©Bonnie LaBelle
Chapter 31:23-30 (ESV) - Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “Once more they shall use these words in the land of Judah and in its cities, when I restore their fortunes:
“‘The LORD bless you, O habitation of righteousness,
O holy hill!’
And Judah and all its cities shall dwell there together, and the farmers and those who wander with their flocks. For I will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish.”
At this I awoke and looked, and my sleep was pleasant to me.
“Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and the seed of beast. And it shall come to pass that as I have watched over them to pluck up and break down, to overthrow, destroy, and bring harm, so I will watch over them to build and to plant, declares the LORD. In those days they shall no longer say:
“‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes,
and the children's teeth are set on edge.’
But everyone shall die for his own iniquity. Each man who eats sour grapes, his teeth shall be set on edge.
Question to consider: What brought peaceful sleep to Jeremiah?
Even though the LORD had plucked up the people of Israel and of Judah, broken them down, destroyed their cities, and sent them off into exile so the land could enjoy its sabbath rest, this was not the end for God’s people. The LORD declared in Leviticus 26:44-45, “When they are in the land of their enemies, I will not spurn them, neither will I abhor them so as to destroy them utterly and break my covenant with them, for I am the LORD their God. But I will for their sake remember the covenant with their forefathers, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God: I am the LORD.” This remembrance would occur when “they confess[ed] their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers in their treachery that they committed against [YHWH], and also in walking contrary to [YHWH].” (Leviticus 26:40)
The judgment that came by way of Assyria and Babylon was a winnowing fork that separated the wheat from the chaff so that the remnant of God’s people would remain and turn back to Him. At that time, the LORD declared that He would watch over them to build and to plant, to replenish them and satisfy their weary souls. At this news, Jeremiah was able to sleep peacefully.
While this time of peace and replenishment was partially fulfilled when Babylon was overtaken by the Medes and the Persians, the truest sense of it was fulfilled in Christ. Jesus proclaimed, “All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:27-30)
We find this rest in Christ because He has done the work of keeping the Law so that our righteousness is not dependent on our own ability to keep it. He has also fulfilled the sacrificial system with His own perfect sacrifice so that we can receive His absolution when we confess our sins. He sustains us in the faith through the promises given to us in our baptism and in the receiving of Christ Himself in holy communion.
While the nation was once judged as a people, there will come a time when the LORD will judge an individual for his own iniquity, for we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. The sifting of Israelites during the exile was typological to life in the kingdom of Christ. Every circumstance serves to either bring people to the cross or push them away depending on whether they repent and turn to Jesus for their righteousness in the midst of it.
Dear heavenly Father, help us to rest peacefully in the knowledge that Christ Jesus is our righteousness. Thank You for adopting us as Your children for His sake, and for giving us Your Spirit to comfort us and to help us see our sin for what it is. Amen.