Jeremiah chapter 3 – Israel is divorced

Jeremiah 3:8 “She saw that for all the adulteries of that faithless one, Israel, I had sent her away with a decree of divorce; yet her false sister Judah did not fear, but she too went and played the harlot.”

The words appear to explicitly state the God has divorced Israel: i.e. the marriage to Israel at Sinai is now annulled.

Some may say, doesn’t the message to Hosea suggest that Israel will be forgiven and taken back again like Hosea’s errant wife. But Hosea’s prophesy happened well before Jeremiah, so Jeremiah has the final say – divorce.

Perhaps, even after all this, God may forgive and the marriage status will be reinstated. Well, the words of Jeremiah 3:1 “If a man divorces his wife and she goes from him and becomes another man’s wife, will he return to her? Would not that land be greatly polluted? You have played the harlot with many lovers; and would you return to me? says the Lord,” strongly suggest the divorce is irrevocable.

So, God is finished with Israel? But then what of promises such as Jeremiah 30:11 “… For I am with you to save you, says the Lord; I will make a full end of all the nations among whom I scattered you, but of you I will not make a full end.”

And Jeremiah 3:14-18

“¹⁴ “Return, faithless people,” declares the Lord, “for I am your husband. I will choose you—one from a town and two from a clan—and bring you to Zion. ¹⁵ Then I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding. ¹⁶ In those days, when your numbers have increased greatly in the land,” declares the Lord, “people will no longer say, ‘The ark of the covenant of the Lord.’ It will never enter their minds or be remembered; it will not be missed, nor will another one be made. ¹⁷ At that time they will call Jerusalem The Throne of the Lord, and all nations will gather in Jerusalem to honour the name of the Lord.

Doesn’t this imply that God is not finished with Israel?

Well, let’s look at Israel’s history.

During the reign of King Rehoboam, the Kingdom of Israel split into two separate states: the Northern Kingdom which retained the name Israel, and the southern kingdom called Judah (From which we get the name “Jews”). Israel degenerated into idolatry in two stages. Firstly, the first King Jeroboam introduced golden calf idols to represent Yahweh and a new priesthood, and secondly King Ahab introduced new gods (the Baals) to replace Yahweh.

The southern Kingdom also introduced idols, but good reforming Kings arose and brought the people back to Yahweh worship again.

The Assyrian Kingdom arose as a threat to both Israel and Judah. Israel fell to Assyria first.

Israel had all but vanished by time the Assyrian captivity occurred (740-720 BC). Most had immigrated south to Judah (2 Chronicles 11:13-17,  15:8-19). Israel starts with 800,000 men of war under Jeroboam [2 Chronicles 13:3], and ends with 7000 under Ahab [1 Kings 20:15].

Judah starts with 180,000 men under Rehoboam [1 Kings 12:21], then 1.16 million under Jehoshaphat [2 Chronicles 17:14-18] all in the space of about 55 years. Clearly almost all Israel had migrated down to Judah.

Assyrian cuneiform states that 27,290 captives were taken from Israel. Some lower classes were left in Israel. This shows that the nation of Israel was very tiny. Finally, Judah fell to the Babylonians and was taken captive.

Now back to Jeremiah 3.

Jeremiah prophesied to Judah (650-570BC) at the time when it fell to Babylon. As we read through the prophecy, we see some reference to Israel (the dispersed northern nation), but also some reference under the name of Israel to the combination of the northern and southern kingdoms – i.e. all the children of Jacob.

Jeremiah 3

Jeremiah 3	Deuteronomy 24: 1-4
Verse 6-10  8 She saw that for all the adulteries of that faithless one, Israel, I had sent her away with a decree of divorce; yet her false sister Judah did not fear, but she too went and played the harlot.	Harlotry of Israel – Israel is divorced i.e. the northern kingdom of Israel. See Moses and Elijah
Verse 12-14	Plea to Israel (both Kingdoms – all the sons of Jacob)
Verse 14-18 17 At that time Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the Lord, and all nations shall gather to it, to the presence of the Lord in Jerusalem, and they shall no more stubbornly follow their own evil heart. own evil heart. 18 In those days the house of Judah shall join the house of Israel….	God’s blessings in future age when Jew (Judah and Israel) and gentiles will be joined as Christians
Verse 19-25	Israel (all sons of Jacob) reject God’s plea.

So, if God has divorced Israel (and subsequently Judah), what is meant by such promises as Jeremiah 31:10-14 –

“He who scattered Israel will gather him and will keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock.’¹¹ For the Lord has ransomed Jacob and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him.”

