Jer 30:13-24 Thy Sorrow is Incurable for the Multitude of Thine Iniquity

[Study Aired February 6, 2022]

Jer 30:13  There is none to plead thy cause, that thou mayest be bound up: thou hast no healing medicines.
Jer 30:14  All thy lovers have forgotten thee; they seek thee not; for I have wounded thee with the wound of an enemy, with the chastisement of a cruel one, for the multitude of thine iniquity; because thy sins were increased.
Jer 30:15  Why criest thou for thine affliction? thy sorrow is incurable for the multitude of thine iniquity: because thy sins were increased, I have done these things unto thee.
Jer 30:16  Therefore all they that devour thee shall be devoured; and all thine adversaries, every one of them, shall go into captivity; and they that spoil thee shall be a spoil, and all that prey upon thee will I give for a prey.
Jer 30:17  For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the LORD; because they called thee an Outcast, saying, This is Zion, whom no man seeketh after.
Jer 30:18  Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will bring again the captivity of Jacob’s tents, and have mercy on his dwellingplaces; and the city shall be builded upon her own heap, and the palace shall remain after the manner thereof.
Jer 30:19  And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of them that make merry: and I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small.
Jer 30:20  Their children also shall be as aforetime, and their congregation shall be established before me, and I will punish all that oppress them.
Jer 30:21  And their nobles shall be of themselves, and their governor shall proceed from the midst of them; and I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach unto me: for who is this that engaged his heart to approach unto me? saith the LORD.
Jer 30:22  And ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.
Jer 30:23  Behold, the whirlwind of the LORD goeth forth with fury, a continuing whirlwind: it shall fall with pain upon the head of the wicked.
Jer 30:24  The fierce anger of the LORD shall not return, until he have done it, and until he have performed the intents of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it.

In our last study the Lord told us:

Jer 30:11  For I am with thee, saith the LORD, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished.
Jer 30:12  For thus saith the LORD, Thy bruise is incurable, and thy wound is grievous.

This lament is repeated a second time just a few verses later in today’s study:

Jer 30:15  Why criest thou for thine affliction? thy sorrow is incurable for the multitude of thine iniquity: because thy sins were increased, I have done these things unto thee.

It is of utmost significance that we take note that all this lamentation for the sad spiritual condition of our old man is for the purpose of producing the Lord’s ultimate outcome. The Lord’s goal in our lives is expressed in verse 11 of last week’s study. I will quote it again with verse 12 which connects us with today’s study:

Jer 30:11  For I am with thee, saith the LORD, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished.
Jer 30:12  For thus saith the LORD, Thy bruise is incurable, and thy wound is grievous.

The book of Revelation reveals that the Lord’s elect, who are being judged in this age, must endure His wrath just as those who will come up in “the resurrection of judgment”. They will also endure the wrath of God in their judgment which is called in scripture ‘the great white throne judgment/lake of fire/ second death’ (Rev 20:7-15).

Because we will “not be left altogether unpunished” we will therefore be punished for our iniquities and our sins in the very same ‘fiery words’ that will judge those who are “cast into the lake of fire”.

The last verse of our last lesson gives us the reason we will not be left altogether unpunished:

Jer 30:12  For [H3588: ‘kiy’, because] thus saith the LORD, Thy bruise is incurable, and thy wound is grievous.

The Lord goes on to explain why our bruise is incurable, why our wound is grievous, and why our “sorrow in incurable”:

Jer 30:13  There is none to plead thy cause, that thou mayest be bound up: thou hast no healing medicines.
Jer 30:14  All thy lovers have forgotten thee; they seek thee not; for I have wounded thee with the wound of an enemy, with the chastisement of a cruel one, for the multitude of thine iniquity; because thy sins were increased.
Jer 30:15  Why criest thou for thine affliction? thy sorrow is incurable for the multitude of thine iniquity: because thy sins were increased, I have done these things unto thee.

“[Our] bruise is incurable… [our] wound is grievous… [our] sorrow is incurable for the multitude of [our] iniquity”. The Lord uses our own self-righteousness, which is inherent in “the vessel that He made of clay” (Jer 18:4) as the occasion He can always count on to justify His judgment of the rebellious kingdom of our self-righteous old man. It is only through the purifying flames of our destruction that we are cleansed of the corruption, rebellion, and the loathsome stench of self-righteousness that is this vessel of clay:

Psa 51:2  Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
Psa 51:3  For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
Psa 51:4  Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
Psa 51:5  Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.

