Today, I am reading and commenting on  Jeremiah 31-32.

Jeremiah predicted the downfall of the Kingdom of Judah, its complete destruction.  However, he also prophesied that Israel, not just Judah, but the entire nation of Israel, would be restored.  From time to time people talk about the “Ten Lost Tribes of Israel”, but the fact is that they were not lost.  This prophecy makes clear that there will always be descendants of all of Jacob’s sons (although I believe we would have trouble distinguishing among them today).  Further, a careful reading of the Bible reveals that they were never lost.  First, it tells us that some of those from the supposedly lost tribes moved into the Kingdom of Judah at several points after the division into two kingdoms.  In addition, there are mentions of those from those tribes who returned after the fall of Babylon.  Another point which I think this prophecy also makes clear is that while the modern nation of Israel may fall, it will be restored yet again (if Christ’s Return is delayed that long).

I have often been struck by the fact that many of Jeremiah’s enemies tried to smear him as a traitor.  They interpreted his prophesies about the fall of Jerusalem to mean that he favored the Babylonians, perhaps had even sold out to them.  Every time I read today’s passage I am struck by the fact that God instructed Jeremiah to buy land.  God was telling Jeremiah to put his money where his mouth was.  Jeremiah had been prophesying for some time that, while in the short term Jerusalem and the nation of Judah/Israel would be destroyed, in the long term the people of Israel would prosper in the land.  Which brings up a very important point about those who predict the future: do they spend their money in a manner which is consistent with what they claim to believe about the future?

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.