Israel, after many years of wandering among all nations,
is to be finally purified in a season of tribulation such as the world has never known nor ever shall know thereafter.
The purposes of God’s wrath will all be fulfilled,
and then Israel shall be gloriously restored as a nation.
Jeremiah 1
1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
2 Thus speaketh the LORD God of Israel, saying, Write thee all the words that I have spoken unto thee in a book.
3 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.
4 ¶ And these are the words that the LORD spake concerning Israel and concerning Judah.
5 For thus saith the LORD; We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace.
6 Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness?
7 Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.
8 For it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst thy bonds, and strangers shall no more serve themselves of him:
9 But they shall serve the LORD their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them.
10 ¶ Therefore fear thou not, O my servant Jacob, saith the LORD; neither be dismayed, O Israel: for, lo, I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and shall be in rest, and be quiet, and none shall make him afraid.
11 For I am with thee, saith the LORD, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished.
12 For thus saith the LORD, Thy bruise is incurable, and thy wound is grievous.
13 There is none to plead thy cause, that thou mayest be bound up: thou hast no healing medicines.
14 All thy lovers have forgotten thee; they seek thee not; for I have wounded thee with the wound of an enemy, with the chastisement of a cruel one, for the multitude of thine iniquity; because thy sins were increased.
15 Why criest thou for thine affliction? thy sorrow is incurable for the multitude of thine iniquity: because thy sins were increased, I have done these things unto thee.
16 Therefore all they that devour thee shall be devoured; and all thine adversaries, every one of them, shall go into captivity; and they that spoil thee shall be a spoil, and all that prey upon thee will I give for a prey.
17 For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the LORD; because they called thee an Outcast, saying, This is Zion, whom no man seeketh after.
18 ¶ 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.
19 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.
20 Their children also shall be as aforetime, and their congregation shall be established before me, and I will punish all that oppress them.
21 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.
22 And ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.
23 Behold, the whirlwind of the LORD goeth forth with fury, a continuing whirlwind: it shall fall with pain upon the head of the wicked.
24 The fierce anger of the LORD shall not return, until he have done it, and until he have performed the intents of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it.
Jeremiah 1 – J. Vernon McGee
Jeremiah 30:11—Yet will I not make a full end of thee.
There is a great difference between the punishment of the ungodly and the chastisement of God’s children. In the former case there is destruction. The sirocco passes over the grass, and there is nought left but burnt and withered stubble. In the latter case there will be restoration and an aftermath.
Are you just now passing through a season of chastisement and pain? Take to heart these tender words: God will not make a full end of you. It may seem as though nothing will be left: the furnace is so hot; the stock is cut down so near to the ground. But God knows just how much you can bear, and will stay his hand. “Yet will I not make a full end of thee.”
He will correct us with judgment. There is need for Him to correct us; so much requires pruning away, and refining. But if He were not to exercise great judgment, the soul would fail before Him. This is why we are told that the Father is the Husbandman. To no other hand could He entrust this delicate and sacred work: and while his eye and hand are full of eagerness to accomplish his purpose, they always move at the dictate of his judgment. His hand is always on our pulse.
Chastening also anticipates a blessed restoration. This chapter has many tender gleams of hope in it. “I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the LORD… I will bring again the captivity of Jacob’s tents, and have mercy on his dwellingplaces” (Jeremiah 30:17-18). Look forward, poor suffering one! Beyond the dark clouds light is shining on the hills. When the discipline is over the Lord will take you to his care, wash your stripes, restore comforts to you, and give harvests of joy. —Our Daily Homily