The Divine Leash and the Perfect Pardon Text: Jeremiah 50:17-20
Introduction: The Unseen Hand on the Scepter
We live in an age that prides itself on its sophisticated materialism. Our historians and political analysts explain the rise and fall of nations through economics, military might, demographic shifts, and political maneuvering. To them, history is a chaotic and bloody story written by powerful men. It is a tale of iron, gold, and blind chance. The modern assumption is that man is the master of his own ship, and that the nations rage according to their own counsel.
The Bible presents a radically different account of history. It tells us that while men propose, God disposes. The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, but it is the Lord who sits in the heavens and laughs them to scorn. God is the sovereign historian. He is not a nervous spectator, wringing His hands in the cheap seats of heaven. He is the one who raises up empires and the one who casts them down. He is the one who sharpens the axe of Assyria, and He is the one who forges the hammer of Babylon. And when He is done with His instruments, He breaks them.
This is the bedrock of Christian comfort in a world that seems to be spinning out of control. The world is not out of control. It is on a leash, and the hand that holds that leash is nail-scarred. Our text in Jeremiah 50 provides a stunningly clear picture of this reality. God is speaking of His covenant people, Israel, who have been disciplined severely. But He is also speaking of the instruments of that discipline, and He is promising a restoration so complete that it ought to take our breath away. This is not just ancient history; it is a paradigm for how God works in all of history, and it is the story of our own salvation.
The Text
"Israel is a scattered flock; the lions have banished them away. The first one who devoured him was the king of Assyria, and this last one who has broken his bones is Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. Therefore thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Behold, I am going to punish the king of Babylon and his land, just as I punished the king of Assyria. And I will return Israel back to his pasture, and he will graze on Carmel and Bashan, and his desire will be satisfied in the hill country of Ephraim and Gilead. In those days and at that time,’ declares Yahweh, ‘search will be made for the iniquity of Israel, but there will be none; and for the sins of Judah, but they will not be found; for I will pardon those whom I leave as a remnant.’"
(Jeremiah 50:17-20 LSB)
The Scattered Flock and the Hired Wolves (v. 17)
We begin with God's diagnosis of Israel's condition.
"Israel is a scattered flock; the lions have banished them away. The first one who devoured him was the king of Assyria, and this last one who has broken his bones is Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon." (Jeremiah 50:17)
The metaphor is potent. Israel, the people of God, are meant to be a flock, safe in the pasture of God's covenant protection. But because of their persistent idolatry and rebellion, they have become a scattered flock. When sheep are scattered, they are defenseless. They are easy prey. The covenant hedge of protection has been removed, and the predators have been let in.
And who are the predators? They are described as lions. The first was the king of Assyria, who came down in 722 B.C. and devoured the northern kingdom of Israel, scattering the ten tribes. The second, this "last one," is Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, who is in the process of not just devouring but "breaking the bones" of the southern kingdom of Judah. This is a picture of total devastation. It is a thorough and painful discipline.
But we must read this carefully. The lions did not act on their own initiative. The text says the lions have "banished them away." But who is ultimately in charge? The prophets are clear elsewhere. God is the one who whistles for the Assyrians (Isaiah 7:18). God is the one who calls Nebuchadnezzar "My servant" (Jeremiah 25:9). These lions are on a divine leash. They are the instruments of God's chastisement. This is a hard truth, but it is essential. If God is not sovereign over the disaster, He cannot be sovereign over the deliverance. But because He is the one who sent the lions, He is also the one who can, and will, call them off.
The Arrogant Instrument Judged (v. 18)
The justice of God is not one-sided. He deals with His people's sin, and then He deals with the sins of those who afflicted them.
"Therefore thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Behold, I am going to punish the king of Babylon and his land, just as I punished the king of Assyria.’" (Jeremiah 50:18)
The word "Therefore" is the hinge. Because Babylon has done its work, and because it has done so with arrogance, cruelty, and pride, its time for judgment has come. Notice the pattern: God will punish Babylon "just as" He punished Assyria. God is consistent. He uses wicked nations as His rod of discipline, but the rod does not get a free pass for its own wickedness. The axe boasts against the one who wields it, and so the axe must be thrown into the fire (Isaiah 10:15).
