Bible Commentaries
Jeremiah 30

Bell's Commentary on the BibleBell's Commentary

Verses 1-24

  1. Intro:
    1. Promises are hard to trust these days!
      1. As the Russian proverb goes, “Don't put a promise in my ear; put it in my hand.”
      2. Or in regards to things we purchase, “The big print giveth and the small print taketh away.”
    2. But you can take God’s Promises to the bank!
      1. “God's promises are like the stars; the darker the night the brighter they shine.”
      2. “God makes a promise; faith believes it, hope anticipates it, patience quietly awaits it.”
      3. Remember, “You can never break God's promises by leaning on them.”
    3. Ch.’s 30-33 amplify the wonderful promises of God.
      1. He gave them to Jeremiah in a dream(31:26). Jeremiah writes them to the captives in Babylon.
  2. WRITE THIS! (1-3)
    1. “all the words”(2) – (of ch.30:1-31:25)
    2. This ch. Speaks both to the dawning of a new day for the exiles in Babylon, but also for the Jewish people in the latter days.
      1. Note: Israel & Judah will be reunited!
        1. God reveals both His immediate & distant plan!
      2. When it switches to the regathering in the end times it would still be an encouragement to them because, “if God can regather them from ALL the countries, surely He could regather them from 1!
    3. Here is a series of poems to celebrate the theme of Redemption!
      1. This redemption is pictured as: a broken yoke(again), a healed wound, & a rebuilt city.
  3. PROMISES PROMISES! (4-11)
    1. ​​​​​​​Promises of Punishment, Promises of Restoration!
    2. (vs.6) A frequent symbol of suffering is “ a woman in labor”.
    3. (vs.7) This is a day like no other day/time period!
      1. Before the yoke is broke, they will have to go through “the time of Jacob’s trouble”/The Great Trib.
      2. Q: Why Jacob’s trouble? Jacob = Israel! (what not the church but Israel?)
    4. (vs.8-10) The future kingdom age. Unbroken peace.
  4. CURING THE INCURABLE! (12-17)
    1. ​​​​​​​They needed to be saved from Themselves, & from Their Enemies.
    2. From Themselves: (12-15)
      1. In Isaiah’s day Judah was a sick nation (Is.1:5-6) “Why should you be stricken again? You will revolt more and more. The whole head is sick, And the whole heart faints. From the sole of the foot even to the head, There is no soundness in it, But wounds and bruises and putrefying sores; They have not been closed or bound up, Or soothed with ointment.”
      2. This sickness only got worse in Jer’s day!
      3. Illness usually brings us to pity – But here, this illness is more like contracting a disease brought on by immorality!
      4. It is a disease that is “incurable” (see 17:9)
    3. From Their Enemies: (16,17)
      1. Here God retrieves the irretrievable!
      2. Here God enlarges the theme of “Grace” by 1st dwelling on their hopeless, incurable, & severe situation. Then providing a promise of Restoration any ways!
      3. (vs.17) WHY? “because…”God will not have it said, “no one cares for them!”
        1. Ezek 36:22 “"Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name's sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went.”
        2. “This is unflattering to the sinner, yet Reassuring!”
        3. This snuffs out human merit which constantly seeks to creep back in & undermine Pure Grace!
  5. TEL-JERUSALEM! (18-22)
    1. ​​​​​​​You’ve heard of Tel-Aviv? This will be Tel-Jerusalem!
      1. mound” – a Tel(explain) (a mound of ruins).
    2. More than just a restoration of a city!
      1. They will regain their “dwelling places”, “their city”, all that had been lost, & something new: “A prince shall be from among them”, who will be what no other king had ever been allowed to be…their Mediator & Priest.
      2. King
        1. ​​​​​​​NIV(21a) - Their leader will be one of their own; their ruler will arise from among them.
        2. NRSV(21a) - Their prince shall be one of their own, their ruler shall come from their midst;
      3. Priest
        1. ​​​​​​​draw near – approach me” – this is language that applies especially to the Jewish high priest, who alone entered the Holy of Holies on the annual Day of Atonement (Lev.16).
        2. Jesus – Both King & Priest can qualify to fulfill this prophecy.
    3. 1 man tried to fulfill it(Uzziah)! 2 Chron.26:16-21
    4. 1 man was a type of it Melchizedeck!
      1. Heb.7:1 “For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him,”
      2. Heb.5:5,6 “So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but it was He who said to Him: "You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. "As He also says in another place: "You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek";
    5. “This is one of the boldest yet least known Messianic Prophecies.” (Kidner)
    6. This was a prophesy David foresaw & whose benefits we enjoy now!
      1. This Benefit is summed up in vs.22.
      2. It is nestled in a simple wedding vow that expresses the heart of God’s covenant from Gen to Rev.
      3. “The new heaven & new earth are the outskirts of what He’s prepared for us. Here is the living center”. (22) (Kidner)
  6. WHIRLWIND! (23,24)
    1. ​​​​​​​(vs.23)This chapter alternated back & forth between distress & delight. Here evil will not simply slink off the stage…it must be punished & destroyed!
    2. (vs.24) The ultimate punishment does not stop until ALL the interest of His heart have been performed!
    3. “in the latter days you’ll understand it” – And the book of Rev. has spelled it out.
      1. In Rev.’s own words, “It is done!” (21:6)
    4. End: God will break their yoke, heal their wounds, & bring eternal peace to their storm!
    5. Afterglow! (1 cor.12)
Bibliographical Information
Bell, Brian. "Commentary on Jeremiah 30". "Bell's Commentary". https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/cbb/jeremiah-30.html. 2017.