If the people are to experience the promised restoration described by Jeremiah 3:12–18, then they will have to truly return
to the Lord. Restoration is only possible if there is true repentance. In the following section, Jeremiah 3:19–4:4, Jeremiah describes what this repentance looks like.
With these opening words of Jeremiah 3:19, the Lord reveals his intentions to Judah. In the Hebrew text there is a strong emphasis on the pronoun I.
What follows is what the Lord is personally committed to.1 The Lord’s desire for Israel was always to set you among my sons.
This refers to his plan for them to be his chosen people. All the nations (sons
) belong to him, but Israel was to be the nation chosen from among all the nations to be his treasured possession (Exodus 19:5). His desire was to give them Canaan, the pleasant land, a heritage most beautiful of all nations,
the place where they would have the unique experience of receiving his covenant blessings.
Even though repentance and restoration are the central themes of Jeremiah 3:1–4:4, it is followed by a long section on judgment (Jeremiah 4:5–6:30). In fact, judgment is the dominant theme in the whole book. But Jeremiah’s message of judgment, even inevitable judgment, does not give the final word on the Lord’s attitude towards his people. The warmth and love expressed in these verses (Jeremiah 3:19–4:4) reveals what lies permanently in the heart of the Lord. He is disappointed at failure but still loves and still desires repentance (Jeremiah 3:22). It is important to remember this deep compassion when we read the prophet’s declarations of judgment (Jeremiah 4:5–6:30); in judgment, the compassion is still present, hoping beyond the judgment for a restoration of the relationship of love.2
19 Je disais: Comment te mettrai-je parmi mes enfants, Et te donnerai-je un pays de délices, Un héritage, le plus bel ornement des nations? Je disais: Tu m'appelleras: Mon père! Et tu ne te détourneras pas de moi.