Jeremiah 31 and for the sake of time we'll just read the first three verses. It says at the same time said the Lord will I be the God of all the families of Israel and they shall be my people thus said the Lord. The people which were left of the sword found grace in the wilderness even Israel when I went to cause him to rest. The Lord appeared of old unto me saying yea I have loved thee with an everlasting love. Therefore, with loving kindness have I drawn thee. Lord, again, we thank you this morning that we come before you, Lord. And we thank you for this past week. And we pray again that you bless our study this morning as we go through the book of Jeremiah, Lord, and also be with Alex that teaches the younger children, Lord, that you would bless our assembly this morning. Lord, what a precious text ahead of us in Jeremiah 31, where we have the blessed new covenant that is set forth so clearly in the New Testament. And so God, help us to have understanding regarding the things set forth in this precious chapter. And thus we ask it in your blessed and holy name. Amen. And amen. And of course, you have the outline. I just basically called this chapter the covenant, the covenant because that's how it concludes. God giving them that hope, that expectation after being taken into captivity and they've been enslaved. You think of all the things that can happen while you're enslaved, taken captive by another country. There could be famine in the land, death. Many men we already know died by the sword. Fathers, brothers, children, And it's been pretty rough, the gloom and doom that Jeremiah had been preaching. But now again, there is the aspect of that consolation. And now God blesses them with a glorious covenant. But again, in verse one through nine, we will look at God's devotion or God's dedication to the people. It says, at the same time, said the Lord, which I believe have reference to the prior verse, 24 of the end of chapter 30, which is the fears of the Lord, excuse me, the fears, anger of the Lord shall not return until he had done it. And until he had performed the intents of his heart in the latter days, he shall consider it at the same time, which I think it's speaking of the latter days, said the Lord, will I be the God of all the families of Israel and they shall be my people. Again, what hope and promise that is being made to Israel Again, God had chosen that Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians would be the agent of his judgment upon the people of Judah to bring him into captivity. Again, at about this time, I think the armies of Babylon had already been besieging Jerusalem for about 18 months or so. So there's been a lot of fighting. The city is just days away from totally collapsing, as you would read there in the end of 2 Chronicles 36. But in the midst of this, remember these Jeremiah 30 to 33 are consolation chapters to encourage the people, to remind them. Because they've already been told, you're going to go into captivity for 70 years. And at the end of the 70 years, you will be restored to your land. And so here, again, it says, at the same time, said the Lord, will I be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be. my people, which I believe by that he means the aspect of all 12 tribes, both the northern kingdom and the southern kingdom, that they would be restored, not only from the areas of Babylon, but perhaps even the areas of Syria, where they had been taken to captives hundreds of years earlier. And so God is about to bless the people tremendously. Again, as the city is about to collapse, Many people died, as we said, through starvation, disease, even lawless act of rioters and things like that. And as the city's being surrounded, there's that aspect that there's no hope. But God in mercy steps forth and put these words in the hearts of Jeremiah to comfort the people, to remind them that in the future they will return. And there was that promise. reconciliation back to God. Remember, God already had brought judgment upon them. He said he would not relent. And he clearly established that it was because they had broken his covenant. And he brought this awful judgment upon them, which they deserve. But now he promises to reconcile with the people again, bring them back at the end of the 70 years that they will be returned to the land. Again, it says, at the same time, saith the Lord, will I be the God of all the families of Israel, Judah and Israel, and they shall be my people. And again, the last phrase you should know by now is what is known as covenantal language. And it says, thus saith the Lord, the people which were left of the sword found grace in the wilderness. Even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest, Again, God will bless his people with rest. He will bestow them mercy. It's no different than us and our sins. We all, when you really think about it, deserve the awful punishment of hell. But God, in mercy, acts in our behalf. And so God, in mercy, tells them that he is going to spare them. He's going to bring them back safely. They will return back to the land, his back sliding people, he will return them unto himself at the end of the 70 years. And so God in great mercy is going to bring all the exiles who survived the captivity and he was going to bring them back to the promised land. Now, there could be reference here that is using the analogy of the exodus of the people when they left Egypt. And I think there is some application to that when it says the people that were left of the sword found grace in the wilderness. Perhaps speaking of the sword of Pharaoh, as they were delivered, as they were taken care of by God, God sustained them even through those 40 years in the wilderness. And many died, but yet what happened at the end? They did make it to the promised land. And it's as though God is saying, And I say this carefully, that there's going to be like a second exodus. At the end of the 70 years, the people will come back to their land. The people that were left with the sword found grace in the wilderness. In other words, he's telling them, you will find grace also at the end of the 70 years. Even Israel, when I caused them to rest and was the main purpose of entering the land of Canaan, they could rest now. Yes, they had their battles. They had to fight and things like that. But at least they were in the promised land. And there's no doubt. The same thing that is set forth here, that when they return back after the 70th captivity, which we've seen many times Haggai and Ezra and Nehemiah, there was rest, there was peace, there was joy, security, assurance, as well, perhaps, as the aspect of satisfaction and great joy in the fulfillment of what God had promised to do to them. In verse 3, we have one of those precious verses that always stand out to us. And it says, the Lord appeared of old unto me, saying, I have loved thee with an everlasting love. Just manifesting the sovereignty of a great God that, speaking that even long before Jeremiah was born, he was already loved by God. God's love is not something that just happens at the spur of the moment. God's love for his people is an everlasting love. And God's not the one that changes. Because there's understanding that when we're lost, we're under the wrath and hatred of God. And so God's going to change from that and not going to love us? No. God doesn't change. We change. We're moved from that area of condemnation and judgment and the wrath of God. And he takes us from the power of the kingdom Satan and what he translates into the kingdom of his son, where we find ourselves now under the great love of God. And what great joy when you think about it, that God would love such a sinful people. And again, this is the whole purpose why Christ came, but to understand that this love of God is pure, it's everlasting. And if he left us before the foundation of the world, he will love us after time shall be no more. What a blessing. I have appeared of old unto thee, saying, yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love. And therefore, with loving kindness have I drawn thee. And of course, in our theological terms, we would call that effectual grace, the great mercy and compassion of God of drawing a sinner unto him. He shall make him willing in the day of his power. And God does that powerfully. And so Jeremiah claims here the great love of God to his soul, And of course, apply to the people again as they're being returned. And then in verse four, there is that aspect again of hope, of great hope. Again, I love that. They mean God is going to speak to them again. In other words, the people will one day again sing and joy and perhaps even dance in the streets when they return back to the land. He says, again, I will build thee, and thou shalt be built. And I love what he calls Israel here. Remember, you got Judah and Israel together. Though he speaks to Israel first, and then later on we'll see he speaks to Judah also. But the whole aspect is bringing together both kingdoms, the northern and the southern kingdom. But I love what They're called, oh, virgin of Israel. And I think that word, again, identifies this people, again, restored back to God, reconciled back to God, calls them a virgin people. Again, a bit reminding these people were so rebellious. They would not hearken to the voices of the prophet. They broke God's covenant, an awful idolatry. Even someone offering their children in the fire. Yet now God has promised to restore him again, bring his grace and mercy upon his people. And what a blessing, you know, when you think about it. Aren't you thankful that God is not like man? Sometimes we act in our anger and say and do things that we regret later. But that God is what? A long-suffering God, a patient God. And in his mercy, Here he says, again, but yet calls them, what, a virgin people. I love that. In other words, a pure people. Thou shalt again be adorned with thy tablets, and shalt go forth in the dances of them that make merry. And so there's going to be great joy. There's going to be dancing, singing, merry in the land when they're restored. the hope that they needed. Not only that, but in verse 5 it speaks about that, Thou shalt yet plant vines upon the mountains of Samaria, the planters shall plant and shall eat them as common things. In other words, the people will then be able to plant their own food again, enjoy the fruit of their own labor without fear of attack from other countries coming against them, with fear of attack from any enemy. as they are returned to their land. And I believe part of this also is applied when they were in the land that God was going to protect them. Remember last week