Look closely at what we just read… “[So] that you might be justified when you speak and be clear when you judge me, I have sinned against you and done this evil in your sight!” That is the very purpose for our sins and our self-righteous transgressions. Our self-righteous transgressions are as much a part of “all things” as are the “good works which God has ordained that we should walk in them”:

Isa 63:17  O LORD, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our heart from thy fear? Return for thy servants’ sake, the tribes of thine inheritance.

Eph 2:10  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

These words are written when King David had been shown his own sins by the prophet Nathan.

Psa 51:1  To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.

The Lord is showing us that our sins are first and foremost against the Lord Himself, giving Him every right to ‘make us again, another vessel as it seems right to The Potter to make us’:

Job 23:13  But he is in one mind, and who can turn him? and what his soul desireth, even that he doeth. [with me]
Job 23:14  For he performeth the thing that is appointed for me [both good and evil (Pro 16:4, Isa 45:7)]: and many such things are with him.

2Sa 12:9  Wherefore [Why] hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.

Jer 18:4  And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.
Jer 18:5  Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
Jer 18:6  O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.

The Lord is not afraid of what we might think of Him. He makes His part in our trials very clear… “the vessel that He made of clay was marred in the hand of the Potter… I have wounded thee with the wound of an enemy, with the chastisement of a cruel one…” It pleases Him to bruise us, and to give us a fiery judgment and to destroy the kingdom of the enmity that is inherent in our carnal minds. It is He who brings us to our “wits’ end” before He brings us to our “desired haven”:

Psa 107:25  For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.
Psa 107:26  They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.
Psa 107:27  They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end.
Psa 107:28  Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.
Psa 107:29  He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
Psa 107:30  Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.

It pleases the Father to do everything “after the counsel of His own will” including ‘bruising’ our Lord and us:

Isa 53:1  Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?
Isa 53:2  For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him there is no beauty that we should desire him.
Isa 53:3  He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Isa 53:4  Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
Isa 53:5  But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
Isa 53:6  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him [on us (Lev 16:10)] the iniquity of us all.
Isa 53:7  He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth [Rom 12:1, 1Co 15:31, Gal 2:20, Col 1:24].
Isa 53:8  He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken [Col 1:24].
Isa 53:9  And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
Isa 53:10  Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed [His elect], he shall prolong his days [Through the resurrection (Rom 6:1-4)], and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
Isa 53:11  He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities [Lev 16:7-10 and 21-22].

This 53^rd chapter of Isaiah is to the Jewish religion and commentators what Colossians 1:24 is to the orthodox Christian community. They simply cannot understand how Christ can be spoken of in these terms:

Col 1:24  Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:

You and I, through Christ within us, ought to identify with every word of Isaiah 53:1-11. We should do so because the Lord tells us:

Joh 20:21  Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.

1Jn 4:17  Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

These verses identify us with the Christ of Isaiah 53 and with the scapegoat of Leviticus 16:

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

1Co 15:31  I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.

Gal 2:20  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

We should identify with every word of Isaiah 53 because the scapegoat symbolizes us as “a living sacrifice” who ‘fill up in our [own] bodies that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ’:

Col 1:24  Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:

Our suffering as “a living sacrifice” fills up that part which “the live goat”, the “scapegoat” fulfilled as it also “made an atonement with [Christ]”.

Our suffering as “a living sacrifice… [puts] all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins… upon the head of the [scape]goat… to make an atonement with [Christ]”:

Lev 16:7  And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
Lev 16:8  And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat.
Lev 16:9  And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD’S lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering.
Lev 16:10  But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.

Lev 16:21  And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man [“Christ in us”, Col 1:27]  into the wilderness:
Lev 16:22  And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.

Col 1:26  Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
Col 1:27  To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you [“a fit man”, Lev 16:21], the hope of glory:

We are the Lord’s scapegoat. We are His living sacrifice who are “crucified with [Him], nevertheless [we] live, yet [it is not we who live] but [it is] Christ who lives in us… bear[ing] all their iniquities”, all the iniquities of “His body which is the church”.

Gal 2:20  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live [as the Lord’s scapegoat]; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Col 1:24  Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ [“Crucified with Christ” (Gal 2:20)] in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:

How did Christ endure all of this? He did it the same way we endure it. He did it through the power of His Father’s spirit within Him:

Joh 8:28  Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.

