Many of us are familiar with what it’s like to be in a dangerous part of town—there’s graffiti on the walls, empty liquor bottles lying around, lots of trash, screeching tires, sirens, and just a strong sense of “I shouldn’t be here.”
For many of us, the city is the last place on earth we want to be, and while we can see the need for them to be restored, we’d just assume they be done away with altogether. But that’s not God’s plan.
In the late 80’s I went to Jerusalem, and while I felt safe enough most of the time, there were a few times when I felt like we’d turned the wrong corner, and the sooner we got out of there, the better.
I don’t know if you realize it, but Israel is one of the world’s greatest hotbeds of persecution against Christians. Baptist churches have been burned. Christians are regularly spat upon at the Jaffa gate by ultra-orthodox Jews and sometimes violently attacked. So, in Jerusalem, even though it’s relatively safe if you’re with a group, there are some places Christians should not go alone.
Jerusalem needs to be restored, and thankfully that’s God’s plan. Here’s what Revelation 21:2-3 says is going to happen to Jerusalem:
I also saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband. Then I heard a loud voice from the throne: Look, God’s dwelling is with humanity, and he will live with them. They will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and will be their God.
In other words, God will transform Jerusalem from a city that hates Jesus to one that loves him as a faithful wife loves her husband. Then, when Jesus returns, he’s bringing with him a new Jerusalem, a beautiful city filled with his people. We will be his people, and he will be our God. That’s what this section in Jeremiah 30 is all about.
It’s about:
Urban Renewal
In Jeremiah 30:18, this is what the Lord says,
I will certainly restore the fortunes of Jacob’s tents and show compassion on his dwellings. Every city will be rebuilt on its mound; every citadel will stand on its proper site.
The point is that God cares about all the details of his people — even where they live. Whether they live in a tent or some other kind of dwelling, God plans to give all his people a beautifully restored home. See, God’s not interested in destroying cities but in restoring them. He’s going to take what’s broken and fix it. And this urban renewal will usher in a time of great joy, multiplication, and honor.
Jeremiah 30:19 says,
Thanksgiving will come out of them, a sound of rejoicing. I will multiply them, and they will not decrease; I will honor them, and they will not be insignificant.
God’s people will be honored with a new home, and they will increase in number. The cities will no longer be places of persecution or sadness but places of celebration and thanksgiving.
The word “insignificant” literally means “to be lowly.” In other words, after God restores the cities, no one will look down on them again. Instead, God himself will honor the cities and the people in them.
Jeremiah 31:4 continues,
Again I will build you so that you will be rebuilt, Virgin Israel. You will take up your tambourines again and go out in joyful dancing.
God will rebuild the cities, and the people in them will be pure. The cities will no longer be places of idolatry or literal or spiritual prostitution. Instead, imagine a city where every event, every celebration, every grand display is for the glory of God. That will be quite a place!
And the renewal doesn’t stop with the city. The glory of the city will spread out into the countryside.
Jeremiah 31:5 says,
You will plant vineyards again on the mountains of Samaria; the planters will plant and will enjoy the fruit.
Samaria was the capital city of the northern kingdom, but it was also a geographical region which is the main idea in verse 5. As partial fulfillment of this verse, Jesus went into Samaria, talked with a woman at the well, who then shared the good news with everyone who would listen.
The point is that the blessings of God are going to spread, and the fruit is going to last. So, while it takes time for vineyards to yield fruit, God’s peace is going to extend beyond the cities until the whole earth is redeemed.
Some of us remember safer times when the children could play peacefully in our neighborhoods without our parents being afraid. Of course, those “good ol’ days” will return, but they will be even better than we remember.
Jeremiah 30:20 says,
His children will be as in past days; his congregation will be established in my presence. I will punish all his oppressors.
With God ensuring the safety of our children by punishing the oppressors, we will have no fear regardless of where we live. In the past, as good as those days may have been for some of us, accidents still happened, and people were still victims of awful crimes. But with God, himself, watching over his congregation, his children, we will be completely safe.
Jeremiah 30:23–24 says it this way,
Look, a storm from the Lord! Wrath has gone out, a churning storm. It will whirl about the heads of the wicked. The Lord’s burning anger will not turn back until he has completely fulfilled the purposes of his heart. In time to come you will understand it.
It might take us some time to fully understand that God’s wrath isn’t directed toward God’s people but toward those who resist him. In other words, those that want to mess around in God’s town better watch out. There won’t be any gangs or criminals in God's city because God, himself, will take a decisive role in protecting his people.
Jeremiah 31:1 says,
“At that time”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they will be my people.”
The phrase “at that time” means God’s promises also have a future fulfillment. There was a partial fulfillment when the kingdoms of northern and southern Israel were “reunited” after the exile geographically. But they weren’t reunited socially, and during the time of Christ, they still weren’t getting along very well. Those in Samaria were second-class Jews, and the southerners hated them. The time when God will unite all the families of Israel in worshiping God still lies ahead.
Jeremiah 31:6 says hopefully,
For there will be a day when watchmen will call out in the hill country of Ephraim, “Come, let’s go up to Zion, to the Lord our God!”
There’s nothing worse than a watchman leaving his post, but “at that time” there won’t be a need for anyone to keep watch over the cities. Hired security and police officers won’t be needed because God, himself, will be keeping an eye out, freeing up everyone to go to Jerusalem and join in the celebration.
Today, churches sometimes have to have lookouts watching for those who would cause disruptions or violence in cities worldwide. When Breana and I went to Uganda, our group hired an armed guard to watch over us while we slept. We won’t need this kind of thing anymore because all the families of Israel will be God’s people.
