16 Thus says the Lord,
“Restrain your voice from weeping
And your eyes from tears;
For your work will be rewarded,” declares the Lord,
“And they will return from the land of the enemy.
17 “There is hope for your future,” declares the Lord,
“And your children will return to their own territory.
18 “I have surely heard Ephraim grieving,
‘You have chastised me, and I was chastised,
Like an untrained calf;
Bring me back that I may be restored,
For You are the Lord my God.
19 ‘For after I turned back, I repented;
And after I was instructed, I smote on my thigh;
I was ashamed and also humiliated
Because I bore the reproach of my youth.’
20 “Is Ephraim My dear son?
Is he a delightful child?
Indeed, as often as I have spoken against him,
I certainly still remember him;
Therefore My [j]heart yearns for him;
I will surely have mercy on him,” declares the Lord.21 “Set up for yourself roadmarks,
Place for yourself guideposts;
Direct your [k]mind to the highway,
The way by which you went.
Return, O virgin of Israel,
Return to these your cities.
22 “How long will you go here and there,
O faithless daughter?
For the Lord has created a new thing in the earth—
A woman will encompass a man.”23 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “Once again they will speak this word in the land of Judah and in its cities when I restore their [l]fortunes,
‘The Lord bless you, O abode of righteousness,
O holy hill!’24 Judah and all its cities will dwell together in it, the farmer and they who go about with flocks. 25 For I satisfy the weary ones and [m]refresh everyone who languishes.” 26 At this I awoke and looked, and my sleep was pleasant to me.
As God continues to speak of hope for their future (v. 17), we see a picture of the repentance of Ephraim (one of the twelve tribes of Israel) in v. 18. They say essentially, “I was young and foolish, now I see the way I should go. Please bring me back and restore me.” And indeed, in v. 20 God states that despite the promised judgment, He will have mercy. And then we get to this picture of roadmarks and guideposts.
Perhaps it is literal, as some commentators have said, that God wanted them to prepare for their return. But I think there’s more here than just prepping for the trip home. After all, what good does it do to pack supplies for a return when it is seventy years away (more or less)? Yet we’re on the right track somewhat, as God doesn’t want them to continue in the way they’ve been going. That is, to keep living the same way as what got them into captivity, rebelling against God and ignoring His commands.
This idea of guideposts reminds one of an older passage, in Deuteronomy 6, where God instructed the people to bind His commands to their hands, and to wear them like a headband. Certainly, the whole of God’s law couldn’t fit, but they needed some sort of reminder either way. And I think that’s what these roadmarks and guideposts represent. God is telling them, “Look, you messed up and lost your way, you need some road signs to ‘Direct your mind to the highway, the way by which you once walked.'”
And so do we I think, at least I find myself pretty forgetful, and I have to be terribly intentional to make sure I’m doing what God wants. It doesn’t happen by accident, and I know I’m not alone in that. What “signs” do you need in your life? Put them up so that you walk in His way, and don’t get lost or distracted. Do not wander “here and there”, but follow Him faithfully each day, sticking to the roadmarks of His Word.