Daily Devotions
Jeremiah
"I will bring back Israel to his home"
Text: Jeremiah 50:19
A PROMISE TO BRING ISRAEL BACK
The Northern kingdom of Israel was destroyed by Assyria in 722 BC. The Southern kingdom of Judah was destroyed by Babylon in 586 BC. It seemed as if all was lost. But God’s promise was stated very clearly. He would restore both Israel and Judah in due time.
“‘But I will bring back Israel to his home,
And he shall feed on Carmel and Bashan;
His soul shall be satisfied on Mount Ephraim and Gilead.
In those days and in that time,’ says the LORD,
‘The iniquity of Israel shall be sought, but there shall be none;
And the sins of Judah, but they shall not be found;
For I will pardon those whom I preserve.'”
Jeremiah 50:19-20
1. “But I will bring back Israel to his home, and he shall feed on Carmel and Bashan;
his soul shall be satisfied on Mount Ephraim and Gilead”
a) Israel would be brought back to the land of Canaan.
b) The people would once again enjoy Carmel.
i) Carmel was in Judah.
ii) It was often disputed by Israel and Judah in the past.
iii) But this would not be the case when Israel was brought home.
c) Bashan
i) This afforded rich pasture land in Israel.
ii) The returnees would one day enjoy Bashan again.
d) Mount Ephraim and Gilead
i) Mount Ephraim is a reference to the hilly region in this mountain range
in Ephraim.
ii) Gilead was in the north of Bashan.
iii) These regions would be restored to Israel.
2. “‘In those days and in that time,’ says the LORD,
‘The iniquity of Israel shall be sought, but there shall be none;
and the sins of Judah, but they shall not be found; for I will pardon those whom I preserve'”
a) Israel and Judah were found guilty of many sins.
b) Hence, they were punished by the Lord and exiled by the Assyrians
and the Babylonians.
c) But they had been pardoned and cleansed.
i) No charges of iniquity would be made against Israel.
ii) The sins of Judah have also been pardoned.
iii) The remnant of Israel had been pardoned and preserved by God.