(Read Jer. 24)
We baskets of figs, not three, were seen by Jeremiah the prophet before the temple of the Lord. The contents of one were a complete contrast to the contents of the other. In the one basket the figs were good, very good, like the figs that are first ripe. In the other, they were evil, very evil, that could not be eaten, they were so evil. There stood the two baskets, peculiar puzzle to the mind of the prophet. Who would unravel the mystery?
“God is His own interpreter,
And He will make it plain.”
The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, giving clear explanation of the sight which he saw. God had chosen this forcible way of setting forth His thoughts of the men of Judah. He saw them divided into two classes. Men might see many classes, at the least three, — good, moderate, and bad; but before God's eye they formed only two companies, and these were as distinct a contrast as the contents of the two baskets upon which Jeremiah's eyes rested. The good were in His eyes very good; the bad were very bad. Would not the prophet be eager to know what favored persons they were who formed the first class? He might have thought, Perhaps in the midst of this evil and rebellious people there are a few good persons hidden from public gaze but seen by God's eye. Listen however, to God's explanation.
“Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge them that are carried away captive of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans for their good." If you turn to 2 Kings 24:8-168Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. And his mother's name was Nehushta, the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. 9And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father had done. 10At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against Jerusalem, and the city was besieged. 11And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came against the city, and his servants did besiege it. 12And Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he, and his mother, and his servants, and his princes, and his officers: and the king of Babylon took him in the eighth year of his reign. 13And he carried out thence all the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king's house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the Lord, as the Lord had said. 14And he carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valor, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths: none remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the land. 15And he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, and the king's mother, and the king's wives, and his officers, and the mighty of the land, those carried he into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon. 16And all the men of might, even seven thousand, and craftsmen and smiths a thousand, all that were strong and apt for war, even them the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon. (2 Kings 24:8‑16) you will find a brief account of those who were taken captive. Having read these verses you may exclaim with wonder, These were evil men and not good ones at all! It is true, my reader, that they were evil, and on this account God had to bring upon them the chastisement of Nebuchadnezzar's army and the siege. But notice this point. These men bowed to God's judgment, and went out to the king of Babylon (ver. 12). Instead of fighting against the judgment of God, and resisting Him, they practically owned its justice by submitting and going out. (Compare Jer. 21:8-108And unto this people thou shalt say, Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I set before you the way of life, and the way of death. 9He that abideth in this city shall die by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth out, and falleth to the Chaldeans that besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be unto him for a prey. 10For I have set my face against this city for evil, and not for good, saith the Lord: it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire. (Jeremiah 21:8‑10).)
The God of all grace, whose compassions fail not, had mercy for such. His purposes of mercy He unfolds to His servant the prophet. He does not bid them do many things, but He shows Jeremiah what He Himself will do, accomplishing for them sevenfold blessing:— (1.) “So will I acknowledge them;" (2.)" I will set mine eyes upon them for good, and (3.) I will bring them again to this land; and (4.) I 'will build them and not pull them down; and (5.) I will plant them and not pluck them up. And (6.) I will give them a heart to know me that I am the Lord; and they shall be my people, and (7.) I will be their God." How good and gracious of God thus to acknowledge the poor captives, to look upon them, to free them, to build them, to plant them, to give them a heart to know Him, revealing Himself as their God All was sure and certain, too, for it was the fruit of His own grace, to be done out of the kindness of His own heart, wholly accomplished by Himself, without any help from them. All the goodness they had was the acknowledgment of their badness, and the righteousness of God's judgment against them, submitting themselves to it.
But now of the other basket. The Lord goes on to explain to His servant that the basket of evil figs sets forth the condition, as He sees it, of those who remain in the land. Proud and boastful of their city and nation, but disobedient to God, He had sought to make them conscious of their sinful state, but all in vain. They did evil, humbled not themselves, profaned the oath of God, stiffened their necks and hardened their hearts. The God of their fathers had compassion on the people, and sent His messengers, rising up betimes (as one in deep anxiety) and sending. But they mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and misused His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people till there was no remedy (2 Chron. 36:12-2112And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord his God, and humbled not himself before Jeremiah the prophet speaking from the mouth of the Lord. 13And he also rebelled against king Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God: but he stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart from turning unto the Lord God of Israel. 14Moreover all the chief of the priests, and the people, transgressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen; and polluted the house of the Lord which he had hallowed in Jerusalem. 15And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place: 16But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people, till there was no remedy. 17Therefore he brought upon them the king of the Chaldees, who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young man or maiden, old man, or him that stooped for age: he gave them all into his hand. 18And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king, and of his princes; all these he brought to Babylon. 19And they burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof. 20And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia: 21To fulfil the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years. (2 Chronicles 36:12‑21)). These were the bad figs, so evil that they could not be eaten; there was nothing for them but judgment. God had tried every way to draw them to Himself, but they persistently refused to listen.