The same is true for us. Without Christ, who lives His life within us by His Father’s spirit, we, too, “can do nothing”:

Joh 15:5  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

Joh 14:26  But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

Joh 15:26  But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

Joh 16:13  Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
Joh 16:14  He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

Here we have the truth about the Godhead right from the mouth of the Lord Himself. “The comforter… is the holy spirit… the comforter… is the spirit of Truth”. Then, who is this spirit called “the comforter”?

To answer that question, we first have to become aware of the fact that the Greek word translated ‘comforter’ is G3875 ‘parakletos’. This word is translated as ‘comforter’ four times, and all four times are in John; once in John 14:6, twice in John 15:26, and once in John 16:7.

G3875
παράκλητος
paraklētos
Total KJV Occurrences: 5
comforter, 4
Joh_14:16, Joh_15:26 (2), Joh_16:7
advocate, 1
1Jo_2:1

Notice what e-Sword reveals. This Greek word ‘parakletos’ appears a fifth time in the epistle of this same apostle John in 1^st John 2:1. As though cleverly and deliberately hidden from our eyes, the revelation of who this ‘parakletos’ is in that verse is not translated as ‘comforter’. Instead, it is translated as ‘advocate’.

Who then is this ‘comforter’ who is also called ‘the holy ghost… the spirit of Truth [and our ‘advocate’? Here is to whom it is that all these different titles apply:

1Jn 2:1  My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate [G3875: ‘parakletos’] with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

Now we can understand what Christ meant when He told us in John 16:14 that the comforter would “receive of mine and show it unto you”:

Joh 16:13  Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
Joh 16:14  He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

The very next verse explains what Christ meant by “receive of mine…” Christ can call His Father’s spirit “mine” because His Father gave it to Him for Christ to give His Father’s spirit to us “from the Father”. The holy spirit is called “the holy spirit of God” (Eph 4:30) because it is the spirit of the “one God, the Father”, and it is Christ Himself who informs us that “the comforter, which is the holy spirit… proceeds from the Father”:

Joh 14:26  But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

Joh 16:15  All things that the Father hath are mine [including His holy spirit]: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

Joh 15:26  But when the Comforter [our “Advocate… Jesus Christ” (1Jo 2:1)] is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

1Co 8:6  But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things [including Christ and “the holy spirit of God”, Eph 4:30], and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.

Eph 4:30  And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

After we have been judged and have learned that “our righteousness is of God” and is not of ourselves, then our old man and those whom the Lord used to judge us will themselves be judged:

Jer 30:16  Therefore all they that devour thee shall be devoured; and all thine adversaries, every one of them, shall go into captivity; and they that spoil thee shall be a spoil, and all that prey upon thee will I give for a prey.
Jer 30:17  For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the LORD; because they called thee an Outcast, saying, This is Zion, whom no man seeketh after.
Jer 30:18  Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will bring again the captivity of Jacob’s tents, and have mercy on his dwellingplaces; and the city shall be builded upon her own heap, and the palace shall remain after the manner thereof.

“The city shall be builded upon her own heap” is telling us that our salvation comes to us at the expense of the destruction of our old man and all his false lying doctrines. The false doctrine of the trinity, upon which the false doctrine of an immortal soul is based, has now become spoil to me and these lies are mine “for a prey”, and I am being healed of all the wounds all those false doctrines inflicted upon me. I am indeed “called… an outcast” but such persecution is “not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” if we are given to “endure to the end”:

Mat 10:22  And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.

Rom 8:18  For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Jer 30:19  And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of them that make merry: and I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small.
Jer 30:20  Their children also shall be as aforetime, and their congregation shall be established before me, and I will punish all that oppress them.
Jer 30:21  And their nobles shall be of themselves, and their governor shall proceed from the midst of them; and I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach unto me: for who is this that engaged his heart to approach unto me? saith the LORD.

The holy spirit tells us that “Out of them shall proceed thanksgiving… I will glorify them”. What this reveals is that we are “out of… Jerusalem above the mother of us all”, who is also known as “the bride, the Lamb’s wife”. That is who we are!

“Their nobles shall be of themselves” means we will all be “of the same mind” (1Co 1:10).

Jer 3:14  Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:

2Co 11:2  For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

Gal 4:26  But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.

Rev 21:2  And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

“Their governor” sounds as if it is speaking of an individual, and to the extent that we are “one in Christ”, it is speaking of a single governor. However, if we are “in Christ” then we are a nation of kings and priests who will govern all nations. First, we must be granted to govern all the nations and principalities within us, and then we will be given to govern the nations of “this world”:

2Co 10:5  Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
2Co 10:6  And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.

