I will watch over and care for them, and I will bring them back here again. I will build them up and not tear them down. I will plant them and not uproot them. I will give them hearts that recognize me as the LORD.  They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me wholeheartedly.

Jeremiah 24:6-7

A friend of mine has a fig tree in his yard, but he rarely pays attention to it. Thus, during the time of year when he should be harvesting figs, he often ends up with a mess under his tree. Overly ripe figs fall to the ground, where they become rancid, buzzing with flies. Rather than harvesting tasty fruit in this season, my friend has to clean up the disgusting muck of mushy rotten figs.

Through Jeremiah, the Lord said that the Jews who remained in Jerusalem and Egypt after Babylon had conquered them would be like rotten figs. They would become “an object of horror and a symbol of evil to every nation on earth” (24:9).

In contrast, those who were exiled to Babylon would be like good figs. Of these Jews, the Lord said: “I will watch over and care for them, and I will bring them back here again. I will build them up and not tear them down. I will plant them and not uproot them. I will give them hearts that recognize me as the LORD. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me wholeheartedly” (24:6-7). Here is a promise for people who are soon to be exiles or who have already been taken to Babylon. God has not forgotten them. He will continue to care for them even in their absence from the land of promise, and one day he will bring them back to the land. More importantly, they will know the Lord and live as his people.

But if you were a faithful Jew who heard this message for the first time, I doubt you’d have rejoiced over being one of the good figs. The experience of exile would have felt more like rottenness than goodness. How hard it would have been to wait for the day of return and restoration!

And so it is for us when we go through difficult times, when life seems unfair, or when life really is unfair. We can wonder if God has stopped caring for us. Yet the good news of God’s persistent love in Christ upholds us. In our time of “exile,” we turn to God with our whole heart, seeking to grow in relationship with him, to know him more truly and deeply. Thus God uses the hard times in our lives to draw us closer to himself. As “good figs,” we have hope even in the midst of disappointment and suffering.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: When have you experienced something like “exile” in your life? In what ways was God present to you then? How can we know that God cares for us when our lives are difficult and painful?

PRAYER: Dear Lord, when life is hard, it can seem as if you’ve designated us to be like bad figs. The rottenness of our situation reeks and we wonder if you’ve forgotten about us.

In these times, Lord, help us to know that you care for us. Find ways, we pray, to let us experience your love and grace in the midst of suffering. By your Spirit, may we turn to you with our whole hearts, seeking you above all, and giving you our whole lives.

O Lord, we look forward to the time when our exile is over, when we are at home with you, seeing you face to face. Amen.