Jehovah shewed me, and behold, two baskets of figs, set before the temple of Jehovah, after that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon had carried away captive from Jerusalem, Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, and the princes of Judah, and the craftsmen and smiths, and had brought them to Babylon.
Nebuchadnezzar has already carried Jeconiah, the officials and the craftsmen off to Babylon. Now God gives Jeremiah a vision: two baskets of figs standing in front of the temple. The sign answers one question. Which group does God count as good: the ones taken away, or the ones left in Jerusalem?
The date fixes the two groups the vision compares. One writer counts the deportations:
In chapter 24, Jeremiah is shown two baskets of figs. This happened after the second deportation. The first one had occurred under Jehoiakim. Now, around ten years later… Zedekiah was king.
The survivors had their own reading of events. One writer names the mistake:
Jeconiah, with the choicest of the nation, had been carried away into captivity. A large portion remained, and were not taken away, and these attributed their escape from exile to some goodness in them.
Where the baskets stand matters:
Jeremiah in a vision sees two baskets of figs placed before the temple of the Lord, the one place where the people's true state could be rightly judged. One of these baskets was full of very good figs in God's eyes, like figs that are first ripe; the other of very bad figs. What men saw was the exact opposite of what God reveals to Jeremiah. To the world, the good figs were the people left at Jerusalem under Zedekiah. To God's heart, they were those carried away from Judah. Their goodness rested on one thing: they had submitted to the judgment God brought for their sin.
The chapter closes a set of prophecies, and sorts the nation into two futures:
Jeremiah 24 seems to close this set of prophecies. They were given at different times, but they stand together here because they all circle round the last kings of Judah and the fall of Jerusalem. The purpose was to show, under the picture of two baskets of figs, two completely opposite futures. One group of Jews went with Jeconiah to Babylon. The other stayed in the land with Zedekiah or lived in Egypt.
The bad figs were not just unlucky. They escaped the first blow, then set themselves against God:
The bad figs, too bad to eat (v. 8)… were those who had not gone through the first judgment under Jehoiachin. They must go through a second one, and this time it would be final. God declared that everything was lost. They, trusting in themselves, boasted that they were the representatives of the people of God.
The exile had a purpose. It also became a test of how people take correction:
The Lord meant their exile to be for their eventual good. This is a very important point. In a day of ruin faith always recognises the chastening of God and bows to it. Unbelief always resists, and treats its opposition as patriotism, or maybe religion. That is why the men of Judah thought Jeremiah a very false Jew. He always told them to submit to the king of Babylon. They counted themselves much better Jews, because they were willing to fight him.
What God promises the good figs runs past their address and reaches their hearts:
Even in the land of the Chaldeans the eyes of the Lord are upon them for good. He would restore them too, and settle them again in the land of Israel. But better than the best of the land, they would know the Lord. And better than returning to the place, they would return to Him.
Did the return from Babylon complete that promise? One writer answers no:
I do not accept that this prophecy was fulfilled in the past return from the captivity in Babylon. There was a partial fulfilment then, as with other predictions… Whatever has not happened must still happen. The promised restoration and regeneration of Israel has never yet taken place. So it must come in the future.
The same principle reaches past Judah. One writer applies it to the reader:
This same principle holds true for us. Only, thanks be to God, we have suffered our judgment in the person of Christ, condemned in our place on the cross. Once the sentence had been carried out, God could look down with favour on those who had been its objects… It is the same for us: because of Christ's judgment God sees us perfect in Him, however wretched we may be in ourselves.
- Setting — The vision comes after the second deportation. Jeconiah and the nation's best are in Babylon, and Zedekiah rules in Jerusalem.
- Place — The baskets stand before the temple. That is the one place where the people's real state shows, and God's verdict there reverses the public one.
- Reversal — The exiles looked like the losers. They are the good figs, because they bowed to God's judgment. Those who stayed trusted themselves and faced a second, final blow.
- Purpose — God meant the exile for their good. Faith bows to His chastening. Unbelief fights back and calls the fighting loyalty.
- Reach — The promise runs past land and rebuilding to a heart that knows the Lord. One writer holds that the return from Babylon only began it.
- For us — The same principle stands today. Our judgment fell on Christ, so God can look on us with favour.
One basket had very good figs, like the figs first ripe; and the other basket had very bad figs, which could not be eaten for badness.
Jeremiah sees two baskets of figs in front of the temple — one like the first ripe fruit of the season, the other too rotten to eat. The picture raises the question that runs through the whole chapter: which Jews does God count as good, the ones carried off to Babylon or the ones left in Jerusalem?
The vision comes at a precise moment in Judah's collapse. Babylon had already taken a second group of captives away.
