The Great Homecoming Text: Jeremiah 31:7-9
Introduction: The Grammar of Joy
We live in an age that is drowning in cheap sentimentality and starving for real joy. Our culture manufactures happiness like it manufactures plastic toys, colorful, hollow, and easily broken. It offers a joy that is dependent on circumstances, a flimsy thing that shatters at the first sign of trouble. But the Bible speaks of a different kind of joy altogether. It speaks of a gladness that is commanded, a deep, bone-marrow gladness that is not circumstantial but theological. It is a joy rooted in the finished work of God, a joy that can sing in the middle of a battlefield because it knows who has already won the war.
This is the kind of joy Jeremiah is talking about. And we must understand the context. Jeremiah is the weeping prophet. His ministry was one of tears, warnings, and pronouncements of judgment. He watched his nation spiral into apostasy and get dragged off into exile. And yet, right in the heart of this book, we find this glorious, sun-drenched promise of restoration. This is not the prophet trying to cheer everyone up with a bit of positive thinking. This is a divine declaration of what God is going to do. He is going to bring His people home.
This passage is not just about the return of ethnic Jews from Babylon, though it certainly was that. Like all Old Testament prophecy, it is a picture that finds its ultimate fulfillment in the work of Jesus Christ. This is a promise about the great, global gathering of God's elect people into the Church. This is a prophecy about the triumphant march of the gospel throughout history, a march that is not quiet, timid, or apologetic, but one that is characterized by loud singing, shouting, and unshakeable praise. This is the grammar of true, robust, Christian joy.
The Text
For thus says Yahweh, “Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob, And shout among the head of the nations; Make it heard, give praise, and say, ‘O Yahweh, save Your people, The remnant of Israel.’ Behold, I am bringing them from the north country, And I will gather them from the remote parts of the earth, Among them the blind and the lame, The woman with child and she who is in labor with child, together; A great assembly, they will return here. With weeping they will come, And by supplication I will lead them; I will make them walk by streams of waters, On a straight path in which they will not stumble; For I am a father to Israel, And Ephraim is My firstborn.”
(Jeremiah 31:7-9 LSB)
A Commanded Celebration (v. 7)
We begin with a command that ought to rattle our modern, therapeutic sensibilities.
"For thus says Yahweh, 'Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob, And shout among the head of the nations; Make it heard, give praise, and say, ‘O Yahweh, save Your people, The remnant of Israel.’'" (Jeremiah 31:7)
Notice that gladness is not presented here as an optional feeling for those who are "in the mood." It is a divine command. "Sing aloud." "Shout." "Make it heard." This is not the quiet hum of a satisfied consumer; this is the boisterous, public roar of a victorious army. And this praise is not to be kept within the walls of the church. It is to be shouted "among the head of the nations." This is missionary praise. This is confrontational praise. It is a declaration to the pagan world powers that their time is short, because Yahweh is saving His people.
And what is the content of this praise? It is a prayer: "O Yahweh, save Your people, The remnant of Israel." This might seem strange at first. Why are they commanded to sing and shout about a salvation they are still praying for? Because this is the prayer of faith. This is a prayer that is so confident in the God who promises that it begins to celebrate the answer before it has fully arrived. It is praise that is based not on sight, but on the sure word of God. When God says He will do something, it is as good as done. Our praise, therefore, is not wishful thinking; it is our "amen" to God's settled decree.
The object of this salvation is "the remnant of Israel." Throughout the Old Testament, God always preserves a faithful remnant. Even in times of widespread apostasy and judgment, God keeps a people for Himself. This remnant is not saved because they were better than the rest, but because of God's sovereign grace. In the New Covenant, the Church is the true remnant, the Israel of God, composed of both Jews and Gentiles who have been grafted into the olive tree by faith in Christ.
The Sovereign Ingathering (v. 8)
In verse 8, God declares precisely how this salvation will be accomplished. It will not be a human achievement, but a divine act of gathering.
"Behold, I am bringing them from the north country, And I will gather them from the remote parts of the earth, Among them the blind and the lame, The woman with child and she who is in labor with child, together; A great assembly, they will return here." (Jeremiah 31:8)
The language is emphatic: "I am bringing them... I will gather them." The salvation of God's people is His work from start to finish. They are scattered in exile, helpless and unable to return on their own. But God Himself will reach out to the "north country" (Babylon) and to the "remote parts of the earth" and bring them home. This is a picture of God's irresistible grace. He doesn't just invite; He gathers. He doesn't just make an offer; He brings them.
