Hope After the Night: Joy in the Morning ~ Jeremiah 31:1-22

Up to chapter 30 we have seen nothing but judgement.  But as we entered this new section last week—chapters 30 through 33—the tone shifts. Jeremiah’s “Book of Consolation” is a block of hope set amid warnings.
Assyria had erased the northern kingdom (722 BC) and Babylon now threatened Judah. Into that darkness God unveiled future restoration that would embrace all twelve tribes. This shows that the 10 northern tribes were not “lost," as some teach.
Jeremiah delivered these words about 590 BC, after the first Babylonian deportation but before Jerusalem fell in 586 BC.
Here we begin to see the future, - the light of God breaking through the darkness. One One commentator beautifully describes this section as the triumphant hymn of Israel’s salvation. 
And it comes at the darkest hour in Judah’s history. Zedekiah, the worst king Judah ever had, was on the throne. Nebuchadnezzar was already outside the city walls. In that moment—when hope seemed gone—God speaks words of encouragement to His people, Israel. 
        Jeremiah 31 unfolds a beautiful picture of God's promise of restoration, renewal, and an unbreakable New Covenant. This chapter draws us into the depth of God's deep profound love for His people, the joy of Israel and Judah’s future return, and the establishment of a New Covenant that will forever transform their relationship with Him.
Now there are some who teach that God has cast off Israel as a nation forever - that all the blessings, covenants, and promises once given to Israel are now fulfilled solely in the church.   According to this view, the church has become “spiritual Israel,” and God has abandoned the nation itself. But that teaching creates serious problems, especially when it comes to eschatology. It immediately places the church in the Great Tribulation. We would not only receive the blessings of Israel, but also the curses.
In chapter 30 we saw clearly that God speaks of Israel entering the Great Tribulation and experiencing the time known as Jacob’s trouble.  It is our view and strong conviction that the church will not be in the Great Tribulation. Scripture tells us that this period is the outpouring of God’s wrath upon the world, and the Lord has made it clear that the church has not been appointed unto wrath. 
As we move into chapter 31, we are not starting something new—we are continuing the same message of hope, promise, and restoration that began in chapter 30. God is still speaking. And His word is filled with light.
Lets look at our outline:
Verses 1–6 – In the Last Days, Salvation, Everlasting Love and RestorationGod declares Himself the God of every family of Israel, and He reminds the nation of His everlasting love, promises rebuilding, dancing, and renewed pilgrimage to Zion. He says, ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have drawn you with loving devotion’. The same God who sent Israel into exile pledges to rebuild. - Isaiah 54, echoes this love after wrath. “With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment; But with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you,” Says the LORD, your Redeemer. (Hosea)
Verses 7–14 – Singing for the Joy of the Regathered FlockAll nations are invited to announce the Lord’s rescue of His scattered people. The remnant returns from every corner, rejoicing with abundance and worship in Zion.The return includes the weak, blind, and pregnant (v 8)—all who would normally lag. Revelation 7:17 alludes to shepherd-like leading beside “springs of living water,” tying Jeremiah’s promises to the final gathering.
Verses 15–17 – Rachel’s Weeping and HopeRachel’s symbolic cry over her lost descendants rises from Ramah, yet God guarantees their return and a hopeful future.Matthew 2:17-18 cites Rachel’s weeping during Herod’s massacre. Jeremiah pictured deportees as they marched north past Rachel’s tomb. Matthew saw the verse come alive again in Bethlehem’s loss, yet both passages pivot to hope: “Your children will return” (v 17). The cross-text pattern shows sorrow transforming to salvation.
Verses 18–22 – God Embraces a Repentant Israel.Israel is likened to an untrained calf—stubborn yet valuable. We learn in Hebrews that, Discipline produces humility. God’s “heart yearns” (v 20), a Hebrew word for churning internal emotion. Luke15, uses similar wording of the father running to the prodigal son.Ephraim (the northern kingdom) admits sin, God responds like a compassionate Father, and a mysterious “new thing” appears—“a woman shall encompass a man.”