In chapter 24, Jeremiah is shown two baskets of figs. This happened after the second deportation. The first one had occurred under Jehoiakim. Now, around ten years later, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah. He also took the princes of Judah, with the craftsmen and the metalworkers, from Jerusalem to Babylon (v. 1). Zedekiah was king.
Those left behind drew their own conclusion from their escape.
Jeconiah had been carried away into captivity, and with him the best of the nation. A large part of the people remained and were not taken away. They put their escape from exile down to some goodness in themselves.
Where the baskets stand matters as much as what is in them.
Jeremiah in a vision sees two baskets of figs placed before the temple of the Lord (Jer. 24), the only place where the people's true state could be rightly judged. One of these baskets was full of very good figs in God's eyes, like figs that are first ripe; the other of very bad figs. What men saw was exactly the opposite of what God reveals to Jeremiah. To the world the good figs were the people remaining at Jerusalem under Zedekiah; to God's heart they were those carried away from Judah.
The verse gives two kinds of fruit, each at its extreme. Commentators read that as deliberate.
There were no intermediate figs. They were either "very good" or "very bad". This shows that God would not accept a middle ground or a neutral position.
One writer sees the same split running through the whole book.
They kept up an outward pretence and profession. There was a great appearance of good, a little real good under the surface, and a great deal of outward show… In Jeremiah's day the state of the nation was very much what he said himself (Jer. 24). There were some good figs, and the good figs were very good; but there were very many bad figs, and the bad figs were very bad. We will find this moral character, then, all through this book.
So what put the exiles in the good basket?
Why does God say the opposite? Because those who wanted to stay in Jerusalem were refusing to accept God's discipline. They thought they could evade it, either by staying in Jerusalem to fight or by fleeing to Egypt.
One writer carries that principle over to the believer today.
Their goodness rested on one thing: they had submitted to the judgment God brought on them for their sin. The same principle holds true for us. Only, thanks be to God, we have suffered our judgment in the person of Christ, condemned in our place on the cross. Once the sentence had been carried out, God could look with favour on those who had borne it… Because Christ bore the judgment, God sees us perfect in Him, however wretched we may be in ourselves.
The promise to the captives reaches past the land they lost.
Even in the land of the Chaldeans the eyes of the Lord are on them for good. They should be restored again, too, and settled in the land of Israel. But better than the best of the land, they should know the Lord. And better than returning to the place, they should return to Him.
Commentators differ over how much of this has already happened. One argues the return from Babylon does not exhaust it.
I do not admit that this prophecy was fulfilled in the past return from the Babylonian captivity. There was a partial fulfilment then, as with other predictions… On the other hand, there is Israel's permanent settlement in their own land, their knowledge of God, and their return to Him with their whole heart. These stand firmly against the teaching of those who suppose the prophecy was used up at that time as far as Israel is concerned.
- Setting. The vision comes after Babylon deports Jeconiah and the princes, while Zedekiah still reigns in Jerusalem.
- Sight. The baskets stand before the temple, the one place where the people's true state shows. God's reading reverses the public one.
- Sorting. There are no middling figs: God allows no neutral ground between very good and very bad.
- Secret. The good figs were good because they bowed under God's discipline instead of dodging it by fighting or fleeing to Egypt.
- Sequel. The Lord keeps His eye on the exiles for good and settles them in the land again — but their return to Him is worth more than their return to the place.
And Jehovah said unto me, What seest thou, Jeremiah? And I said, Figs the good figs very good; and the bad very bad, which cannot be eaten for badness.
God sets two baskets of figs in front of Jeremiah and asks him what he sees. His answer — one basket excellent, the other rotten — becomes God's verdict on a nation split in two by the exile to Babylon.
Jeconiah and the best of the nation had already gone to Babylon. Those left behind had their own explanation for why they stayed.
Jeconiah, with the choicest of the nation, had been carried away into captivity. A large part of the nation stayed behind, and they credited their escape from exile to some goodness in themselves. At that time the prophet had a vision. He saw two baskets of figs set in front of the temple. The one basket was filled with good figs, the second basket with bad figs.
The place where the baskets stood matters.
Jeremiah in a vision sees two baskets of figs placed before the temple of the Lord (Jer. 24), the only place where the true state of the people might be appreciated. One of these baskets was full of very good figs in God's eyes, like figs that are first ripe; the other of very bad figs. What men saw was the opposite of what God reveals to Jeremiah. To the world the good figs were the people remaining at Jerusalem under Zedekiah; to God's heart they were those carried away from Judah. Their goodness rested on this: they had submitted to God's judgment on their sin. The same principle holds true for us. Thanks be to God, we have suffered our judgment in the person of Christ, condemned in our place on the cross. Because Christ bore that judgment, God sees us perfect in Him, however wretched we may be in ourselves.
The difference lay in how each group answered the discipline God had sent.
How could this be? Surely, one might have thought, those who remain in Jerusalem are the better Jews and those in Babylon are the bad ones. Why does God say the opposite? Because those who wanted to stay in Jerusalem were refusing to accept God's discipline. They thought they could escape it, either by staying in Jerusalem to fight or by fleeing to Egypt. Keep in mind that since the first deportation, God had handed government in the world to Nebuchadnezzar (Jer. 28:14; Dan. 2:37-38; 5:18-19). The only right course was to accept this and to confess the sins that had led to it.
The prophet reports no third basket and no average fruit.
There were no in-between figs. They were either 'very good' or 'very bad'. This shows that God would not accept a middle ground or a neutral position. The good figs were the ones that accepted the discipline and bowed under it. God would bless them and completely change their hearts: "I will give them a heart to know that I am the LORD, and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart" (Jer. 24:7).
The second basket stands for people, not fruit.
The bad figs, "so bad that they cannot be eaten," were figs God Himself could do nothing with. They were the people who had not gone through the first judgment under Jehoiachin, so they had to face a second judgment — this time the final one. God declared that everything was lost, but they trusted in themselves and boasted that they represented the people of God. The land of Egypt, a picture of the world under the rule of Satan, suited them very well.
Has this vision already come true in history? Kelly gives his answer.
I do not accept that the past return from Babylon fulfilled this prophecy. Part of it came true then, as part of other predictions did. That is the most that verses 5 and 6 will support. On the other hand, the prophecy promises Israel a permanent home in their own land, and a knowledge of God as they return to Him with their whole heart. That flatly contradicts those who teach that the prophecy was finished then. Whatever has not been fulfilled must be fulfilled. The promised restoration and renewal of Israel has never yet taken place, so it must come in the future.
- Sight. Men and God read the same two groups in opposite ways. The exiles looked like the losers, yet they were the good figs.
- Submission. The good figs were good for one reason. They bowed under God's discipline instead of dodging it by fighting or fleeing to Egypt. The same principle holds for us: Christ bore the judgment in our place.
- Self-trust. The bad figs stayed, boasted that they represented God's people, and so faced a second and final judgment.
- Separation. There were no middle figs; God accepted no neutral ground between the two baskets.
- Sequel. God promised the good figs a heart to know Him and a whole-hearted return. The return from Babylon only began to fulfil it.
And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,
God has just shown Jeremiah two baskets of figs, and now He speaks to explain them. His verdict is startling: the exiles already taken to Babylon are the good figs, while those still living in Jerusalem are the bad ones.
This word from the LORD comes at a fixed moment in Judah's collapse.
In chapter 24, Jeremiah sees two baskets of figs. This happened after the second deportation. The first one had occurred under Jehoiakim. Now, around ten years later, "Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away captive Jeconiah ... and the officials of Judah, the craftsmen, and the metal workers from Jerusalem and had brought them to Babylon" (v. 1), and Zedekiah was king. This is when Jeremiah sees them. What did this mean? Again, God provides the explanation.
Jeconiah was the king taken to Babylon. Zedekiah was the king left in Jerusalem.
Those still in the city drew their own conclusion from being spared.
A large portion remained, and were not taken away, and these attributed their escape from exile to some goodness in them.
God's reading of the two groups turns on something other than location.
How could this be? Surely, one might have thought, those who remain in Jerusalem are the better Jews and those in Babylon are the bad ones. Why does God say the opposite? Because those who wanted to stay in Jerusalem were refusing to accept God's discipline. They thought they could evade it, either by staying in Jerusalem to fight or by fleeing to Egypt.
The men of Judah had a name for the prophet who told them to surrender to Babylon.
In a time of ruin, faith always recognises God's discipline and bows to it. Unbelief always resists, and calls its opposition patriotism or perhaps religion. For this reason the men of Judah saw Jeremiah as a very false Jew. He always urged them to submit to the king of Babylon. They considered themselves much better Jews, because they were willing to fight against the king of Babylon.
Bowing is not passivity. Faith obeys God's will, whichever way it points.
Now faith always bows to God's will. If faith tells me to resist, I resist. If faith tells me to yield, I am bound to do it. Jeremiah did not resist, but yielded. The bad figs resisted. Rather than yield, they fell back on Egypt. They tried to balance the strength of the king of Babylon with political power and military aid.
God's sorting leaves no third group.
There were no intermediate figs. They were either "very good" or "very bad". This shows that God would not accept a middle ground or a neutral position. The good figs were the ones that accepted the discipline and bowed under it.
Two small words in God's own explanation change how we read the whole captivity.
God looked favourably upon those who had already been taken into captivity by the Chaldeans and had not rebelled against it. It is very worthwhile noting the words, "for their good." Whatever God does in the way of discipline is for our profit. The lessons from the Book of Jeremiah are there for our learning today.
