WWUTT 2494 God's Promise of Restoration (Jeremiah 30:1-11)

Through the prophets, God had promised Judah and Israel that he would restore them to the land from which they had been driven. And when we look at the details of those promises, we see not only a fulfillment for them, but for us when we understand the text.

This is when we understand the text studying God's word to reach all the riches of full assurance in Christ. Find all our videos online at www .wutt .com as well as links to follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Here's your teacher, Pastor Gabe Hughes.

The Book of Consolation and Jeremiah’s New Section

Thank you, Becky, and greetings, everyone. We come back to our study in the book of Jeremiah. After a little bit of a break, we're beginning a new section in Jeremiah as we start in chapter 30. And this section will go through chapter 33.

This is a portion of Jeremiah that's commonly referred to as the book of consolation. And it's called a book because right at the start here, God tells Jeremiah to write all the words that he has said to him in a book.

And it's in this book where God will renew his promise to restore Israel and Judah back to the land from which they have been driven. It's also in this book where we read of a new covenant in chapter 31.

And Hebrews chapter 8 tells us that Christ is the fulfillment of that new covenant promise that's in Jeremiah 31. We'll get to that as we go. Let's start off by reading Jeremiah chapter 30 verses 1 through 11.

Hear the word of the Lord. The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, write in a book all the words that I have spoken to you. 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.

These are the words that the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah. Thus says the Lord, we have heard a cry of panic, of terror, and no peace. Ask now and see, can a man bear a child? Why then do I see every man with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor?

Why has every face turned pale? Alas, that day is so great there is none like it. It is the time of distress for Jacob, yet he shall be saved out of it. And it shall come to pass in that day, declares the Lord of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off your neck, and I will burst your bonds, and foreigners shall no more make a servant of him, but they shall serve the Lord their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them.

Then fear not, O Jacob my servant, declares the Lord, nor be dismayed, O Israel, for behold I will save you from far away, and your offspring from the land of their captivity. Jacob shall return and have quiet and ease, and none shall make him afraid.

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.

Restoration from Babylon and the Greater Fulfillment in Christ

So right there at the conclusion of verse 11 sounds like what we had previously read in chapter 29. Remember that the exiles from Judah into Babylonian captivity had begun to think that we're going to be annihilated in this place.

Babylon is such a ruthless enemy, and we have sinned against God by worshiping false gods, so surely God means to bring us to destruction. But it's in that chapter, in chapter 29, that we read the famous verse 11, I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, a plan to prosper and not to harm you, to give you a hope and a future.

But they were still going to have to endure their punishment because they had worshiped false gods. So for 70 years, they would be in exile into Babylonian captivity. Here in verse 11 of chapter 30, God says, again, I'm going to make a full end of the nations to whom you've been scattered, but you will not be made a full end of.

However, I'm not going to leave you unpunished. You're still going to be punished for your sin, but you will be restored. You will come back to this place. And as far as a narrative goes, like when we're considering the narrative of the Bible, and if you know the story of Israel having been called out by God, rescued from slavery in Egypt, they're given a promised land, they disobey God by worshiping false gods.

So he exiles them into Babylonian captivity. He promises them you will be restored to your land. And then from them, we know comes the Savior from the tribe of Judah, Jesus Christ would be born, who is prophesied about in all the Old Testament.

A lot of times, if we know this, if we know this story, and we've heard it so many times, it just kind of goes by our ears without much pondering. But when you think of the things that are being said here, this is pretty astounding.

God is saying, I'm going to restore you to the land. This is not merely a migration. It's not merely a, I'm going to relocate you from Babylon back to Judah. Don't worry, you'll get to come back to Judah.

It's not just that God puts in the hearts of the enemies of Israel and Judah to let.

Them go.

That's pretty amazing in and of itself. You know, a promise that's being given 70 years before it comes to pass, you're going to be let go in exactly this amount of time. And I'm going to put it into the hearts of those who hate you, who have enslaved you.

They're just going to go, yeah, it's time for Judah and Israel to go back to their land. That's amazing enough. But furthermore, that God says, I'm going to prosper you when you go back. And what happened to the land of Judah?

Do you remember? We've read it in Isaiah. We've read it in Jeremiah. The land was made a desolation when the Assyrians came through and the Babylonians came through. They came through like locusts and they desolated the land and it became a haunt of jackals the way it was described.

So like animals of the wilderness could live there, but nobody would want to inhabit that.

Land.

It wasn't even good for anything like farming or, or a growing produce or being able to live off of and survive on that land. It had been made a desolation. And yet God is saying, I'm going to take you back there and I'm going to prosper you there.

That's an incredible promise. Furthermore, God says you will take possession of it because not only was it difficult to inhabit, but there were other people now that have moved into that place and Israel's going to have to conquer it again.

