The Quick Turn Around of the Gospel

The Lord executes terrible judgment on Israel in Jeremiah's day. Jeremiah was the mouthpiece through which the doom was decreed. But time and again, we are reminded in Jeremiah that the Lord who judges and punishes the wicked is also the Lord who restores and saves those whom He loves. 

The last verses of Jeremiah 30 are this declaration of war from God:
Jeremiah 30:23–24 (ESV) Behold the storm of the LORD! Wrath has gone forth, a whirling tempest; it will burst upon the head of the wicked. 24 The fierce anger of the LORD will not turn back until he has executed and accomplished the intentions of his mind. In the latter days you will understand this.

And yet the first verses of Jeremiah 31 is an announcement of restoration!
Jeremiah 31:1–3 (ESV) “At that time, declares the LORD, I will be the God of all the clans of Israel, and they shall be my people.” 2 Thus says the LORD: “The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness; when Israel sought for rest, 3 the LORD appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.

Prophets foretold God's judgment but always followed it by proclaiming God's hope! Which is a good pattern for every Gospel preacher. As Luther taught, the Law destroys our self-righteousness so that we might abandon any hope of getting to heaven on our own goodness. But the Gospel resurrects our dead lives from such destruction to receive the righteousness of God that is by faith!

Israel should not exist after the exile. God miraculously brings them back and does so again and again. 
Jeremiah 31:5–6 (ESV) Again you shall plant vineyards on the mountains of Samaria; the planters shall plant and shall enjoy the fruit. 6 For there shall be a day when watchmen will call in the hill country of Ephraim: ‘Arise, and let us go up to Zion, to the LORD our God.’ ”

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Jeremiah 31:10–11 (ESV) “Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, and declare it in the coastlands far away; say, ‘He who scattered Israel will gather him, and will keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock.’ 11 For the LORD has ransomed Jacob and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him.

Later in this passage we find a key text in Matthew used regarding Herod's killing of the baby boys in Bethlehem when Jesus is born. 
Jeremiah 31:15 (ESV) Thus says the LORD: “A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.”

Matthew's use of this verse is appropriate. For Rachel died in childbirth. It would seem her efforts were in vain as the children of Israel were gathered in Ramah in prisons to be taken to Babylon. But the next verse again underscores the quick transformation from despair to hope. 

Jeremiah 31:16–17 (ESV) Thus says the LORD: “Keep your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears, for there is a reward for your work, declares the LORD, and they shall come back from the land of the enemy. 17 There is hope for your future, declares the LORD, and your children shall come back to their own country.

What we see in Jeremiah 31 is a picture for us. We may fail God and bear the consequences of our actions. Even if we are disconnected in unbelief, the truth of the Gospel is still available and powerful. It turns our fortunes around in an instant. What looked like tragedy in Bethlehem was prophecy coming to pass. The Lord was born, and God's work to save would be accomplished in spite of the troubles. We may see sorrow, but through Him, our everlasting joy awaits!

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