“And when your land is once more filled with people,” says the Lord, “you will no longer wish for ‘the good old days’ when you possessed the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant. You will not miss those days or even remember them, and there will be no need to rebuild the Ark. In that day Jerusalem will be known as ‘The Throne of the Lord.’ All nations will come there to honor the Lord. They will no longer stubbornly follow their own evil desires. In those days the people of Judah and Israel will return together from exile in the north. They will return to the land I gave your ancestors as an inheritance forever.” Jeremiah 3:16-18
Jeremiah is telling the people that there is hope. Israel will reunite as a nation. They will return from their captivity to the land God had promised to their forefathers as an inheritance. Israel and Judah divided as a nation in 931 B.C., and have never reunited as a nation under God. The fulfillment of this promise awaits the return of Christ. Israel is a long way from God, now and in the days of Jeremiah. There spiritual condition is not where God wants them. Despite that fact, God still has a plan for Israel; it is outlined in His Word. Israel is ultimate and eventually going to carry out what God planned for her thousands of years ago. Israel will be the leading nation of the world. This will happen in the kingdom age and this will be the time when Israel will fully and totally accept the Lord Jesus Christ not only as Messiah, but as Savior and Lord. God has a purpose for Israel and God has a purpose for all of us. He has a call for all of us. “For God’s gifts and his call can never be withdrawn.” (Romans 11:29) Just like Israel, we cannot get away from our call and God’s purpose for our life. I know this from experience; I have tried and it does not work. God will always lead us back to where He wants us. What a wonderful God we serve!