It's not going to be like the conquering of when Joshua led the people into the land, but nonetheless, they have antagonists there. There are people that don't want Israel there and they would surely prohibit them from being able to take back the land.

But God's promise is you will come back into that land and it will be yours. You will take possession of it. So all of these promises here are really amazing, really astonishing when you think about what's being said.

All of this prophetically written, and even the most ardent skeptic knows that the book of Jeremiah was written before these people had the chance to come out of their captivity and back into the land.

Same with Isaiah, same with all the other prophets that have said the same thing. We know historically this stuff has been written before it came to pass. These prophecies were delivered and they came true.

Now there is an immediate fulfillment of this promise that's given to Israel and Judah. And that immediate fulfillment is you're going to come out of your land. You're going to come out of captivity rather, and you're going to be restored to your land.

But then there's a greater fulfillment of these promises. And that promise is concerning the Messiah. And we read of that. You probably heard it right here, just in the section that we heard a promise of a Messiah that will not just be for the Jewish people, but for many more.

Let me come back to verse one, the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, write in a book, all the words that I have spoken to you. Now, as I said in the introduction, because God says that we refer to chapters 30 through 33 as the book of consolation, because God said, write these down in a book, though this could also be interpreted as God reminding Jeremiah to write down those things that God has said to him so that it would be all compiled in a single book, which we have now as the book of Jeremiah.

You could read it that way as well. But it's definite in the way that you would outline the book of Jeremiah, that 30 through 33 really is its own section. So this is God consoling Israel and Judah, though they have been sent into captivity, he promises again that he will restore them.

And this surely would have been hopeful words for the people. They rejoice to hear them, but there probably was still some apprehension of like, I don't know, I guess I'll believe it when I see it. It had to be worked into these people's hearts to trust the Lord.

They still loved the gods that they were worshiping beforehand. And many of them driven into captivity had not even learned their lesson. We read that about those false prophets, Hananiah and Shemiah in the previous couple of chapters.

Remember that in chapter 29, God said, you will seek me and you will find me when you seek me with all your heart. That was a promise that their hearts would again be turned back to the Lord. But that was something that would not happen for them right away.

So there's even a hopeful expectation among the Israelites and the Jews that my heart will again be for God. So verse three, 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.

These are the words that the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah. Thus says the Lord, we have heard a cry of panic, of terror and no peace. Now that word we could be Trinitarian. Maybe it's referring to God in that collective sense because he is father, son and Holy Spirit.

Maybe that's why the word we is used there. Just like in the book of Genesis, God saying, let us make man in our image. We generally consider that statement to be a Trinitarian statement, father, son and Holy Spirit making man in the image of God.

It could also be in reference to God and Jeremiah or any of those other faithful who have heard a cry of panic, of terror and no peace. So verse six, ask now and see, can a man bear a child? Boy, is that not a question for our age?

It's rhetorical. Of course, the answer is no, a man cannot bear a child. So why then do I see every man with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor? Why has every face turned pale? So this is an acknowledgement of the grief of the people because they have been driven from their land.

And even the men who have not been standing strong as men of God, but they have been weakened because they have gone after false gods. They have their hands on their stomach like a woman in labor. Why are you behaving this way?

God's promised to restore them even as men of God. So verse seven, alas, that day is so great, there is none like it. It is a time of distress for Jacob, yet he shall be saved out of it. It's from passages like this, verses like this, Jeremiah 30 verse seven, that you've probably heard of the phrase Jacob's trouble.

And this is in reference to the day of the Lord. It's not just a day of salvation, but it is also a day of judgment. And here in Jeremiah 30, it's even a foreshadowing of the very end of the conclusion of time when Christ returns with his angels in fiery judgment as talked about in second Thessalonians chapter one, the day of the Lord referred to there also as the day of Jacob's trouble.

The Yoke of Captivity and Freedom in Christ

So we continue on verse eight and it shall come to pass in that day declares the Lord of hosts that I will break his yoke from off your neck and I will burst your bonds and foreigners shall no more make a servant of him.

Now that day that's being referred to here in verse eight is not the end. It's not the end of time. It's not that day of the Lord, but the day specifically when the distress of Jacob comes to an end and I will break his yoke from off your neck.

If you'll remember back to chapter 28, Jeremiah had been given this command by God to walk around with a yoke on his neck and it was a wood yoke, but it, it symbolized, it was a sign for Judah that they were going to be sent into captivity.

But then there was that false prophet Hananiah that came and broke the yoke off of Jeremiah's neck and said, no, no, no, this, this whole thing with the Babylonians only going to last for two years. And God said, I did not speak to that man, Hananiah, and he will surely die, which happened two months later.

The yoke that Jeremiah had been wearing that was of wood would be replaced with a yoke of iron and that yoke would last 70 years of their captivity. So here, the promise is I'm going to break the yoke from off his neck.

