Growing with God: A daily devotional with Tonia Slimm.
Jeremiah 31:15 (NIV)
“This is what the Lord says: “A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”
Jeremiah 31:15 (MSG)
“Again, God’s Message: “Listen to this! Laments coming out of Ramah, wild and bitter weeping. It’s Rachel weeping for her children, Rachel refusing all solace. Her children are gone, gone—long gone into exile.”
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“Thus says the Lord, “A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation (songs of mourning) and bitter weeping. Rachel (Israel) is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are gone.” -AMPLIFIED
“The setting is Ramah, a village a few miles north of Jerusalem, where exiles are assembled before the long march to Babylon. Later the prophet himself will spend time in this refugee camp awaiting his own exile (40:1). For now, he paints the picture of Rachel, one of the matriarchs of this nation, weeping for her children as they head off into captivity.” ~Voice footnote
In yesterday’s text, we find the Lord declaring that only He could satisfy His people.
“I will refresh the priests with an abundance, and my people will be satisfied with my goodness.
This is the Lord’s declaration.” -Jeremiah 31:14 (CSB)
And now, we suddenly find a change in the focus. Jeremiah reminds us that these words he is recording for us are not his, but the Lord’s. And this next section focuses on how the Lord will turn their lament into joy. The Lord gives this prophecy through His servant Jeremiah:
Eternal One: “A voice rises from Ramah—mourning and bitter weeping are heard day and night. The voice is Rachel’s; she’s weeping for her children. She will not be comforted, for her children are no more.” -(VOICE)
The Lord spoke to Jeremiah once again and told him that there would be bitter weeping in Ramah. Ramah was/is located about five miles north of Jerusalem and would have been one of the towns that the exiles would have passed through on their way to their captivity in Babylon. As the people passed through, they would have been lamenting and crying loudly, for they were leaving their homes and everything that they knew. There very well could have been crying in regret as well, for there would have been those who finally realized that all of this was happening to them because of their rebellion and sin against the Lord. (It would have been preventable, if only they had listened and obeyed.)
Jeremiah tells us that Rachel would be weeping for her children, not just crying, but gut-wrenching sobs, crying so hard, that she was not able to be comforted. Why? Because her children were gone…either taken away into captivity or put to death. Rachel, in this passage, was symbolically the mother of the Northern tribes, who were taken away as slaves.
“Rachel, the mother of Joseph and Benjamin, is pictured as weeping in despair over the exiled tribes. To her comes the comforting assurance that her children will be miraculously returned to her.” ~Arthur Cundall
NOTE: Remember, often Biblical prophecy can have more than one application or fulfillment. In this case, we know it can be applied to the time of captivity, but we also know it applied to that time when Herod tried to do away with the young Jesus, who came as the King of Kings. Matthew records this for us:
“This sad event had long been foretold by the prophet Jeremiah: A voice will be heard in Ramah, weeping and wailing and mourning out loud all day and night. The voice is Rachel’s, weeping for her children, her children who have been killed; she weeps, and she will not be comforted.” -Matthew 2:17-18 (VOICE)
We will find over the coming days though, that God will turn the mourning of the people into joy. He promises to restore their hope once again.
“The Lord spoke to me again, saying: In Ramah there is bitter weeping—Rachel is weeping for her children and cannot be comforted, for they are gone.” -(TLB)
“God tells the mothers to not weep because their hardship is something they must go through to accomplish a work for God. While grief in this life may be excruciating, it is only temporary; the believer’s end is everlasting joy in the kingdom of God. This prophecy is also tying back into the original topic, which is the Jews’ complete restoration.” ~Melissa Beaty
To lament is to express deep grief or regret. It is a sign of deep anguish, distress, or sorrow. Before the people of Israel could receive the joy that the Lord promised to them, before they could accept His promise of hope, they first had to lament over their sin. They needed to repent of and mourn over their sin.
Consider something that Jesus said during His Sermon on the Mount about mourning over sin:
“Blessed [forgiven, refreshed by God’s grace] are those who mourn [over their sins and repent], for they will be comforted [when the burden of sin is lifted].” -Matthew 5:4 (AMP)
John the Baptist taught that true lamenting over sin would lead to repentance.
“Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God.” -Matthew 3:8 ((NLT)
David gave us a good example of what lamenting over sin looks like:
“O Lord, have mercy on me in my anguish. My eyes are red from weeping; my health is broken from sorrow. I am pining away with grief; my years are shortened, drained away because of sadness. My sins have sapped my strength; I stoop with sorrow and with shame.” -Psalm 31:9-10 (TLB)
“Laments interpret the world through a biblical lens. Christians lament because we know the long arc of God’s plan: creation, fall, redemption, and restoration. We know the cause of all lament: sin.” ~Mark Vroegop
My friend, before we can experience the joy and the hope of the Lord, we need to lament and mourn over our sin. We need to be sorry for our rebelliousness and repent of our sin. First, things first. Let us humble ourselves before the Lord, confess our sin, and turn away from practicing that sin. When we do this, then we can experience God’s forgiveness, His healing, His joy, and His hope.
“We mourn over our wicked sin by seeing it righty before a holy God. True grief over sin comes from contemplating our Savior, not comparing our character to those around us. The quickest and most consistent way to grieve over our sin is by seeing Jesus for who he is and the worthy life he calls us to live. God has a standard for the redeemed to live by and we fail . . . often (Phil. 1:27). But godly grief must give way to repentance, which glories in God, the giver of grace, as we live under the gospel of salvation (2 Corinthians 7:10). As we fight to see Jesus, we do so in hopes that our heart will be transformed, and by that, we put sin to death (2 Corinthians 3:18).” -Jared Mulvihill
My Prayer:
Adonai Elohim, my Great Lord, I come to you, a sinner, born into sin. I have accepted your gift of salvation, but I realize every day I struggle with sin. Lord, I am truly sorry for those times that I have chosen to sin, instead of obeying you. As I learn more about you, and how my sin affects our relationship, I am horrified by the fact that I have hurt you so many times by making poor choices. Have mercy on me, Lord. My heart is broken over the fact that I have offended you once again. Please, forgive my sin. Help me to make better choices today, good choices. Thank you, Lord.
Growing with God 