This week, we shall continue the study of the book of Jeremiah in the
Old Testament.
The division of chapter 31 is based on the assumption that as 31:1 refers to the restoration of “all the families of Israel”, the focus of 31:2-22 appears to be on Samaria, the kingdom of Israel (see K&D, 270)—the ten tribes who were in exile for a longer period, and the focus of 31:23-26 is on Judah.
30:22-31:1—God’s Wrath Has a Purpose
30:22 and 31:1 serve as an “inclusio” to emphasize their restoration to being “God’s People":
(1) What then has God’s wrath to do with such a restoration? (30:23-24)
(2) Why was it hard for the people to understand then? (30:24)
(3) What is God’s ultimate purpose? (31:1)
31:2-6—Restoration of Israel (I)—The basis of restoration
(4) Why would God care to restore those He punishes? (31:3)
(5) Where will the remnant of Israel be found by God and given rest? (31:2)
(6) Apart from joy, dancing and planting of vineyards, what is the significance of the watchmen on the hills of Ephraim calling upon people to the Lord in Zion? (Ephraim represents the Northern Kingdom which used to have their people worship in Dan and Bethel before—see 1 Ki. 12:28-29) (31:6)
31:6-9—Restoration of Israel (II)—Those who will return
(7) From where will the remnant of Israel be returned? (v. 8)
(8) Who will be among those being brought back? What does it serve to portray?
(9) How will they be brought back? (v. 9) Why?
31:10-14—Restoration of Israel (III)—A bountiful restoration
(10) Why does the Lord call upon the nations to proclaim the restoration of Israel? (v. 10)
(11) The restoration is made possible by “ransom” and “redemption”: What ransom has been paid for their restoration? (Heb. 9:15)
(12) How meaningful is this promise of a bountiful restoration to those in exile and to Israel today?
31:15-20—Restoration of Israel (IV)—Weeping no more
(13) While during the destruction of Jerusalem (and other times of tribulation like the Holocaust), no doubt many Jewish women wept for the loss of their children, but the ones mentioned in v. 15 specifically relate to the mothers in Ramah:
a. What is it referring to? (see Matt. 2:18)
b. How does the weeping in Ramah contribute to the comfort of the weeping mothers in Israel? (vv. 16-17)
(14) In this process of restoration, apart from the unfailing love of God (31:3), what part does Ephraim, (i.e. Israel) play as well? (31:18-19)
(15) How does 31:20 reveal the purposes of God’s heart? (see 30:24)
31:21-22—Restoration of Israel (V)—Call to action
(16) The urging of the people to put up road signs signifies that God is ready to bring them back, except that these things take place:
a. They need to do their part: What is it? (vv. 21-22) and
b. God will do His part: What is it? (v. 22—see Note below)
(17) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Note:
“Older expositors almost unanimously took the verse to predict the virgin birth of the Messiah. Their arguments are (1) The ‘new thing on earth’ would require an event of unprecedented character. (2) the word, ‘create’ implies an act of divine power. (3) the term ‘woman’ demands an individual rather than an entire nation. And (4) the word ‘man’ is properly used of God (Isa. 9:6).” (C.I. Scofield)
31:23-28 (In prose form)—Promise of Restoration to Judah
(1) When God brings back His people to
Judah, what kind of a picture is depicted in vv. 23-25, especially with the
references to the following?
a. Righteousness and sacredness
b. The living “together” of all peoples, farmers and shepherds in particular
c. The refreshing of the weary and the faint?
(2) 31:26 is a difficult verse, as we do not know exactly know who is speaking:
a. If it is the prophet, what does it mean?
b. If it is the Lord, what does it mean?
(3) The restoration extends to the uniting of Israel and Judah (v. 27)
a. How does the Lord use their horrific experience of suffering to guarantee their restoration?
b. What does “to watch over” mean? (v.28)
31:29-34 (Back in poetic form)—A New Beginning
(4) Obviously, God has always judged people by their own sins. What then is new about their saying and why, i.e. what has changed? (v. 29; see Ezek. 18:2, 25 as well)
(5) Promise of a New Covenant (vv. 31-34)
a. Why is a new covenant needed? (v. 32)
b. How different is the new covenant from the old? (v. 33; see 2 Cor. 3:3)
c. How can the new one be written in their minds and hearts?(v. 34)
d. What is the result of knowing God? (v. 34)
31:35-40—The Certainty of Restoration
(6) What does the Lord use to guarantee the rebuilding of Israel? (vv. 35-36)
(7) What does the Lord use to assure them of their forgiveness? (v. 37)
(8) Given these assurances, how would you look at the future of Israel and world history?
