Chapter 31

Chapter 31 is a long chapter, and it has much to say.

We are still in the part of the book of Jeremiah where the prophet talks of the hope Judah can have for the future. Yesterday’s chapter focused on the redemption side of the equation - how God would bring Judah back from exile.

This chapter goes a little further. It is about how God will RESTORE to Judah what was there before their sin.

Verses 2- 6 talk about the new start that Judah would have. Check out the words that are used – the concept of virgin Israel, playing a tambourine. Now, this takes a little bit of explanation – the tambourine is an instrument mostly associated with young girls. Taken with the use of the word “Virgin”, we are talking about a real new beginning. I think Jeremiah is very careful in his use of this term. We all know that you can’t go back to being a virgin once innocence has been lost; but that is exactly what God promises to His people after the exile! God, after all, is the creator; and words like “can’t” just don’t apply to Him.

There is a Hebrew poetry concept called a “Chiasm”. In this, you have concepts “echoing” in a particular pattern – ABCBA. I think you would find that this passage in Jeremiah is part of a chiasm – just as the early part of Jeremiah refers to the tragedy of the exile on pregnant women, so this passage speaks of their restoration. And there are other examples in which the same sort of thing happens.

Verses 10 – 14 continue this theme, proclaiming God’s promise that this time he will not be letting go of His people. But then, verses 15 – 16 are a little shocking. They don’t seem to fit here, although they are very familiar to Christians – the passage Matthew quotes when he talks about the slaughter of the innocents at Bethlehem.

Why are these verses here? Because God is contrasting! He talks about how these terrible things have happened in the past – then it’s a matter of “BUT NOW . . .”.

There is much more in this chapter, but there was one more thing that I wanted to mention. Verses 33 and 34 talk about God’s new covenant. “They will be my people, and I will be their God.” Instead of giving the people the Law, this new covenant is in the blood of Christ. Rather than being a secondhand acquaintance of Judah, God is intending to connect with them directly to avoid the problems of hearsay.

So what can we get out of this? Tonight’s lesson is incredibly simple, yet complex. God wants you to be one of His, so simply LISTEN TO HIM. His message for tonight is easily understood – that God isn’t content just to bring His people back.

God wants to actually restore us back to what we were originally intended to be. He loves us just the way we are, but He loves us too much to leave us that way! We know ourselves to be sinners, and in need of Grace. The message of today’s chapter is simple – that no matter what you have done and where you are, God will take you back; but not only that. God will actually go all the way and make you better than you once were.


God doesn’t just REDEEM – He also RESTORES.