And who is included in this great return? Not just the strong, the healthy, and the capable. God makes a point of including the most vulnerable: "the blind and the lame, the woman with child and she who is in labor." This is a profound statement against all forms of worldly triumphalism. The kingdom of God does not advance by the strength of its members, but by the strength of its King. The world values power, beauty, and ability. God's kingdom is built with the weak, the broken, and the helpless, so that no one can boast in themselves, but only in the Lord who saves them.
This is a direct assault on the pride of man. The blind cannot find the way. The lame cannot make the journey. The pregnant woman and the one in labor are in no condition to travel. But they are all included. Why? To demonstrate that their return is entirely dependent on the grace and power of God. He will be eyes for the blind and feet for the lame. He will carry the weak. This is the nature of the church. It is not a collection of spiritual superheroes; it is a hospital for sinners, a great assembly of the weak and broken who have been gathered by a mighty and merciful Savior.
The Path of Repentance and Grace (v. 9)
Verse 9 describes the manner of their return. It is a journey marked by both tears and divine comfort.
"With weeping they will come, And by supplication I will lead them; I will make them walk by streams of waters, On a straight path in which they will not stumble; For I am a father to Israel, And Ephraim is My firstborn." (Jeremiah 31:9)
They come "with weeping." This is not the weeping of despair, but the weeping of repentance. These are the tears of prodigals coming home, overwhelmed by the grace of a father they have offended. They are the tears of those who recognize their own sin and helplessness, and who are broken by the kindness of God. True joy is not the absence of sorrow for sin; it is born out of it. Godly sorrow leads to repentance, and repentance leads to life.
And as they come with weeping and supplication, God leads them with overwhelming grace. "I will make them walk by streams of waters, On a straight path in which they will not stumble." The journey of the Christian life is not one we navigate on our own. God Himself prepares the way. He provides refreshment ("streams of waters") and He ensures our safety ("a straight path in which they will not stumble"). This is the doctrine of perseverance. The same God who begins a good work in us will bring it to completion.
The verse concludes with the ultimate reason for this tender care: "For I am a father to Israel, And Ephraim is My firstborn." The relationship is not that of a distant king and his subjects, but of a father and his children. This is covenant language. And the mention of Ephraim as the firstborn is striking. Ephraim was not the firstborn son of Joseph, let alone Jacob. And the tribe of Ephraim had led the northern kingdom into apostasy. But here, God in His sovereign grace, elevates the undeserving to a position of honor. "Firstborn" signifies preeminence and inheritance. God is declaring that He will take this rebellious, undeserving people and make them the centerpiece of His covenant plan. This is grace upon grace. This is what God does in Christ. He takes us, who were not a people, and makes us the people of God. He takes us, who were last, and makes us first.
The Great Homecoming in Christ
This entire passage is a beautiful portrait of the gospel. We were all in exile, scattered in the "north country" of our sin, blind to the truth and lame in our ability to please God. We were helpless, like a woman in labor, unable to save ourselves.
But God, in His sovereign mercy, did not leave us there. He sent His Son, the true Israel, to gather us. He reached into the remote parts of the earth through the preaching of the gospel and began bringing us home. He is the one who finds us in our blindness and gives us sight. He is the one who strengthens our lame legs to walk in His ways. He carries us when we are weak.
And how do we come to Him? We come with weeping, with the tears of repentance as we see the ugliness of our sin and the beauty of His grace. We come with supplication, crying out for the mercy we do not deserve. And as we come, He leads us. He leads us to the streams of living water, which is Christ Himself. He sets our feet on the straight path of righteousness, and He promises that though we may stumble, we will not fall, for He is holding our hand.
He does all this because, in Christ, He has become our Father. He has adopted us rebellious Ephraims and made us His firstborn, co-heirs with Christ. This is why we can obey the command of verse 7. We can sing aloud and shout among the nations. Not because we are strong, but because our Father is. Not because our journey is easy, but because He has promised to lead us home. Our joy is not a fragile feeling; it is a blood-bought, sovereignly-secured, theological reality. Therefore, let us praise Him.