Exploring the Scripture

Jeremiah was a prophet in the northern kingdom of Israel (sometimes referred to as Ephraim) during the time of the Babylonian conquest. The people who were taken to Babylon as captives despaired of ever returning to Israel. Jeremiah viewed the conquest as God’s punishment on the people for failing to obey God’s commandments. They had not helped those who were poor. They had ignored the most vulnerable people among them or had treated them unjustly. In many of the passages, he prophesied Jerusalem’s destruction and God’s vengeance on Judah, and on all nations that refused to turn to God.

For centuries, the people had believed that God gave them the land of Israel and Judah as part of their covenant with God. Their identity as a people was connected to the land. They also believed God was attached to the land. Thus, exile was doubly difficult. They were separated from their homeland and all they loved. They thought they no longer enjoyed God’s protection and care, which they believed was limited to the boundaries of the land God had given them. But destruction, oppression, and exile are not God’s last word. In chapters 30 to 32, Jeremiah’s words of hope are collected in a set of scripture passages that scholars call the Book of Consolation. Our scripture passage for today contains part of those consoling words. Today’s reading assures the people that God will bring Israelites from every nation and restore them to their homeland. There will be celebrating and thanksgiving.

Imagine the comfort they felt as they heard and thought about Jeremiah’s promises! God will lead them back to their land! God will care for them as a shepherd cares for the flock. God will watch over “the blind and the lame” and the pregnant (v. 8). The people of Israel will enjoy rich harvests and bountiful blessings, as if they lived in a cultivated garden, with plenty of water. What a great promise in a desert land! God will turn their mourning into dancing and their sorrow into gladness. Such is the future God has in mind for them.

Note the specific words of salvation in verse 11: ransomed and redeemed. Both of those words refer to the ancient practice of paying a fee to reclaim a possession or to free people who were sold into slavery because they could not pay their debts. Jeremiah uses these words to create an image of the Israelites as possessions belonging to the Babylonians. God will pay the fee to bring them home because he loves them like a father loves his firstborn child (v. 9).

As we read these verses today, the images of prosperity and homecoming bring promise and hope. Which of us has not lost our way, wandering from our true home in the heart of God? At times, we feel like exiles in a strange land. Even the most faithful have moments when God seems far off, anchored in a land of blessing and bounty that we left long ago. But the vision of hope is sure! There will be a homecoming and the land of faith and covenant will be restored. God’s strength and will are mightier than the forces of division. Whatever difficulties we face in our lives, like the ancient Israelites, we will rejoice in God’s goodness. We have a Divine Parent who cares for us and calls us beloved (see v. 3).

Faith Unfiltered Podcast

Hosts Karin Peter and Blake Smith consider how this week's scripture connects to our lives today.

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Central Ideas

1. God is with us wherever we are, even when we feel we have left God far behind us.
2. No matter how far we wander or how lost we feel, God will bring us home.
3. God loves us with an everlasting love that is beyond our understanding.
4. God’s future will restore everything and we will rejoice in the kingdom God prepares for us.

Questions to Consider

1. When have you felt like an exile in a strange land?
2. How has God repeatedly brought you home to faith, covenant, and forgiveness?
3. What can we do to join God in the act of restoration and renewal for those who are exiled around us.