Then the word of the LORD came to me: “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Like these good figs, I regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I sent away from this place to the land of the Babylonians. My eyes will watch over them for their good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up and not tear them down; I will plant them and not uproot them. I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the LORD. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.
Jeremiah 24:4-7 NIV
In this chapter, Jeremiah saw a vision of two baskets of figs. One basket held good figs, while the other held bad figs. After Jeremiah saw the vision, God explained its significance to him.
The good figs represented the Israelites who had been taken into exile. God would work for their good and eventually return them to their land. The basket of bad figs represented the Jews who remained behind in the land. These Jews were facing destruction.
It might be tempting to think that the first group was better than the second. More godly and devoted to God. But that seems not to be the case. Both groups contained faithful and unfaithful Israelites. And Jeremiah himself was among those left behind.
God’s Sovereignty
I think, rather, that this is an example of God’s sovereignty at work. He chose the group that went to Babylon to continue His redemptive work through Israel. As God sovereignly chose Jacob over Esau, so He sovereignly chose the exiles over those who remained. As far as we can tell, it had nothing to do with the goodness or badness of either group. Rather, it was just who God chose to further His work.
We don’t always understand why God does what He does, or allows what He allows. But God has His purpose. That purpose does not always work out in our lifetime. For the exiles, it was 70 years before they returned, and much longer before they were really free.
I want to know what God is doing and why He works the way He does. Especially as it relates to me. And I want to know it now. Sometimes I find answers in Scripture. But often He works in ways, and for reasons, that are beyond my understanding. Or that He has chosen not to reveal. So instead, I will trust Him: that He is working for my good (Rom. 8:28); and working to accomplish His perfect plan for His creation. Even when I don’t understand.
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