Jeremiah 30:1-31:40 Comments by Stephen Ricker
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The Restoration of Israel
Comments for Study 23

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Memory Verse: 30:22
Questions
Introduction
Outline
MAPS OF THE DIVIDED KINGDOM OF ISRAEL
A MAP OF ASSYRIA
A MAP OF THE BABYLONIAN EMPIRE
ISRAEL'S HISTORY
A LIST OF ISRAEL'S KINGS AND PROPHETS
OLD TESTAMENT BOOKS TIMELINE
A LIST OF MAJOR EVENTS FROM JEREMIAH'S TIME TO ROMAN TIMES

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CLICK HERE FOR A LIST OF BOOKS THAT ARE COMPLETED.

I. Write a Book Jeremiah (30:1-4)

>1. What did the Lord command Jeremiah to do? (1-2)

* Jeremiah 30:1-2 "This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'Write in a book all the words I have spoken to you."

* Chapters 30 thru 33 are a new section containing a new subject in the book. The main theme is consolation.

* "The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD" -The prophets needed to distinguish their wordings were from the Lord because there were many false prophets and prophets of other gods and idols.

* "The word of the LORD that came to" -The Lord gave messages to his prophets. Just how they came to them is seldom noted. Since the prophets were "carried along by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:21) those who are now full of the Spirit can experience that same thing. Jesus said, "But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." (John 14:26)

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>How does verse 3-4 help explain why?

* Jeremiah 30:3-4 "The days are coming,' declares the LORD, 'when I will bring my people Israel and Judah back from captivity and restore them to the land I gave their forefathers to possess,' says the LORD. These are the words the LORD spoke concerning Israel and Judah:"

* "The days are coming" -These words are "yom bo" in Hebrew. "Yom" can be any expanse of time, often further defined by the words around them. The English translations makes this word plural; however the Hebrew word does not have a plural and yet can be depending on the words associated with it. The words the Lord gave Jeremiah are for the future and thus need to be written down. Some prophets were not given words for the future so they were not told to write them down. The Lord wanted future generations to study this book. Chapters 30 thru 33 are especially important for future generations.

* "The days are coming" is a common theme in the Bible; Old and New Testament. Phrases like this especially "The day of the Lord" refers to a time when God reveals His sovereignty over human powers and human existence. Jeremiah uses terms like "in those days" (3:16, 50:4, 20), "the days are coming" (7:32, 16:14, 19:6, 23:7, 31:27, 38, 33:14, 49:2), "the day of slaughter" (12:3), "in days to come" (30:24, 47:4, 49:39), "there will be a day" (31:6), and "that day" (46:10).

* Other Old Testament prophets speak of "the day of the Lord" using exactly that phrasing. (Isaiah 13:6,9; Ezekiel 13:5, 30:3; Amos 5:18,20; Obadiah 1:15; Zephaniah 1:7,14; Malachi 4:5; perhaps Zechariah 14:1 too) Sometimes the prophets of Israel and Judah abbreviated it to "that day". It was familiar to their audience, a term by which the audience expected light and salvation (Amos 5:18), but the prophets painted it as a day of darkness and judgment (Isaiah 2:10-22; 13:6,9; Joel 1:15; 2:1-11,31; 3:14-15; Amos 5:20; Zephaniah 1:7-8,14-18; Malachi 4:5). The Old Testament language of the day of the Lord is aimed at warning sinners among God's people of the danger of trusting in traditional religion without commitment to God and to His way of life. It is language that could be aimed at judging Israel or that could be used to promise deliverance from evil enemies (Isaiah 13:6,9; Ezekiel 30:3; Obadiah 15). The day of the Lord is thus a point in time in which God displays His sovereign initiative to reveal His control of history, of time, of His people, and of all people.

* The apostles Peter and Paul also used the term "day of the Lord" (in place of "Lord" they also put "God" and "Lord Jesus"). (Acts 2:20; and 1 Corinthians 1:8, 5:5; and 2 Corinthians 1:14; and 1 Thessalonians 5:2; and 2 Thessalonians 2:2; and 2 Peter 3:10-12)

