Whom will the Lord build up in the midst of Judah if they learn the ways of the Lord’s people?

Perhaps the big surprise that follows is the fact that restoration is now promised to the other nations who have also been exiled by the Lord. If they will diligently learn the ways of my people, to swear by my name, As the Lord lives, even as they taught my people to swear to Baal, then they shall be built up in the midst of my people. The sense of the Hebrew noun dark̲ê, translated as ways of my people, is that of religious practices. These foreign nations, who had previously taught the people of Judah to swear by Baal will receive the Lord’s care if they turn to him in worship and swear by his name. To affirm an oath with the words, as the Lord lives, implies that the person making the oath worships the Lord.¹ This is not simply an outward or nominal response to the Lord. They are to enter into the covenant relationship that the Lord has made with Israel which means loving the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. This promise of restoration to the nations should of course not come as a surprise to the reader because it can be traced all the way back to the Lord’s promise to Abram to not only bless his descendants but to also bless the world through them (Genesis 12:1–3).  It is therefore also not surprising that the restoration of the nations is tied up with the restoration of Judah in this passage. The bigger surprise may be that the nations are to enter the covenant relationship with the Lord by learning from the ways of Judah! Their track record has certainly been anything but a good example of loving the Lord. Ultimately, this promise of the restoration of the Lord’s people along with the nations is a messianic promise, fulfilled by Christ. The passage does not mention grace, but it can also only be by grace that sinful rebels will turn to the Lord in faithfulness.²