God SETS His EYES on US to DRAW us to HIMSELF!
August 14 Bible Reading: Jeremiah Chapters 22-24
God SETS His EYES on US to DRAW us to HIMSELF!
"Thus says the Lord, the God
of Israel: 'Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge those who are carried
away captive from Judah, whom I have sent out of this place for their own good,
into the land of the Chaldeans. For I will set My eyes on them for good, and I
will bring them back to this land; I will build them and not pull them down,
and I will plant them and not pluck them up. Then I will give them a 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 to Me with their whole heart.'" (Jer.
24:5-7)
As a setting for this prophetical utterance, God showed
Jeremiah two baskets of figs set in front of the temple. One basket contained very good figs and the other contained very bad figs. The good figs pictured
the exiles in Babylon who would be brought back to the land because they would
return to God with their whole heart. They were identified with the deported exiled Jews whom God had set apart for good. God would bring back these
captives, establish them in the land, and multiply their crops. Above all, God would give them a heart to know Him and
draw them to Himself!
The fact that God had set His eyes on the deported Jews to
draw them to Himself is surprising since the people of Jerusalem believed that
those in captivity had been forsaken by God. Yet God promised to “watch over” the remnant in captivity
and restore them in their land. God also promised to give them a new heart so they would know Him and
return to Him. We now know that these promises were made to usher in a new
covenant with the people of Israel (see Jer. 31:31–34). Also, the full blessings of fellowship promised by
God would be fulfilled only when God again would gather Israel at the beginning
of Christ’s millennial reign on earth (Matt. 24:29–31).
When the people of Israel finally return to God, He will give
them new “whole hearts”. This will happen when their entire lives are dedicated to
God with an absolute commitment to the divine covenant. They will then experience
true spiritual regeneration since only
God can create this source of new life within the nation of Israel and within
every individual who turns in faith and trust in Jehovah God. Let us note that God’s
blessing upon the exiles would be both physical
and spiritual. Physically, the captives would be brought back into the land. Spiritually, the captives would be given
a new heart to return to the Lord and serve Him.
When we apply this prophetical word to our lives, we should
be clear that God has set His eyes upon us as well to draw us to Himself as
well: "For the eyes of the Lord run
to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of
those whose heart is loyal to Him." (2 Chron. 16:9) Day and night
God’s eyes are upon us, and He desires to have an intimate fellowship with us
at all times. Are we willing to
acknowledge God in every area of our lives today and always?
"Therefore submit to God...draw near to God and He will draw near to you." (James 4:7-8)