* The apostles used the terms "last times" and "last days" referring to the whole period introduced by Jesus' first coming. (John 11:24; Jude 1:17-18; Acts 15:16-18; Hebrews 9:36; and 2 Peter 3:3) These days are last in comparison to Old Testament days, which were preliminary and preparatory. (Romans 16:25-26; Ephesians 3:9; Colossians 1:26) Also, the Christian era is the time of the beginnings of prophetic fulfillment. (1 Corinthians 10:11) The "days" can be interpreted as "ages" (Matthew 12:39, 13:39-40, 49, 24:3, 28:20; Ephesians 1:21, 2:7; and 1 Timothy 6:19; Titus 2:12; Jude 1:25) (periods of time) that reflect the six days of creation with the seventh day as a day of rest. Indeed the apostles very clearly call the one thousand year reign of Jesus as "the Lord's Sabbath" and "the day of rest". (Hebrews 4:1-11, 6:5; Revelation 14:13) Jesus himself invited us to his day of rest (Matthew 11:19; Luke 18:30, 20:34-36) and to work now and rest in the future (John 9:4). Since this is the time just before the Sabbath rest, then we are in the sixth day, the time when man and woman (Adam and Eve) were created. The Lord God Almighty is called the "King of the ages". (Revelation 15:3)

* Blackstone wrote in his book Jesus is Coming "The division of time into sevens, or weeks, permeates the Scriptures. A fundamental enactment of the Mosaic Law was the keeping of the Sabbath (Ex. 20:8). This was based upon God's great rest day in Genesis 2. Upon this is founded not only the week of days, but also the week of weeks leading to Pentecost (Lev. 23:15-16); the week of months, with the Atonement and seven days feast of Tabernacles in the seventh month (Lev. 23:27-28); the week of years, ending with the Sabbatic year (Lev. 25:4); and the week of weeks of years, ending with the seventh Sabbatic year, and followed by the year of Jubilee (Lev. 25:8-12). He continues with more and quotes 2 Peter 3:8 then continues, "so we also have the great week of Millenniums. Six thousand-year days of labor and then the Millennium, or blessed seventh thousand-year of rest." He is not the first to see the significance.

* For more on this time period read the manuscript "The Believer's Future - Hope that Inspires" found on this site.

* Eschatology is the teaching concerning the last things in world history. The Greek word "eschatos" means last or final. Accordingly, eschatology is the study of the things expected to occur at the end of history. This does not include what will happen after the Lord Jesus creates the new heaven and the new earth as described at the end of Revelation.

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>Who and when are these words for and why is that significant in understanding the meaning behind them?

* "when I will bring my people Israel and Judah" -The message is for both the northern kingdom (Israel) and the southern kingdom (Judah). The northern tribes had split from the southern tribes shortly after Solomon died. The northern tribes had been taken into captivity over one hundred years before Jeremiah wrote this. Yet the Lord is addressing both, separate yet jointly.

* "back from captivity and restore them to the land I gave their forefathers to possess" -Jeremiah had already stated that the captivity of Judah would be seventy years. However, though a few of the Israelites came back from captivity, most of the northern tribes did not return with Judah.

* Since 1948 Jews have been returning to Israel in ever increasing numbers. This is no doubt a movement of God, a miracle in my time. Among them are people who are from all twelve tribes, though some don't know that for sure.

* "I gave their forefathers to possess" -God Almighty promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that their descendants would possess the promised land. He kept that promise, though the Israelites lack faith to keep it. When Israel became a nation again in 1948 there was a brief time when they would have most of the promised land again. However deu to politics England and the Arabs took away some of the land. Since then the nation has shrunk some more.

* Through Jesus christ Gentiles are grafted into Israel. "Those who were not a people have become a people." (Romans 9:1-9, 24-26)

>How does this show the importance of Bible study? (John 6:63)

* John 6:63 "The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life."

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II. In That Day I Will (30:5-24)

>2. How desperate will even the strongest be? (5-6)

* Jeremiah 30:5-6 "This is what the LORD says: "'Cries of fear are heard-- terror, not peace. Ask and see: Can a man bear children? Then why do I see every strong man with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor, every face turned deathly pale?"

* Joel 1:15 "Alas for that day! For the day of the LORD is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty."

* Joel 2:1-2 "Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming. It is close at hand-- a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness. Like dawn spreading across the mountains a large and mighty army comes, such as never was of old nor ever will be in ages to come."

* Joel 2:11 "The LORD thunders at the head of his army; his forces are beyond number, and mighty are those who obey his command. The day of the LORD is great; it is dreadful. Who can endure it?"

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>Who will be save out of that dreadful day? (7)

* Jeremiah 30:7 "How awful that day will be! None will be like it. It will be a time of trouble for Jacob, but he will be saved out of it."

* "Jacob" -The father of all twelve tribes of Israel; this included the northern and the southern tribes. As mentioned above this refers to those who are his descendants by faith, not by blood.

