Daily Devotions
Jeremiah
"I will watch over them to build and to plant"
Text: Jeremiah 31:28
THE WORK OF RESTORING THE NATION OF ISRAEL
Israel was once a united monarchy. King Saul was the first king. The LORD raised up David to become the new ruler of Israel. Solomon reigned after the demise of David, his father.
Rehoboam ruled after the death of Solomon. But he was young and arrogant. The kingdom of Israel was then split in two. The Northern Kingdom was called Israel. The smaller Southern Kingdom was called Judah.
The LORD told His people that He would remerge these two kingdoms into one whole.
“‘Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD,
that I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah
with the seed of man and the seed of beast.
And it shall come to pass, that as I have watched over them to pluck up,
to break down, to throw down, to destroy, and to afflict,
so I will watch over them to build and to plant, says the LORD.'”
Jeremiah 31:27-28
1. “‘Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, that I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and the seed of beast’”
a) The house of Israel and the house of Judah.
i) They would no longer be two separate entities.
ii) They would be one nation, Israel.
b) The seed of man.
i) They will be one seed.
ii) They were originally one.
iii) They would not be a divided kingdom anymore.
c) The seed of beast.
i) Together the nation would survive better.
ii) The beast of burden would represent oneness in their effort to rebuild the nation.
iii) Man and beast would be blessed in the new nation coming up.
2. “And it shall come to pass, that as I have watched over them to pluck up,
to break down, to throw down, to destroy, and to afflict”
a) It was the LORD who broke up the nation.
b) What God did was clearly stated:
i) To pluck up.
ii) To break down.
iii) To throw down.
iv) To destroy.
v) And to afflict.
3. “So I will watch over them to build and to plant, says the LORD”
a) God will now watch over the nation.
b) He will build.
c) He will plant.
d) This was a solemn promise of the LORD.