Jeremiah 31:4, 21-22
4 I will build you up again,
and you, Virgin Israel, will be rebuilt.
Again you will take up your timbrels
and go out to dance with the joyful.
21 “Set up road signs;
put up guideposts.
Take note of the highway,
the road that you take.
Return, Virgin Israel,
return to your towns.
22 How long will you wander,
unfaithful Daughter Israel?
The Lord will create a new thing on earth—
the woman will return to the man.”
Jeremiah 31 has quickly become the theme chapter for 2015 for Iron Rose Sister Ministries. Verses 11-14 will be used for our Destination Retreat, “In the Hands of the Divine Gardener,” October 1-4, in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Verses 4, 21 and 22 present a unique perspective of hope and redemption in their reference to Virgin Israel.
Throughout the Old Testament, God compares his relationship with Israel to a marriage, with Israel being the unfaithful bride. He has Hosea marry Gomer, an adulterous woman, as a direct parallel of Israel’s adulterous relationship with God. Other prophets remind Israel of God’s faithfulness in spite of their infidelity.
However, in the prophetic words of Jeremiah, God welcomes Israel to a level of redemption that totally wipes the slate clean. “Virgin Israel” offers more than forgiveness.
Redemption is being bought back, but a reference to “Virgin Israel” is about being brought back to a condition before any infidelity. Can virginity be reclaimed? In God’s eyes and according to his invitation, it can!
After betrayal by a friend, trust is broken; the relationship falters on a shaky foundation in an attempt to take steps forward and mend the brokenness. As failed and flawed human beings, we recognize that things will never return to their original condition. One cannot glue back together a broken vase and restore its original, unblemished beauty.
But God can! Our relationship with God can be reinstated to its original, unblemished beauty.
That statement is beyond our comprehension.
How do you interpret the phrase “Virgin Israel”?
What does God’s redemption mean for you in 2015?