(9) Some of the places mentioned in vv. 38-40 are not known:
a. What idea is intended by vv. 38-39?
b. What is the idea behind v. 40? (The valley of dead bodies is likely the place referred to more than once by Jeremiah as the scene of pagan cult practices, as in 2:23; 7:31; 19:2ff etc.)
(10) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
This is considered the second part of the “Book of Consolation”. It is mainly written in prose form and centers on the purchase of a field by Jeremiah at the time when Jerusalem was under siege (see Note below).
32:1-16—The Purchase of Land
(1) What was the reason given for Jeremiah’s arrest? (vv. 3-5)
(2) What’s wrong with Jeremiah’s prophecy as far as the king was concerned? (see 2 Chr. 36:12-13 as well)
(3) Why would Jeremiah’s uncle want to sell his land? (v. 6)
a. Why would he want to sell at a time of siege?
b. Who in his right mind would buy land at a time like this?
(4) Why did Jeremiah oblige? (v. 8)
a. What was the reason for putting the purchase documents in a clay jar?
b. What is the message behind it? (v. 15)
32:17-25—The Prayer of Jeremiah: As much as he submitted to the word of the Lord, the prayer that followed shows his struggle in making such a decision. Consider what yet followed:
(5) Jeremiah opened his prayer with adoration and praise (vv. 17-19)
a. How did he acknowledge who God is and His majestic power?
b. How did he acknowledge the ways and purposes of God’s actions?
(6) Not only did Jeremiah acknowledge God’s power and His ways in general, but he also recounted what God had done for Israel (vv. 20-22):
a. What has the Exodus experience meant to the world? (see Jos. 2:9-11)
b. What has the Exodus experience meant to Israel?
(7) The present demise of Judah (32:23-25)
a. How did Israel reciprocate the majestic power and love of the Lord for them? (v. 23)
b. What is the result of their disobedience and their present demise? (vv. 23-25)
(8) How did v. 25 show that Jeremiah was struggling with God’s command to buy the field? The K&D translation based on the original Hebrew is “and yet Thou sayst to me” (K&D, 292).
(9) Since he did have doubts about this decision, why then would he buy the field?
(10) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Note:
“The siege had begun in the ninth year of Zedekiah (39:1; 52:4) and was afterward raised for a short time, in consequence of the approach of an auxiliary corps of Egyptians, but as soon as these had been defeated, it was resumed (37:5, 11) … Not till during the temporary raising of siege, when he (Jeremiah) wanted to go out of the city to the land of Benjamin, was he seized and thrown into a dungeon, on the pretence that he intended to go over to the Chaldeans. There he remained many days till King Zedekiah … ordered him (37:11-24) to be taken into the court of the prison house … where he remained in confinement till the city was taken (38:13, 28; 39:14).”
(K&D, 288)
This is God’s reply to Jeremiah’s prayer concerning the purchase of his uncle’s land:
32:26-27—Preface to God’s Answer
(1) How does the Lord preface His answer? (v. 27) Didn’t Jeremiah say the same in his prayer already? (v. 17)
32:28-35—The Affirmation of Destruction
(2) What will happen when the city is captured by Nebuchadnezzar? (v. 29)
(3) Why? (v. 29)
(4) Can you count how many times the word “anger” is mentioned by the Lord?
a. What is the reason for the first anger? (v. 29)
b. What is the reason for His 2nd anger? (v. 30)
c. What is the result for arousing His anger? (v. 31)
d. Who were the ones that have provoked Him to anger and what have they done? (vv. 32-35)
32:36-41—And Yet
(5) What does God promise after their captivity? (v. 37)
(6) The Lord had previously declared that Israel would be His people and He their God (Leviticus 26:12). How different will this be upon their return from captivity in the following aspects?
a. Their fear of Him (v. 39)
b. Their children (v. 39)
c. God’s attitude towards them (vv. 40-41)d. Ensuring that they will not turn away (v. 40)
e. Permanency of dwelling (v. 41)
(7) How does God frame (or call) this promise? (v. 40)
32:42-44—Answer to the Question of Land Purchase
(8) In promising: As great as the calamity has been, so great the prosperity will be (v. 42):
a. What will the land be like at the destruction by Babylon? (v. 43)
b. What is God’s promise concerning the land in the future? (v. 44)
(9) What then is God’s answer to Jeremiah? (The land that he bought from his uncle in Anathoth is in the territory of Benjamin.)