Turn, my reader, now, and read Luke 7:29, 3029And all the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John. 30But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him. (Luke 7:29‑30). Two classes, not three, come before us in these two verses. John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus, had come with a stern message of judgment, crying, “The ax is laid unto the root of the trees; therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit, is hewn down, and cast into the fire." This was no time for boasting of their privileges as a nation: if they had not good fruit, judgment must do its work. Many came confessing their sins, as though they would say, We have been very bad trees, and have only brought forth evil fruit; we are only lit for the fire. John baptizes them in Jordan: figuratively, the place of death. They are spoken of here as having "justified God." They owned the justice of God's sentence against them. Jesus, in grace, associated. Himself with these, “the excellent of the earth “to Him, the basket of good figs in His day. But where was their goodness? you ask. It began with confessing their badness with true contrition of heart before God. Let us look at a specimen from this basket which is set before us in the beautiful and well-known incident at the close of the chapter.
A woman of the city, who was a sinner, had heard John's message of judgment, and the sweet music of the grace of Jesus also. He had won her heart, and she determined to reach Him, though He was a guest in the house of a rigid Pharisee. She gained her point. She stood behind Him as He reclined at meat. Her tears of penitence fell upon the beautiful feet of Him who had brought good tidings of good. No goodness had she in herself, — scorned as "a sinner” by the proud Pharisee in whom the love of God abode not. But her tears of bitter sorrow told in unmistakable language of her knowledge of her own badness, whilst her caressing kisses showed that she understood something of His goodness. Ah! let the haughty religionist scowl! Here, to the eye and heart of Jesus, was good fruit, very good, like the figs that are first ripe. To her He could freely publish peace and salvation (Isa. 52:77How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! (Isaiah 52:7)). “Thy sins are forgiven." “Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace." Sinner though she might be in man's eye, unfit for a prophet's feet in Simon's judgment, Jesus acknowledged her, freed her from captivity; built her, never to pull down; planted her, never to pluck up; to her He had given a heart to know Him, revealing Himself to her as her God.
But what of the other class? “They rejected the counsel of God against themselves." They were moral, perhaps religious to an extreme, punctual and accurate in the observance of duties and ordinances, understanding the letter of God's law and well acquainted with man's tradition,— but they 'rejected the counsel of God. John's message of judgment moved them not, and before the sweet pipings of the grace of Jesus they were calm and perfectly indifferent. What must we say of such? Surely, "Evil, very evil," as the figs which could not be eaten, they were so evil. John beheaded, Jesus crucified, the Spirit insulted, would fill up the cup of their iniquity, and bring upon them “wrath to the uttermost.”
Two companies, not three, exist before God at the present time, my reader. To which of them do you belong? Jeremiah saw no middle basket, with figs which were neither good nor bad. Luke wrote of no medium class of men who neither positively accepted nor rejected Jesus. There were two baskets, two classes; and in the present day men are divided just as strongly before God.
ALL are guilty before Him by nature; not one righteous, not one doing good (Rom. 3). Our mouths are stopped in His presence. But there are those who have heard His true testimony, and have bowed before it, justifying Him, owning themselves only sinners, worthy of death and eternal judgment. Such, and such alone, are acknowledged by God; not on account of any merit they possess, but simply because He delights in mercy. The moment they took their true place before Him, as sinners, He had liberty to bless them according to the fullness of His own heart of love, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. He frees such from their sins, and the cruel slavery of sin and Satan. He builds them up as living stones, and will never pull them down. He plants them with His own right hand, and will never pluck them up. He gives them a heart to know Him, revealing Himself to them as their God and their Father. All the work is His; all the blessing is theirs. Dear reader, may you be found in this happy basket, with the sevenfold blessing of God yours!
But the other company? Here we may find the careless worldling, the busy pleasure-seeker, the procrastinating neglecter of salvation, the human moralist, the austere religionist, with many others. All in their sins; all out of Christ; unrepentant and unsaved; going on together to judgment. If God's grace be rejected, His mercy slighted, His messengers of peace unheeded, His words despised, how, oh, HOW SHALL THEY ESCAPE THE DAMNATION OF HELL? J. R.
WHAT a striking statement as to classes does the Lord make in John 3:1818He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (John 3:18). “He that believeth in him is not condemned but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." Dear reader, which class are you in? W. T. P. W.