This refers to the coming Kingdom Age.)

³⁹And the measuring line shall yet go forth over against it upon the hill Gareb, and shall compass about to Goath. (In this Passage, The measuring line only describes a part of the city, with Ezekiel giving its entirety as 18,000 measures [43 miles all the way around; Ezek. 48:30-35].)

⁴⁰And the whole valley of the dead bodies, and of the ashes, and all the fields unto the brook of Kidron, unto the corner of the horse gate toward the east, shall be holy unto the LORD; it shall not be plucked up, nor thrown down any more forever. (The idea is that all of these areas in Jerusalem which had been so polluted by Satan will now be cleansed, never again to be corrupted; they will forever more be holy unto the LORD.)