Continuing to review the whole history:

The Kingdom of Israel splits into the Kingdom of Israel, and the Kingdom of Judah. Israel is taken captive into Assyria and disappears from the narrative. Judah (and those of Israel who migrated) form a vasal Roman state when Jesus arrives. They crucified Jesus, the ultimate betrayal of God. God then opens the call of salvation to all peoples on earth – Jew and Gentile. A new Spiritual Israel is formed.

Galatians 3:  ²⁶ for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. ²⁷ For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. ²⁸ There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹ And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

There is now a new spiritual Israel. Every Christian shares brotherhood with Christ, and sonship of God and therefore are the new seed of promise. Every blessing promised to Israel after AD33 is for those in Christ. To be ethnically Jewish means nothing now. Both John Baptist and Jesus said that God could create children of Abraham from the rocks on the side of the road. The new spiritual Israel do the works of Abraham.

Romans 11¹⁷ “But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, a wild olive shoot, were grafted in their place to share the richness of the olive tree.”  The branch of natural Israel was broken and rejected, and the grafted branch is the gentiles. Paul goes on : ¹⁵ “For if their (natural Israel) rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead?”

Paul is saying that Israel was rejected when they killed the Christ – that that gave us redemption through Christ’s blood, how much greater will it be when Israel is accepted again – at the time of life from the dead, i.e. the resurrection at the second coming of Jesus. So, Paul puts the acceptance of natural Israel squarely at the time of Christ’s second coming.

So – doesn’t that mean that natural Israel is again accepted or ‘married’ to God?

We have a missing link.

Zechariah 12.   ² “Lo, I am about to make Jerusalem a cup of reeling to all the peoples round about; it will be against Judah also in the siege against Jerusalem. ³ On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who lift it shall grievously hurt themselves. And all the nations of the earth will come together against it.”

¹⁰ “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of compassion and supplication, so that, when they look on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a first-born. ”

All nations will come to do battle against Jerusalem (Zechariah 14) and Israel will call on God to save – and Jesus will come – the very one they killed. Then every Jew will recognise Jesus as the messiah they rejected and they will be converted to become Christian. Then natural Israel will join spiritual Israel and join the bride of Christ.

So, every promise of blessings on Israel will come to be after they recognise Jesus and become Christian.

So, wonderful promises like:

Jeremiah 3:14 “Return, O faithless children, says the Lord; for I am your master; I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion.”

Jeremiah 31: “³¹ “… I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, ³² not like the covenant which I made with their fathers when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant which they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord. ³³ But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it upon their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. ³⁴ … they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

Jeremiah 23:7-8⁷ “Therefore, behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when men shall no longer say, ‘As the Lord lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’ ⁸ but ‘As the Lord lives who brought up and led the descendants of the house of Israel out of the north country and out of all the countries where he had driven them.’ Then they shall dwell in their own land.”

Isaiah 54 ⁸ In overflowing wrath for a moment I hid my face from you, but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,  says the Lord, your Redeemer. ⁹ “… so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you and will not rebuke you. ¹⁰ … but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed, says the Lord, who has compassion on you.

Jeremiah 31³⁶ “If this fixed order (sun and moon) departs from before me, says the Lord,
then shall the descendants of Israel cease from being a nation before me for ever.” ³⁷ Thus says the Lord: “If the heavens above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth below can be explored, then I will cast off all the descendants of Israel for all that they have done, says the Lord.”

Ezekiel 11¹⁹ And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them; I will take the stony heart out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, ²⁰ that they may walk in my statutes and keep my ordinances and obey them; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.

All will be fulfilled when Israel is saved by Jesus and recognise him as the saviour they rejected and become Christian.

And in this present time, God has not abandoned his people –

Romans 11⁵ So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace.”

Just as there were 7000 chosen by grace in Elijah’s day, so now some of Israel have believed in the Saviour [Acts 6:7, John 12:42].

Even unbelieving Israel is still in God’s plan – they are just not the bride. They are God’s witness to His existence and unfolding plan for mankind [ Isaiah 43:10-12, 44:8]. Literal Israel was prophesied to be scattered and then be brought to their own land: ’But they will say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the descendants of Israel up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.’ Then they will live in their own land.’ (Jeremiah 23:8) . This is there witness.

Concluding thought:

If God has not divorced Israel – then they are still married. God has his bride – Israel.

The bride of Christ in Revelation 21 is the Christian congregation. So, Christ has his bride.

Do you really think that, in the final Kingdom, God and Jesus will have two separate brides?