Sunday School Lesson
Lesson:
Jeremiah 30:1-3,
18-22
Golden
Text:
“For, lo, the days come, saith the
Lord, that I will bring again the captivity of my people
Israel and Judah, saith the Lord: and I will cause them to return to the land that I
gave to their fathers, and they shall possess
it” (Jeremiah
30:3).
I.
INTRODUCTION.
In Jeremiah chapters 30 and 31,
the prophet spoke of hope and consolation as well as trouble and gloom.
In 721 B.C. the Northern Kingdom of Israel had
been taken into captivity by the Assyrians who were later conquered by the
Babylonians in 612 B.C. Eventually,
Jerusalem and the Southern Kingdom would fall to the Babylonians as well.
However, the people would one day be restored to their land, and God
would make a new covenant with them to replace the one they broke.
Our lesson this week reveals a glorious prophecy of Israel’s
future. As we will see, parts of this prophecy have been
fulfilled, and others will be fulfilled at the Second coming of
Christ.
II. A
PROMISE OF NATIONAL RESTORATION (Jeremiah
30:1-3).
As we study
the lessons from Jeremiah, we must remember that promises and
prophecies are made to Israel that are meant only for Israel. The
church may enjoy some of the benefits of those promises, but the complete
fulfillment of them will be in Israel. The promises and prophecies
meant for the church are mostly given in the New Testament, and likewise are
meant for the church and do not include Israel as a nation until a remnant is
saved.
A. A divine declaration (Jeremiah
30:1-2).
1. (vs. 1).
Our first verse says “The word
that came to Jeremiah from the Lord,
saying.” Jeremiah wanted the people of Judah to
know that the “word” or message he was
about to give to them “came to him (Jeremiah) from the
Lord.”
It was important for them to know that this
prophecy came from God because there were false prophets as well.
The proof that a prophet was true or false was whether the prophecy
actually came true (see Deuteronomy 18:21-22; Jeremiah 28:9). For
those who falsely claimed to speak for God the punishment was death (see
Deuteronomy 18:20). Note:
We cannot stress the importance of
only speaking what we know is God’s message. Anything else will be
judged by the Lord. There are false prophets today who claim to
speak for God but really don’t. As Jeremiah prophesied God’s
judgment upon the nation for her sins (see Jeremiah 3:6-11), false prophets
contradicted him, declaring that no harm would come to Judah giving them false
hope (see Jeremiah 5:31; 14:13-15; 23:25-34). Hananiah was one of
those false prophets who prophesied that the oppression of the Babylonians would
come to an end soon, and any prisoners and treasures they had already taken
would be returned to Judah in two years of the beginning of Zedekiah’s reign as
king (see Jeremiah 28:1-4). However, the Lord spoke to Jeremiah
revealing that everything Hananiah prophesied was false and even prophesied
Hananiah’s punishment for lying which would be death (see Jeremiah 28:1-4,
15-17). This led Jeremiah to tell the people that they should
prepare to be exiled in captivity for seventy years (see Jeremiah 29:1-10), but
he also gave the people hope for the future (see Jeremiah 29:11-14).
Jeremiah prophesied both hope and doom for Judah but each would take
place in God’s own time.
2. (vs. 2). This
verse says “Thus speaketh
the Lord God of Israel, saying, Write thee all the words that I
have spoken unto thee in a book.” In this verse, Jeremiah goes on to say what the word that came
to him was. The Lord God of Israel commanded Jeremiah to
“Write thee all the words that I have spoken unto thee in a book.”
Jeremiah was to write everything that God told him in a
book or scroll. Putting God’s message in writing would make it
permanent and available to both the Jews already in captivity as well as
preserving it for future generations.
B. A return to the land (Jeremiah
30:3). The message from God began with
“For, lo, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will bring again the captivity of my people
Israel and Judah, saith the Lord: and I will cause them to return to the land that I
gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.”
Of course, the phrase
“For, lo, the days come” refers to the time when God would
bring His people Israel and Judah back from captivity. Jeremiah
often used this expression to refer to a future time when prophecy would be
fulfilled (see Jeremiah 16:14; 23:5; 31:27, 31). Notice that this
promise is made to both “Israel and Judah.” At
this particular time the Northern Kingdom, called Israel, had been taken captive
by Assyria over a century earlier. Therefore, Jeremiah was
prophesying only to Judah, the Southern Kingdom. At this time
Judah was being oppressed by Babylon, but the exile to Babylon was not yet
complete. However, God promised that both nations would be freed
and He would “cause them to return to the land that I gave to their
fathers, and they shall possess it.” In other words, God
will bring His captive people back to the land that He gave to their forefathers
or ancestors (see Genesis 12:7; 13:15; 15:18). This will also be a
fulfillment of the promise God made to Israel under Moses (see Deuteronomy
30:1-10). Note: This prophecy was only partially fulfilled when the
Jews returned to Judah from Babylon to rebuild their temple and
Jerusalem. The Jews experienced another dispersion when the Romans
destroyed Jerusalem in 70 A.D.,
so a
final
return
is still future.
