Former Blackout Artist

Today’s Scripture reading is in Jeremiah 24:1-10 (NLT).

After King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon exiled Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, to Babylon along with the officials of Judah and all the craftsman and artisans, the Lord gave me this vision. I saw two baskets of figs placed in front of the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem. One basket was filled with fresh, ripe figs, while the other was filled with bad figs that were too rotten to eat.

Then the Lord said to me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” I replied, “Figs, some very good and some very bad, too rotten to eat.” Then the Lord gave me this message: “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: The good figs represent the exiles I sent from Judah to the land of the Babylonians. I will watch over and care for them, and I will bring them back here again. I will build them up and not tear them down. I will plant them and not uproot them. I will give them hearts that recognize me as the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me wholeheartedly.

“But the bad figs,” the Lord said, “represent King Zedekiah of Judah, his officials, all the people left in Jerusalem, and those who live in Egypt. I will treat them like bad figs, too rotten to eat. I will make them an object of horror and a symbol of evil to every nation on earth. They will be disgraced and mocked, taunted and cursed, wherever I scatter them. And I will send war, famine, and disease until they have vanished from the land of Israel, which I gave to them and their ancestors.”

Imagine being kidnapped and taken to another land. There you will be reeducated, you will assume a different name, and you will be forced to comply with new laws that aren’t anything like the laws you observed back home. And oh… you will become a slave to that government for the next 70 years. In all likelihood, you will never return back to your homeland.

And imagine this not being a bad thing, but actually a good thing. It certainly makes you wonder what on earth could possibly be worse!

That’s essentially what God was telling Jeremiah in his vision. The basket of good figs represented the Israelites who would be gathered up and exiled back to Babylon. Not that they were good, but they were certainly more teachable than the basket of bad figs – those who were too stubborn to change their evil ways and would be left behind to suffer God’s coming wrath.

But God would show great mercy on the exiles. He promised to take care of them and bring them and their offspring back to Israel someday. But even while they were there in Babylon, they would be blessed in ways that they couldn’t imagine. Although they were captives, they enjoyed the same freedom as everyone else. They would get jobs, start families, and buy homes. Some of them even got involved in business. And some, like Daniel and his three buddies, would hold high positions in the King’s own government.

But the ones left behind? They were condemned. And the sad part is that they truly thought they were the ones God had rescued.

Friend, we’re living in modern day Babylon and the day is coming when another exile is going to happen . But this one will be far greater than the one back in Daniel’s day. And just as it was then it will be on that day. There will be a basket of good figs that are taken, and a basket of bad figs that are left behind. Except the rotten ones will know God’s judgment and wrath awaits.

Between now and then, let us continue to encourage one another to hold fast to the truth in Spirit and love, and with kindness and gentleness let us proclaim the Gospel of Christ to all who will listen.