Good Figs and Bad Figs

Jeremiah 24:1–10 ESV

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. 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. 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.” Then the word of the Lord came to me: “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. 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. I will give them a heart to know 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. “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. 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. 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.”

Opening Prayer

God’s Sovereign act of Judgment

Jeremiah 24:3 ESV

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.”

As we will see, these two baskets of figs represent the people in Judah. (notice a couple of things)

(from verse 1) These baskets of fruit were “PLACED BEFORE THE TEMPLE OF THE LORD...”

imagery of the offering of first fruits laid before the temple of the Lord.

What makes it more interesting is...There are only TWO baskets. Good / Bad

I wonder how many basket we would have?

Good, pretty good, kind of bad, bad but they’ve had a hard life, probably good but I can’t get over that thing they did to me so yeah Bad....VERY bad!

2nd issue is, since there are only two categories, WHO IS TO SAY WHERE EACH PERSON GOES?

Maybe it’s obvious: The Good are VERY GOOD and the bad are VERY BAD.

After all, making judgment about people is necessarily wrong (“ You can judge a tree by it’s fruit...”)

It’s one thing to make moral judgments about people’s actions compared to God’s standard of morality

Make judgments about the heart of another person is something that we remain wholly unqualified to do!

Illustration: My first trip to Farmer’s Market.

This vision is picture if the reality of the situation in Judah.

There are two categories Good / Bad.

Only God will be able to know where each person should go.

God’s Sovereign act of Redemption

Seen in 3 attributes of God

(Spread across verses 5-7)

God’s Grace

Jeremiah 24:5 ESV

“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.

Pause to appreciate: for an Old Testament Israelite, how much irony must have been seen in that sentence.

It was believed that if you were sick, bad harvest, child born with illness...

It must be that you have sinned against God.

Why are the “bad guys” staying in Judah and the good guys being exiled?

I will REGARD AS GOOD the exiles from Judah...

I will deem them to be good...

Not that the ARE good.

What is true of these people was true of those the psalmist wrote about. (Ps 14:2-3

Psalm 14:2–3 ESV

The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.

The truth was that EVERYBODY in Judah deserved God’s wrath.

So what made the difference?

only GOD’s GRACE!!!!!

Interestingly God did give them a choice.

(if you have you bible … and you should have it!)

Jeremiah 21:8–9 ESV

“And to this people you shall say: ‘Thus says the Lord: Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death. He who stays in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, but he who goes out and surrenders to the Chaldeans who are besieging you shall live and shall have his life as a prize of war.

Nobody in Judah “deserved” God’s grace .... but grace was given anyway.

Out of grace - God chose to even offer them a choice.

Some foolishly thought they didn’t need the salvation that God offered

They felt that they could depend on themselves and their own securities to protect them from God’s wrath.

They were wrong.

We cannot leave this point about God’s grace without noticing another point.

Those who recieved God’s grace were still exiled.

As New Testament Christians we know that we relay completely on God’s grace for our salvation. (It’s at the core of our belief in salvation!!!)

But it is just as important that we understand what living under God’s grace means and doesn’t mean.

Clearly it DOESN’T mean avoid hardship.

One of the things that it DOES mean: We are living under...

God’s Security

Jeremiah 24:6 ESV

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.

Notice something that started in verse 5 and continue in the next two verses

God starts making promises but saying several times “I WILL”

“I will set my eyes in them for good.”

When you are under God grace, you may not avoid hardship

But what it true: YOU GET TO JOIN GOD IN WHAT HE IS DOING IN THE WORLD!

You life get a purpose and that purpose is for the GOOD.

God promised

I will bring them back

I will build them up(and not tear them down (like the others)

I will plant them (and not pluck them up)

They will have a future

They will have prosperity

They will have security

All because of God’s grace and in the authority of His word.

The people in Judah chose current pleasure which led to idolatry

Then they chose tangible security over God grace.

God’s grace may not always lead to immidiate rewards

But God’s grace is backs with a promise that He has a plan for your life and it is a plan for good.

God grace comes with God’s Security

It’s a no brainer!!!

God’s Renewal

Jeremiah 24:7 ESV

I will give them a heart to know 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.

I have counseled married coupled going through a tough season, who feel like giving up, that if they hold on and stay together through this tough season

They will end up with a love that is stronger, (weathered and tested)

This is the promise of God to His exiled people.

When this season is over you’re going to have a relationship and love for me that you have never known before!!

WITH YOU HEART you will know me and WITH YOUR WHOLE HEARET you will love me!

In New Testament Church it is called being a NEW CREATION

Closing Words:

This morning much of this lesson should resonate with us

There is non-without sin. None righteous!

There are only two baskets before us. (counted as good / counted as bad)

Out of grace God has offered us a choice

Will you decide to ignore God’s offer of salvation as those who remained in Judah?

Or will you chose to live under God’s grace

join Him in His work in the world

Face momentary trial

Gain a relationship with God that you have never known.

One day be with Him for eternity!

Closing Prayer