Jeremiah 24:1-10
Q.1. When was Jeremiah given the vision of figs? What message did God convey to Jeremiah through the baskets of figs? – (Jer.24:1-8)
Jeremiah had a vision – 1 After Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and the officials of Judah with the craftsmen and smiths from Jerusalem and had brought them to Babylon (Jer.24:1). Jeremiah saw two baskets of first ripe (i.e. first fruit) figs in the Temple – One basket had very good figs, like first-ripe figs, and the other basket had very bad figs which could not be eaten due to rottenness (Jer.24:2). The good figs represented the exiles who had been carried into captivity. The bad figs represented the remnant who stayed in Jerusalem, plus those who had escaped to Egypt (Jer.24:5 & 8).
Q.2. What did the basket of good figs signify? Was this a promise for that day? How was the basket of rotten figs applied? – (Jer.24:4-10)
Jeremiah would give a message of hope to the exiles later, but for now he told them to settle down because their captivity would not be lifted for seventy years (Jer.29:1-7, 10-14). Here the Lord sent a message of encouragement to the captives in the land of the Chaldeans – 6Â For I will set My eyes on them for good, and I will bring them again to this land; and I will build them up and not overthrow them, and I will plant them and not pluck them up. 7Â I will give them a heart to know Me, for I am the Lord; and they will be My people, and I will be their God, for they will return to Me with their whole heart (Jer.24:6-7; Rom.11:25-27). The Lord has brought Israel back to the land miraculously in May 1948. In the future, He will open their eyes before restoring them to faith during the Millennial Reign of Christ (c.f. Jer.23:5-8; Zech.12:10-13:1). However, here the Lord would abandon those who refused to listen to His Word and sought an alliance with Egypt (Jer.24:8). There was no hope for those who tried to avoid His chastening hand. God warned – I will send the sword, the famine, and the pestilence upon them until they are destroyed from the land which I gave to them and their forefathers (Jer.24:10).