* Revelation 6:5-6 "When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, "Come!" I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, "A quart of wheat for a day's wages, and three quarts of barley for a day's wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!"

* Revelation 8:7 "The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up."

* The apostle John also spoke of great calamity just before Jesus' second coming. Other prophets between Joel and John also foretold it.

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>What will the Lord Jesus do for his people? (8-9)

* Jeremiah 30:8-9 "'In that day,' declares the LORD Almighty, 'I will break the yoke off their necks and will tear off their bonds; no longer will foreigners enslave them. Instead, they will serve the LORD their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them."

* "In that day" -In Hebrew this is just one word "yom". The KJV translates this one word in this verse as, "For it shall come to pass in that day". It is a common phrase for Jesus' first and second coming, but mostly his second coming.

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>Who is their leader?

* "they will serve the LORD their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them."

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>What good news of comfort does the Lord give his people? (10-11)

* Jeremiah 30:10-11 "'So do not fear, O Jacob my servant; do not be dismayed, O Israel,' declares the LORD. 'I will surely save you out of a distant place, your descendants from the land of their exile. Jacob will again have peace and security, and no one will make him afraid. I am with you and will save you,' declares the LORD. 'Though I completely destroy all the nations among which I scatter you, I will not completely destroy you. I will discipline you but only with justice; I will not let you go entirely unpunished.'"

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>3. What desperate situation does the Lord's people have? (12-14)

* Jeremiah 30:12-14 "This is what the LORD says: "'Your wound is incurable, your injury beyond healing. There is no one to plead your cause, no remedy for your sore, no healing for you. All your allies have forgotten you; they care nothing for you. I have struck you as an enemy would and punished you as would the cruel, because your guilt is so great and your sins so many."

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>Why have they come to this place and will they be delivered from it? (15-17; and 2 Corinthians 1:9-10)

* Jeremiah 30:15-17 "Why do you cry out over your wound, your pain that has no cure? Because of your great guilt and many sins I have done these things to you. 16 "'But all who devour you will be devoured; all your enemies will go into exile. Those who plunder you will be plundered; all who make spoil of you I will despoil. 17 But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,' declares the LORD, 'because you are called an outcast, Zion for whom no one cares.'"

* 2 Corinthians 1:9-10 "Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us,"

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>4. What hope was given the Lord's people? (18-19)

* Jeremiah 30:18-19 "This is what the LORD says: "'I will restore the fortunes of Jacob's tents and have compassion on his dwellings; the city will be rebuilt on her ruins, and the palace will stand in its proper place. 19 From them will come songs of thanksgiving and the sound of rejoicing. I will add to their numbers, and they will not be decreased; I will bring them honor, and they will not be disdained."

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>What does it mean when a community is established before the Lord considering a relationship with him? (22-22; Matthew 11:28-30; John 6:44-47)

* Jeremiah 30:20-22 "Their children will be as in days of old, and their community will be established before me; I will punish all who oppress them. 21 Their leader will be one of their own; their ruler will arise from among them. I will bring him near and he will come close to me, for who is he who will devote himself to be close to me?' declares the LORD. 22 'So you will be my people, and I will be your God.'"

* Matthew 11:28-30 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

* John 6:44-47 "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the Prophets: 'They will all be taught by God.' Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life."

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>How will he rescue us? (23-24; and 1 Corinthians 15:20-28)

* Jeremiah 30:23-24 "See, the storm of the LORD will burst out in wrath, a driving wind swirling down on the heads of the wicked. 24 The fierce anger of the LORD will not turn back until he fully accomplishes the purposes of his heart. In days to come you will understand this."

* 1 Corinthians 15:20-28 "But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For he "has put everything under his feet." Now when it says that "everything" has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all."

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III. I Have Loved You (31:1-22)

>5. What kind of relationship does the Lord seek to have with his people? (1)

* Jeremiah 31:1 "At that time," declares the LORD, "I will be the God of all the clans of Israel, and they will be my people."

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>What will he give his survivors? (2)

* Jeremiah 31:2 "This is what the LORD says: "The people who survive the sword will find favor in the desert; I will come to give rest to Israel."

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>How can we find rest, even in a desert? (John 7:37-39, 14:26-27)

* John 14:26-27 "But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."

* John 7:37-39 "On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified."

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>6. How is the Lord unique? (3)

* Jeremiah 31:3 "The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness."

