Jeremiah 24:4-7

2. The meaning of the good figs (Jeremiah 24:4-7)

TRANSLATION

(4) Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: As these good figs, thus will I regard as good the captives of Judah, whom I sent out from this place to the land of the Chaldeans. (6) And I will set My eye on them for good, and I will cause them to return unto this land; and I will build them up and not tear them down, and I will plant them and not pluck them up. (7) And I will give to them a heart to know Me, for I am the LORD. They shall be My people and I will be their God, for they shall return unto Me with all their heart.

COMMENTS

The good figs represent those who had been taken captive in 597 B.C. God is smiling upon those who have been carried away to Babylon. One might think just the opposite, that those who were allowed to remain in the homeland were God's favorites while those who were taken away were in His disfavor. But God saw in those captives who were in Babylon the nucleus of the New Israel. Perhaps the trip to far off Babylon had brought a change in the attitude of those Jews (cf. Jeremiah 24:7). While those who remained behind were still belligerent and rebellious the exiles were beginning to show signs of repentance. At any rate God regarded with more favor those who had been deported than those who had been left behind. Though far from home and loved ones, from the Holy Land and the Temple, yet they were not beyond the tender and loving watchcare of their God, As long as they were in captivity God's eye would be upon them. In His own good time He will bring them back to Canaan and will bless their efforts to rebuild their land (Jeremiah 24:6). This restoration will be possible because they shall get acquainted with God all over again. When they return to God with all their heart they shall be reinstated as the people of God and the Lord will give them a heart and mind to truly know Him (Jeremiah 24:7). Repentance precedes restoration. Only those who come to the Lord through faith, repentance and obedience are part of the people of God. The idea that the nation Israel, the biological descendants of Abraham, are still the people of God is an idea foreign to the prophets of the old Testament and the teachings of the New Testament as well. Salvation is by grace, not race. The fulfillment of the promises of restoration made here concerning the captives is recorded in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah.