February 28th, 2015
Today’s reading from Encounter with God

Hope for the Prodigal

Please see the links to our EXTRA Bible Study notes at the bottom of the page.

Opening Prayer

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: God in three Persons, blessed Trinity, in You I find my hope.

Read Jeremiah 30:1-24

[1] This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: [2] “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Write in a book all the words I have spoken to you. [3] The days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will bring my people Israel and Judah back from captivity and restore them to the land I gave their ancestors to possess,’ says the LORD.” [4] These are the words the LORD spoke concerning Israel and Judah: [5] “This is what the LORD says: “‘Cries of fear are heard- terror, not peace. [6] Ask and see: Can a man bear children? Then why do I see every strong man with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor, every face turned deathly pale? [7] How awful that day will be! No other will be like it. It will be a time of trouble for Jacob, but he will be saved out of it. [8] “‘In that day,’ declares the LORD Almighty, ‘I will break the yoke off their necks and will tear off their bonds; no longer will foreigners enslave them. [9] Instead, they will serve the LORD their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them. [10] “‘So do not be afraid, Jacob my servant; do not be dismayed, Israel,’ declares the LORD. ‘I will surely save you out of a distant place, your descendants from the land of their exile. Jacob will again have peace and security, and no one will make him afraid. [11] I am with you and will save you,’ declares the LORD. ‘Though I completely destroy all the nations among which I scatter you, I will not completely destroy you. I will discipline you but only in due measure; I will not let you go entirely unpunished.’ [12] “This is what the LORD says: “‘Your wound is incurable, your injury beyond healing. [13] There is no one to plead your cause, no remedy for your sore, no healing for you. [14] All your allies have forgotten you; they care nothing for you. I have struck you as an enemy would and punished you as would the cruel, because your guilt is so great and your sins so many. [15] Why do you cry out over your wound, your pain that has no cure? Because of your great guilt and many sins I have done these things to you. [16] “‘But all who devour you will be devoured; all your enemies will go into exile. Those who plunder you will be plundered; all who make spoil of you I will despoil. [17] But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,’ declares the LORD, ‘because you are called an outcast, Zion for whom no one cares.’ [18] “This is what the LORD says: “‘I will restore the fortunes of Jacob’s tents and have compassion on his dwellings; the city will be rebuilt on her ruins, and the palace will stand in its proper place. [19] From them will come songs of thanksgiving and the sound of rejoicing. I will add to their numbers, and they will not be decreased; I will bring them honor, and they will not be disdained. [20] Their children will be as in days of old, and their community will be established before me; I will punish all who oppress them. [21] Their leader will be one of their own; their ruler will arise from among them. I will bring him near and he will come close to me- for who is he who will devote himself to be close to me?’ declares the LORD. [22] “‘So you will be my people, and I will be your God.'” [23] See, the storm of the LORD will burst out in wrath, a driving wind swirling down on the heads of the wicked. [24] The fierce anger of the LORD will not turn back until he fully accomplishes the purposes of his heart. In days to come you will understand this.

Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Meditate

“Two things have I heard: that you, O God, are strong, and that you, O Lord, are loving” (Psa. 62:11,12). Jeremiah concurs with the psalmist!

Think Further

The exiles wept by Babylon’s rivers as they remembered their distant homeland and lamented their extreme humiliation (Psa. 137). God felt his people’s misery: “Your wound is incurable, your injury beyond healing” (12). Everyone said that Israel had received a fatal blow; this was its end. But God has the final word: “I will restore you to health and heal your wounds” (17). What a profound love! How could Israel have treated such a faithful and loving God with such disdain, constantly rejecting him for cheap idols? Now Israel’s false friends have abandoned her (14). Her clever political alliances had failed. It was time to turn to her true God and Friend.

God revealed that Israel did not suffer a fatal blow, that what she was going through was not terminal punishment but a period of discipline (11). Like the waiting father who lovingly received and restored his prodigal son (Luke 15:20-24), God would restore his prodigal nation (18-20). Once again, the land will hear joyful songs and the laughter of children.

God’s promise was fulfilled when the exiles returned to Jerusalem after their captivity. God was behind the scenes, rearranging empires and working in the hearts of emperors. The details of the promised restoration, however, show that they were not fully realized when the exiles returned home. This suggests that God’s promises awaited a fuller realization. The prophecy mentions a special ruler who will be close to God (21). Who is this? God promised, “I am with you and will save you” (11). Centuries after this promise, Jesus (“God saves”) who was also named Immanuel (“God with us”) was born to embody the promise. It is through him that God will finally and perfectly restore his people. “In days to come you will understand this” (24).

Apply

Israel worshiped an intervening and turn-around God (18). When did God turn around for good, a situation in your life? Did it lead to thanksgiving and rejoicing (19)? Why or why not?

Closing prayer

Lord, help me to understand more deeply who Jesus is so that I can more confidently place my trust in him for my redemption and that of my world.

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