What God pledges to the good figs rises far above a change of address.
Even in the land of the Chaldeans the eyes of the Lord are upon them for good. He would also restore them and establish them in the land of Israel. But better than the best of the land, they should know the Lord. And better than returning to the place, they should return to Him, as He says: "I will give them a heart to know that I am the LORD, and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart" (v. 7).
How much of this was fulfilled when the exiles came home? Kelly answers plainly.
I do not admit that this prophecy was fulfilled in the past return from the Babylonian captivity. There was a partial accomplishment of this at that time, as with other predictions. That is the most that verses 5 and 6 fairly allow. On the other hand, some suppose the prophecy was then exhausted as far as Israel is concerned. Israel's permanent establishment in their own land, and their knowledge of God, returning to Him with their whole heart, stand clearly against that teaching.
- Explanation — God does not leave the vision to guesswork. He speaks and gives the meaning Himself.
- Reversal — Those left in Jerusalem thought their escape proved their goodness. God called them bad figs, because they refused His discipline.
- Two baskets — Very good or very bad, with nothing in between: no neutral ground was on offer.
- Bowing — Faith accepts God's discipline and yields. Unbelief resists, and calls that resistance patriotism or religion.
- Good — God sent the exile "for their good." The promised end beats the land itself: a heart to know the Lord, and a whole-hearted return to Him.
Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel Like these good figs, so will I regard for good them that are carried away captive of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans;
God calls the Jews already taken to Babylon the good figs — the very people whose exile looked like proof that He had abandoned them. He even says He sent them there, which raises the hardest question of the chapter: how can exile be a mercy?
The two baskets of figs showed the opposite of what people assumed, and the reason behind God's verdict still holds for us.
To the world the good figs were the people remaining at Jerusalem under Zedekiah; to God's heart they were those carried away from Judah. Their goodness rested on this: they had submitted to God's judgment for their iniquity. The same principle holds true for us, only thanks be to God, we have suffered our judgment in the person of Christ, condemned in our place on the cross. Once God had carried out the sentence, He could look down with favour on those who had been under it... He was able to establish them in His presence forever. They had to be perfect for that, and it was in this character that the Lord viewed the poor captive remnant.
Those left behind drew the natural conclusion about themselves.
Jeconiah, with the choicest of the nation, had been carried away into captivity. A large number stayed behind. They credited their escape from exile to some goodness in them.
God does not describe the captives as victims of Babylon. He says He sent them. The same collapse brought two opposite outcomes.
The object was to set out clearly, under the image of two baskets of figs, the wholly opposite fates awaiting two groups of Jews. One group was carried off to Babylon with Jeconiah. The other stayed in the land with Zedekiah or lived in Egypt.
Older translations end this verse with the words "for their good"; the ESV carries the same thought in "I will regard as good." Bell fixes on that phrase.
God looked favourably on those who had already been taken into captivity by the Chaldeans and had not rebelled against it. It is well worth noticing the words, "for their good." Whatever God does by way of discipline is for our profit. The lessons from the book of Jeremiah are there for our learning today.
The difference between the baskets was how each group met God's hand. One bowed; the other fought, and called the fight loyalty.
God meant their exile to be for their eventual good. This is a very important point. In a day of ruin faith always recognises the chastening of God and bows to it. Unbelief always resists, and counts it patriotism or perhaps religion to oppose. For this reason Jeremiah seemed to the men of Judah to be a very false Jew. He always advised them to submit to the king of Babylon. They thought themselves much better Jews, because they were willing to fight against the king of Babylon.
The refusal took two forms.
Those who wanted to stay in Jerusalem were refusing to accept God's discipline. They thought they could escape it, either by staying in Jerusalem to fight or by fleeing to Egypt. Since the first deportation, God had entrusted government in the world to Nebuchadnezzar. The only right course of action was to acknowledge this and to confess the sins that had led to it.
The baskets left no third option.
There were no intermediate figs. They were either "very good" or "very bad". This shows that God would not accept a middle ground or a neutral position.
Kelly holds that the return from Babylon did not exhaust this promise.
I do not accept that the past return from the Babylonian captivity fulfilled this prophecy. There was a partial fulfilment then, as with other predictions, and that is the most we can fairly draw from verses 5 and 6. Some suppose the prophecy was finished then as far as Israel is concerned. Two things stand firmly against that: Israel's permanent establishment in their own land, and their knowledge of God as they return to Him with their whole heart... The promised restoration and renewal of Israel has never yet taken place. It must therefore happen in the future.
Read this way, the good figs are the first instalment of something God still intends to finish for the nation.
- Cause — The captivity was not Babylon's victory but God's judgment on real sin. He says He sent them there. The good figs were those who accepted that verdict instead of fighting it.
