Jeremiah 24
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The Lord shewed me, and, behold, two baskets of figs were set before the temple of the Lord, after that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon had carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, and the princes of Judah, with the carpenters and smiths, from Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon.
2 One basket had very good figs, even like the figs that are first ripe: and the other basket had very naughty figs, which could not be eaten, they were so bad.
3 Then said the Lord unto me, What seest thou, Jeremiah? And I said, Figs; the good figs, very good; and the evil, very evil, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil.
4 Again the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
5 Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel; Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge them that are carried away captive of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans for their good.
6 For I will set mine eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them again to this land: and I will build them, and not pull them down; and I will plant them, and not pluck them up.
7 And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the Lord: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.
8 And as the evil figs, which cannot be eaten, they are so evil; surely thus saith the Lord, So will I give Zedekiah the king of Judah, and his princes, and the residue of Jerusalem, that remain in this land, and them that dwell in the land of Egypt:
9 And I will deliver them to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth for their hurt, to be a reproach and a proverb, a taunt and a curse, in all places whither I shall drive them.
10 And I will send the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, among them, till they be consumed from off the land that I gave unto them and to their fathers.
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Commentary
God uses two baskets of fruit to illustrate His message of this chapter. One basket has perfect figs, ripe and ready to eat. The other basket has rotten figs that could not be eaten. Notice that God shows that His people are divided into two groups. In spite of the idolatry and unfaithfulness of the political and religious leadership, there is still a large group of His people whom He portrays as “very good figs!”
In verses 5-7, God expresses His big plan for the “good figs” to be taken out of the land to avoid the judgments. He promises to bring them back, restore them, and give them a new heart to know Him even better. He promises that He will be their God and that with their new heart they will turn to Him as never before!
That’s what we need, total commitment, eyes only for Him. We need a heart that is truly converted from the destructive power of sin. No more lukewarm Laodicea, but completely given over to our Savior.
“Oh Lord, let me be found in the basket of good figs! And please, give me a new heart that also will be completely given over to You. Amen.”
Dan Houghton
Hart Research Center
California