(10) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
While Jeremiah was still held in the courtyard of the guard, after his first prayer was answered, the Lord spoke again, re-iterating His promise of restoration of Israel:
33:1-4—The Invitation to Call
(1) Why does the Lord encourage Jeremiah to call to Him?
(2) What great and unsearchable things is He talking about?
(3) In this invitation to call, how does the Lord address Himself? Why?
(4) What has happened at the time when the city was under siege?
(5) Would such an invitation be extended to us? Why or why not?
33:5-9—The Reiteration of Promise of Restoration (I)—This promise is made against the backdrop of dead bodies filling the city, and yet the Lord these promises:
a. Health and healing (v. 6)
b. Abundant peace and security (v. 6)
c. Rebuilding upon return from captivity (v. 7)
d. Cleansing and forgiveness of sins (v. 8)
e. The bringing of renown, joy, peace and honor to the Lord by the city (v. 9)
f. Nations will be in awe and tremble at the above (v. 10)
(6) How would the survivors or captives feel at the sight of a city filled with dead bodies?
(7) What would such a message mean to them (should they recall or read it again)?
(8) Which of the above promises in the restoration should mean the most to them?
(9) How does this promise reveal the heart of God for His people?
33:10-13—The Reiteration of Promise of Restoration (II)—This promise is made against the backdrop of a desolate city, void of people and animals!
(10) How would the survivors or captives feel at the sight of a city void of people and animals?
(11) What would such a message of joy and gladness mean to them?
(12) How does this promise reveal the heart of God for His people?
(13) What would such a message of pastures re-inhabited by shepherds and flocks mean to them?
(14) How does this promise reveal the heart of God for His people?
(15) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
The Basis of the “great and unsearchable things” concerning the promise of restoration of Israel is being foretold:
(1) According to vv. 14-16
a. What is the basis of the fulfillment of the good promise God made to the people of Israel and Judah?
b. From whose line would this Branch come from?
c. What is He called?
d. How does our Lord Jesus Christ fit these descriptions? (See Matt. 1:1; 1 Pet. 3:18)
(2) According to vv. 17-18, what can you conclude?
a. What two roles would this Righteous Savior assume?
b. We know that the Lord Jesus is the King of Kings, but in what ways is He also our priest? (see Heb. 7:20ff; 10:12)
(3) According to v. 22:
a. What promise is made concerning the descendants of David and Levites?
b. How is it fulfilled in us today? (see 1 Pet. 2:9)
(4) How firm and certain is this new covenant with David and the Levites? (vv. 20-21)
(5) What is the backdrop to His promise not to reject the descendants of Jacob and David? (v. 24)
(6) Whom does the Lord reiterate as the one who will rule over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? (v. 26)
(7) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
34:1-7—Message to Zedekiah of Imminent Captivity
(1) Based on vv. 1, 6-7, what was the timing of this prophecy to King Zedekiah?
(2) What is the first part of the message in vv. 2-3? What does the Lord expect Zedekiah to do?
(3) What is the second part of the message in vv. 4-5? How would you respond to it if you were Zedekiah?
(4) What do you think Zedekiah’s response to the news was?
34:8-22—Reneging on the Covenant to Free Slaves
The second event took place when the Babylonians temporarily withdrew from Jerusalem upon the news of the approaching Egyptian army under Pharaoh Hophra (in the late spring or early summer of 588 B.C.; 44:30):
(5) Since the “ancestors” did not care to honor the requirement to free Hebrew slaves every 7th year (34:14), according to the stipulation in Deuteronomy 15:12, what might have motivated King Zedekiah to do such a noble act to repent, ordering everyone to enter into a covenant to free their slaves? (vv. 8-10)
(6) What is the provision concerning Hebrew slaves in the Law of Moses? (See Deut. 15:12; and vv. 12-14)
(7) Why had their ancestors not been honoring this law? (v. 14)
(8) Does the king’s motivation have anything to do with the forgoing message of the chapter and the inevitable fall of Jerusalem? (See Note 1 below concerning this covenant ceremony.)
(9) How did the Lord look upon their action? (v. 15)
(10) What might have happened that caused the people to renege on the covenant? (v. 11)
(11) Did it have anything to do with what happened as described in v. 21? (see Note 2 below)
(12) How did the Lord look upon their action now? (v. 16)
(13) Based on the way the Lord is going to judge them (vv. 17-18), which was the sin that invited this form of punishment: Not freeing slaves or their violation of the covenant made in the house that bears the name of the Lord?
(14) As Part of His punishment, what will God do with the army of Babylon that had retreated? (v. 22)
(15) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Note: