To be God's people

We have reached Jeremiah 31. We will finish the reading of Jeremiah for the time being and start something new next week. Jeremiah 31 is an important chapter because a new covenant was prophesized (Jeremiah 31:31).  Jeremiah 31 begins with a theme repeated many times in Jeremiah.
At that time, says the LORD, I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people (Jeremiah 31:1).
This is what God had all along hoped for. Yet, this is going to be a sure failure. Though God had chosen a tiny nation to work with, Israelites proved to be a far more stiff-necked people than expected. God needs to love them and chasten them. When all the punishments have finished, God intended to rebuild His people.
Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her who is in travail, together; a great company, they shall return here.
With weeping they shall come, and with consolations I will lead them back, I will make them walk by brooks of water, in a straight path in which they shall not stumble; for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my first-born (Jeremiah 31:8-9).
Before they were exiled to Babylon, God had promised to restore them and to bring them back to Jerusalem, the holy city of God. With this assurance, the Jews should have no difficulty in receiving punishment from God.
Matthew quoted Jeremiah 31:15 (Jeremiah 38:15 LXX) to show that the massacre of the innocent children in Bethlehem was actually a fulfillment of prophecy (Matthew 2:18).
Thus says the LORD:
"A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping.
Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are not." (Jeremiah 31:15)
Matthew was guilty of quoting the passage out of context. Jeremiah did not intend to prophesized the massacre. Jeremiah was actually prophesizing the return of the exiles from Babylon.
Thus says the LORD: "Keep your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears; for your work shall be rewarded, says the LORD, and they shall come back from the land of the enemy.
There is hope for your future, says the LORD, and your children shall come back to their own country (Jeremiah 31:16-17).
Matthew's practice was disappointing indeed. He lifted the piece of text out of context in order to press his point: Jesus was the Messiah promised in the Old Testament. His birth was a threat to Herod the Great. This new born king had to be exterminated. It was ingenious of Matthew to quote this passage out of text. Yet, it would be misleading.
A most mysterious verse is found here in this chapter.
How long will you waver, O faithless daughter?
For the LORD has created a new thing on the earth:
a woman protects a man (Jeremiah 31:22)
A woman protects a man? What does it mean? Remember, it was a new thing created by the Lord on earth.
When we reach verse 31, we find the prophecy on a new covenant.
Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah (Jeremiah 31:31).
God swore by the heavenly bodies to demonstrate that He was really serious.
"If this fixed order departs from before me, says the LORD, then shall the descendants of Israel cease from being a nation before me for ever."
Thus says the LORD:
"If the heavens above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth below can be explored, then I will cast off all the descendants of Israel for all that they have done, says the LORD." (Jeremiah 31:36-37)
So, reading books of prophets is not an easy task. You cannot take them literally. Many of the texts are rhetorics. Beware, you don't know when he (and his God) would suddenly turn serious.

My dear Advocate, allow me to perform my filial duties properly. Amen.

Comment from Aviel_8:
Shalom Brother Alex,
I enjoyed reading your article, 'To Be God's People'... a commentary on Jeremiah 31.  You've indeed chosen a most interesting passage.  Moreover, your concluding admonition for the reader to take heed of the words of the prophets- for we never know when their words might be literal and not simply rhetorical- is well taken.

As a matter of fact, that's the reason that I writing you.  With all due respect, I have to disagree with two major points that you've stated in the article.  First, you said that Matthew was guilty of quoting Jer. 31:16-17 out of context.  On the surface, this would appear to be true; however, in reality, the Apostle Matthew was simply using one of four ancient and commonly used Hebraic literary traditions... i.e., Remez.  By "'Remez"', two seemingly distinct passages of Scripture can be linked allegorically by the association of a transcendant sprititual symbolism shared between the two.

In this instance, we have the mothers of Bethlehem (where Rachel's tomb is located) weeping for their slaughtered innocents... even as Rachel weeps for her lost children... the children of Joseph through Ephraim- who were taken by the Assyrians into captivity (721 B.C.) and never heard from again.  Rachel's weeping brings me to my second disagreement with you, brother Alex... i.e., that Jeremiah 31:16-17 is not prophesying the return of the Jewish exiles from Babylon.  Please take a closer look at the whole of Jeremiah 31.  It is an amazing prophecy that principally concerns the return of Rachel's children who were lost... i.e., not the Jews (the children of Leah); but rather, the children of Rachel- namely, Joseph/Ephraim.

Believe it or not, brother Alex, this prophecy is about you and me; and about all true believers in Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus Christ)... for the Prophecies can- as you have said- be very literal, indeed!  In order to understand my point better, may I suggest that you read an artice that I've written on this topic: 'Was Jeremiah Speaking of You?' 

I pray that it will be a blessing to you and your family.  Shalom, shalom to you from Florida, USA in the name of Yeshua our Messiah.

Aviel
September 18, 2008