we spoke about that aspect of double jeopardy. There's not going to be any double jeopardy here. God has sent them into captivity. He has chastised them. He has judged them. And so now he is going to encourage them. And so again, remember these are consolation chapters to encourage the people. And I can't even imagine what it feels to fall under the captivity of another nation. We can go back just less than 100 years ago in World War II. Can you imagine how many countries fell to German, to Nazi Germany under Hitler? And we know the horror stories of the Holocaust. And it was just not just Jews that were put to death. Many were put to death. Millions under the captivity of a wicked ruler I don't know what that means, but God has blessed us in this country. I hope that never happens in America. So it's hard to sometimes enter into things like this, or what it means to have a king over us. We don't know that, because we hope that a democracy. But nonetheless, the whole aspect is that God will bless them tremendously in such a manner that they'll have that liberty, they have that joy, that freedom, that security, that assurance, that they can even plant their own fruit their own vines, and they shall eat them as common things. It says, at verse 6, for there shall be a day that the watchman upon the Mount Ephraim shall cry, Arise, let us go to Zion, sayeth the Lord our God. And so the Lord would be gracious to them. There'll be a watchman upon Mount Ephraim. And we'll cry and tell the people to arise and to go eat, as it were, in Zion, the Zion of our God. I can't remember the last time the Lord spoke with them as being his Zion in the book of Jeremiah. But again, they're reminded that the Lord will see in a few minutes that the Lord will accept their weeping, will accept their repentance, will accept those things. that they brought before the Lord as they returned to their homeland. And the whole ethic, again, is that God would be a father to them, to watch over them again. And then in verse 8 it says, Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the coast of the earth, and with them the blind, the lame, the woman with child in her traveled, and heard the traveled, which shall together a great company shall return dither. And again, just an encouragement that whether it be the blind, the lame, the women that are travailing in labor, those that are expecting, those that are about to give birth, they will join in this great multitude who are returning to the promised land. And of course, they'll be included in everything that he's already said, in the eating of their own vines, and the fruit, and the rejoicing, and the dancing, and the joy, and assurance, and security, that they'll be blessed tremendously of what God has done. And there it is at verse 9. And they shall come with weeping and with supplication. Will I lead them? And I will cause them to walk by the rivers of water in a straight way, wherein they shall stomp They should not stumble, for I am a father to Israel. Ephraim is my firstborn." And so again, the Lord will receive their weeping, which I believe is a type of their repentance. And what follows after weeping and repentance? We come with our prayers to God, with our supplications to call upon God. And then the Lord says that he will cause them to walk by the rivers of water in a straight way. Remember there? Was it Psalm 132, I think it is? I can't remember. Were they told to sing by the rivers of Babylon? And in other words, the Babylonians were mocking them. And they said they couldn't sing. They were so depressed, so discouraged, so despondent. But now here, they're told that they can by the rivers of the water. They can sing. They can walk in such a way. They can walk in a straight way, because God has forgiven them And I love that they will not stumble. That's the whole aspect, walking in that narrow path for God, walking in a way that will please God. And then he reminds him again, for I am a father to Israel. He has not cast out his people, but he again will regather them and bless them tremendously. And Ephraim is my firstborn. And he takes him all the way back even to the times of Joseph Remember, it says, Joseph, it says, Ephraim is my firstborn. And so in the first nine verses, we see God's devotion in giving of himself to the people, and great forgiveness, and strengthening them, and encouraging them. Or we can just be so thankful that when you apply this spiritually of what God has done for us after he saves our soul. We think of what we were, but what we are now in Christ. blessings that we have, the tremendous blessings, you know, as we're told there in various, you know, and sometimes I think we lose that and forget that, but we maintain before us those blessings that we have received of God. Or as the hymn writer would say, count your many blessings, count them one by one. And when you start a list and go all the way down and just go, wow, I love that verse within Psalm 103, that God has not dealt with us regarding with our sins. He has forgiven us. And it's the same thing with the people here. It was an awful chastisement, but there's no double jeopardy at play. There is full forgiveness. God bringing the people back from captivity. And God's devotion, God's dedication to the people, however we want to call them, but God blessed them tremendously. verses 10 to 14 we have God's delight. God's delight. It says, Hear the word of the Lord, O ye nations, declare it in the isles of Pharaoh, and say, He that scattereth Israel will gather, and keep him as a shepherd doth his flock. For the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he. Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the Lord, for weed, for wine, for oil, for the young of the flock and the herd. And their soul shall be as a watered garden, and they shall not sorrow any more at all. Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both young man and old together, for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice for their sorrows, and I would satiate the soul of the priest with fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, saith the Lord." What glorious words of God. Again, God delights in mercy. God delights in extending His mercy. And after forgiving the people, restoring them, blessing them in abundance, now reminds them again who He is and that He's the one that had done this. God's the one. Yes, he's the one that took him into the land because of their judgment, but God in great mercy was the same one that brought him back out. He could have left him there, but God in mercy brought him back. And what a joy to think that God will watch over his people like a shepherd. What a blessing. Of course, what an application of those who are, again, saving the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. And what shall we say about John chapter 10? It speaks about that great shepherd, how the shepherd gave his life for the sheep. And so here he uses that concept of a shepherd watching over his sheep, protecting them, taking care of them, watching over them. And so what great delight did God have over his people after such awful rebellion, chastisement, But now they're brought back in, and he's going to watch over his people like a shepherd. Again, throughout their history, yes, the Lord had to discipline them, scattered Israelite throughout the nations of the world because of their sins. But at the end of the 70 years, he promises what? That he will gather them back into the promised land and watch over them as a shepherd. as a shepherd watches over his flock. What? To protect them. And tender leads him along to guide, provide for his people. And so what a blessing. He will protect them as a shepherd does his flock. And the idea, again, is the aspect of redemption the Lord has redeemed Jacob. God promises to bless the remnant in abundance by providing for their every need, as we see there in verses 12. to 14, God would shower them with blessings that they would have all the necessities of life. And I don't think the Lord would hold any material blessings from them to encourage them along the way. Again, the Lord will supply an abundance of crops and food, which he mentioned there, wheat and oil and wine and meat the flock from the herd. The Lord will also, what, promise to erase the sorrow, because everything that had transpired, and no doubt that probably every single family lost some family members in this awful tragedy and captivity. The Lord will cause them to celebrate, bring them from mourning to joy, that they might be comforted. Men and women, old and young, will dance be filled with that spirit of joy. In other words, the people will no longer be gripped with sorrow and condemnation, not knowing what the next day will bring. And so what a joy when you think about it. And not only the common people, but even the priests. And no doubt, I'm sure at various times and points, the priests were neglected by the people. But not even the priests. will be blessed by the Lord. They'll be blessed with His goodness, so much so that it says that they shall be satisfied. And then in verses 15 through 17 we have a grieving declared. It says, Thus saith the Lord, a voice was heard in Ramah, a lamentation and bitter weeping, Rahel or Rachel, weeping for her children, refused to be comforted for her children because they were not. Thus said the Lord, refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears, for thy word shall be rewarded, said the Lord. And they shall come again from the land of the enemy, and there is hope in thine end, said the Lord. that thy children shall come again to their own border. The end result of all this is that no matter how tragic it was, no matter how much weeping and mourning and brokenness, at the end, there is hope. There is hope. Amazing that a voice was heard in Rama. where the city of Ramah was given to Benjamin. If you recall when Rachel was dying, she named her last son, Benomi, which means son of my sorrow. Remember there for a while, she couldn't have children and she envied the others. But the Lord finally gave her children that speak of the 12 tribes of Israel. And so she's dying as they're traveling. And as she's dying, she names her son Ben-Omi, son of sorrow. But Jacob names him what? Benjamin, son of my strong right hand. And so the idea is, as they're traveling from, it seems, from Bethlehem to Jerusalem, that there was no doubt great tragedy, lamenting bitterly for the loss of her children. And it's that last phrase that just grips the heart because they were not. In other words, some children were not spared. Some died an awful death. And amazing that I don't know this much controversy over this. And again, it's one of those verses that I'll let you be your own interpreter of this. But you should know by now that this is a verse that Matthew uses in the Gospels. Turn to Matthew chapter 2. I won't spend much time here because I need to hurry on. But we know that the wise men came and they told Herod There was a king to be born. And so Herod told them to come back to him when they were done. But we know the wise men left the other way. And in Matthew 2, verse 16, it says, then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth and sent him forth and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem. And in all the codes thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men, then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy, or Jeremiah the prophet, saying, In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not." Wow. Again, I can't even imagine that happening. And I said that not only for myself or to any of us, that somebody would come and take our young children, two years and younger, and just put them to death brutally, without any mercy, just because the king, Herod's afraid that there's another king in town that might overthrow him. Talk about such greed and wickedness. But nonetheless, it happened. Back to Jeremiah. There's also a sense that this is also used as a figurative language in the sense, let me explain that, poetic. The idea of Rachel coming out of the grave and weeping for the children, mourning for them, and watching over them as others couldn't. And that's what I mean. Part of the implication is figurative and poetic, not that Rachel will literally come out. OK? But this is also applied, as we saw there in Matthew 2, which is so sad. But as we come back, notice what the Lord tells them. Even though it was a very, very harsh time, and I can't even imagine what it means to lose my child in such a manner. And those that lost children during the time of Jeremiah, of course, could have been to starvation, sickness, disease, or even put to death by the soldiers of Nebuchadnezzar. Nonetheless, it was a great time of sorrow, great tragedy, great mourning, great weeping, great crying, so much that they could not be comforted in any form, shape, or manner. But notice what they're told. at verse 16. Thus said the Lord, refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears, for the work shall be rewarded, said the Lord. They shall come again from the land of the enemy. There is hope in the end, said the Lord, and thy children shall come again to their own border. In other words, the Lord is telling them there's a point that you need to stop weeping and mourning. He's not telling them that they can't do that, okay? Because that's just a common reaction of when a parent loses a child. But to continue, just continue to be in that state. That's what he's telling them. You can't be in that state forever. Not only does it affect you psychologically, but it affects you spiritually. And to look to the Lord for that comfort, to look for the Lord. What I would gather here that they shall come again, that perhaps the Lord will give them more children, bless them, if they're taken away from the land of the enemy. And the whole essence is in verse 17, that at the end of the day, there is hope, sayeth the Lord, that thy children shall come again to their own border. And to the problem of the adults that would be born in those 70 years, captivity would be brought to the promised land again. And so those are such sad verses that it just no doubt breaks the heart of that awful tragedy that happened not only here in Jeremiah's time, but even when the Lord Jesus Christ was born and so much lamentation and mourning. Look what it said in Raymond, lamentation and bitter weeping, refusing to be comforted for her children. And that's so hard. As I say, I don't know what it feels like to lose a young one like that. But the Lord reminds them that they have to move on, continue, recover, and that at some point, the Lord will bless them tremendously. And so no doubt, there was grieving declared in verses 15 to 17. And then in verses 18 to 26, we see grace displayed. Because now he says in verse 18, I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself. Thus, thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke. Thou turn me, and I shall be turned, for thou art the Lord my God. Surely, after I was turned, I repented, and after I was instructed, I smote my thigh. I was ashamed, yea, even. confounded because I did bear reproach of my youth. This is the end result of true biblical repentance. How often do we say you cannot experience the consolation of the Lord until you first experience his condemnation. And they were brought to repentance. And this repentance was a godly repentance, not a fleshly repentance, but a were worldly repentance, but a godly repentance, that their hearts were turned to the Lord. Or as we can say, the Judah of Israel finally solved the wickedness of their sin, finally solved the wickedness of the breaking of their covenant before God. And the Lord smote them hard, but it did bring them to repentance. Again, in verse 20, it says, is Ephraim my dear son? Is he a pleasant child? For since I spake against him, I do earnestly remember him still. Therefore, my bowels are troubled for him. I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the Lord. And again, God just bestowing his great mercy. Now he tells them to set up their way marks, make thee high heaped, set thine heart for the highways, even the way which thou wentest. Turn again, memory. A second time, he calls them what? A virgin of Israel, a pure people. Turn again into these cities. He asks a series of questions. How long would thou go about, O thou backsliding daughter? For the Lord hath created a new thing in the earth. A woman shall come past a man. