Jeremiah 31: Restoration
AN ACCIDENTAL DELETE on a computer feels like a disaster. Vital material suddenly vanishes as if it never existed. Fortunately, there are usually ways to restore the lost file. Other things like broken relationships and lost opportunities are not so easy to bring back. In exile Israel must have often thought their last chance and hope were gone, but the Lord still had his purposes for them.
Warming Up to God
Think of a time your closeness with the Lord was restored after something disrupted it. What brought about the restoration?
Read Jeremiah 31. »
Discovering the Word
- How would you sum up God's message to Jeremiah in this passage?
- What reasons does God give for his restoring Israel (vv. 3, 9, 20)?
- How does God depict the bounty and joy which he will restore to Israel (vv. 1-2, 4-5, 12-14, 22-25, 27-28)?
- What change of heart will Israel experience concerning their sin (vv. 9, 18-19)?
- How will the new covenant be different from the old (vv. 31-34)?
- How long will God's blessings last (vv. 35-37)?
Applying the Word
- In what ways do you need to be restored by God?
- Think of someone you know who needs restoration. It may be someone's relationship with God, a friendship, a marriage, a church fellowship. If appropriate, how can you contribute to that restoration?
Responding in Prayer
Thank God for his restoring love. Pray for areas in your life where you feel broken and need his restoration. Pray for damaged relationships which need to be restored by the touch of God.
For Further Study
Restoring the Fallen by Earl D. Wilson et. al.