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>How does this affect his people? (4-6)

* Jeremiah 31:4-6 "I will build you up again and you will be rebuilt, O Virgin Israel. Again you will take up your tambourines and go out to dance with the joyful. 5 Again you will plant vineyards on the hills of Samaria; the farmers will plant them and enjoy their fruit. 6 There will be a day when watchmen cry out on the hills of Ephraim, 'Come, let us go up to Zion, to the LORD our God.'"

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>When will these words be fulfilled?

* John 12:27-33 "Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!" Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it, and will glorify it again." The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him. Jesus said, "This voice was for your benefit, not mine. Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself." He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die."

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>7. Who are the remnant of the Lord? (7-9)

* Jeremiah 31:7-9 "This is what the LORD says: "Sing with joy for Jacob; shout for the foremost of the nations. Make your praises heard, and say, 'O LORD, save your people, the remnant of Israel.' 8 See, I will bring them from the land of the north and gather them from the ends of the earth. Among them will be the blind and the lame, expectant mothers and women in labor; a great throng will return. 9 They will come with weeping; they will pray as I bring them back. I will lead them beside streams of water on a level path where they will not stumble, because I am Israel's father, and Ephraim is my firstborn son.

* "remnant" -The people of God, the descendants of Jacob who truly believe in the Lord. As the word implies this is only a few. (Micah 2:12-13, 5:7-8, 7:18) The prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Amos, Hosea, Micah, Haggai, Zephaniah, and Zechariah write of the remnant. The remnant make it through the day of the Lord's wrath by grace, people who are left over after God's judgement. The remnant are people who accept his call and remain so even though the majority do not. For the prophets the remnant refer most specifically to true Israel.

Some Christians have used the term remnant to refer to themselves. Can the Gentiles who are "grafted into Israel" by grace through faith in Jesus be called a remnant. The Hebrew and Greek words for remnant appear in both the Old and New Testament. Noah and his family were remnant from the judgment of the flood though the word is not used. (Genesis 6:5-8; 7:1-23) Lot was remnant of Sodom, but again the word is not used. (Genesis 18:17-33; 19:1-29) The first time the word is used concerns the Israelites who went to Egypt. Joseph called Israel a remnant from all the people who perished because of drought. He said to his brothers, "For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will not be plowing and reaping. But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance." (Genesis 45:6-7) Also, Og the Gentile king was called a remnant of the Rephaites. (Deuteronomy 3:11) So a remnant is a person or a small group who is saved by grace from the larger whole who perish during the wrath of the Lord. In that respect Christians are a remnant who are saved by grace through Jesus. Jesus calls them the few who follow the narrow road. (Matthew 7:13-14)

When the prophets speak of the remnant are they speaking to survivors from Israel, Judah, and the church? It seems that they are speaking of only a remnant from Israel and/or Judah. (2 Kings 19:4, 30-31, 21:10-15; 2 Chronicles 34:9, 21, 36:20) James made a distinction between the remnant and the Gentile believers. During the council in Jerusalem which met to consider the Gentiles who were putting faith in Jesus quoted the prophets. James said, "Simon (Peter) has described to us how God at first showed his concern by taking from the Gentiles a people for himself. The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written: "'After this I will return and rebuild David's fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, that the remnant of men may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these things' that have been known for ages." (Acts 15:14-18)

Paul, a Benjamite called himself a remnant because he believed in Jesus. He writes, "I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Don't you know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah--how he appealed to God against Israel: "Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me"? And what was God's answer to him? "I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal." So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace... Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fullness bring!" (Romans 11:1-12) Paul quoted from Hosea and from Isaiah to demonstrate that the saving of a remnant from among the Jewish people was still part of the Lord's method of redeeming His people. There would always be a future for anyone among the covenant people who would truly turn to the Lord for salvation. They were remnant survivors because the Lord chose to show mercy to those who had believed steadfastly in Him and had been righteous in their lives. The same will be true during the day of the Lord's wrath; there will be a remnant who survive and will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air as he returns to the earth to establish his worldwide kingdom.

Today's Dictionary of the Bible (T.A. Bryant) states, "Remnant has three basic meanings in Scripture:
    a) A group of people who survive military or political turmoil (Joshua 12:4 concerning the race of giants in Bashan; the nations surrounding early Israel, Joshua 13:12; the Amorites in 2 Samuel 21:2; and Jeroboam's dynasty in 1 Kings 14:1-)
    b) A portion of meat, oil, or other sacrifice left for the priests as their proper portion (Leviticus 2:3, 5:13, 14:18)
    c) A prophetic designation referring to the core of Israel who survive God's judgment to become the nucleus of the new people of God (Isaiah 10:20-23, 11:11-12; Jeremiah 32:38-39; Zephaniah 3:13; Zechariah 8:12) The whole idea of the survival of a "righteous remnant" implies God's care of his "chosen people" (2 Kings 19:31; Isaiah 10:22, 37:31; Ezekiel 6:8; Joel 2:32; Micah 2:12). Isaiah is the principal proponent of the "righteous remnant" concept, and Paul picks up his emphasis and applies it to the Church (Romans 9:24, 27).
The New Compact Bible Dictionary (T. Alton Bryant) almost repeats a) and c) above.