However,
that final restoration will be preceded by the tribulation period which will be
a time of terrible suffering (see Matthew 24:21-28; Jeremiah 30:4-7).
After the great tribulation, Israel will finally be restored at the
return of the Lord Jesus Christ as King under the Davidic Covenant (see II
Samuel 7:16; Jeremiah 30:8-11; Ezekiel 37:21-25; Luke
1:30-33).
III. A
PROMISE OF NATIONAL BLESSING (Jeremiah
30:18-22)
A. The city rebuilt
(Jeremiah 30:18).
This verse says “Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will bring again the captivity of Jacob's
tents, and have mercy on his dwellingplaces; and the city shall be builded upon
her own heap, and the palace shall remain after the manner
thereof.” Here the
Lord’s promise of restoration of Israel’s people and the city of Jerusalem
included three things. First, He said “I will bring again
the captivity of Jacob's tents, and have mercy on his dwellingplaces.”
The word “tents” here is a poetic way of
describing places of habitation (see II Chronicles 10:16; 31:2).
It’s the same thing as “dwellingplaces.”
Both terms “tents” and
“dwellingplaces” refer to the Jews’ former homes in Israel that
were now desolate because of the Captivity. The Lord said that He
would have “mercy” on their former homes meaning He would
restore them to His people once again. Second, God said that
“the city shall be builded upon her own heap.”
The word “city” here refers especially to
Jerusalem, but can also include any city that the returning exiles would
rebuild. The word “heap” refers to a large mound
or hill that covers the ruins of a town or city. The idea here is
that the Lord promised that Jerusalem would be rebuilt in the same place where
it originally was before being destroyed by the Babylonians.
Note: At the time Jeremiah wrote this, Jerusalem had not yet
been destroyed, but it soon would be. So the current inhabitants
of Jerusalem had much to think about. But even after her
destruction, Jerusalem would be rebuilt on its original site (see Ezra 1:2-4;
Nehemiah 2:5, 11; 11:1). This prophecy was not completely
fulfilled by the work of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Zerubbabel. Yes, the
city was rebuilt after the captivity, but the final restoration will happen when
all believers are gathered in Christ’s kingdom (see Jeremiah
31:38-40). Third, in restoring the city
God also promised that “the palace shall remain
after the manner thereof.” The word “palace”
indicates that a king will reign in the restored Jerusalem.
This has to be a reference to the future complete restoration
during the millennial reign of Christ (see Jeremiah 23:5-6), because
there were no Jewish kings in Jerusalem that was rebuilt under Nehemiah and
Ezra. The word “remain” can mean “be establish”
or “to stand.” The phrase “after the manner thereof”
means “in its proper place.” Therefore, the last phrase
of this verse “the palace shall remain after the manner
thereof” can be translated as “the palace will stand in its proper
place.”
B.
Social well-being restored (Jeremiah 30:19-20).
1.
(vs. 19). In this verse the prophecy continues saying,
“And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and
the voice of them that make merry: and I will multiply them, and they shall not
be few; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be
small.” The words
“out of them” refers
to the city and its buildings mentioned in the previous verse. Out
of the restored city of Jerusalem and other cities “shall proceed
thanksgiving and the voice of them that make merry.” The
future inhabitants of the dwellings and the palace will give thanks and be
merry. The Lord also promised to “multiply them, and they
shall not be few.” Once full restoration takes place, God
will multiply His people. The Lord had made a covenant with
Abraham to make his descendents as numerous as the stars and the sand on the
seashore (see Genesis 22:17). However, because Abraham’s
descendents failed to be obedient to God’s will, they were cursed with sickness,
death and invading armies causing their population to be small (see Deuteronomy
28:18, 62-63). In addition, God said “I will also glorify
them, and they shall not be small.” The word
“glorify” here means to “bring honor.” From the
moment that God called Israel to be His own and to be a special people (see
Exodus 19:5-6; Deuteronomy 7:6), He promised that if they obeyed Him, He would
bring them honor from other nations and make them the “head” and not the “tail”
and place them “above” and not “beneath” those nations (see Deuteronomy 28:1,
13). But they continued to disobey Him and became the “tail”
instead of the “head” (see Deuteronomy 28:43-44) being made servants to other
nations. But one day, God’s promise to Abraham will be fulfilled
and Israel’s population “shall not be small” and they will
finally be exalted or honored among the nations of the world (see Isaiah 45:14:
60:14: Zechariah 8:23).
2. (vs. 20). We must remember that even
though portions of Jeremiah’s prophecy may have been fulfilled with the exiles’
return from Babylon, the majority of it still awaits a future
fulfillment. This verse continues to say that in that future time
“Their children also shall be as aforetime, and their congregation shall
be established before me, and I will punish all that oppress them.”
