August 16, Jeremiah 30 and 31

Word Listeners met on Sunday, August 16 to study Jeremiah 30 and 31. There was a guest leader Mark Conforti, who is also our pastor. Many thanks to him for filling in.

Here are his notes.


Mark Conforti began the session talking about biblical prophetic writings. The prophets spoke a particular word to a particular people at a particular time. Rarely did they attempt to predict a future event. Rather, their words served as warnings, similarly to a parent warning a child of his/her actions. We live with the consequences of our actions (although, God occasionally delivers us from our mistakes). And so the prophets' way of speaking was: "If you do ____, then ____ will happen to you." There was always a future implication in the prophets' words; this is subtly different than the prophets predicting future events (eg the invasion of Poland or world wars thousands of years later).


Jeremiah and Ezekiel were two prophets serving during the time of Jerusalem's demise (587 BC) at the hands of the Babylonians. While the events around Israel's fleeing of Egypt remain the centerpiece of the Old Testament, there's no denying that much of the Old Testament is written in light of Jerusalem's downfall.


Chapter 30 deals with the promised restoration of Israel and Judah, the two kingdoms once united together. In verse 7, the name "Jacob" is used interchangeably with "Israel." This is commonplace in the Old Testament. (Later, the term "Ephraim" is used affectionately for the people of Israel as a whole.) Eric suggested that verse 7 was a reference to a millenial reign.
Throughout chapter 30, the Lord asks the people why they mourn in light of the Lord's promise of redemption.


Chapter 31 celebrates the return of the exiles. This is likely a reference to King Cyrus of Persia and his edict that allowed for Jews to return to Jerusalem. Verses 31-34 famously point to Jesus Christ, the one in whom God established a new covenant. These verses are frequently read during Advent the season of preparation for Christ's coming into the world.