“For thus says the Lord, ‘After seventy years be accomplished at Babylon, I will visit you, and perform My good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.'” Jeremiah 29:10
Dear Ones:
God, through His servant Jeremiah, had spoken to Israel concerning the coming Babylonian captivity. Israel would be carried away captive to Babylon because of turning her back on God, embracing the gods of the surrounding nations, Baal, and Molech, forcing their “…sons and daughters to pass through the fire of Molech.” (Jer. 32:35) Nothing less than the deportation would break this cycle of unbelief and rebellion. God would declare through Jeremiah that the period of the deportation would be seventy years. It is after this declaration that God reveals something of His heart, and desire for His people.
The first thing that we see is that God does NOT forget His people, nor abandon them. They had brought the deportation upon themselves, and had become hardened to the point that only such an event could bring them to their senses, and they see again WHO was the true God. The second thing we see is that with the pronouncement of the judgement to come, there is the proclamation of hope. The Lord tells them that after seventy years, “I will visit you.” This means that He will actively move, work, and draw out their hearts again unto Him, performing what He has promised…to bring them back to the land of promise. He reassures them by declaring: “‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,’ saith the Lord, ‘…thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected, (or hope-filled) end.'” (29:11) He speaks to them of His call to them, with the promise that He will not only hear, but answer. The greatest promise of God at this time is that of finding Him again: “…you shall seek Me, and FIND Me…when you shall search for Me with all your heart.” (v.13) The heart of God in dealing with wayward Israel is revealed to us, in that He not only desires to meet Israel by blessing them in bringing them back to the land, but primarily, by revealing Himself to the individual seeking heart. This is why He reiterates, as Jesus would do so many years later, “…and I WILL be found of you.” (Matt. 7:8)
What are some of the specifics of this “blessing” of God upon a people who return to Him with all their hearts? The first is deliverance from fear: “Fear thou not.” Why? Christ’s call is to faith, not to fear. He continues by saying: “…I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and shall be at rest, and be quiet, and none shall make him afraid.” (30:10) His promise is one of peace, assurance, quietness of heart and mind, freedom from tyranny. He then speaks of restored health (30:17), healing not only of the body but primarily of the soul and spirit. Sin has caused many wounds, and has left visible “scars of remembrance.” God will address these, and many more. He will speak again to Israel concerning His love for her: “Yes, I have loved thee with an EVERLASTING love: therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee.” (31:3) He promises to lead them in answer to prayer, (31:9) make their souls like a “watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all.” (v.12) He speaks to them of turning “…their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow.” (v.13) Several times, the Lord will mention to them that He will “satiate,” or fill to the full their souls, satisfy their hearts: “‘…and My people shall be satisfied with My goodness,’ says the Lord.” (v.14) The greatest of all these blessing is spiritual, where He reveals Himself to the heart: “I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel…I will put My law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will BE their God, and they shall be My people.” (v.31,33)
Dear Father, Open our eyes to see Your gracious heart, and to trust You fully. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad