Weeping in Ramah
15-Nov-11
This is what the LORD says: “A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping,
Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”
This is what the LORD says: “Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for your work will be rewarded,” declares the LORD.
“They will return from the land of the enemy. So there is hope for your descendants,” declares the LORD. “Your children will return to their own land.” – Jer 31.15-17
These are the Scriptures penned by the Prophet Jeremiah during the Assyrian captivity of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Rachel was the wife of Jacob (whose name God changed to Israel), so this language is picturesque of a mother grieving the loss of her children who were forced into exile. Then through Jeremiah’s words, God offers consolation with the promised return of the children of Israel to their land.
But like many prophetic messages, these words have application to both near future & also distant future events. It was a few decades afterward that the exiles of Jeremiah’s day would return from captivity which fulfilled the near future application. Then, fast forward about 600 years & Matthew applies this passage to an event in Jesus’ time.
Sometime after Jesus’ birth, some Magi came to visit Him & crossed paths with Herod, the king of the vicinity. Herod was threatened by the Magi’s revelation that a new King (Jesus) had been born. Through a series of events, an agitated Herod ordered all boys 2 years old & under to be executed – a safe way to ensure this new rival King would be eliminated. Fortunately, God’s sovereignty & foreknowledge prevailed & He led Jesus & his family to Egypt in a timely manner to avoid His murder (see Mt 2). Thus, the application of Rachel’s weeping is applied to this needless slaughter of the innocent children who were not so fortunate (Mt 2.17-18).
While Matthew only quotes Jer 31.15 in Mt 2.18, it surely was intended to beckon readers back to the meaning of the original passage. In Jeremiah’s time, the context was losing children to a physical enemy. In Jesus’ time, the context was losing children to death. And in light of other Biblical teaching, further understanding can be traced out regarding the latter.
Certainly, when someone loses a child it is a horribly sad event with seemingly no possible consolation as I myself have experienced. And the unfortunate families of Matthew 2 would have had a similar experience when, for no good reason, their precious children were helplessly torn away from them. But then, Jeremiah 31.16 continues:
This is what the LORD says: “Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for your work will be rewarded,” declares the LORD.
It’s as if God is telling us there is a reason to limit our weeping (Eccl 3.4) – because there is something more than this short physical life – a very real spiritual life that is eternal. Given that children are the context of this passage (Jer 31.15, 17), it is fitting that the reward of verse 16 is referring to children (Ps 127.3). And so in the unrealized portion of our eternal life, we will meet our reward – our children. Furthermore, this passage goes on to say:
“They will return from the land of the enemy. So there is hope for your descendants,” declares the LORD. “Your children will return to their own land.”
We know that the last enemy to be destroyed is death (1 Cor 15.26). To be sure, the land of this physical life in which we live is marred by the effects of sin & death. But heaven, the eternal spiritual home for which we are intended, is free of death (Rev 21.3-4). For those of us who have trusted Christ to save us to eternal life, heaven is truly our “own land” (Phil 3.20-21) & there we will see our lost children. Because of God’s one & only Son, we will live forever with our children in His presence.
If you are unsure if you will be going to heaven after you die, please know that you can be sure (1 Jn 5.13). To find out how, please see the link below about being justified in the "Related Pages" section.
Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”
This is what the LORD says: “Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for your work will be rewarded,” declares the LORD.
“They will return from the land of the enemy. So there is hope for your descendants,” declares the LORD. “Your children will return to their own land.” – Jer 31.15-17
These are the Scriptures penned by the Prophet Jeremiah during the Assyrian captivity of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Rachel was the wife of Jacob (whose name God changed to Israel), so this language is picturesque of a mother grieving the loss of her children who were forced into exile. Then through Jeremiah’s words, God offers consolation with the promised return of the children of Israel to their land.
But like many prophetic messages, these words have application to both near future & also distant future events. It was a few decades afterward that the exiles of Jeremiah’s day would return from captivity which fulfilled the near future application. Then, fast forward about 600 years & Matthew applies this passage to an event in Jesus’ time.
Sometime after Jesus’ birth, some Magi came to visit Him & crossed paths with Herod, the king of the vicinity. Herod was threatened by the Magi’s revelation that a new King (Jesus) had been born. Through a series of events, an agitated Herod ordered all boys 2 years old & under to be executed – a safe way to ensure this new rival King would be eliminated. Fortunately, God’s sovereignty & foreknowledge prevailed & He led Jesus & his family to Egypt in a timely manner to avoid His murder (see Mt 2). Thus, the application of Rachel’s weeping is applied to this needless slaughter of the innocent children who were not so fortunate (Mt 2.17-18).
While Matthew only quotes Jer 31.15 in Mt 2.18, it surely was intended to beckon readers back to the meaning of the original passage. In Jeremiah’s time, the context was losing children to a physical enemy. In Jesus’ time, the context was losing children to death. And in light of other Biblical teaching, further understanding can be traced out regarding the latter.
Certainly, when someone loses a child it is a horribly sad event with seemingly no possible consolation as I myself have experienced. And the unfortunate families of Matthew 2 would have had a similar experience when, for no good reason, their precious children were helplessly torn away from them. But then, Jeremiah 31.16 continues:
This is what the LORD says: “Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for your work will be rewarded,” declares the LORD.
It’s as if God is telling us there is a reason to limit our weeping (Eccl 3.4) – because there is something more than this short physical life – a very real spiritual life that is eternal. Given that children are the context of this passage (Jer 31.15, 17), it is fitting that the reward of verse 16 is referring to children (Ps 127.3). And so in the unrealized portion of our eternal life, we will meet our reward – our children. Furthermore, this passage goes on to say:
“They will return from the land of the enemy. So there is hope for your descendants,” declares the LORD. “Your children will return to their own land.”
We know that the last enemy to be destroyed is death (1 Cor 15.26). To be sure, the land of this physical life in which we live is marred by the effects of sin & death. But heaven, the eternal spiritual home for which we are intended, is free of death (Rev 21.3-4). For those of us who have trusted Christ to save us to eternal life, heaven is truly our “own land” (Phil 3.20-21) & there we will see our lost children. Because of God’s one & only Son, we will live forever with our children in His presence.
If you are unsure if you will be going to heaven after you die, please know that you can be sure (1 Jn 5.13). To find out how, please see the link below about being justified in the "Related Pages" section.
Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. – Mt 5.3-4 |
For you, LORD, have delivered me from death,
my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before the LORD in the land of the living. – Ps 116.8-9 |