Daily Devotions
Jeremiah
"Restore me, and I will return"
Text: Jeremiah 31:18
A REPENTANT EPHRAIM
This portrayal of Ephraim is very different. Ephraim often represents Israel, as in this instance. A humble and chastened nation submits to God!
“I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself:
‘You have chastised me, and I was chastised,
Like an untrained bull;
Restore me, and I will return,
For You are the LORD my God.
Surely, after my turning, I repented;
And after I was instructed, I struck myself on the thigh;
I was ashamed, yes, even humiliated,
Because I bore the reproach of my youth.'”
Jeremiah 31:18-19
1. “I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself”
a) The LORD noted Ephraim’s heart.
b) It was a heart that bemoaned his sinful behaviour in the past.
2. “You have chastised me, and I was chastised, like an untrained bull”
a) Ephraim confessed that he was indeed chastised by the LORD.
b) He compared himself to an untrained bull.
c) Meaning:
i) It refused the yoke.
ii) It will not obey the master.
iii) It remained stubborn until it was chastised properly.
3. “Restore me, and I will return, for You are the LORD my God”
a) A prayer for restoration was made.
b) A promise to return to the LORD was also made.
c) There is a renewal of acknowledgment that the LORD is his God indeed!
4. “Surely, after my turning, I repented;
And after I was instructed, I struck myself on the thigh;
I was ashamed, yes, even humiliated,
Because I bore the reproach of my youth”
a) Further responses were made.
i) Turning back to God.
ii) Repentance from sinful ways.
b) Instruction from the LORD was given.
i) Ephraim was further instructed.
ii) A sense of shame came.
c) Striking of the thigh:
i) To express deep regret.
ii) To express anger against himself for being so foolish.
iii) Shame and humiliation were felt.
d) Bearing reproach:
i) Ephraim had no one to blame but himself.
ii) He bore reproaches hurled at him.
iii) He had fully recognised his sinfulness and foolishness in the past.