This week’s reading begins with beautiful words, but descends into disaster before rising again at the end.
There are many beautiful words in Jeremiah 31, words of restoration and comfort. This chapter is such a relief after all the horrible prophecies of destruction. “‘Restrain your voice from weeping And your eyes from tears; For your work will be rewarded,’ declares the LORD, ‘And they will return from the land of the enemy.’” (31:16)
God speaks in chapter 31 of a New Covenant. The covenant He made with them when He brought them out of Egypt--the covenant that he had made when he spoke with Moses on the mountaintop--the Israelites had broken again and again. But now, God “will put my law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” (31:33)
Then there is prophecy against Babylon. Death and destruction, but at least it’s directed towards Judah’s enemies this time. God also uses a courtroom metaphor that we saw waaaaaayyyy back in the book of Job: “Who is like Me, and who will summon me into court?” (Jeremiah 49:19, also 50:44). So though Babylon has taken the nation of Israel captive, Babylon will eventually fall.
Jeremiah then records what is going in his life. He goes to speak to the king (who was not yet in exile) then goes to the land of Benjamin to do some business and is put in jail. King Zedekiah has him freed, but the message from the LORD is that the Chaldeans and Babylonians are coming and bringing death and destruction with them.
After this, Jeremiah goes about encouraging the people to give themselves up to the Chaldeans, for at least then they will live--the Chaldeans will surely kill all who fought in battle. The soldiers don’t like this, so they throw Jeremiah down an empty well. The king hears of this, and sends men to rescue him--again. Jeremiah privately encourages the king to surrender, because, again, he would live, even if it is in captivity. The king doesn’t like this idea, but he keeps Jeremiah safe until Jerusalem falls.
A false prophet named Hananiah tries to give an object lesson similar to the ones Jeremiah has given. He puts a wooden yoke on Jeremiah’s neck, but then removes it and breaks it. “See? The yoke of Babylon will be quickly broken.” Jeremiah takes over with the truth. “You have removed a yoke of wood, but it will be replaced with a yoke of iron,” which is, if course, the coming Babylonian captivity.
Even so, the reading ends with positive words: Babylon, though it will reduce Jerusalem to ashes, will itself be destroyed...eventually.
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