* Paul seems to apply that as true Jews and the true church are remnants. Romans 9:24-28 says, "even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles? As he says in Hosea: "I will call them 'my people' who are not my people; and I will call her 'my loved one' who is not my loved one, and, "It will happen that in the very place where it was said to them, 'You are not my people,' they will be called 'sons of the living God.' Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: "Though the number of the Israelites be like the sand by the sea, only the remnant will be saved. For the Lord will carry out his sentence on earth with speed and finality."

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>How is life under the rule of the Lord, the Shepherd? (10-14; Mark 6:34; John 10:11-18)

* Jeremiah 31:10-14 "Hear the word of the LORD, O nations; proclaim it in distant coastlands: 'He who scattered Israel will gather them and will watch over his flock like a shepherd.' 11 For the LORD will ransom Jacob and redeem them from the hand of those stronger than they. 12 They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion; they will rejoice in the bounty of the LORD-- the grain, the new wine and the oil, the young of the flocks and herds. They will be like a well-watered garden, and they will sorrow no more. 13 Then maidens will dance and be glad, young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow. 14 I will satisfy the priests with abundance, and my people will be filled with my bounty," declares the LORD."

* Mark 6:34 "When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things."

* John 10:11-18 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me-- just as the Father knows me and I know the Father--and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life--only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father."

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>How was Jesus' life a fulfillment of verse 15? (Matthew 2:16-18)

* Jeremiah 31:15 "This is what the LORD says: "A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because her children are no more."

* Matthew 2:16-18 "When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: "A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more."

* "Rachel weeping for he children" -This is a reflection of Rachel when she gave birth to Benjamin and then died. Jeremiah reminded the Israelites of her weeping because they were being taken into captivity and many of their young men died. So with this prophecy, Rachel was a representative of a weeping mother. Matthew also sees that this prophecy fulfilled because of Herod's evil actions to the town of Rachel, Bethlehem.

* "Rachel" -Rachel is the wife of Jacob and the mother of Joseph and Benjamin. Joseph has two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh when in Egpyt though his Egyptian wife. (Genesis 46:20)

* Genesis 46:20 "In Egypt, Manasseh and Ephraim were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On."

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>8. Why can God's people restrain from weeping? (16-17)

* Jeremiah 31:16-17 "This is what the LORD says: "Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for your work will be rewarded," declares the LORD. "They will return from the land of the enemy. So there is hope for your future," declares the LORD. "Your children will return to their own land."

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>Why was Ephraim, Rachel's grandson weeping and what can be learned of the Lord's shepherd heart?

* Jeremiah 31:18-19 "I have surely heard Ephraim's moaning: 'You disciplined me like an unruly calf, and I have been disciplined. Restore me, and I will return, because you are the LORD my God. 19 After I strayed, I repented; after I came to understand, I beat my breast. I was ashamed and humiliated because I bore the disgrace of my youth.'"

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>Who does Ephraim represent? (20-22; Genesis 48:3-7; Romans 11:13-24)

* Jeremiah 31:20-22 "Is not Ephraim my dear son, the child in whom I delight? Though I often speak against him, I still remember him. Therefore my heart yearns for him; I have great compassion for him," declares the LORD. 21 "Set up road signs; put up guideposts. Take note of the highway, the road that you take. Return, O Virgin Israel, return to your towns. 22 How long will you wander, O unfaithful daughter? The LORD will create a new thing on earth-- a woman will surround a man."

* Genesis 48:3-7 "Jacob said to Joseph, "God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and there he blessed me and said to me, 'I am going to make you fruitful and will increase your numbers. I will make you a community of peoples, and I will give this land as an everlasting possession to your descendants after you.' Now then, your two sons born to you in Egypt before I came to you here will be reckoned as mine; Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine. Any children born to you after them will be yours; in the territory they inherit they will be reckoned under the names of their brothers. As I was returning from Paddan, to my sorrow Rachel died in the land of Canaan while we were still on the way, a little distance from Ephrath. So I buried her there beside the road to Ephrath" (that is, Bethlehem)."

* Jacob (Israel) blessed Joseph and said the Lord told him he'd be a "community of peoples". This was the blessing Israel had in mind and heart for Joseph's sons. They were half Egyptians, half Israel. Joseph was his favorate son from his loved wife Rachel. Joseph certainly was blessed by God from birth. Israel was now full of the Spirit of God, seeing what God would do for and thru Joseph's sons, thus fulfilling the blessing he had received. The blessing Israel gave to Manasseh and Ephraim would be for all gentiles who would call on the name of the Lord there after, me included. (Romans 9-11)

In his blessing Jacob said they "will be reckoned as mine" Israel adapted Joseph's sons, a very remarkable step for that age as well as any age. He also said, "just as Reuben and Simeon ar mine". They were the first two born to Jacob thru Leah. He moved then down in the "blessing" list and Ephraim and Manasseh were made the new first and second on the blessing list. God exhaults the humble, but opposes the proud. (James 4:6, 1 Peter 5:5)

Jacob also said to Joseph, "Any children born to you after them will be yours" Joseph never had any more physical children although it could said that through faith the Gentiles became his spiritual children thus becoming the "multitude of nations" Israel was said to become. Israel is directly adopting Joseph's only two physical sons and indirectly (as grandchildren) any afterward sons, something Joseph was more than happy to have happen to recieve because it meant that he now received a double portion of the blessing compared to his brothers.

Jacob continued with "they will be reckoned" This is "qara" in Hebrew meaning "called", "proclamined" and "named". He concluded the blessing with, "under the names of their brothers" So Ephraim and Manasseh, the Gentiles have been "grafted into Israel" as Apostle Paul wrote. (Romans 11:13-24)

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IV. The Message (31:23-40)

>9. What will happen when the Lord brings his people back from captivity? (23-26)

* Jeremiah 31:23-26 "This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: "When I bring them back from captivity, the people in the land of Judah and in its towns will once again use these words: 'The LORD bless you, O righteous dwelling, O sacred mountain.' 24 People will live together in Judah and all its towns--farmers and those who move about with their flocks. 25 I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint." 26 At this I awoke and looked around. My sleep had been pleasant to me."

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>How does verses 27-30 point to the Messianic age?

* Jeremiah 31:27-30 "The days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will plant the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the offspring of men and of animals. 28 Just as I watched over them to uproot and tear down, and to overthrow, destroy and bring disaster, so I will watch over them to build and to plant," declares the LORD. 29 "In those days people will no longer say, 'The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge.' 30 Instead, everyone will die for his own sin; whoever eats sour grapes--his own teeth will be set on edge."

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>What is the old and the new covenant? (31-34; Luke 22:20; and 2 Corinthians 3:3-6)

* Jeremiah 31:31-34 "The time is coming," declares the LORD, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. 32 It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them," declares the LORD. 33 "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time," declares the LORD. "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 34 No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest," declares the LORD. "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more."

* Luke 22:20 "In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you."

* Also in 1 Corinthians 11:25.

* 2 Corinthians 3:3-6 "You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant--not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."

* Verses 33 and 34 are quoted by Paul in Romans 11:26-27. See below for more.

* Isaiah 59:20-21, 27:9 also say this.

>10. How does the Lord ensure we understand he means what he says? (35-36)

* Jeremiah 31:35-36 "This is what the LORD says, he who appoints the sun to shine by day, who decrees the moon and stars to shine by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar-- the LORD Almighty is his name: 36 "Only if these decrees vanish from my sight," declares the LORD, "will the descendants of Israel ever cease to be a nation before me."

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>What does he promise all Israel? (37; Romans 11:25-32)

* Jeremiah 31:37 "This is what the LORD says: "Only if the heavens above can be measured and the foundations of the earth below be searched out will I reject all the descendants of Israel because of all they have done," declares the LORD."

* Romans 11:25-32 "I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins." As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies on your account; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable. Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God's mercy to you. For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all."

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>What does the Lord say about Jerusalem? (38-40)

* Jeremiah 31:38-40 "The days are coming," declares the LORD, "when this city will be rebuilt for me from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate. 39 The measuring line will stretch from there straight to the hill of Gareb and then turn to Goah. 40 The whole valley where dead bodies and ashes are thrown, and all the terraces out to the Kidron Valley on the east as far as the corner of the Horse Gate, will be holy to the LORD. The city will never again be uprooted or demolished."

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