- Gift — God's stated aim in the exile was their good. Whatever He does by way of discipline is for the profit of His people.
- Reversal — What looked like abandonment was favour. What looked like safety in Jerusalem was ruin. God reads a situation the opposite way to the world.
- Choice — There were no middle figs. Faith bows to God's discipline. Unbelief resists, and calls resisting patriotism or religion.
- Reach — The promise to the good figs reaches past the return from Babylon. On Kelly's reading, Israel's settlement in the land and knowledge of God still wait ahead.
and I will set mine eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them again to this land; and I will build them and not pull them down, and I will plant them and not pluck them up.
Jeremiah sees two baskets of figs in front of the temple. God calls the good figs the people already carried off to Babylon — the very group everyone assumed He had given up on.
Human judgment ran the opposite way to God's. One writer asks why, and finds the answer in how each group treated God's discipline.
How could this be? You might have thought that those who remain in Jerusalem are the better Jews, and those in Babylon the bad ones. Why does God say the opposite? Because those who wanted to stay in Jerusalem were refusing to accept God's discipline. They thought they could escape it, either by staying in Jerusalem to fight or by running to Egypt. Ever since the first captives were carried away, God had handed the government of the world to Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. The only right course was to accept this and to confess the sins that had led to it.
The exiles counted as good figs because they bowed to God's hand. Jeremiah told them to give in to Babylon, and it made him look like a traitor.
The Lord meant their exile to be for their eventual good. This is a very important point. In a day of ruin faith always recognises the chastening of God and bows to it. Unbelief always resists, and counts it patriotism or perhaps religion to oppose. For this reason the men of Judah saw Jeremiah as a very false Jew. He always told them to submit to the king of Babylon. They thought they were much better Jews, because they were willing to fight him.
Those two words give the aim behind the discipline.
The Chaldeans had already carried these people into captivity, and they had not rebelled against it. God looked on them with favour. It is well worth noticing the words, "for their good." Whatever God does in the way of discipline is for our profit. The lessons from the Book of Jeremiah are there for our learning today.
The building and planting come after judgment, not before it. One writer carries that order straight over to the believer.
Once God had carried out the sentence, He could look with favour on the very people it fell on. He was able to establish them in His presence forever. They had to be perfect for that, and this is how the Lord saw the poor captive remnant. It is the same for us: because of Christ's judgment God sees us perfect in Him, however wretched we may be in ourselves.
Coming home to the land was real, but it was not the best part of the promise.
Even in the land of the Chaldeans the eyes of the Lord are on them for good. They would be restored again, too, and settled in the land of Israel. But better than the best of the land, they would know the Lord. And better than returning to the place, they would return to Him.
Commentators differ on how far this promise has already come true. One writer argues that the return from Babylon met only part of its terms.
I do not accept that the return from the Babylonian captivity fulfilled this prophecy. Part of it came true then, as with other predictions. That is the most that verses 5 and 6 will yield. Some suppose that the prophecy was used up at that time as far as Israel is concerned. But Israel's lasting settlement in their own land, and their knowledge of God as they return to Him with their whole heart, stand clearly against that teaching. Whatever has not been, must be fulfilled.
- Eyes reversed. Man and God read the baskets differently. The captives in Babylon were the good figs. Those still in Jerusalem were rejected.
- Eyes on the bowed. The good figs bowed. Faith accepts God's chastening; unbelief resists and calls the resistance loyalty.
- Eyes for good. The exile itself was aimed at their profit; whatever God does by way of discipline is meant to do His people good.
- Eyes after judgment. The sentence had already fallen on them. Only then could God promise building and planting that would never be undone. On the same ground He sees believers perfect in Christ.
- Eyes beyond the return. The promise reached further than a homecoming, and further than the remnant that came back. It ends in a settled land and a people who know Him.
And I will give them a heart to know me, that I am Jehovah; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.
Jeremiah sees two baskets of figs set before the temple. The vision splits the nation in two: those already carried off to Babylon, and those still comfortable in Jerusalem. Verse 7 is God's word about the first group — and what He promises them is not a better address but a different heart.
One picture sets two groups of Jews side by side, and their futures could not be further apart.
The aim was to show clearly, in the picture of two baskets of figs, the completely opposite futures waiting for two sets of Jews. One set went into exile in Babylon with King Jeconiah. The other stayed in the land with King Zedekiah, or went to live in Egypt.
What people saw and what God saw were opposites. God shows Jeremiah the true reading of the nation, and the same principle reaches us:
To the world the good figs were the people remaining at Jerusalem under Zedekiah; to God's heart they were those carried away from Judah. They were good because they had bowed to God's judgment on their sin. The same principle holds for us. We have suffered our judgment in the person of Christ, condemned in our place on the cross... Because Christ bore that judgment, God sees us perfect in Him, however wretched we may be in ourselves.
