Jeremiah 31:2-4
2 Thus says the Lord: “The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness; when Israel sought for rest, 3 the Lord appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you. 4 Again I will build you, and you shall be built, O virgin Israel! Again you shall adorn yourself with tambourines and shall go forth in the dance of the merrymakers.
Previous chapters have explained God's punishment of Israel, but here we have a reminder that although they are chastened, they are not abandoned. In verse 3 God states that "I have loved you with an everlasting love". What an encouragement! When we spiral down in shame over our sin and failures, we need to remember this truth, that God still loves us, and He is faithful. The next verse is also striking, for God refers to Israel as a virgin (verse 4). Yet earlier He accuses her of adultery. The point is not that Israel never sinned, but that in God's eyes she could become a virgin again. God would wipe away the stain of sin and build her into a "born-again virgin". This is good news to those who feel shamed by their past behaviors, for God still loves us and wants to build a new thing in our lives.
Lord, thank you for Your everlasting love.
2 Thus says the Lord: “The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness; when Israel sought for rest, 3 the Lord appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you. 4 Again I will build you, and you shall be built, O virgin Israel! Again you shall adorn yourself with tambourines and shall go forth in the dance of the merrymakers.
Previous chapters have explained God's punishment of Israel, but here we have a reminder that although they are chastened, they are not abandoned. In verse 3 God states that "I have loved you with an everlasting love". What an encouragement! When we spiral down in shame over our sin and failures, we need to remember this truth, that God still loves us, and He is faithful. The next verse is also striking, for God refers to Israel as a virgin (verse 4). Yet earlier He accuses her of adultery. The point is not that Israel never sinned, but that in God's eyes she could become a virgin again. God would wipe away the stain of sin and build her into a "born-again virgin". This is good news to those who feel shamed by their past behaviors, for God still loves us and wants to build a new thing in our lives.
Lord, thank you for Your everlasting love.