Nebuchadnezzar thought he was building an eternal kingdom for his own glory. He stood on his palace roof and said, "Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?" (Daniel 4:30). That is the native language of all godless empires. They believe their power is their own. But God demonstrates that they are temporary tools in His workshop. This is a permanent warning to every nation and every ruler. Those who set themselves against God and His people are simply fattening themselves for the day of slaughter. Their doom is as certain as Assyria's was.
The Covenantal Restoration (v. 19)
After the judgment of the instrument comes the restoration of the people. This is pure, unadulterated grace.
"And I will return Israel back to his pasture, and he will graze on Carmel and Bashan, and his desire will be satisfied in the hill country of Ephraim and Gilead." (Jeremiah 50:19)
The scattering is reversed by a divine gathering. "I will return Israel," God says. This is His initiative. The flock is brought back to its pasture. And this is no barren wasteland. Carmel and Bashan, Ephraim and Gilead, were all known for their lush, fertile grazing lands. This is a picture of extravagant blessing and provision. It is a return to shalom, to wholeness.
And notice the result: "his desire will be satisfied." This is the end game of God's redemptive work. He does not just rescue us from hell; He rescues us for satisfaction in Him. The world promises satisfaction in a thousand different cisterns, but they are all broken and can hold no water. God promises a return to the pasture where our deepest desires will be truly and eternally met. This is a profound pointer to the person and work of Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, who lays down His life for the sheep and leads them into green pastures, restoring their souls (John 10:11; Psalm 23:2-3).
The Impossible Forgiveness (v. 20)
This final verse is the foundation upon which the entire promise of restoration is built. It is one of the most glorious statements of the gospel in the entire Old Testament.
"‘In those days and at that time,’ declares Yahweh, ‘search will be made for the iniquity of Israel, but there will be none; and for the sins of Judah, but they will not be found; for I will pardon those whom I leave as a remnant.’" (Jeremiah 50:20)
The phrase "In those days and at that time" signals that we are talking about the coming Messianic age. The physical return from Babylon was just a down payment, a foreshadowing of a much greater spiritual reality. And what is that reality? It is a forgiveness so total that it results in the complete disappearance of sin.
Think about this language. A search will be conducted. The accuser, the conscience, God's own perfect justice, will come looking for the iniquity of Israel and the sins of Judah. And the result of the search? "There will be none." They "will not be found." This is not divine amnesia. This is not God simply deciding to overlook the problem. The sin is not hidden; it is gone. It has been dealt with. It has been expunged from the record.
How is this possible? The final clause gives us the answer: "for I will pardon those whom I leave as a remnant." The pardon is the cause of the disappearing sin. This is a legal, forensic reality. This verse is crying out for the cross of Jesus Christ. The only way sin can be searched for and not found is if it has been transferred to another account. The only way the debt can be gone is if it has been paid in full by a substitute.
This is precisely what happened at Calvary. God the Father took all the iniquity of His people, the remnant chosen by grace, and He laid it on His Son. The divine search for our sin found all of it in Jesus Christ. And there, on the cross, the full, righteous wrath of God was poured out upon it until it was utterly consumed. The justice of God was completely satisfied. Therefore, when that same justice now comes to search for sin in the life of a believer, it finds nothing. It finds only the perfect righteousness of Christ, which has been credited to our account. The file is empty. The record is clean. The sin is not found because it is gone.
Conclusion: Living on the Other Side of the Search
This passage lays out the pattern of God's work in the world. He is sovereign over the nations, using them for His purposes and judging them for their pride. He is a faithful covenant-keeper, who disciplines His people but never forsakes them. He is a gracious Shepherd, who restores His flock to places of abundant satisfaction.
But above all, He is a pardoning God. The promise made here to the remnant of Israel is fulfilled in the church of Jesus Christ. We are that remnant, gathered from all nations into the one flock of the one Shepherd. And we are the beneficiaries of this impossible forgiveness.
This means we can live with an unshakeable confidence. We do not have to fear the roaring lions of our age, the arrogant Babylons that threaten the people of God. They are on a leash, and their day of judgment is set. And more importantly, we do not have to fear the searching gaze of God's justice. If you are in Christ, the search for your sin has already been conducted. It was conducted at the cross, and the verdict for you is "not guilty." Your sins are gone. They will not be found.
Therefore, live like it. Live as a pardoned people. Live with joy, without fear, grazing in the rich pastures of His grace. Your desire will be satisfied in Him, because your sin has been removed by Him, forever.