The Lord Knows and Keeps His Own

In Jeremiah 24 the exile into Babylon has begun. The first wave of exiles has been taken. And God speaks to Jeremiah again.

Jeremiah 24:1–3 (ESV) After Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had taken into exile from Jerusalem Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, together with the officials of Judah, the craftsmen, and the metal workers, and had brought them to Babylon, the LORD showed me this vision: behold, two baskets of figs placed before the temple of the LORD. 2 One basket had very good figs, like first-ripe figs, but the other basket had very bad figs, so bad that they could not be eaten. 3 And the LORD said to me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” I said, “Figs, the good figs very good, and the bad figs very bad, so bad that they cannot be eaten.”

These figs are a picture for Jeremiah that God is going to distinguish between those who are good and those who are evil in Israel even through this judgment. 

Jeremiah 24:5–7 (ESV) “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Like these good figs, so I will regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I have sent away from this place to the land of the Chaldeans. 6 I will set my eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up, and not tear them down; I will plant them, and not pluck them up. 7 I will give them a heart to know that I am the LORD, and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart.

Now we know the names of those good figs. Daniel, Shadrach, Meschach and Abed-Nego. We could also put Joshua and Zechariah into that number. Perhaps even Mordecai, although he probably didn't return to Israel. 

For those who reject the Lord, they are treated as bad figs, tossed out and trampled. 

Jeremiah 24:8–9 (ESV) “But thus says the LORD: Like the bad figs that are so bad they cannot be eaten, so will I treat Zedekiah the king of Judah, his officials, the remnant of Jerusalem who remain in this land, and those who dwell in the land of Egypt. 9 I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a reproach, a byword, a taunt, and a curse in all the places where I shall drive them.

What you have to notice about this text is that even in judgment, God makes a distinction between those who are His and those who are not. We need not fear judgment to come upon the Earth, either in the present time or in tribulation, because God knows those who are His. 

Paul said as much to the first-century Pastor Timothy in Ephesus:

2 Timothy 2:19 (ESV) But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His.” 

No matter how dark the times may be. No matter the suffering that may come upon men, we can take comfort in the fact that God can and will preserve His own. When talking about the tribulation, Jesus even says the following:

Matthew 24:22 (ESV) And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.

God has His own always in His mind. He will purge nations, peoples, families and churches from time to time. I saw that happen during Covid. People who were truly not His did not stick around. Those who were His did. It's amazing to watch God guide us through the darkest moment in Israel's history. We read this passage and find the comfort that even in the chaos, He is still Lord.