The words “Their children” refers to the people
of the nation of Israel also identified as “Jacob” in Jeremiah 30:18.
The people of restored Israel will enjoy the same prosperity as those
under Solomon and David enjoyed. This is the meaning of
“shall be as aforetime.” The
“congregation” is also a reference to the people who will
occupy the restored nation. God said that He would
“establish” them meaning they will never again be moved.
This has to refer to the future millennium, because the Jews experienced
another dispersion by Rome in 70 A.D.
when Jerusalem was once again
destroyed. God also said that in that future day He will
“punish all that oppress them.” In other words,
God will one day punish everyone who mistreats His people, the Jews.
Note: By Jeremiah’s time Israel had been oppressed many times by many
nations. The Northern Kingdom of Israel had already been oppressed
by the Assyrians, and soon the Southern Kingdom of Judah would be oppressed by
the Babylonians, Persians and the Romans. Since Roman oppression,
the Jews have suffered repeated anti-Semitism around the world.
But the Lord will even stop current anti-Jewish sentiments.
He has already punished those nations who oppressed Israel in the past,
and He will do the same to Israel’s enemies in the last days (see Isaiah 49:26;
Ezekiel 38:14-23; Daniel 7:24-27). God will finally fulfill His
promise to Abraham that He would curse those who cursed him (see Genesis
12:3).
C.
Self-government renewed (Jeremiah 30:21).
This verse goes on to say “And their nobles shall be of themselves, and their
governor shall proceed from the midst of them; and I will cause him to draw
near, and he shall approach unto me: for who is this that engaged his heart to
approach unto me? saith the Lord.” Most scholars agree that the term “nobles”
should be singular and translated “leader.” This makes
sense since the other nouns and pronouns in this verse are singular referring to
one person. However, the plural may be correct and could refer to
the twelve apostles who will sit on twelve thrones in the millennium judging the
twelve Tribes of Israel (see Matthew 19:28; Luke 22:28-30). The
phrase “And their nobles shall be of themselves, and their
governor shall proceed from the midst of them” means that restored Israel will have a ruler from within the
nation. Finally, Israel will be ruled by one of their own and not
by foreign despots as in the past. We know that this refers to the
future restoration because even after the Jews returned from Babylonian
Captivity, Nehemiah stated that they were still under the control of foreign
rule (see Nehemiah 9:36-37). However, when Christ returns, that
will all change because He will be their Ruler (see Micah 5:2).
The phrase “I will cause him to draw near, and he shall
approach unto me” undoubtedly is a reference to the Messiah just as
“governor” is also. This phrase was often used to
describe the privilege the Old Testament priests had to approach God directly
without a mediator (see Exodus 19:22; Leviticus 21:17).
Note: Kings in Israel didn’t have this same privilege as the
priests and were punished by death if they acted in place of the priests in
approaching God (see II Chronicles 26:14-21). However, the
Messiah, Jesus Christ, like Melchizedec (see Genesis 14:18) will hold the office
of both king and priest (see Psalms 110:4). After His
resurrection, Jesus Christ entered into His priesthood (see Hebrews 5:6; 6:20)
and now is able to be a mediator between man and God as a result of His
sacrificial death (see Hebrews 7:24-28). He will enter the
fullness of His kingly reign when He returns to rule over all earthly
kingdoms. In the last phrase of this
verse, God asked the question “for who is this
that engaged his heart to approach unto me?” The
Amplified Bible translates this question like this: “for who would have the
boldness and would dare (on his own initiative) to approach Me?”
In Old Testament times, an ordinary person would be risking his life if
he approached God without a mediator or priest. However, God has
given His Son Jesus Christ the authority to “draw near” to Him
as a high priest.
D. Divine fellowship
enjoyed (Jeremiah 30:22). Our final
verse says “And ye shall be my people, and I
will be your God.” These were God’s words of comfort and
assurance. After hearing about the eminent captivity by Babylon,
the people needed encouragement and assurance. God had always
intended for Israel to be His people (see Leviticus 26:12; Hosea 2:23).
Israel has yet to fully live up to this relationship because of their
continued to sin. However, one day in the future, when Christ
returns as Priest-King, Israel will finally enjoy being God’s people and the
Lord being their God.
IV.
Conclusion. A
visionary is an individual who proclaims from his or her heart a message that
God will perform His will. This week’s lesson has taught us that
the Prophet Jeremiah, a true biblical visionary, faithfully proclaimed God’s
intentions for His people, Israel. God sent His word by Jeremiah,
His messenger, telling the people that after they had spent a long and difficult
seventy years in Babylon, He would restore them to their land. The
Lord fulfilled that promise, but complete restoration to the land of promise is
still future. It will see its fulfillment when the Priest-King,
Jesus Christ returns to set things right.
No comments:
Post a Comment