Burst your bonds. Foreigners shall no more make a servant of him. And we've heard it said through the prophet Jeremiah that this restoration would be even greater than when God brought his people out of Egypt.

Why will that be the case? Because when God brought Israel out of slavery in Egypt, they were one people in one place. Here God is bringing people from all over the place back into the land. So this kind of delivery from their bonds back into the land of promise is going to be an even greater deliverance than when God had delivered his people from slavery.

But we can still see kind of the types and shadows in this of our slavery to sin, that God has promised that he will break the yoke of slavery off of our neck and bring us into his righteousness. And he does this for people everywhere.

It's not just one group of people in one location, but from everywhere. God is bringing them into his goodness and grace through the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He who died on the cross for our sins and rose again from the grave, Jesus said that he came to set the captives free.

And we who are in Christ Jesus by faith in him, our bonds have been broken from our necks and we have been set free from sin to worship God in Christ Jesus. And so Jeremiah goes on to say in verse nine, they shall serve the Lord their God and David their King, whom I will raise up for them.

Now who's that in reference to? You know this?

Come on.

That's a it's a Sunday school answer right here. Jesus, that's who that is in reference to. They shall serve the Lord their God and the King whom I will raise up for them from the line of David. And that is Jesus Christ.

So we're seeing in this how God is going to restore Judah and Israel back to their back to their land. He has promised them that will happen. That's the immediate fulfillment of these promises that we're reading about here.

But they have a greater fulfillment in the future of a savior who will be born unto them and even unto us that the nations may know and come to worship God through Jesus Christ. So finish up these last couple of verses, 10 and 11 here.

Peace, Discipline, and the Promise of Salvation

Then fear not, O Jacob, my servant, declares the Lord, nor be dismayed, O Israel. For behold, I will save you from far away and your offspring from the land of their captivity. Jacob shall return and have quiet and ease and none shall make him afraid.

It's in Paul's letter to the Ephesians where he says, those who are far off have been brought.

Near.

That's in reference to the Gentiles have come to faith in Jesus Christ. They have come to worship God through Christ. So we've been saved from far away and brought near to the Lord. And in Christ Jesus, we have, as talked about in Philippians chapter four, a peace that surpasses all understanding.

We have quiet and ease and none shall make us afraid. We are not worried about the judgment that will come against us. As Paul says in Romans chapter eight, if God is for us, who can be against us? There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

So none makes us afraid. And God's promise in verse 11, 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. There's a, there's a fulfillment that will come even in the day of the Lord that we have yet to see.

But of you, God says, I will not make a full end. I will discipline you in just measure. And I will know, I will by no means leave you unpunished. And so God surely disciplines us, even those who are saved in Christ Jesus.

We read about that in Hebrews chapter 12, and then the no discipline is really pleasant whenever you're going through it. But we know that God is shaping us and preparing us for that day through this sanctifying process that we would come into his presence and dwell with him forever with God in glory.

These things that we read about in Jeremiah 30 even point to that reality. We are reminded of our slavery to our sin. And what we deserved was judgment. We deserve to have a full end made of us, but God has not done that for us.

He has given salvation to us through Jesus Christ, who is our savior. As I said in the very beginning, sometimes we look at this stuff and it just kind of goes past our noticing because we've heard the biblical narrative so many times, or we just have such this, we have such an aerial view of it, kind of looking down on the redemptive history story arc that we see in the Bible that we don't really stop and think about all of these details and how incredible it is that God did this for Israel and Judah, though they did not deserve it.

And God has done an amazing thing for us as well. How often do you consider it? How often do you praise God for the salvation that you have? He even ordained and arranged by his providence, the times and places in which you would be so that you could hear the gospel and turn from your sin to the Lord Jesus Christ and live.

It's all by God's providence, by his love for you, the affections that he set on you before you were even born. So praise God for the work that he has done in your life and continue to hope and trust in him for the work that he is doing and will bring to completion at the day of Christ.

Prayer for Steadfastness and Closing Benediction

Heavenly father, we thank you for what we've read here, even in this short lesson in Jeremiah chapter 30. And I pray God that we would think about these things more deeply because it draws us closer.

To you.

We know our God on a more intimate level when we know all of these minor things that you've done throughout our lives to bring us to you and to shape us more into our savior, Jesus Christ. Keep us steadfast in your word today.

Faithful to Jesus and living in obedience to your commands, purify us and bring us into your presence with great joy on that day of the Lord. It is in Jesus name that we pray.

Amen.

This has been When We Understand the Text with Pastor Gabriel Hughes. For all of our podcasts, episodes, videos, books, and more, visit our website at www .utt .com. If you'd like to submit a question to this broadcast or just send us a comment, email whenweunderstandthetext at gmail .com and let your friends know about our ministry.

Join us again tomorrow as we grow together in the study of God's word when we understand.

The text.