The exiles were the ones God would bless, and the reason cuts against instinct. Losing the land was itself the mercy.
The Lord meant their exile to be for their eventual good. This is a very important point. In a day of ruin faith always recognises the chastening of God and bows to it. Unbelief always resists, and counts it patriotism, or perhaps religion, to fight back.
The picture leaves no third option:
There were no intermediate figs. They were either 'very good' or 'very bad'. This shows that God would not accept a middle ground or a neutral position. The good figs were the ones that accepted the discipline and bowed under it.
Everything in the verse is God's action. He does not ask them to produce the heart; He supplies it.
The Lord announces the restoration of the people: "I will bring them back to this land." At the same time He declares that in days to come He will give them moral perfection before Him. This comes out of a new covenant in which everything comes from Him. He alone is its author; it will be a covenant of grace, not of responsibility.
The same pattern shapes the new covenant. It reads as a list of things God undertakes:
This new covenant rests wholly on the sovereign grace of God. It sets out the terms on which He can be with man in a way that fits His own holy nature and His own will. Again and again, as He sets out its blessing, the Lord says, "I will" — "I will make a new covenant"; "I will put My laws into their mind"; "I will be to them a God"; "I will be merciful"; "I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more." It is clear that the blessings of the new covenant depend, not on man's doings or man's will, but on God's sovereign will.
The verse promises two things at once — a place and a Person — and commentators note which of the two is greater.
Even in the land of the Chaldeans the eyes of the Lord are upon them for good. He would also restore them and settle them in the land of Israel. But better than the best of the land, they would know the Lord. And better than returning to the place, they would return to Him.
Some read this as fulfilled when the exiles came home from Babylon. Kelly answers that only part of it happened then.
I do not accept that this prophecy was fulfilled by the past return from the captivity in Babylon. Part of it came true then, as with other predictions... But two things stand firmly against the view that this prophecy was used up then as far as Israel is concerned. One is Israel's lasting settlement in their own land. The other is their knowledge of God, as they return to Him with their whole heart... Whatever has not happened yet must still be fulfilled.
- Chastening — The captives in Babylon were the good figs because they bowed under God's judgment instead of fighting it. Faith sees God's hand in ruin; unbelief calls resistance loyalty.
- Gift — What follows the bowing is not reward but gift. God Himself supplies the heart that knows Him, so the change is His work from start to finish.
- Grace — The gift rests on a covenant of grace, not of responsibility. It is built on God's repeated "I will," so it cannot fail.
- Knowledge — The best of the promise is not the land but the Lord. Knowing Him beats the place, and returning to Him beats returning to it.
- Wholeness — The proof of the given heart is a whole-hearted return. It is so complete that commentators say Israel has yet to see it in full.
And as the bad figs, which cannot be eaten for badness, surely, thus saith Jehovah So will I make Zedekiah the king of Judah, and his princes, and the remnant of Jerusalem, that remain in this land, and them that dwell in the land of Egypt.
God shows Jeremiah two baskets of figs at the temple, then names the rotten one: Zedekiah and the people still clinging to Jerusalem or hiding in Egypt. The shock is that the exiles in Babylon are the good figs, so the verse asks how God really measures a person.
By this point Judah was split in two, and the group still at home drew a flattering conclusion.
Jeconiah, with the best of the nation, had been carried away into captivity. A large number stayed behind. They were not taken away, and they put their escape from exile down to some goodness in themselves. At that time the prophet had a vision. He saw two baskets of figs set before the temple. One basket held good figs, the second basket bad figs.
God's verdict runs the other way, and the reason lies in how each group treated His hand on them.
How could this be? You might have thought that those who remain in Jerusalem are the better Jews, and those in Babylon are the bad ones. Why does God say the opposite? Because those who wanted to stay in Jerusalem were refusing to accept God's discipline. They thought they could escape it, either by staying to fight or by fleeing to Egypt. Remember that, since the first deportation in 606 BC, God had handed government in the world to Nebuchadnezzar (Jer. 28:14; Dan. 2:37-38; 5:18-19). The only right course of action was to acknowledge this fact and to confess the sins that had led to it.
In the eyes of the men of Judah, the prophet was the disloyal one.
God meant their exile to be for their eventual good. This is a very important point. In a day of ruin faith always recognises the chastening of God and bows to it. Unbelief always resists, and counts it patriotism or perhaps religion to oppose. For this reason Jeremiah seemed to the men of Judah to be a very false Jew. He always advised them to submit to the king of Babylon. They reckoned themselves much better Jews, because they were willing to fight against the king of Babylon.
The verse names a second group: those "who dwell in the land of Egypt." Running there was the same refusal, taken one step further.
