Chastisement Proves God’s Love — Jeremiah 24:1–10

The recording, chapter markers and searchable transcript appear here once the Sunday video is available.

In this message

National or community judgment means everyone feels the pain, even those who may be individually innocent.
God’s chastening is sometimes not to punish but to purify, protecting His people and changing them.
Hard circumstances are not automatic proof that God is angry; they may be His mercy and timing at work for your good.
God must give people a heart to know Him before they will turn to Him, and yet God genuinely calls for a real human response.
Ongoing unchallenged sin should move a person to seek the Lord and make sure they are truly His.

The passage

The verses Lee stops on. Read Jeremiah 24 in full.

Jeremiah 24:1

1After Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah and the officials, the skilled workers and the artisans of Judah were carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Lord showed me two baskets of figs placed in front of the temple of the Lord.

The first stage of the captivity had already begun. In 605, Nebuchadnezzar came down and took Jehoiachin and a number of the leaders to Babylon. In 597, a second group was carried into captivity. In 586, the final group was taken to Babylon. The temple was then destroyed, and the city was sacked. At the time of the first stage, the Lord showed Jeremiah two baskets of figs….

Jeremiah 24:5

5“This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Like these good figs, I regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I sent away from this place to the land of the Babylonians.

Like the good figs, so will I acknowledge those who are carried away captive from Judah, whom I have sent out of this place for their own good; Judgement came (and was to come) upon Judah as a whole; the entire nation would feel the pain of it. Yet that did not mean that everyone in Judah was the same in God’s eyes. Some were like the good figs- and were essentially sent out of Judah to Babylon for their own good.

Jeremiah 24 reminds us that God’s discipline is a mark of His delight.

What we have seen

Judgment upon a nation or community means that all suffer, even those who may be individually innocent of the sins that brought God’s judgment.
If you are continually getting away with things you know are wrong, I would encourage you to seek the Lord, to make sure you are a child of His.

What do the two baskets of figs mean in Jeremiah 24?

The two baskets of figs picture two different groups in Judah under Babylon’s pressure. The “good figs” are those carried away into exile, whom the Lord says He has sent out “for their own good,” and He intends to bring back. The “bad figs” are those who remained, including Zedekiah and his associates, who assumed they were fortunate but were headed toward sword, famine, and pestilence. The point is that God can distinguish within a judged nation, even when everyone feels the weight of what’s happening.

Why would God treat the exiles as the “good figs” and those left behind as the “bad figs”?

God’s message overturns the natural assumption that exile automatically meant God’s greater displeasure. Those left behind would have comforted themselves that the exiles were the more corrupt, but the comparison directly contradicts that. God describes the exiles as people He is acknowledging and preserving, and He ties their exile to their ultimate good. The ones who stayed were not “getting away with it”; they were the rotten figs headed for greater scattering and loss.

Does Jeremiah 24 teach that God’s discipline is loving rather than just punitive?

God’s chastening is presented as purification, not merely punishment. The message explains that idolatry had plagued Israel for generations, yet in Babylon they would become so sick of idols that idolatry would no longer be a temptation for them. In that sense, the captivity functioned as a benefit and blessing, producing change. Hebrews 12:6 is cited to connect discipline to love and sonship.

If judgment falls on a nation, does that mean innocent people suffer too?

Judgment upon a nation or community means that all suffer, even those who may be individually innocent of the sins that brought God’s judgment. At the same time, God still knows the difference between those caught up in the judgment and those who brought down the judgment. Jeremiah 24 holds both together: the whole nation feels pain, yet God distinguishes between “good figs” and “bad figs.” The chapter is used to show that suffering isn’t always a simple measure of a person’s guilt.

What does “I will give them a heart to know me” mean in Jeremiah 24?

The promise “I will give them a heart to know me” is presented as the key to repentance and transformation. The point made is that God must first work in people’s lives before they will turn to Him, and that it is only because of the Lord’s mercy that change and return are possible. The return from exile is described as foreshadowing New Covenant realities in important ways: gathered again and changed, devoted to Yahweh, no longer chasing the idols they pursued before. Ray Comfort is quoted to connect this to conversion, alongside 2 Corinthians 5:17.

Must people seek God before God seeks them?

Scripture is presented as giving both perspectives, described as an antinomy: God seeks the lost and the lost are called to seek God. Passages cited include 1 John 4:19, John 6:44, Luke 19:10, and Romans 3:11, with emphasis that people do not seek God until He reveals Himself and draws them. At the same time, the message rejects an extreme “Irresistible Grace” view that removes real human choice, saying free will can say no because God does not force Himself. 1 Timothy 2:3–4 and 2 Peter 3:9 are cited to show God wants all to be saved and is patient, calling people to respond.

How does Jeremiah 24 connect to the New Covenant and to Jesus?

The return from exile is said to foreshadow New Covenant promises, such as God giving a new heart and restoring His people. At the same time, the New Covenant itself is not located in the return from exile, because Jesus specifically instituted it through His redemptive work on the cross, referenced with Luke 22:20. The changed devotion of the returned people is treated as a preview of what God does in deeper fullness through Christ. Conversion language is then tied to 2 Corinthians 5:17.

Why does it look like people doing wrong are prospering while believers struggle?

Christians can find it hard to watch the world seem to race ahead while they struggle in anonymity or even financial peril. The teaching here is that the “bad figs” can look sweet for a moment, but that apparent ease is not the same as blessing. Hebrews 12:6 is used to argue that the Lord’s dealing with His people is evidence of love and acceptance as sons. The group that thought they had it made in Jeremiah’s day were ultimately the ones who would be scattered.

What should someone do if they keep getting away with things they know are wrong?

Continually getting away with known wrong should move a person to seek the Lord and make sure they are a child of His. The contrast in Jeremiah 24 is that the ones not being chastened were described as evil figs headed for judgment. The encouragement given is to respond to the Lord rather than presume safety because consequences haven’t arrived yet. The application also calls people who have never surrendered to Jesus to say yes to Christ and be made new, tied to 2 Corinthians 5:17.

Where else scripture speaks

Every passage Lee reaches for. The ones he teaches from open here; the rest link out.

Ecclesiastes 3:112 Corinthians 5:17 1 John 4:19 John 6:44 Luke 19:10 Romans 3:11 1 Timothy 2:3–4 2 Peter 3:9

Passages picked up elsewhere in the series:

2 Kings 24:8–17 — The Ruined Loincloth, Jerusalem’s Doom is Sealed, Judgements Against Evil Kings
Ecclesiastes 3:11 — Called Before You Were Born, God Loves You Too Much To Settle
2 Corinthians 5:17 — When Giants Fall
1 John 4:19 — Prophets in 2025?, How to Spot a False Prophet
Romans 3:11 — The Justice of God’s Judgment, Jerusalem’s Doom is Sealed
1 Timothy 2:3–4 — God’s Plan to Prosper You

Take this with you

Jeremiah 24 reminds us that God’s discipline is a mark of His delight.