Jeremiah 31:7-14 (NRSV)
Read Jeremiah 31:7-14 on biblegateway.com
Verse 7For thus says the Lord: Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob, and raise shouts for the chief of the nations; proclaim, give praise, and say, "Save, O Lord, your people, the remnant of Israel." Verse 8See, I am going to bring them from the land of the north, and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, those with child and those in labor, together; a great company, they shall return here. Verse 9With weeping they shall come, and with consolations I will lead them back, I will let them walk by brooks of water, in a straight path in which they shall not stumble; for I have become a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.
Verse 10Hear the word of the Lord, O nations, and declare it in the coastlands far away; say, "He who scattered Israel will gather him, and will keep him as a shepherd a flock." Verse 11For the Lord has ransomed Jacob, and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him. Verse 12They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion, and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the Lord, over the grain, the wine, and the oil, and over the young of the flock and the herd; their life shall become like a watered garden, and they shall never languish again. Verse 13Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy, I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow. Verse 14I will give the priests their fill of fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my bounty, says the Lord.
Devotion
What a song this is—how radiant with promise, joy, and comfort! This was not the first word Jeremiah was given from God. His first words had been “out of the north disaster shall break upon you.” And what a disaster it had been. Defeat, estrangement, poverty, and death had been the life of these exiles. But the word of disaster is not the last word. Yes, much sorrow and loss had to be endured, and it was a long wait for a new day to come. But when the new word arrives who can help but listen? Who can help but follow the path home? Now they are called to leave mourning behind in return for joy and the merry dance in life’s new-watered garden. We all experience our defeats, estrangements, poverties, and deaths, but God remains always faithful and, through Christ, leads us back home to joy.
Prayer
Good and gracious God, gather us all, north, south, east, and west and lead us to your beautiful, watered garden of life, where we will not languish, but instead trade all our sorrows for the gladness of knowing you, through your Son Jesus, Amen.
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