These passages are a great encouragement for all of God’s people, especially those in places where persecution is greatest. At that time, finally, no one will have to hire armed guards or be worried about being spat upon again.
This Is a Message for the Church
Some might rightly ask, “But aren’t these promises primarily about the nation of Israel?” These prophecies were partly fulfilled when Nehemiah rebuilt the wall and restored much of Jerusalem. For example, in Nehemiah 3-8, the Bible says God’s people were protected from their enemies, and his people prospered. They even stopped worshipping idols (temporarily) and gave thanks to God.
But the fulfillment in Nehemiah was only a brief time of blessing. In time, Israel rebelled again and came under the control of foreigners.
So, there must also be a future fulfillment that Jeremiah is writing about—a time when Jesus would come to earth as the ultimate king to die for his people and then be resurrected. The fulfillment then goes beyond his resurrection when he would continue to build his city, his kingdom, through his church.
The ultimate fulfillment of these promises is for those who trust in Jesus, for the bride of Christ. The promises aren’t for Jews who reject Jesus Christ as Savior because that would contradict what Scripture says. The promises are for Jews and Gentiles who trust in Jesus. They are for the church.
Jeremiah speaks of a time when God’s people will multiply (Jer 30:19), which was partially fulfilled when the physical people of Israel returned to their land. But, more importantly, it is being fulfilled through the multiplication that began in Acts. Acts 2:47 says the church was “praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. Every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.”
And every day, the Lord is still adding to our numbers. Everywhere Christians are being saved to glorify God by loving their neighbors, even their enemies. God’s city is being established. It’s like it says in Matthew 5:14, “You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden.”
The promised restoration of Jerusalem should cause us to focus on God’s restoration of the church. God’s church is the city on a hill that can’t be hidden. But, of course, this restoration isn’t going to happen by our efforts. None of this is going to happen without Jesus Christ.
This is a Messianic Prophecy
Jeremiah 30:21 says of the leader of this restoration,
Jacob’s leader will be one of them; his ruler will issue from him. I will invite him to me, and he will approach me, for who would otherwise risk his life to approach me? This is the Lord’s declaration.
Notice that the leader who makes the restoration of God’s city possible is a member of the ruling class. “Leader” literally means prince or ruler, but this ruler isn’t an outsider. He’s one of us. He’s a full-blooded native, and that’s who Jesus is. Jesus is entirely God who became fully man. He’s one of us.
Jesus lived among us and died among us. He became hungry and tired. He was tempted with the same temptations we are, but without sin (Heb 4:15). He’s one of us.
It’s also significant that Jeremiah described this leader as one who can approach God without losing his life. The high priest was only invited to come near to God once a year, but Jesus, the ultimate high priest, is always able to approach God. In fact, Jesus is so close he says in John 10:30, “I and the Father are one.”
Interestingly, the phrase “risk his life to approach me” in verse 21 can also be translated as “devoted his heart to approach me,” with the idea being that no human has a heart worthy enough to approach God. Not even David, a man after God’s own heart (1 Sam 13:14), was allowed in the holy of holies. But Jesus can approach God because his heart is perfectly devoted to his Father. No one is more devoted and obedient to the Father than Jesus Christ, so Jesus must be the Messiah that Jeremiah is talking about.
As a result, we can be confident about what it says in Hebrews 10:21-22,
Since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water.
See, since Jesus is near to God, we can also be near to God. Another way to say this is…
We Will Be God’s People
The phrase “You will be my people, and I will be your God” appears over 40 times in the Old Testament, including Jeremiah 30:22. Since the days of Abraham and Moses and moving on into the days of the prophets, God has continually repeated his covenant promise to be our God and for us to be his people.
God’s promise to be our God is partly fulfilled in the physical people of Israel, but it is completely fulfilled in those who trust in Jesus for salvation. Those who reject Jesus Christ, whether they are Jewish or not, will not be God’s people in any eternal sense.
In Romans 11:25, Paul speaks of the mystery of Israel’s salvation and says that all Israel will be saved, but no one will be saved apart from faith in Christ. But, for those who do trust in Christ, God’s covenant has an everlasting promise. Jeremiah 31:1–2 says,
“At that time”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they will be my people.” This is what the Lord says: The people who survived the sword found favor in the wilderness.
There are two parts to this promise— a past and a future. God gave a measure of peace to those who survived the sword in the past. He protected them in the wilderness as they journeyed to the promised land, and he protected them in many other ways, too. But there is a future meaning as well. “At that time” means in the future, God will once again be God to his people for all eternity.
Speaking to Israel, God says in Jeremiah 31:3,
When Israel went to find rest, the Lord appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, I have continued to extend faithful love to you.
God’s covenant love is eternal, an everlasting love. When God sets his love on someone, he loves them forever. This everlasting love comes not as a result of our obedience but from the blood-bought sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. And for the sake of Jesus, God will always love his people. The promise he makes amounts to an unbreakable marriage vow.
With this in mind, let’s end where we started in Revelation chapter 21:2-3, which says,
I also saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband. Then I heard a loud voice from the throne: Look, God’s dwelling is with humanity, and he will live with them. They will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and will be their God.
God is preparing a holy city for his bride to live in called the new Jerusalem, and I think we could say that we are the new Jerusalem because we will be the inhabitants of this glorious city. And when the new Jerusalem comes down out of heaven, God will fully establish his relationship with us. All of God’s people will fully receive all the blessings of his eternal love. God himself will be our God for all eternity, and we will be his people.