31 “At that time,” declares the Lord, “I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be My people.”
2 Thus says the Lord,
“The people who survived the sword
Found grace in the wilderness—
Israel, when it went to find its rest.”
3 The Lord appeared to [a]him from afar, saying,
“I have loved you with an everlasting love;
Therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness.
4 “Again I will build you and you will be rebuilt,
O virgin of Israel!
Again you will [b]take up your tambourines,
And go forth to the dances of the merrymakers.
5 “Again you will plant vineyards
On the [c]hills of Samaria;
The planters will plant
And will [d]enjoy them.
6 “For there will be a day when watchmen
On the hills of Ephraim call out,
‘Arise, and let us go up to Zion,
To the Lord our God.’”7 For thus says the Lord,
“Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob,
And shout among the [e]chief of the nations;
Proclaim, give praise and say,
‘O Lord, save Your people,
The remnant of Israel.’
8 “Behold, I am bringing them from the north country,
And I will gather them from the remote parts of the earth,
Among them the blind and the lame,
The woman with child and she who is in labor with child, together;
A great [f]company, they will return here.
9 “With weeping they will come,
And by supplication I will lead them;
I will make them walk by streams of waters,
On a straight path in which they will not stumble;
For I am a father to Israel,
And Ephraim is My firstborn.”
The message of restoration for Israel continues in as we begin chapter 31, and in v. 3 God reminds them of His love. In v. 4 He speaks of rebuilding Israel, and there are tambourines and merrymaking. The planters plant (v. 5), the watchmen call the people to Zion (v. 6), to return to God with singing and shouting and gladness (v. 7). Then in v. 8, God speaks of their actual return, the maidens and young men, warriors and… Wait, it doesn’t say that at all?
No indeed, it speaks of the blind and the lame, the pregnant woman and the one about to give birth. Bah, why would God bother with them if He wants to rebuild Israel? From our human perspective, none of these would be our first pick to make the trip back to Israel, to rebuild a thriving country. They would be an inconvenience at best, yet God sees them, chooses them also, and promises to bring them back to Israel.
Whether strong or lame, visionary or blind, God valued His children, not for what they could do, but for who they were. God Himself created each of them, and He created you and me also. Whether we want to believe it or not, God values each of us, even the crippled, the rebels, and the neighbor who drives you crazy.
God desires to show you His love, for He “has loved you with an everlasting love.” And He also wants to use you to show that love to those around you. It’s not easy to show that kind of love to everyone, but it isn’t about what we want, but what they need. God knows our weakness, and wants to show His strength in and through us. Let Him work through your life, to meet the needs of others, and show them His everlasting love.