“Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Like these good figs, so I will regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I have sent away from this place to the land of the Chaldeans. . . But thus says the Lord: Like the bad figs that are so bad they cannot be eaten, so will I treat Zedekiah the king of Judah, his officials, the remnant of Jerusalem who remain in this land, and those who dwell in the land of Egypt.” (Jeremiah 24:4-5, 8, ESV)
One morning while living in a Chicago suburb, I woke early to go to work. I made a cup of coffee and then looked for something to eat. On top of the refrigerator was a package of small coconut donuts, which I think contained about a half dozen. I decided to open them and have those to take away my hunger. Before I ate them, I prayed that the Lord would use them to take away my hunger and sustain me for the morning. So, I bit into the first donut and consumed it. When I started to bite into the second, I noticed that the donuts tasted a bit sour. So, I turned on the light and noticed that they were fuzzy. They were moldy. Needless to say, my hunger was taken away and I did not want anything else. A funny story yes, but the point is this, sometimes food will spoil and it is not good for human consumption.
The Lord uses this metaphor to speak of two groups of people. Those who would be taken in exile to Babylon in 597 B.C., and those who would remain in Judah along with those who fled to Egypt.
When you look at the two groups you might imagine that the ones taken captive and exiled would have considered themselves as bad and that those who stayed in the land were the good. Yet it was just the opposite. It was those taken to Babylon who would be blessed. This was not because they were intrinsically good, but because He had great plans for them. Look at what the Lord stated regarding these.
“I will set my eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up, and not tear them down; I will plant them, and not pluck them up. I will give them a heart to know that I am the Lord, and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart.” (Jeremiah 24:6-7, ESV)
As we will see later in the writing, the return of the exiled Jews would happen some 70 years later. How many do you think would return from that original group? None, it would be their offspring, those born in captivity, their children and grandchildren. Yet this group would play a vital role in God’s great redemptive story. They would maintain the lineage of Judah through which the Messiah would come. God would bless them in exile to fulfill His great master plan.
Yet those who would remain in Judah and those who would flee to Egypt would experience a different fate. Rather than a blessing they would experience loss. Look at the Lord’s word regarding these.
“I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a reproach, a byword, a taunt, and a curse in all the places where I shall drive them. And I will send sword, famine, and pestilence upon them, until they shall be utterly destroyed from the land that I gave to them and their fathers.” (Jeremiah 24:9–10, ESV)
Those in this group likely felt they were the blessed ones. Yet their hearts remained hardened. Eleven years after the exiles of 597 B.C. were deported the final conquest and destruction of Judah Jerusalem took place in 586 B.C. This group that remained in Judah would experience a curse and not a blessing.
What is the spiritual application for us as believers? We who have believed in Jesus have a great future. Even when we are looked down upon by those in bondage to this world system, God has joined us to His great redemptive plan in Jesus Christ. We have been redeemed, we have been made citizens of heaven, and we are destined for the throne. Nothing the world can throw at us is able to change this, no hardship or persecution will change our glorious destiny.
Those who think they are the good in this world, have a horrific future unless they turn from their thoughts and come to saving faith in Jesus Christ.
So, let us not be dismayed, but let us move forward with courage. Let us radiate the light of Christ to a lost and dying world. We are here for a purpose, to praise the Lord, reflect His glory, and make our appeal to others as ambassadors for Christ.
Renewing the Heart 