Rev 11:15  And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world [within us first (Rev 1:3)] are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

Jer 30:22  And ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.
Jer 30:23  Behold, the whirlwind of the LORD goeth forth with fury, a continuing whirlwind: it shall fall with pain upon the head of the wicked.

Carefully notice the change of tone between these two verses. Verse 22 proclaims the glorious outcome of the Lord’s purpose and His plan (Rom 8:28). “Ye shall be My people and I will be your God.” Verses 23 and 24 proclaim the judgment which is required to bring about that purpose and that plan (Heb 12:6).

Rom 8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

Job 23:10  But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

Heb 12:6  For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

Jer 30:24  The fierce anger of the LORD shall not return, until he have done it, and until he have performed the intents of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it.

It requires “the fierce anger of the Lord” against the rebellious kingdom of our old man and against this rebellious world to “perform the intents of His heart”. The ultimate “intent of His heart” is for all men to be saved. The intent of His heart for this present time is that through His “fierce anger, and His fiery judgments to save a “few… a very small remnant”, and then through those few He will judge and save all the rest of mankind:

Isa 1:9  Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah.

Mat 20:16  So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.

1Co 15:22  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

1Ti 2:4  Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
1Ti 4:10  For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe. [It does not read ‘Exclusively of them that believe”]

2Pe 3:9  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

1Jn 2:2  And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

What the Lord wants, the Lord gets. He Himself performs in me and in you and in all men what He desires:

Job 23:13  But he is in one mind, and who can turn him? and what his soul desireth, even that he doeth.
Job 23:14  For he performeth the thing that is appointed for me: and many such things are with him.

Php 1:6  Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

Php 2:12  Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
Php 2:13  For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Having His mind is to have His spirit, and it is His spirit which imparts to us His peace, and His peace surpasses all understanding because we are given to know that all His judgments will, in the end, teach all men His righteousness.

We will conclude this study with two very encouraging and peaceful sections of scripture which concern the outcome of all we have been given eyes to see and ears to hear:

Isa 26:8  Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.
Isa 26:9  With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

Therefore:

Php 4:6  Never worry about anything. But in every situation let God know what you need in prayers and requests while giving thanks.
Php 4:7  Then God’s peace, which goes beyond anything we can imagine, will guard your thoughts and emotions through Christ Jesus.
Php 4:8  Finally, brothers and sisters, keep your thoughts on whatever is right or deserves praise: things that are true, honorable, fair, pure, acceptable, or commendable.

Here are our verses for our next study as we continue to be shown how the Lord preserves us even as He judges us:

The Lord Will Turn Mourning to Joy

Jer 31:1  At the same time, saith the LORD, will I be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people.
Jer 31:2  Thus saith the LORD, The people which were left of the sword found grace in the wilderness; even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest.
Jer 31:3  The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.
Jer 31:4  Again I will build thee, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel: thou shalt again be adorned with thy tabrets, and shalt go forth in the dances of them that make merry.
Jer 31:5  Thou shalt yet plant vines upon the mountains of Samaria: the planters shall plant, and shall eat them as common things.
Jer 31:6  For there shall be a day, that the watchmen upon the mount Ephraim shall cry, Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion unto the LORD our God.
Jer 31:7  For thus saith the LORD; Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout among the chief of the nations: publish ye, praise ye, and say, O LORD, save thy people, the remnant of Israel.
Jer 31:8  Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the coasts of the earth, and with them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her that travaileth with child together: a great company shall return thither.
Jer 31:9  They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.
Jer 31:10  Hear the word of the LORD, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock.
Jer 31:11  For the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he.
Jer 31:12  Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the LORD, for wheat, and for wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock and of the herd: and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all.
Jer 31:13  Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both young men and old together: for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow.
Jer 31:14  And I will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, saith the LORD.
Jer 31:15  Thus saith the LORD; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rahel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not.
Jer 31:16  Thus saith the LORD; Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the LORD; and they shall come again from the land of the enemy.
Jer 31:17  And there is hope in thine end, saith the LORD, that thy children shall come again to their own border.
Jer 31:18  I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus; Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke: turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the LORD my God.
Jer 31:19  Surely after that I was turned, I repented; and after that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh: I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth.
Jer 31:20  Is Ephraim my dear son? is he a pleasant child? for since I spake against him, I do earnestly remember him still: therefore my bowels are troubled for him; I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the LORD.