15 Then the Lord said to me, “Even though Moses and Samuel were to stand before Me, My [a]heart would not be [b]with this people; send them away from My presence and let them go! 2 And it shall be that when they say to you, ‘Where should we go?’ then you are to tell them, ‘Thus says the Lord:
“Those destined for death, to death;
And those destined for the sword, to the sword;
And those destined for famine, to famine;
And those destined for captivity, to captivity.”’3 I will appoint over them four kinds of doom,” declares the Lord: “the sword to slay, the dogs to drag off, and the birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth to devour and destroy. 4 I will make them an object of horror among all the kingdoms of the earth because of Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah, the king of Judah, for what he did in Jerusalem.
5 “Indeed, who will have pity on you, O Jerusalem,
Or who will mourn for you,
Or who will turn aside to ask about your welfare?
6 “You who have forsaken Me,” declares the Lord,
“You keep going backward.
So I will stretch out My hand against you and destroy you;
I am tired of relenting!
7 “I will winnow them with a winnowing fork
At the gates of the land;
I will bereave them of children, I will destroy My people;
They did not [c]repent of their ways.
8 “Their widows will be more numerous before Me
Than the sand of the seas;
I will bring against them, against the mother of a young man,
A destroyer at noonday;
I will suddenly bring down on her
Anguish and dismay.
9 “She who bore seven sons pines away;
[d]Her breathing is labored.
Her sun has set while it was yet day;
She has been shamed and humiliated.
So I will give over their survivors to the sword
Before their enemies,” declares the Lord.10 Woe to me, my mother, that you have borne me
As a man of strife and a man of contention to all the land!
I have not lent, nor have men lent money to me,
Yet everyone curses me.
11 The Lord said, “Surely I will set you free for purposes of good;
Surely I will cause the enemy to make supplication to you
In a time of disaster and a time of distress.
As this chapter begins, we get a little more context into when this prophecy was given. In v. 3, we have Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah, who was king during these vile times. He reigned quite a long time, and perhaps that was one of the reasons Jeremiah was a bit distraught. Why did God allow such a vile man to site on the throne for 55 years? (For more context, check out 2 Kings 21)
Whatever the reason (we don’t know the mind of God), the patience of God was about to run out. The worst kind of evil in Manasseh was going to be met with the worst judgment God had ever poured out on His people. And still, somehow, we have v. 11, “Surely I will set you free for purposes of good…”
I don’t remember how God fulfilled this promise to Jeremiah, but there were others of Israel who ended up in similar positions. We have Daniel especially, who was elevated above all the rulers of Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar. He was not alone in finding favor in captivity, as some of His friends were rewarded for their faithfulness to God also.
So it seems that God had a plan for Jeremiah even in a time of extreme judgment–beyond trying to convince a stiff-necked people to change their ways. God would use such great calamity to bring about good once again. It’s incredible how often God does that, with tragic accidents and death alike. From our human perspective, we look and say, “Oh no, this is the end!”
But God is always working things for good, and not just “good enough”, but the best possible outcome. That seems incredible in a situation like we read today, but God’s plan was not stopped by the wickedness of Manasseh. His redemption plan was fulfilled over two thousand years ago, in spite of the wicked hearts of men, even using their evil to carry out the plan and nail His Son to a cross.
If God could bring good out of all that, know that He can and will use anything in our lives for His good and perfect will. If we also are willing and trust in Him, it will also be for our good, to our benefit. God’s wisdom and mercy and love and so much more are there for anyone who is willing. In the middle of your mess, look up and hang on to His unwavering hand. You’re in good hands, the best hands, with God Almighty.