Jeremiah saw two baskets of figs at the temple of the Lord. One basket had very good figs, first-ripe figs. One basket was filled with very bad figs, so bad they could not be eaten. What’s up with the figs?
The good and bad figs represented good and bad hearts. The Lord said, “Like these good figs, so I will regard as good the exiles from Judah” (24:5). He will set His eyes “on them for good” and bring them back to the land. Furthermore, He is also going to do a good work of grace in their hearts! “I will give them a heart to know that I am the Lord, and they shall be My people and I will their God, for they shall return to Me with their whole heart” (24:7). Extraordinary! Notice it is only AFTER God gives them a heart to know Him that they are His true people and demonstrate this by returning, by repentance!
Then there are the bad figs. The Lord will regard as bad the ones who remained in Jerusalem. He says He will “make them a horror” and send all manner of harm upon them until they are driven from the land. This is not arbitrary. They were warned to leave the city but they decided to remain against God’s will (21:8-10).
Once again, as found throughout the Scripture, God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility are not contradictory. When man is judged, he is totally responsible for it. He chooses to disobey and dishonor and distrust God. He is a bad fig! When man is saved, it is totally a work of grace. God gives him a new heart! He is a good fig. To which basket do you belong? Has the Lord changed your heart? Or do you remain obstinate in your rebellion against Him?
No comments:
Post a Comment