Now faith always bows to God's will. If faith tells me to resist, I resist. If faith tells me to yield, I am bound to do it. Jeremiah did not resist, but yielded. The bad figs resisted. Rather than yield, they fell back on Egypt. They hoped that political power and military aid would balance the strength of the king of Babylon.
Behind the politics lay a settled confidence in themselves. It left God with nothing to work with.
The "bad figs that are so bad they cannot be eaten" (v. 8) were the people God Himself could do nothing with. They had not gone through the first judgment under Jehoiachin, so they had to go through a second one, and this time it was final. Even though God declared that everything was lost, they trusted in themselves and boasted that they were the representatives of the people of God. The land of Egypt, a picture of the world under Satan's rule, suited them very well. Instead of accepting the judgment of God they revolted against Him, as we shall see in the history of Zedekiah.
There are two baskets in the vision, not three. Each one sits at an extreme.
There were no in-between figs. They were either "very good" or "very bad". This shows that God would not accept a middle ground or a neutral position. The good figs were the ones that accepted the discipline and bowed under it.
The fig tree itself carries meaning. It pictures the nation's standing among other nations, and Zedekiah's men are where that story ends.
The fig tree suggests what Israel was politically among the nations. God set the nation in Canaan to be a testimony for Him among the nations, and in this way to bring Him glory. When Israel went into captivity, God left Judah in the land a little longer to be a testimony for Him. But Judah followed Israel's idolatry, and God removed Judah from the land too. Those left in the land with wicked king Zedekiah did not turn from their evil ways. They continued in them, and God likened them to "bad figs that are so bad they cannot be eaten" (Jer. 24:8).
- Discipline — God sorts the two baskets by response, not by circumstance. Those who bowed under His chastening were the good figs; those who dodged it were the bad.
- Deception — Staying in Jerusalem looked like God's favour. The people read their escape as proof of their own goodness, and they were exactly wrong.
- Defiance — Resistance dressed itself up as patriotism and even religion. It made Jeremiah look like the traitor for telling them to submit.
- Detour — Egypt was the escape route for those who would not yield. It pictures the world under Satan's rule, and it suited men who still trusted themselves.
- Decision — There was no in-between fig. God left no middle ground and no neutral place to stand.
And I will give them over to be driven hither and thither unto all the kingdoms of the earth for evil, to be a reproach and a proverb, a taunt and a curse, in all places whither I shall drive them;
God has just shown Jeremiah two baskets of figs: one very good, one too rotten to eat. The rotten basket is Zedekiah, his officials, and the people left in Jerusalem or in Egypt — so why are the survivors the bad figs, and the exiles in Babylon the good ones?
Those still in the land read their escape as a verdict in their favour:
Jeconiah, with the choicest of the nation, had been carried away into captivity. A large part of the nation stayed behind. They were not taken away, and they credited their escape from exile to some goodness in themselves.
Escaping the first blow only set them up for a second:
The bad figs, too bad to be eaten (v. 8), were people God Himself could do nothing with. They had not gone through the first judgment under Jehoiachin, so they had to go through a second and final one. God declared that everything was lost, but they trusted in themselves and boasted that they were the representatives of the people of God. The land of Egypt, a picture of the world under Satan's rule, suited them very well.
The difference between the baskets was not politics but a response to God's hand. The captives had accepted His discipline; those left behind called resistance loyalty:
Jehovah meant their exile to be for their eventual good. In a day of ruin faith always recognises the chastening of God and bows to it. Unbelief always resists, and thinks it patriotism or perhaps religion to oppose. This is why the men of Judah thought Jeremiah was a very false Jew. He always advised them to submit to the king of Babylon. They thought they were much better Jews, because they were willing to fight the king of Babylon.
The vision offered only two categories, and that itself is part of the message:
There were no intermediate figs. They were either "very good" or "very bad". This shows that God would not accept a middle ground or a neutral position. The good figs were the ones that accepted the discipline and bowed under it.
Exile is only half the sentence. They also become a name other people use: a taunt, a curse, a reproach, a byword. Older translations read "proverb" where the ESV has "byword", and the word behind it describes a saying made to stick:
The usual word for "proverb," also used for the Book of Proverbs, is mashal. It means "comparison" or "likeness." Proverbs are short sentences made to catch attention and stay in the memory.
So their ruin does not fade from memory. It becomes a short saying other nations repeat wherever God scatters them.
The bad basket includes those living in Egypt. They fled there to dodge Babylon, and met the very thing they ran from:
They take refuge in Egypt to escape Nebuchadnezzar. But they only fall under the sword that would have spared them in Judea, if they had stayed there under the king's rule. In Egypt they give themselves up to idolatry, so that the wrath of God might come upon them to the end.
Egypt and Babylon were not the same in God's dealings:
Those who go down into Egypt go against the word of the Lord, and are destroyed by sword, famine and disease. Those at Babylon are promised peace, prosperity and plenty for the time being. God redeemed the people out of Egypt at the beginning. Babylon became the place of their captivity when they turned away from the Lord. To return to Egypt therefore was fatal, but from Babylon there was deliverance.
- Escape misread. Those left in Jerusalem treated their survival as proof of their own goodness. They boasted that they now represented God's people.
- Judgment refused returns. They missed the first judgment, so a second and final one came. Dodging judgment does not cancel it.
- Two responses, not two policies. Faith accepts God's discipline and bows. Unbelief resists, and calls its resistance patriotism or even religion.
- No neutral basket. The figs were either very good or very bad. God would not accept a middle ground between taking His discipline and dodging it.
- The wrong exit. Flight to Egypt met the sword that would have spared them at home. From Babylon, where God sent them, there was a way back.
and I will send among them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, until they be consumed from off the land that I gave unto them and to their fathers.
Jeremiah 24 ends with the darker half of a vision: two baskets of figs set before the temple, one full of good figs, the other full of figs too rotten to eat. Verse 10 spells out what the rotten basket means for Zedekiah and everyone who stayed behind. It also raises a hard question. Why were the people still in God's land the ones God rejected?
This chapter closes a group of prophecies about Judah's last kings. It splits the nation in two.
Jeremiah 24 seems to close this collection of predictions. They were given at different times, but they are gathered here because they share one moral theme: they all cluster round the last kings of Judah and look ahead to the fall of Jerusalem. The aim was to show plainly, under the image of two baskets of figs, the completely opposite futures waiting for two sets of Jews — those who went with Jeconiah to Babylon, and those who stayed in the land with Zedekiah or lived in Egypt.
Jeconiah and the best of the nation had already been taken to Babylon. Those left behind drew their own conclusion from that.
A large part of the nation stayed behind, and these people credited their escape from exile to some goodness in themselves.
The verdict looks backwards at first.
How could this be? You might have thought that the ones who stay in Jerusalem are the better Jews, and the ones in Babylon the bad ones. Why does God say the opposite? Because those who wanted to stay in Jerusalem were refusing to accept God's discipline. They thought they could evade it, either by staying in Jerusalem to fight or by fleeing to Egypt... The only right course of action was to acknowledge this fact and to confess the sins that had led to it.
The doom falls on those who stayed with Zedekiah and on those who went down to Egypt. That move began with a refusal to bow.
Now faith always bows to God's will. If faith tells me to resist, I resist. If faith tells me to yield, I am bound to do it. Jeremiah did not resist, but yielded. The bad figs resisted. Instead of yielding, they fell back on Egypt, hoping that political power and military help would match the strength of the king of Babylon.
Where they ran decided everything. Two captivities were not the same captivity.
These go down into Egypt against the word of the Lord, and sword, famine and pestilence destroy them. Those at Babylon are promised peace and prosperity and plenty for the time being... At the beginning God redeemed the people out of Egypt. Babylon became the place of their captivity after they had turned away from the Lord. So going back to Egypt was fatal, but from Babylon there was deliverance.
Verse 10 names three killers: sword, famine, and pestilence. None of them is random:
Pestilence is often mentioned along with the sword and the famine as punishment from God on His rebellious people. Scripture shows it coming straight from God Himself.
Submission was still open to them, right to the end.
Still, if at this last hour those left in the land had submitted to the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar, peace would have reigned in the land, and those few who remained would have kept it... They take refuge in Egypt to escape Nebuchadnezzar. But they only fall under the sword, which would have spared them in Judea if they had stayed there in submission to the king.
The good basket shows what the other choice brought.
There were no intermediate figs. They were either 'very good' or 'very bad'. This shows that God would not accept a middle ground or a neutral position. The good figs were the ones that accepted the discipline and bowed under it. God would bless them and bring about a complete change in their hearts.
Verse 10 ends with the land God gave to their fathers. Commentators differ over whether the return from Babylon finished this chapter's story. One writer says it did not:
This prophecy, like others, was partly carried out at that time... Whatever has not yet happened must still happen. The promised restoration and renewal of Israel has never taken place, so it must come about in the future.
- Sorted — Two baskets, two futures. Those taken to Babylon and those clinging to Jerusalem and Egypt ended in opposite places.
- Resisted — The bad figs refused God's discipline. They thought they could dodge it by fighting or running.
- Misjudged — Those left behind took their survival as proof of their own goodness. It was no such thing.
- Reversed — Egypt was meant to be the escape route. It became the place of death. The sword they fled would have spared them at home.
- Undivided — There was no middle basket. God accepts no neutral ground, and those who bowed received His blessing and a changed heart.