Despite the massive destruction that is coming to Judah, there will still be a group of people who can ask, Why has the Lord our God done all these things to us?
Even this question brings hope in the face of inevitable judgment. The nation is sent into exile because they have served foreign gods
in the land the Lord had given them. In exile they will serve foreigners in a land that is not theirs.
The irony is profound. They sought freedom from the Lord by turning to foreign gods and instead find themselves in bondage in a foreign land. But even then, there will be a group of people who will reflect on what has happened and will turn to the Lord in repentance. Jeremiah, along with later prophets such as Ezekiel, anticipates a future hope even before the exile happens.1
19 And when your people say, ‘Why has the LORD our God done all these things to us?’ you shall say to them, ‘As you have forsaken me and served foreign gods in your land, so you shall serve foreigners in a land that is not yours.’”