Jeremiah 31 (HCSB)
God’s Relationship with His People
1 “At that time”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they will be My people.”
2 This is what the Lord says:
They found favor in the wilderness—the people who survived the sword. When Israel went to find rest,
3 the Lord appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, I have continued to extend faithful love to you.
4 Again I will build you so that you will be rebuilt, Virgin Israel. You will take up your tambourines again and go out in joyful dancing.
5 You will plant vineyards again on the mountains of Samaria; the planters will plant and will enjoy the fruit.
6 For there will be a day when watchmen will call out in the hill country of Ephraim, “Get up, let’s go up to Zion, to Yahweh our God!”
God’s People Brought Home
7 For this is what the Lord says:
Sing with joy for Jacob; shout for the chief of the nations! Proclaim, praise, and say, “Lord, save Your people, the remnant of Israel!”
8 Watch! I am going to bring them from the northern land. I will gather them from remote regions of the earth—the blind and the lame will be with them, along with those who are pregnant and those about to give birth. They will return here as a great assembly!
9 They will come weeping, but I will bring them back with consolation. I will lead them to wadis filled with water by a smooth way where they will not stumble, for I am Israel’s Father, and Ephraim is My firstborn.
10 Nations, hear the word of the Lord, and tell it among the far off coastlands! Say: The One who scattered Israel will gather him. He will watch over him as a shepherd guards his flock,
11 for the Lord has ransomed Jacob and redeemed him from the power of one stronger than he.
12 They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion; they will be radiant with joy because of the Lord’s goodness, because of the grain, the new wine, the fresh oil, and because of the young of the flocks and herds. Their life will be like an irrigated garden, and they will no longer grow weak from hunger.
13 Then the young woman will rejoice with dancing, while young and old men rejoice together. I will turn their mourning into joy, give them consolation, and bring happiness out of grief.
14 I will refresh the priests with an abundance, and My people will be satisfied with My goodness.
This is the Lord’s declaration.
Lament Turned to Joy
15 This is what the Lord says:
A voice was heard in Ramah, a lament with bitter weeping—Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted for her children because they are no more.
16 This is what the Lord says:
Keep your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for the reward for your work will come—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
and your children will return from the enemy’s land.
17 There is hope for your future—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
and your children will return to their own territory.
18 I have heard Ephraim moaning, “You disciplined me, and I have been disciplined like an untrained calf. Restore me, and I will return, for you, Lord, are my God.
19 After I returned, I repented; After I was instructed, I struck my thigh in grief. I was ashamed and humiliated because I bore the disgrace of my youth.”
20 Isn’t Ephraim a precious son to Me, a delightful child? Whenever I speak against him, I certainly still think about him. Therefore, My inner being yearns for him; I will truly have compassion on him.
This is the Lord’s declaration.
Repentance and Restoration
21 Set up road markers for yourself; establish signposts! Keep the highway in mind, the way you have traveled. Return, Virgin Israel! Return to these cities of yours.
22 How long will you turn here and there, faithless daughter? For the Lord creates something new in the land—a female will shelter a man.
23 This is what the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “When I restore their fortunes, they will once again speak this word in the land of Judah and in its cities, ‘May the Lord bless you, righteous settlement, holy mountain.’ 24 Judah and all its cities will live in it together—also farmers and those who move with the flocks— 25 for I satisfy the thirsty person and feed all those who are weak.”
26 At this I awoke and looked around. My sleep had been most pleasant to me.
27 “The days are coming”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and the seed of beast. 28 Just as I watched over them to uproot and to tear them down, to demolish and to destroy, and to cause disaster, so will I be attentive to build and to plant them,” says the Lord. 29 “In those days, it will never again be said:
The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.
30 Rather, each will die for his own wrongdoing. Anyone who eats sour grapes—his own teeth will be set on edge.
The New Covenant
31 “Look, the days are coming”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. 32 This one will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant they broke even though I had married them”—the Lord’s declaration. 33 “Instead, this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days”—the Lord’s declaration. “I will put My teaching within them and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be My people. 34 No longer will one teach his neighbor or his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they will all know Me, from the least to the greatest of them”—this is the Lord’s declaration. “For I will forgive their wrongdoing and never again remember their sin.”
35 This is what the Lord says:
The One who gives the sun for light by day, the fixed order of moon and stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea and makes its waves roar—Yahweh of Hosts is His name:
36 If this fixed order departs from My presence—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
then also Israel’s descendants will cease to be a nation before Me forever.
37 This is what the Lord says:
If the heavens above can be measured and the foundations of the earth below explored, I will reject all of Israel’s descendants because of all they have done—
this is the Lord’s declaration.
