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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadPaul Kretzmann Commentary - Jeremiah 31:1 - 31:14
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The Decree Of Restoration and its Execution
v. 1. At the same time, saith the Lord, at the time of the Messiah's rule, will I be the God of all the families of Israel, of all true Israelites, of His spiritual children, and they shall be My people.
v. 2. Thus saith the Lord, The people which were: left of the sword found grace in the wilderness, that is, those who escaped the sword of Pharaoh by the Lord's deliverance were objects of His merciful intervention against all enemies; even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest, when He was leading them forward to occupy the peaceful habitations of the Land of Promise.
v. 3. The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, so His Church sings in grateful acknowledgment of His grace, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love, therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee, giving them respite, preserving them from extinction. As He had done in delivering His people from the bondage of Egypt, so He intended to continue His mercy upon them.
v. 4. Again I will build thee, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel, be established for sound prosperity; thou shalt again be adorned with thy tabrets, marching in processions with tambourines, or timbrels, and shalt go forth in the dances of them that make merry, in agreement with the custom observed upon occasions of public rejoicings, but in holy joy, not in carnal mirth.
v. 5. Thou shalt yet plant vines upon the mountains of Samaria; the planters shall plant and shall eat them as common things, a reference to the ordinance which commanded the children of Israel not to eat the fruit of the orchard and of the vineyard the first three years after planting, the fourth year's fruit being consecrated to the Lord, and only that of the fifth year being permitted to be profaned, that is, to be used by the owner. Cf Lev_19:23 ff. ; Jdg_9:27; Deu_20:6; also 28:30.
v. 6. For there shall be a day that the watchmen upon the Mount Ephraim, those who were delegated to observe the time of the new moon, which determined the date of most festivals in the Jewish church-year, shall cry, Arise ye and let us go up to Zion unto the Lord, our God. Thus the work of the Gospel-messengers summoning the believers to the worship of Jehovah, the true God, is pictured.
v. 7. For thus saith the Lord, Sing with gladness for Jacob, shouting over the Church's good fortune in songs of praise, and shout among the chief of the nations, exult over the head of the peoples, for the Church is composed of members of all nations; publish ye, praise ye, and say, in loud psalms of thanksgiving and intercession, O Lord, save Thy people, the remnant of Israel, so that the blessings of redemption would be known to, experienced by, all its members.
v. 8. Behold, I will bring them, the members of Jehovah's Church, from the North country and gather them from the coasts of the earth, from its most remote boundaries, and with them the blind and the lame, the poorest and the least important, the very outcasts of society. Mat_22:9; Luk_14:21-23, the woman with child and her that travaileth with child together, even the weak and frail of every kind; a great company shall return thither, being welcomed into the Church of Jehovah.
v. 9. They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them, with tears of mingled joy and penitence, on account of the unmerited grace of God in accepting them into His kingdom. I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble, on paths of righteousness; for I am a Father to Israel, and Ephraim is My first-born, all His spiritual children being included in these terms.
v. 10. Hear the Word of the Lord, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, the Gospel-message being proclaimed in the most remote regions of the earth, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him and keep him as a shepherd doth his flock, one of the Lord's favorite pictures to describe His loving care for His people.
v. 11. For the Lord hath redeemed Jacob and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he, liberating His people from the hands of all tyrants.
v. 12. Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, on its summit, that is, in the Temple of the Lord, and shall flow together, in a mighty stream of humanity, to the goodness of the Lord, to receive the blessing of Jehovah, for wheat and for wine and for oil, the greatest riches of His mercy, and for the young of the flock and of the herd, all these being types of the richest and fullest strength of life; and their soul shall be as a watered garden, Isa_58:11, and they shall not sorrow any more at all, enjoying, rather, all the riches of God's grace.
v. 13. Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, for the young women went out in processions with rhythmic movements, both young men and old together, that is, they would give expression to their joy; for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow, so that they would be abundantly comforted.
v. 14. And I will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness, namely, by the great number of the fat pieces of thank-offerings, and My people shall be satisfied with My goodness, saith the Lord. Thus the Messianic promise concerning rest and peace, Mat_11:28, was brought out even in the Old Testament, for He gave His blessings in rich measure even at that time.