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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadPaul Kretzmann Commentary - Jeremiah 31:15 - 31:26
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Sorrow Turned into Joy
v. 15. Thus saith the Lord, A voice was heard in Ba-mah, a city some nine or ten miles north of Jerusalem, on the boundary between the former kingdoms of Israel and Judah, lamentation and bitter weeping: Bahel, the beloved wife of Jacob, as the ancestress of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin, weeping for her children, the members of the northern kingdom, refused to be comforted for her children because they were not. This verse is quoted by Mat_2:18, with reference to the slaughter of the innocents of Bethlehem, because the extermination of Israel through the Assyrian power was a type of the murder of the children at Bethlehem, and because Rachel was regarded as the mother of Bethlehem and its environs.
v. 16. Thus saith the Lord, Refrain thy voice from weeping and thine eyes from tears, bidding all sorrow be far removed; for thy work shall be rewarded, namely, that of bearing and bringing up her children, saith the Lord, and they shall come again from the land of the enemy, those whom the Lord had chosen as His own being assembled once more, namely, in His congregation, in the communion of His saints.
v. 17. And there is hope in thine end, saith the Lord, that is, for the future, that thy children shall come again to their own border, on the basis of a sincere repentance.
v. 18. I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus, so the Lord now declares: Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, being obliged to accept the Lord's punishment, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke, unused to the restraint of the yoke and of harness; Cf Hos_10:11. Turn Thou me, back from the path of wickedness and sin, and I shall be turned, the change of repentance in the heart of any man being possible only through the merciful power of God; for Thou art the Lord, my God, and it is the confidence in His grace as the God of the covenant that brings His blessings to the repentant heart.
v. 19. Surely after that I was turned, I repented, or, "For after my apostasy I felt sorrow," since God wrought repentance in the heart of the true Israelites among the children of Ephraim; and after that I was instructed, coming to a right understanding through the Lord's chastisement, I smote upon my thigh, in token of deep grief; I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, fully conscious of the disgrace attaching to the former behavior, because I did bear the reproach of my youth, that attending the idolatry which had been practiced in the northern kingdom since the time when Jeroboam set up the golden calves at Bethel and Daniel Upon this cry the Lord answers in a strain of coaxing appeal.
v. 20. Is Ephraim My dear son? literally, "a son of My favor. " Is he a pleasant child? literally, "a child of delights. " The question implies a decided negative answer if the actual condition of Ephraim's mind is taken into consideration, but an equally decided positive statement when one takes note of Jehovah's mercy. For since I spake against him, in words of stern reproof, I do earnestly remember him still, the Lord being astonished at Himself, as it were, on account of such tender feelings toward this reprobate child; therefore My bowels are troubled for him, His inmost feelings being touched. I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the Lord, like a father who still regards his wayward son with tender love.
v. 21. Set thee up way-marks, finger-posts directing him back to his Father's home; make thee high heaps, wooden posts or pillars of stone showing the way; set thine heart toward the highway, even the way which thou wentest, the road which would lead him back home. Turn again, O virgin of Israel, for the believers of Ephraim and the congregation of the Lord are identical, turn again to these thy cities, returning to the Lord in true repentance.
v. 22. How long wilt thou go about, turning first one way and then the other, like a dissolute and wanton woman, O thou backsliding daughter? the congregation which had so often proved apostate. For the Lord hath created a new thing in the earth, A woman shall compass a man, the weak and tender woman clinging to the stronger with yielding affection, the repentant congregation once more turning to the Lord in the relation of love which should characterize the believers at all times.
v. 23. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, whose majesty and power are here emphasized, As yet they shall use this speech in the land of Judah and in the cities thereof when I shall bring again their captivity, when His Church would once more be established, The Lord bless thee, O habitation of justice, where true righteousness would once more find its dwelling-place, and mountain of holiness, Mount Zion, of course, representing the Church of Jehovah.
v. 24. And there shall dwell in Judah itself, and in all the cities thereof together, husbandmen, such as till the ground, and they that go forth with flocks, this picture being descriptive of the blessings which the Lord would pour out upon His people.
v. 25. For I have satiated the weary soul, refreshing the soul which panted after relief, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul, satisfying the soul that was languishing for relief. Cf Mat_11:28. The prophet closes this section with the remark:
v. 26. Upon this I awaked, namely, from the vision, or ecstasy, in which he had received the revelation of the Lord, and beheld; and my sleep was sweet unto me. The glance into the future which had been vouchsafed him was so glorious that he kept it in his memory as a pleasant picture. To all true ministers of the Word it is a source of great satisfaction to find the Church returning to a condition of repentance and zeal for the Lord.