38 “Look, the days are coming”—the Lord’s declaration—“when the city from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate will be rebuilt for the Lord. 39 A measuring line will once again stretch out straight to the hill of Gareb and then turn toward Goah. 40 The whole valley—the corpses, the ashes, and all the fields as far as the Kidron Valley to the corner of the Horse Gate to the east—will be holy to the Lord. It will never be uprooted or demolished again.”
PERSONAL JOURNAL:
SIN (verses 21-22): Why do I often struggle to remain on the path You have intended for me, Father? Throughout my life, but especially since coming to faith, I have found it easier and more of my default to go my own selfish ways and the ways of this world. Please forgive me for this, Father. Forgive me for often straying from the “highway” You have established for me. Forgive me for often “turning here and there” based on my own selfish desires instead of leaning on You to know where my turns should be. Help me to “set up road markers” and “establish signposts” on my journey in this life, Father, so that I have Your reminders established along the way to keep me on Your path for my life, Father.
PROMISE (verses 31, 34): You make us what I feel is the most important promise of them all in this Scripture, Father. You make us a promise and a foretelling of the New Covenant; the coming of Jesus as our New Covenant under You as our Lord and Savior. You promise us that on this day, all of our wrongdoings will be forgiven and that You will never again remember our sins. Thank You for such a bold and magnificent promise to us, Father. Thank You for understanding that our broken ways were not fully embracing or understanding the old covenant, so You decided to establish a new covenant for us to show Your grace, mercy, and love for us. Thank You so much for being the perfect Father to us, always embracing us in Your loving arms throughout this life, no matter how many mistakes we’ve made.
ATTITUDE (verse 14): Father, help me to truly embrace this verse. Help me to embrace an attitude of satisfaction with YOUR goodness. Help me embrace Your goodness through all things so that it is Your goodness that satisfies me and not the experiences of this world. Remind me daily that it is You that satisfies fully and that nothing else in this life can come close to the satisfaction that You can provide to us, Father. Thank You for always filling my “satisfaction cup” when I allow You to, Father. Remind me often of Your greatness, so that in those times that I do try to rebel or to do things on my own and in my own ways, I instead opt to allow Your goodness to satisfy me fully.
COMMAND (verse 21): You command us to set up “road markers” and to “establish signposts” for ourselves on the highway that You want us to travel. This is for my own benefit because I do require constant reminders in this life as I tend to stray quite often. Help me to establish these reminders throughout my life so that I no longer stray from the amazing path You have established for my life, Father. Although I do not know where that path will take me, I do know that Your plans for my life are ALWAYS better than the corruption and brokenness that I tend to lean towards when I stray off Your path. Thank You for always giving me a way back to Your path for my life, Father. Thank You for helping to remind me that Your way for my life is FAR better than anything I could fathom doing on my own or based on the world’s perspective.
EXAMPLE (verses 18-19): These two verses are so powerful to me because I feel they are speaking about me personally. For a long time, I have been stuck in the shame, disgrace, guilt, and humiliation of things I have done or that have been done to me in my past. You tell us to come to You with these things, so that You can restore us. You tell us to return to You and repent no matter the shame, guilt, disgrace, or humiliation from our past because You are the ultimate redeemer, the perfect restorer. Thank You for giving me hope when I felt so lost, Father. Thank You for always giving me a way back to You and a way to heal from the experiences of this life. You are my God and I am so grateful for all of the good discipline, counsel, and instruction You have given to me with Your open arms of mercy, grace, love, and comfort.
*DAILY NOTE: This was a long chapter for me to read today. I thought about splitting it into two journals due to its length, but You kept drawing me in, Father. Thank You for such an amazing lesson today and for pushing me to read the entire chapter multiple times before journaling. I know I often struggle with distractions, stubbornness, shame, and guilt, but You always find a way to still speak to me through all of my faults; through all of the barriers I tend to put up in my own life that are not helpful to my relationship with You. Thank You for remaining faithful to me, Father, no matter how often I stray or get stuck in the “woe is me” mentality from the things of my past. Thank You for providing me with most loving hug of comfort, grace, and forgiveness I’ve ever had in my life. You are my perfect Father and I need to remember that I should never try to do anything in this life alone. I need to remember that You are always there for me no matter what this life, this world, or even my own mistakes bring to me.
*GENERAL NOTE: I always "sandwich" my quiet time with God in prayer and do it in a location that I will not have any distractions so that I can be focused on my quiet time with God. Do not worry about how short or long your journal entries are for that day's quiet time. Just focus on the actual quiet time and relational conversation with God through the Holy Spirit and His Word. The journaling is an enhancement to your quiet time conversation with God, but also to allow you to reflect on things later as you can look back on your journal entries later when you do the chapters again in the future to see how you have grown. See the FAQ for more detail on how I do my quiet time.
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