Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Prayer Meeting Lesson Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/pm/pm20050629.htm

JEREMIAH: STAYING UPRIGHT AMIDST EVIL PRESSURES
Part IX: Prophecies Of Judah's Final Consolation
A. Hoping In God's Final Blessing For Handling His Current Discipline
(Jeremiah 30:1-31:26)
  1. Introduction
    1. Hebrews 12:11 reveals that God's current discipline in our lives does not seem to be happy, but even grievous, but "afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness . . ."
    2. Thus, it is advantageous to focus on the finished product God has in store for us, for in so doing, God can position us in practical righteousness to experience only His compassion and blessing.
    3. Jeremiah 30:1-22 begins a section (Jeremiah 30-33) in Jeremiah's many predictions on judgment that focuses on the final product, a righteous and thus blessed nation of Judah; this section acts to guide God's people of any era who may similarly be facing His discipline for sin (as follows):
  2. Hoping In God's Final Blessing For Handling His Current Discipline, Jeremiah 30:1-31:26.
    1. In Jeremiah 30:1-2, God called Jeremiah to write instead of herald a specific message to His people.
    2. This message was to be written down for God's people to read when they were under TRIAL, for He planned to restore their fortunes, to bring them back to the land He gave their fathers, Jeremiah 30:3.
    3. Those words Jeremiah was to record speak of great trials upon God's people for their sin followed by great and lasting blessing that rise from a new, deep dedication of the people to the Lord, Jer. 30:4-31:25:
      1. Jeremiah 30:4, 5-7 predicts unparalleled suffering of both Israel and Judah, focusing thus on the trials of the YET to COME Great Tribulation Period, cf. Dan. 12:1; Bible Know. Com., O.T., p. 1168.
      2. Due to this future time of suffering, God predicted He would break the bonds of Gentile rule over His people, and they would serve Him and king David whom God would raise from the dead, 30:8-9; Ibid.
      3. Thus, God's people who would read this prophecy by Jeremiah were to be encouraged in God's promise written in it of His future restoration of their fortunes following their repentance, 30:10-11.
      4. Meanwhile, the Lord indicated the pain of the suffering of His people would be great as God would have had to punish them for their sin against Him, Jeremiah 30:12-15. Nevertheless, God promised to reverse the fortunes of the Gentile oppressors and of His people themselves, Jeremiah 30:16-18.
      5. Thus, God's people would produce songs of thanksgiving after God restored them, Jeremiah 30:19-22.
      6. Meanwhile, God revealed His anger would be vented against His people so they would repent and He could bless them, a program God predicted they would eventually understand, Jeremiah 30:23-24a,b.
      7. Accordingly, God predicted His people would eventually repent and understand His dealings with them, and of the blessed restoration they would enjoy as a result, Jeremiah 31:1-21.
      8. In view of this blessed future, God TIMELESSLY called on His people who were to READ this prophecy of Jeremiah while they were UNDER their trials to REPENT SOONER rather than LATER that they might enjoy His blessed restoration of His blessings, Jeremiah 31:22a!
      9. So great would be the change in God's people due to their repentance under trial, they would "court" God like a woman might a man just the opposite the culture of Jeremiah's era, 31:22b. (Ibid., p. 1170)
      10. In view of this tremendous change in the attitude of the people and thus in the relationship between God and His people, God predicted great blessing for all His repentant people, Jeremiah 31:23-25.
    4. Symbolic in his own experience of the wonderful outcome of this prophecy, Jeremiah awoke refreshed from his prophetic trance or dream in which God had revealed this information to him, Jeremiah 31:26!
Lesson: God had Jeremiah RECORD in WRITING the FUTURE PROMISED RESTORATION of His people AFTER their TRIALS for SIN that FUTURE generations of His people might HOPE in the BLESSED OUTCOME of their trials of DISCIPLINE and so QUICKLY REPENT in FACING them!

Application: (1) WE must recall that God's DISCIPLINE is something that is NEVER AIMLESS -- THROUGHOUT THE AGES, God has sought the BLESSED PRODUCT of REPENTANCE in His discipline that He might LAVISHLY BLESS His own. (2) Thus, IF WE face His DISCIPLINE, may we repent SOONER than LATER to enjoy His blessing! (3) If we CURRENTLY heed the Lord, may we sense our ACCOUNTABILITY to Him and so KEEP HEEDING Him LEST we face His discipline!