Jeremiah, Sarah Barry
THE WAY OF THE 'GOOD FIGS'
Passage: Jeremiah 24:1~10  
Key verse: 7
Two Baskets of Figs
24 After Jehoiachin[a](A) son of Jehoiakim king of Judah and the officials, the skilled workers and the artisans of Judah were carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Lord showed me two baskets of figs(B) placed in front of the temple of the Lord. 2 One basket had very good figs, like those that ripen early;(C) the other basket had very bad(D) figs, so bad they could not be eaten.
3 Then the Lord asked me, “What do you see,(E) Jeremiah?”
“Figs,” I answered. “The good ones are very good, but the bad ones are so bad they cannot be eaten.”
4 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 5 “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Like these good figs, I regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I sent(F) away from this place to the land of the Babylonians.[b] 6 My eyes will watch over them for their good, and I will bring them back(G) to this land. I will build(H) them up and not tear them down; I will plant(I) them and not uproot them. 7 I will give them a heart to know(J) me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people,(K) and I will be their God, for they will return(L) to me with all their heart.(M)
8 “‘But like the bad(N) figs, which are so bad they cannot be eaten,’ says the Lord, ‘so will I deal with Zedekiah(O) king of Judah, his officials(P) and the survivors(Q) from Jerusalem, whether they remain in this land or live in Egypt.(R) 9 I will make them abhorrent(S) and an offense to all the kingdoms of the earth, a reproach and a byword,(T) a curse[c](U) and an object of ridicule, wherever I banish(V) them. 10 I will send the sword,(W) famine(X) and plague(Y) against them until they are destroyed from the land I gave to them and their ancestors.(Z)’”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 24:1 Hebrew Jeconiah, a variant of Jehoiachin
- Jeremiah 24:5 Or Chaldeans
- Jeremiah 24:9 That is, their names will be used in cursing (see 29:22); or, others will see that they are cursed.
Cross references
- Jeremiah 24:1 : S 2Ki 24:16; S 2Ch 36:9
- Jeremiah 24:1 : Ex 23:19; Dt 26:2; Am 8:1-2
- Jeremiah 24:2 : S SS 2:13
- Jeremiah 24:2 : S Isa 5:4
- Jeremiah 24:3 : Jer 1:11; Am 8:2
- Jeremiah 24:5 : Jer 29:4, 20
- Jeremiah 24:6 : S Dt 30:3; Jer 27:22; 29:10; 30:3; Eze 11:17
- Jeremiah 24:6 : Jer 33:7; 42:10
- Jeremiah 24:6 : S Dt 30:9; S Jer 1:10; Am 9:14-15
- Jeremiah 24:7 : S Isa 11:9
- Jeremiah 24:7 : S Lev 26:12; S Isa 51:16; S Zec 2:11; Heb 8:10
- Jeremiah 24:7 : Jer 32:40
- Jeremiah 24:7 : S 2Ch 6:37; Eze 11:19
- Jeremiah 24:8 : Jer 29:17
- Jeremiah 24:8 : Jer 32:4-5; 38:18, 23; 39:5; 44:30
- Jeremiah 24:8 : Jer 39:6
- Jeremiah 24:8 : Jer 39:9
- Jeremiah 24:8 : Jer 44:1, 26; 46:14
- Jeremiah 24:9 : S Jer 15:4; 25:18
- Jeremiah 24:9 : S Dt 28:25; S 1Ki 9:7
- Jeremiah 24:9 : S 2Ki 22:19; S Jer 29:18
- Jeremiah 24:9 : S Dt 28:37; Da 9:7
- Jeremiah 24:10 : S Isa 51:19; S Jer 9:16; Rev 6:8
- Jeremiah 24:10 : Jer 15:2
- Jeremiah 24:10 : Jer 27:8
- Jeremiah 24:10 : S Dt 28:21
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Source:  BibleGateway
1. Submission to God's way of salvation (1-7)
The good figs are Jehoiachin and the leaders, who eventually submitted to the will of God. They would receive favor from God, even in the time of exile. God promised to be with them and watch over them. They were not enslaved. They would be able to live and work and prosper and later on, be brought back. God would bless them. The punishment they would bear would be the best way to restore their hearts and draw them near to God.
2. Bad figs will face destruction (8-10)
There were the bad figs. Zedekiah and his officials tried to flee. They ignored God's word through Jeremiah, thinking that their own plan was better. They were met with sword, famine or plague. That is the way of the bad figs. Our stubbornness leads us only to decay. God's way is the only way.
Prayer: Lord, I don't understand your ways, but I trust you. Help me to submit to you and be considered as a good fig in your eyes.
One Word: God blesses the good figs