33 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the second time, while he was still [a]confined in the court of the guard, saying, 2 “Thus says the Lord who made [b]the earth, the Lord who formed it to establish it, the Lord is His name, 3 ‘Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’ 4 For thus says the Lord God of Israel concerning the houses of this city, and concerning the houses of the kings of Judah which are broken down to make a defense against the siege ramps and against the sword, 5 ‘While they are coming to fight with the Chaldeans and to fill them with the corpses of men whom I have slain in My anger and in My wrath, and I have hidden My face from this city because of all their wickedness: 6 Behold, I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal them; and I will reveal to them an abundance of peace and truth. 7 I will restore the [c]fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel and will rebuild them as they were at first. 8 I will cleanse them from all their iniquity by which they have sinned against Me, and I will pardon all their iniquities by which they have sinned against Me and by which they have transgressed against Me. 9 [d]It will be to Me a name of joy, praise and glory before all the nations of the earth which will hear of all the good that I do for them, and they will fear and tremble because of all the good and all the peace that I make for it.’
God sends Jeremiah another message, and it’s not far off from the first. Here we see a bit more detail of the ongoing battle though, with defenses against the siege ramps, and men falling in battle. God had already told them to surrender to Babylon, the battle was effectively over, but still they fought against Babylon, and against God Himself.
Yet this passage continues a message about God’s faithfulness and wisdom, for He tells Jeremiah His plan to reassure Jeremiah. His plan isn’t to wipe Israel off the face of the earth, even though He probably ought to. God desired to heal them, to restore and rebuild Judah and Israel, and most importantly, to cleanse them from all their iniquity. That was what would bring God joy and glory, rather than men dying in their wickedness.
Many people get hung up on God’s judgment, and look at stories of destruction as evidence that God is terrible and vindictive. But far more prevalent are the stories that reinforce the theme throughout history, of redemption, grace, and love. For love God sent His son, and without that we wouldn’t stand a chance. Even in our sin, just like He describes of Israel in v. 8, God calls to us and wants to forgive us and restore us.
Don’t fall for the “fake news” about God, but look at His heart shown throughout the Bible. There is no mistaking that God is on a mission of love and restoration, and that mission continues today. Yes, there will be fear and trembling, but because of all of God’s goodness and peace that is so incredible and brings us to our knees in gratitude. No matter what happens in this life, God is still with us, guiding us, leading us, and loving us. Come, follow Him.