Good and Bad Figs

IIT UBF - University Bible Fellowship at IIT

Good and Bad Figs

Date: Dec. 20, 2023

Passage

Jeremiah 24:1-10 (ESV)

1 After Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had taken into exile from Jerusalem Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, together with the officials of Judah, the craftsmen, and the metal workers, and had brought them to Babylon, the LORD showed me this vision: behold, two baskets of figs placed before the temple of the LORD. 2 One basket had very good figs, like first-ripe figs, but the other basket had very bad figs, so bad that they could not be eaten. 3 And the LORD said to me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” I said, “Figs, the good figs very good, and the bad figs very bad, so bad that they cannot be eaten.”

4 Then the word of the LORD came to me: 5 “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Like these good figs, so I will regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I have sent away from this place to the land of the Chaldeans. 6 I will set my eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up, and not tear them down; I will plant them, and not pluck them up. 7 I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the LORD, and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart.

8 “But thus says the LORD: Like the bad figs that are so bad they cannot be eaten, so will I treat Zedekiah the king of Judah, his officials, the remnant of Jerusalem who remain in this land, and those who dwell in the land of Egypt. 9 I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a reproach, a byword, a taunt, and a curse in all the places where I shall drive them. 10 And I will send sword, famine, and pestilence upon them, until they shall be utterly destroyed from the land that I gave to them and their fathers.”

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Daily Bread

Key Verse: 24:7

I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the LORD, and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart.

After the Babylonian invasion and the exile to Babylon of King Jehoiachin and many skilled workers and craftsmen, the Lord sent a vision to Jeremiah. The vision was of two baskets of figs; one containing figs that looked very good and delicious looking, the other with figs that were rancid and could not be eaten.

At that time, there were two groups of Judeans: those who were exiled to Babylon, and those who remained in Jerusalem. Many of the remnant of Jerusalem thought of going to Egypt for safety. With this context we can understand that the good figs were those who obeyed the Lord, surrendered to the Babylonians and were taken into exile. The Lord would bless them. He would watch over them for their good and prosper them. Then he would bring them back in his time. He would give them a heart that seeks him whole-heartedly.

On the other hand, the bad figs represented the evil King Zedekiah and others that remained in Jerusalem, in disobedience to the Lord’s words. The Lord would make them abhorrent to all the other nations. Because they didn’t obey the Lord, he would destroy them with sword, plague and famine. The Lord, not Egypt, was their sanctuary.

Prayer: Prayer: Father, help us to turn to you with our whole hearts. Give us hearts to know you, that we may be your people, and you may be our God.

One Word: One Word: Come to God; be like a good fig

The Lack of Knowledge of God

Hosea 4:1-19

Key Verse: 4:1

The Lord Accuses Israel

4:1   Hear the word of the LORD, O children of Israel,
    for the LORD has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land.
  There is no faithfulness or steadfast love,
    and no knowledge of God in the land;

Today's Question

What is sin?

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