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel. As yet, they shall use this speech in the land of Judah and in the cities thereof, when I shall bring them their captivity. The Lord bless thee, O inhabitants of justice and mountains and holiness. And there shall dwell in Judah itself, and all the cities thereof, together husband-men, and they shall go forth with their flock, for I have satiated the weary soul, I have replenished every sorrowful soul." In other words, the Lord was going to bestow His blessings, His mercies, His grace upon all these people that they would all experience this as they go to the promised land. So again, they can do what? Singing and rejoicing and dancing because of the great work that God had done. And then in verse 26, Jeremiah says, upon this I awake, and beheld, and my sleep was sweet unto me." Now again, the argument is, what did God give him in his sleep? Does it begin in chapter 30 all the way till 31, 25? We don't know. We don't even know if all this was given to him in a dream or God spoke to him. I take it more that the Lord spoke to him because in various places it says that the word of the Lord came to him. But nonetheless, regardless, Jeremiah woke up, and he beheld, and when he saw things as they were, he said, boy, my sleep was sweet unto me. How often can we say that when we wake up, huh? Sometimes we go through difficult times and struggle and wonder what's going to happen tomorrow, but there's nothing more comforting than to wake up in the morning and say, my sleep was sweet unto me. And God tremendously Bless Jeremiah. And then just quickly, the last two verses, and we'll be done here, in verses 27 to 30, where guilt is declared by the people, that to me, again, shows the aspect of their true repentance before God. He says, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and the seed of the beast, and it shall come to pass that As I have watched over them to pluck up, to break down, to throw down, to destroy, to afflict, so will I watch over them to build and to plant, saith the Lord. In those days they shall say no more. The fathers have eaten the sour grape, and the children's teeth are on edge. But every one shall die for his own iniquity. Every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on age." In other words, there will no longer be putting blame on their fathers. Our forefathers, our fathers, you know, they did this, they did that. That's why we went into captivity. Or the parent blaming their children. It was their children that, you know, went into idolatry and did all these things. No longer are they pointing fingers at everybody else. Now they're pointing fingers in their own hearts. I'm the one. I'm the one that sinned against you, Lord. Remember David there in Psalm 51? Against thee and only thee have I sinned. And this is the idea here that with true repentance, a true work of grace, no longer putting blame on our parents, our environment, or I get so perturbed especially with Christians. They want to blame, you know, in the area that they live, in the city. They want to blame their parents. They want to blame the school. They want to blame everybody else but themselves. No. It's your own sins, your own heart. No, it doesn't mean that others might have caused pain and sorrow and done things to us that are, you know, bad. But those are not excuses to justify ourselves and blame others. No. And they finally got to that point and no longer are they blaming anybody else but themselves. And therefore, again, guilt was declared by these people and they confessed it. As a matter of fact, Jeremiah quotes from Jeremiah chapter 1. Remember the first message that God gave Jeremiah when he told him in verse 10, Jeremiah 1.10, See I have set thee this day over the nations, over the kingdom, to root out, to pull down, to destroy, to throw down, to build, and to plant. This is the fulfillment of it. God had just done that. And through this, we see the people repenting, now having their hearts right with God. And so now God is going to bless them tremendously. And again, that which follows soon, that we'll look at next week, is the blessed covenant of our great God to the people, the new covenant established to the people. Let's pray. Glorious God and Heavenly Father, we thank you again for your mercies and goodness. And thank you, Lord, for the God that you are. You are a forgiving God. You are a merciful God. You are a long-suffering God. You are a God that forgives, establishes our ways, and then work in our lives that we might honor and glorify thee, Lord. And so, God, let us seek to walk in the path of righteousness for thy namesake, to know that we have a heavenly shepherd that watches over us. And so, God, bless thy word this morning, for we ask this in your blessed and holy name. Amen. Let's take a short break, everybody.