Jeremiah 32:36-41

3. God's plan for the future (Jeremiah 32:36-41)

TRANSLATION

(36) And now therefore thus says the LORD the God of Israel concerning this city about which you people are saying that it has been given into the hand of the king of Babylon by sword, famine, and pestilence: (37) Behold, I will gather them from all the lands where I have driven them in My wrath, anger, and great fury; and I will bring them back unto this place and cause them to dwell in safety. (38) They shall be MY people, and I will be their God; (39) and I will give them one heart and one way to fear Me forever, for their own good, and that of their sons after them. (40) And I will make for them an everlasting covenant that I will not turn away from doing good for them; and I will put My fear into their heart so that they will not turn aside from following Me. (41) I will rejoice in doing good for them, and I will truly plant them in this land with all MY heart and with all My Soul.

COMMENTS

While the present prospects of Jerusalem and Judah were quite grim and dark the future was filled with bright hope. God's plan for the nation as announced here has two basic features, restoration (Jeremiah 32:36-37) and reconciliation (Jeremiah 32:38-41).

Therefore in Jeremiah 32:36 corresponds to therefore in Jeremiah 32:28 and introduces the second deduction from the proposition that nothing is too hard for God (Jeremiah 32:26). As destruction which was thought to be utterly impossible was about to take place, so restoration which appeared to be equally impossible would take place in the future. Moses, the great forerunner and archetype of the classical prophets in Israel, had held out to the nation centuries before both the threat of captivity and the potentiality of restoration (Deuteronomy 30:1-5). According to Moses repentance was a prerequisite for restoration (Deuteronomy 30:3). In the present passage the emphasis is upon the changed spiritual conditions which will characterize the remnant after and presumably before the restoration.

The new Israel of God will be markedly superior to the old Israel. The spiritual changes that would take place among the people of God can perhaps best be described by the word reconciliation. six aspects of this reconciliation are mentioned in the paragraph.
a) A new relationship will exist between God and His people: They shall be My people and I will be their God (Jeremiah 32:38).

b) The people will manifest a new commitment to the Lord. They will have one heart (inward disposition) and one way(outward manifestation). No longer would their heart be divided between the Lord and idols. There will be a unity of purpose and a unity of practice. Since the nation is united in its commitment to God, enmity and discord will disappear among the members of the people.

c) God will enter into a new covenant with His people (Jeremiah 32:40). Of this covenant Jeremiah has previously spoken (Jeremiah 31:31 ff.); but here he adds the emphasis that the covenant will be an everlasting covenant. God will never desist from showering blessings upon them; the people shall never turn aside from God. By His marvelous deeds and by the workings of His Holy Spirit God will continue to generate in the hearts of His people that fear, that loving, trusting awe that is essential if those people are to remain faithful to the terms of the covenant. Thus there will be under the new covenant an uninterrupted be stowal of gracious benefits on the part of God and a faithfulness to the Lord on the part of the people.

d) God will evidence His new joy by gladly doing good for His people (Jeremiah 32:41 a). Rebellious Israel had been such a burden to His heart, such a source of grief and anger. But once the nation has been reconciled to Him; God will rejoice over the faith, devotion and loyalty of Israel.

e) The people will enjoy new security in the land (Jeremiah 32:41 b). They shall be planted securely in their land by the Lord.[287] While God is reluctant to execute His wrath against the godless, He rejoices to bless the godly. Thus He will enter enthusiastically into the work of planting the new Israel securely in the land.

[287] The Hebrew reads literally, I shall plant them in this land in truth. Some commentators see this as a reference to the faithfulness of the Promiser rather than a reference to the stability of possession.