Jeremiah 31

I opened the bible this morning after having a difficult day yesterday. This was the first thing I read today, and it struck me.

I heard Ephraim saying in grief: You disciplined me like an untamed calf, and I have been disciplined. Bring me back, and I will return, for you are my God, my Lord. Yes, I strayed, but I have repented. Now I understand and I beat my breast; I bear the disgrace of my youth, and I blush with shame and humiliation.' Is not Ephraim my favored son, the child in which whom I delight? Often have I threatened him, but I still remember him, and my heart yearns for him. I must show him mercy," declares Yahweh.

I have committed a sin against God, and I have been remorseful about what I've done. I apologize everyday and I have been suffering ever since. I started to read the bible this past April. Can anybody tell me more about this context? I am new to reading the bible and sometimes it's hard to understand its meaning. Thank you.

Psalm 100 may be of some help.. It begins with Bless the Lord O my soul.
Potter's Clay posted dthis today. God is not like man, He will forgive and receive you into His Being. Wait on the Lord always, and be blessed.

Grats on picking up the Bible and reading. You are starting in some heavy stuff there.

My daily prayer, and first read of the day before I begin to cover the material I'm working through is Psalm 119. It's the longest psalm in the whole book, but it's a great starting point for beginners and longer studiers.

Jeremiah 31 has a lot of good news in it. God is comforting the Hebrew people in particular that they are yet still his people to be gathered along with the rest of "Israel" which is comprised of both Jew and Greek (gentile/non Jew.) At that time, the gentile was not part of the family, so to speak, but God's intention was to add their numbers to Israel as well. A clue about that is when God calls them Ephraim. After God comforts the remnant of Ephraim, he tells them he will gather all Israel. To them, Israel are the Hebrews. To us today with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, we know the gentile is also in the family. I believe that's why you see the name Ephraim. And it is very confusing throughout the scriptures because God does this many times.

There's much much more to the chapter, but none of it will make sense without knowing the whole "saga" from the very beginning. And that is a holy adventure.

If while reading 119 you try replacing the word, WORD, with the name of our Messiah, you will receive special blessing and understanding, I believe. "The Word is a Lamp unto my feet." Works here too.

Thank you so much for your response. I will look into that. I have been having a rough couple of days, and I do pray things will get better.

I very much appreciate your response. I am not familiar with a lot of things so this helps out a lot. I will have to read everything from beginning to end to understand it. I pray that God gives me strength and wisdom to overcome my current situation.

I would consider the readiness and preparation of a repentant heart just before the new covenant was promised notice that the promised new to come is seperated completely from the former one that was broken it’s a little further in the chapter

“Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:

Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord:

But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭31:31-34‬ ‭

we find out in anotherplace that the covenant made with Israel would be extended to allPeople to the ends of the earth

“And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.

Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the Lord that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee.

Thus saith the Lord, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages;”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭49:6-8‬ ‭

repentance and remission of sins was to be the new covenant based on the mercies of David’s repentance after he went to bathsheba . I believe we see a repentant spirit in the remnant of Israel in that chapter and thy u receive the promise of the new covenant (repentance , and also remission of sins )


The new covenant would require and produce repentance and offer remission of sins in return

“Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.

Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people. Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the Lord thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee.

Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭55:3-8‬ ‭
David wasn’t perfect but he repented from his heart after he committed adultery and had a good godly man killed to cover his sins psalm 51

Mebbe the Lord would have you to pray for Israel at this time, it is still true today that God will bless those who bless Israel.

Ephraim represents our first love and joy when we first came to the Lord, God would have you to remember that for He desires to restore it to you, or rather restore YOU to it.

Thank you for the response.

If he was to restore love and joy in my life... what a wonderful blessing it would be. I find myself today in the depths of a depression. I am struggling to keep the silly and loving side of me alive but the darkness consumes me. I pray to God every night and give thanks in the mornings. I recognize my faults but I don't know when God will answer my prayers. I don't know how long I can hold.

Your welcome thanks for the thought in your post God bless

I am so sorry to hear about your difficulty with depression. I too suffer greatly from depression. Its effects are different on each individual. Some of them are the sadness other symptoms are more cognitive dysfunctionality, stress and anxiety.

But, I will tell you, depression is a grievous affliction. And the silver lining is that God afflicts us for our own good. Am I saying it's for your own good to be afflicted with depression? Well, here you are seeking spiritual companionship, comfort and seeking after God. I'd say that is good.

I won't tell you that coping with depression is easy or that it will go away any time soon. Just that you're not alone and if you are being afflicted at this time for whatever reason by God, it is for your own spiritual good and all tears will be replaced by joy. Hang on and search the scriptures.

Psa 18:27 For thou wilt save the afflicted people; but wilt bring down high looks.

Psa 22:24 For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard.

Psa 25:16 Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me; for I am desolate and afflicted.

Psa 102:1 [[A Prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed, and poureth out his complaint before the LORD.]] Hear my prayer, O LORD, and let my cry come unto thee.

Psa 119:67 Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word.

Psa 119:71 It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.

Psa 119:75 I know, O LORD, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me.

The beginning is a great place to start!
We know a God of new beginnings.

You went to the right place- The Bible. Please pray with all earnestness to know him. The Lord God.
Deep hurts can only be healed by God. Nothing in this world can cleanse you of guilt and lift you from the fog of depression.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28

With Love you will understanding bible well.
and you can ask question any time.

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I think dad want to have a heart to heart with you.
I've been in the woodshed a few times myself.....no fun.
But be sure...he loves you and ....well ...just let him have his way with you. Offer your self up to him show your trust in him. And for God's sake stay out of the wood shed..😂😂😂😂😂

You need to start talking ... the devil is parked on your lawn and he's got no right to. Tell him to get off ... in Jesu's name.

God remembered ephraim probably a fond memory when they where walking together.
A time when ephraim knew he was loved by God. a time when he never felt threatend by God a time when he had a heart like God. God loves it when where like this.
God is simply showing mercy to him because hes felt threatened by God and saying i want you back to your strong heart where we talked and walked. I dont want you weak etc.
God hearts yearns for us to be strong in faith. Gods heart was yearning for him is the clue there If you look up another translation of jermiah 31 its says ephraim was bemoaning himself. an indication that he was becoming week in his heart when he need not. a strong heart is also to wait patiently on the lord. God showed him mercy for losing heart

Yes, that's what I need to do. I have to have faith in God that everything is going to be okay. I have to imagine a future where I am okay and living the path God wants me in. God is merciful and understanding of everyone. I thank God we have a loving God.

That's right yesterday I woke up a bit sad but slowly I gather the strength to end my day as a good day. I thank God for giving me this day to appreciate what I didn't before. I thank God for my mother who has been an angel to me looking out for me during these difficult times. I thank God for my siblings comforting me and I thank God he listens to me when I speak to him. God is love.